History WBMX (FM)

wbmx has been based out of studio building in brighton, shared cbs other boston fm stations, since 2009.


origins @ 98.5

the wbmx intellectual property originated on 98.5 fm frequency, signed on in october 1948 wnac-fm under ownership of yankee network division of general tire , rubber, owned wnac (then @ 1260 am, occupied wbix; moved 680 in 1953) , wnac-tv (channel 7, occupied whdh). station transmitted wnac-tv s tower in medford, using transmitter used yankee network s fm station on mount washington (which considered boston station, refocused portland, maine), operated december 18, 1940, september 1948 (when signed off due increasing costs , lack of listener interest). @ fm stations, wnac-fm served full-time simulcast of wnac. station, along general tire s other broadcast holdings, came under general teleradio banner in 1952; division became rko teleradio pictures in 1955 , rko general in 1959.

by december 1958, though station still simulcasting wnac, call letters changed wrko-fm, rko teleradio sought keep wrko call letters out of hands of competitors. while separate programming inaugurated half of broadcast day in 1963 due then-upcoming federal communications commission (fcc) regulations prohibiting , fm stations simulcasting more half of day, programming middle-of-the-road format identical of wnac. year later, wrko-fm, along wnac-tv, moved new tower in newton.

on october 12, 1966, wrko-fm dropped simulcast of wnac (by predominantly talk station) , introduced top 40 format reliant on automation. playing top hits of day (including number-one song in boston every hour on hour) , using recorded announcing altered sound robot (since station positioned r-ko [pronounced arko ], shy friendly robot ), wrko-fm became popular fm radio station in boston area. result of success, when wnac dropped talk format in favor of live top 40 format on march 13, 1967, rko general changed call letters wrko. programming simulcast on wrko-fm 6 a.m. 6 p.m., r-ko programming continuing rest of day.

wrko-fm s top 40 programming came end in november 1968, when joined sister stations khj-fm in los angeles , kfrc-fm in san francisco in airing automated soft rock format drake-chenault enterprises, hit parade 68 , incorporated both current music , oldies. along new format came new call sign, wror, part effort rko general give fm stations distinct identity sister stations.

wror switched drake-chenault format, solid gold rock , roll , on november 1, 1970, evenly splitting oldies , current music; in 1973, station went full-time oldies format (still playing new song per hour , couple recent hits hour), parting ways drake-chenault later year , adopting name golden great 98 (drake-chenault s services later utilized wcop-fm, sister station wzlx, competed wror in oldies format 1973 1974). starting in march 1977, wror gradually began position station ac station rather oldies, , september 1978 more of gold based adult contemporary station, leading branding changing great 98 , 98-and-a-half. station management felt there hole in market fm ac station compete against wbz , whdh (now weei). still, station oldies 1960s, playing couple currents , couple recent hits hour plus couple of pre-1964 oldies well.

after rko general lost license operate wnac-tv in 1982, wror forced move tower in newton, new owners of channel 7 (renamed wnev-tv) did not lease space on tower. however, in wake of loss of license, federal communications commission (fcc) announced in february 1983 solicit competing applications rko s remaining stations, including wror. in 1988, station, along wrko, acquired atlantic ventures $27.7 million, split between rko , challengers licenses.

during 1980s, wror continued gold-based ac station throughout week. station played 1 2 currents hour huge hits. played several 1980s songs hour, , several 1970s songs hour. half songs played 1960s along pre-1964 oldie hour. on weekends, station played strictly oldies 1960s couple of early-1970s songs hour, plus several pre- 64 oldies well. few months late in 1987 , in 1988, wror ran smooth jazz/new-age music show in evening. in 1989, wror modified oldies/ac format bright adult contemporary , changed on-air identity ror-fm. stopped oldies weekends, began playing more currents, eliminated pre-1964 oldies, , focused on 1970s , 1980s music. while, continued saturday night oldies show. however, after finding listeners continued perceive wror oldies station, atlantic ventures decided relaunch station under new identity. @ noon on february 8, 1991, after playing roy orbison s s on , station became mix 98.5 , shifted closer rhythmic-leaning hot adult contemporary format heavy on motown oldies , hot ac currents. first song on mix can t myself 4 tops. few weeks later, station took wbmx call letters mor station in zeeland, michigan had been using them since signing on previous year; station received wror calls in return, drop them in 1993. barry scott , lost 45s retro radio show sunday night staple, before moving wods. wror-fm call letters used on classic hits station in boston @ 105.7 fm owned beasley broadcast group.

atlantic ventures merged 2 other radio groups, stoner broadcasting systems , multi market communications, on june 5, 1993, form american radio systems. in following years, many hot ac stations, wbmx began emphasize more modern rock music exclusion of remaining oldies, , considered 1 of first modern adult contemporary stations in country.

american radio systems announced merger cbs radio in 1997; wbmx company s boston station acquired cbs in deal, completed in june 1998, owing cbs existing presence in market (ars other boston stations required sold off either fcc or department of justice). cbs radio stations, including wbmx, spun off new public company, infinity broadcasting corporation, in 1998; viacom announced acquisition of publicly held stake in infinity on august 15, 2000 (shortly after merged cbs corporation), transaction completed on february 21, 2001 (though viacom, , cbs before merger, had held majority stake in infinity). when viacom split 2 companies on december 31, 2005, infinity became part of new cbs corporation , reverted cbs radio name.

in 2005, wbmx, along wzlx , wods, rumored flip adult hits jack fm ; had wqsx (now weei-fm) not flipped format 93.7 mike fm on april 14, wbmx might have flipped format next day 98.5 jack fm.

switch 104.1

on july 14, 2009, cbs radio announced wbmx move 98.5 fm 104.1 fm, replacing wbcn (which signed on in 1958 classical music station had been rock station since 1968); these moves made launch sports talk station, wbz-fm, @ 98.5 frequency. result, station added -fm suffix on july 29, allowing cbs temporarily place wbmx call letters on former wfna (1660 am) in charlotte, north carolina; additionally, during mix s final week on 98.5, used wbz-fm call letters intended new station. wbcn s rock format moved 98.5 s hd2 subcarrier. wbcn s programming on 104.1 ended after midnight on august 12, 2009; wbmx moved 104.1 2 hours later (the wbcn call letters transferred charlotte station), wbz-fm launching next day. final song mix played on 98.5 move along all-american rejects, while first song mix played on 104.1 use kings of leon.

on february 2, 2017, cbs radio announced merge entercom (which locally owns weei, weei-fm, wrko, wkaf , waaf). wbmx,

wods , waaf retained entercom, while sister stations wbz , wzlx, wkaf , wrko, spun off iheartmedia (wbz-fm traded beasley broadcast group in exchange wmjx, making wbmx , wmjx sister stations). merger approved on november 9, 2017, , consummated on 17th. entercom has applied move wbmx callsign sister-owned station in chicago; 104.1 pick new callsign wwbx.