WBMX (FM)

WBMX, known on-air as "Mix 104-1," is a radio station with a hot adult contemporary format in Boston, Massachusetts. started at 98.5 FM, the station adopted its current format in 1991.

The call letters WBMX (standing for Black Music EXperience), were originally assigned to 102.7 on the FM dial in Oak Park/Chicago Illinois from 1973 to 1988. (That station frequency is now home to R&B station WVAZ). In 1991, they were assigned to 98.5 on the FM dial in the Boston area.

On August 12, 2009, the station replaced WBCN at 104.1 as "Mix 104-1," making room for the new WBZ-FM at 98.5.

History

WBMX began its life in 1947 as the FM sister station to WNAC radio. Throughout its early life, WNAC-FM was merely a simulcast of its sister AM station. When John Shepard sold WNAC and WNAC-FM to RKO General in the early 1950s, they also owned Channel 7 WNAC-TV.

WNAC-FM became WRKO-FM in the early '60s but continued to simulcast WNAC until 1963, even though WNAC would later change its letters to WRKO as well. In 1963, WRKO-FM did embark on some separate programming.

On October 12, 1966, a new all-automated Top-40 format was introduced on WRKO-FM. Playing the top hits of the day (including the number-one song in Boston every hour on the hour) and using recorded announcing altered to sound like a robot (since the station was positioned as "R-KO [pronounced "arko"], The Shy But Friendly Robot"). WRKO-FM quickly became the most popular FM radio station in the Boston area.

On the AM side, WNAC became top-40 formatted WRKO in March 1967. When that happened, the live programming of WRKO-AM was simulcast on WRKO-FM between 6 a.m. and 6 p.m. every day, with the automated "R-KO" format on the FM broadcast from 6 p.m. to 6 a.m..

In late 1968, WRKO-FM became “Stereo 98.5, WROR” with Bill Drake's all-automated “Hit Parade '68” format (what today we would call a “gold-based” contemporary format, with lots of rock and roll oldies mixed in with the currents).

By 1970, WROR evolved to a Top 40/Oldies hybrid format playing the hits from 1955 to the then present. In early 1973, they flipped to a 1950s/early 1960s full time Oldies format. After receiving significant competition from new FM Oldies station WCOP-FM, in late 1973, WROR expanded their Oldies format to include the late 60s and early 70s as well. During this time, the station was known as "The Golden Great 98". In 1979, WROR modified the oldies format to a gold-based AC, dropping most of the pre-64 oldies. Later that same year, the oldies came back on a re-tooled “98-and-a-half”. In early 1981, WRKO evolved to AC during the day and talk at night and by that September, WRKO 680 was strictly talk and news.

In 1982, RKO General was found by the FCC to be unfit to hold the broadcast license for WNAC-TV in Boston. That proceeding involved only WNAC, but its findings were used by challengers already seeking the other licenses held by RKO General. RKO settled the WNAC proceedings by not contesting the loss of that property to one of the challengers, which was then granted the license to operate on channel 7. They did sell equipment and programming and intellectual unit to the challengers but lost the broadcast television license. The calls became WNEV (the station is now known as WHDH (TV)).

By 1983 98.5 WROR moved to a Gold Based AC format during the week focusing on 1964 to 1979, mixing in a couple of pre-64 songs an hour along with a couple of 80's songs and a current per hour. On weekends WROR played Oldies from 1955 to 1974. From the fall of 1987 until the spring of 1988, WROR ran a Jazz/New Age music show Sunday through Friday evenings. That show was ended due to very low ratings. Gradually the station's focus changed to an adult contemporary format that targeted women 26–54 years old.

Several years after the Channel 7 decision, the FCC found RKO unfit to operate its 13 radio stations and its Los Angeles and Memphis television stations. Shortly thereafter, a takeover battle ensued for RKO's parent company, Gencorp. To raise money to buy back its own stock, Gencorp proposed "settling" the challenges to its broadcast properties by paying off relevant challengers after selling the licenses to the separate owners for close to market value. The Commission therefore allowed RKO to sell their stations at market value but relevant challengers to each property received a percentage of the purchase price for each license sold. For example, KHJ-TV (now KCAL-TV) in Los Angeles was sold to Disney in 1988 for market value while actual challenger, Fidelity Television, received a percentage of the money paid to Gencorp. Gencorp also sold WOR-TV, Secaucus, N.J. to MCA TV, which was its only property with a permanent license. In 1988, WRKO and WROR was sold to Atlantic Ventures, which changed its name to Atlantic Radio before merging with two other broadcast companies to form American Radio Systems.

In 1989, WROR modified its format to Hot Adult Contemporary and changed its on air-identity to ROR-FM. Two years and several thousand dollars worth of research later, on February 8th, 1991 at 1:00 PM, the station played Roy Orbison's "It's Over," and adopted a format heavy on Motown oldies and hot AC currents, eventually changing its call letters to WBMX, and its on air identity “Mix 98.5”. Initially the station focused on 80's and 90's music with a lot of new songs and a few 60's and 70's big hits mixed in. The station had purchased the WBMX call letters from an AM MOR station in Zeeland, Michigan, which had been using them since signing on the previous year; this AM station received the WROR calls in return, but would drop them in 1993. The WROR call letters now occupy Greater Media's 105.7 FM, which plays a classic rock leaning format of 60's to 80's music.

WBMX gradually evolved away from AC artists and began to focus on modern rock cross-over material and the exclusion of the 60s and 70s oldies which were once a staple of the old WROR. (Many Hot AC stations began to evolve this way.) By 1996, the format had evolved to “Modern AC”.

In 1997, American Radio agreed to merge with CBS, but an agreement was announced by which WRKO, WEEI, WEGQ, and WAAF would be placed in a trust until an alternate buyer could be found. Entercom would buy these stations later that year. CBS then purchased WBMX, pending final FCC approval; the merger was consummated in June, 1998.

Today WBMX is co-owned with WBZ 1030, WBZ-FM 98.5, WODS 103.3, WZLX 100.7, WBZ-TV Channel 4, and WSBK Channel 38. WBMX moved to slightly more of a mainstrean Hot AC by 2000, though it still leans toward rock.

Switch to 104.1

On July 13, 2009, CBS Radio announced that the rock format on sister station WBCN would sign off the 104.1 FM frequency on August 13, 2009, at Midnight, and WBMX and its Hot Adult Contemporary format would move to 104.1 FM, known as "Mix 104-1" two hours later. This made room for a sports talk format at the 98.5 frequency where Mix was heard. 98.5 is now known as "The Sports Hub." Mix 98.5 aired on its final day, silently, as WBZ-FM. While waiting for the switch to 104.1, the WBMX call letters were reassigned to WFNA-AM 1660, an all sports talk station in Charlotte, North Carolina. The call letters were brought back to Boston when WBCN signed off 104.1. The WBCN call letters now occupy 1660-AM in Charlotte, as a Conservative Talk station. WBCN's rock format moved to 98.5's HD2 subcarrier. The first song Mix played on 104.1 was "Use Somebody" by Kings of Leon.

Awards

Mix 104.1 (and the previous Mix 98.5) is one of the most honored radio stations in the country, and has earned more major radio awards than any other Hot AC station in history. The station was name "Hot AC Station of The Year" 9 times from 1997 through 2009. Former Program Director Greg Strassell was named "Hot AC Program Director of The Year" 9 times; Long time Music Director Mike Mullaney earned "Hot AC Music Director Of The Year" 5 times; last year, new morning team Karson & Kennedy were name "Hot AC Morning Show of The Year" of 2009 by FMQB magazine.

References

• George, Peter (in part) (2005-03-27). "WBMX(FM)". The Boston Radio Dial. The Archives at BostonRadio.org. http://www.bostonradio.org/stations/1901.html. Retrieved 2006-02-20. 

External links

• Mix 104.1 website
• Query the FCC's FM station database for WBMX
• Radio-Locator information on WBMX
• Query Arbitron's FM station database for WBMX