WBPM
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| City of license | Saugerties, New York |
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| Broadcast area | Hudson Valley, lower Capital District |
| Branding | Cool 92.9 |
| Slogan | Good Times, Great Oldies |
| First air date | October 22, 1999 |
| Frequency | 92.9 MHz |
| Format | Oldies |
| Power | 6 kw |
| ERP | 6 kw |
| Class | A |
| Callsign meaning | World's Best Popular Music (internal slogan from former home of 94.3 FM) |
| Former callsigns | WRKW (1999-2004) |
| Owner | Clear Channel Communications (pending to Pamal Broadcasting) |
| Website | www.cool929fm.com |
WBPM (Cool 92.9) is an oldies radio station licensed to Saugerties, New York and serving the Mid-Hudson Valley, Catskills, and lower Capital District of New York state. The station is owned by Clear Channel Communications and broadcasts at 6 kilowatts ERP from the a tower in the town of Ulster, New York.
The WBPM calls were previously on 94.3 MHz from 1975 to 2003, that station is today known as WKXP. The resurfacing of the WBPM calls on 92.9 came alongside the oldies which 94.3 had abandoned being reincarnated on 92.9 FM.
[edit] History
The 92.9 frequency was added to the FCC's Table of Allotments in late 1997, becoming a construction permit won by then-WRNQ/WKIP/WTND owner Eric Straus a year later. In its preparation to reach the air, its tower site changed (from WDST's original tower in Lake Katrine to a AT&T Wireless tower in Ulster) given that a feasibility study showed that from the former very little signal would reach the main target market of Poughkeepsie.
In August 1999, the frequency gained the WRKW calls, signed on for testing that October 23rd, and made a full launch on November 1. WRKW's launch format was a Classic Hits-esque format called "Quality Rock" which was automated and jockless outside of the syndicated Bob & Tom morning show (though later a voicetracked PM drive jock and the syndicated weekend show "The Beatle Years" were added). Considering that the same music was available on the far stronger WPDH, the frequency began its life at the bottom of the ratings and struggled to make a showing.
After Clear Channel Communications purchased Straus' stations in 2000, rumors of a format flip were imminent among the poor performance and lack of resources given to the station; however, Straus had locked into a long-term deal with the programming firm who programmed Quality Rock. When these deals ran out in early 2002, improvements were made to the frequency and on June 26 of that year the station entered a 26-hour long stunt of Eminem's "Without Me. The next day, WRKW relaunched as active rock 92.9 Rock. Unlike its predecessor, the station launched with DJ's taken from sister stations and a heavy promotion blitz and quickly became a middle-of-the pack radio station.
From the outset of the new format, rumors of the station picking up the "Wakin' Up with The Wolf" program from sister WPYX in Albany (which originated at WPDH and has several Hudson Valley alumni on staff) circulated and, in March 2003, the show began airing on the station. However, the returns were lower than planned given that the show was a bit too "Albany-centric" and numbers were a bit lower than expected. Given the lack of compatibility of the format with the rest of the cluster and the struggles of the active rock format, its future was already in doubt.
On May 26, 2004, WRKW flipped to oldies as Cool 92.9 and soon thereafter took the WBPM calls which had served nearly three decades on 94.3 FM and with airstaff formerly of that station and oldies predecessor WCZX. To date, the oldies format has been successful in the Poughkeepsie ratings considering the circumstances of the signal.
[edit] Pending Sale
In late May 2006, it was announced that WBPM and sister station WGHQ would be swapped to Pamal Broadcasting along with Clear Channel's Rutland, Vermont cluster and a station in Baton Rouge, Louisiana for WRNX in Amherst, Massachusetts. The deal will make WBPM a sister station to market leaders WSPK and WHUD as well as WBNR and WLNA. The future of the "Cool" format is unknown though, given Pamal practice, it is expected to remain.
[edit] External links
In-Market AM Stations: 920 | 950 | 1020 | 1260 | 1390 | 1450 | 1490
NYC/Albany AM Stations: 660 | 770 | 810 | 880 | 1050 | 1130 | 1560
FM Stations: 88.3 | 88.7 WFNP | 88.7 WRHV | 89.7 | 90.9 | 91.3 | 91.7 | 92.1 | 92.9 | 93.3 | 94.3 | 96.1 | 96.9 | 97.7
98.1 | 100.1/106.3 | 100.7 | 101.5 | 103.3 | 104.7 | 105.5 | 107.3
