WBOE

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WBOE

City of license	Ravena, New York
Broadcast area	Capital District
Branding	The Bone
Slogan	"Everything that rocks"
First air date	September 1991
Frequency	94.5 MHz
Format	Mainstream rock
Power	3 kW (upgrade to 6 kW in progress)
ERP	3 kW
Class	A
Callsign meaning	W BOnE
Former callsigns	WRAV-FM (1991-93) WEMX (1993-96) WABY-FM (1996-99) WKLI (1999-2001) WRCZ (2001-06)
Owner	Galaxy Communications
Website	www.thebonerocks.com

WBOE (The Bone) is a Mainstream rock radio station licensed to Ravena, New York and serving the Capital District and upper Hudson Valley of New York. The station is owned by Galaxy Communications and broadcasts at 3 kilowatts ERP from a location in Selkirk, New York though the station will upgrade its power to 6 kilowatts later in 2006. WBOE's programming is simulcast on 93.7 WOOB Scotia.

In addition to its rock format, "The Bone" is the home "Nights with Alice Cooper", and NASCAR NEXTEL Cup motorsports, all of which obtained in some part from the stations which preceded the current format. Until early August, 2006, "The Bone" was also the home of controversial and embattled morning host JR Gach. Where Gach will next appear on the airwaves has not been announced.

[edit] History

The 94.5 frequency signed on as WRAV-FM in September 1991 with a satellite-fed Adult Contemporary format which tried to target Albany's southern suburbs. WRAV struggled from the outset with no less than three rivals in Albany and, soon after signing on, a rival in Catskill as well. As a result, the station struggled financially and was sold in November 1993 after nearly going dark; the new owners switched programming services and relaunched the station as WEMX (Mix 94.5). Though WEMX was better off financially, it still struggled in terms of ratings and revenue.

In June 1995, WKLI/WABY(1400) owner Paul Bendatt bought WEMX and that August (after five weeks of syndicated talk shows and Hot adult contemporary music) changed the station's format to a simulcast of the pop standards format heard on WABY. Initially, the station had various prior commitments on weekends to clear and was forced to sign off overnights due to a programming service conflict between WABY and WCKL in Catskill, however in February 1996 the station fully relaunched as WABY-FM. From the outset, the simulcast was wildly successful with ratings often being among the Top 5 stations (12+) in the Albany market, however revenues declined to the point that WKLI supported the WABY stations. A decline at WKLI coupled with the lure of money led to Bendatt's days being numbered.

In February 1999, Paul Bendatt sold his stations to Tele-Media, Inc. which that April replaced local programming with satellite-fed programming outside drivetimes (and flipped the AM side to news programming by day). This set the station up for a wholesale flip which came that August with the reincarnation of the K-Lite format formerly of 100.9 FM with the WKLI calls moving to 94.5 with the station converting back to all-local programming after a Christmas music stunt in late-1999. Given its signal impairments and fierce competition from WYJB, WKLI's ratings fell to levels not seen in years and revenue barely improved vs. the standards format though the station had some success with Delilah After Dark in the evening hours.

Tele-Media left the Albany market in August 2001 with WKLI and WABY being sold to Syracuse, New York-based Galaxy Communications, a company whose speciality is rock formats and (by virtue of that target) serving the underserved male market. This form of business, coupled with the underachieving K-Lite format led to a format flip to "Classic Rock that Really Rocks" as WRCZ (94 Rock) at the start of November with former WPYX-FM morning host Bob Mason in mornings. The station settled in the middle of the pack in the Albany market for the next several years, even after Bob Mason left the station. However, a reimaging of the music mix and the firing of most air talent led to a marked decline in ratings throughout 2005 and the flip of WQBK-FM to classic rock (and the move of Howard Stern, which anchored WQBK, to Sirius Satellite Radio) led to a shakeup in rock formats of the Albany market.

On January 4, 2006, WRCZ joined with sister WEGQ (which had been classic country music) the two stations merged together and flipped to the current "Bone" format with former WGY afternoon host JR Gach moving from afternoons on WRCZ to mornings on the simulcast. But Gach was fired from "The Bone" on August 11, 2006 due to lackluster ratings.

With the flip, the station automatically became the NASCAR radio affiliate for the market by virtue of WEGQ having held the rights the two prior years.

[edit] External links

• Query the FCC's FM station database for WBOE