| City of license | WFNX: Lynn, Massachusetts WFEX: Peterborough, New Hampshire |
|---|---|
| Broadcast area | Greater Boston, Manchester, NH |
| Branding | 101.7 WFNX |
| Slogan |
Alternative Boston airdate = November 1947 |
| Frequency | WFNX: 101.7 (MHz) (Boston) WFEX: 92.1 (MHz) (Manchester, NH) |
| Format | Alternative rock |
| ERP | WFNX: 1,700 watts WFEX: 170 watts |
| HAAT | WFNX: 191 meters WFEX: 423 meters |
| Class | WFNX: A WFEX: A |
| Facility ID | WFNX: 40824 WFEX: 52399 |
| Callsign meaning | Phoenix, as in Boston Phoenix |
| Owner | Phoenix Media/Communications Group (MCC Broadcasting Company, Inc.) |
| Webcast | Listen Live |
| Website | WFNX.com |
WFNX is a New England commercial alternative rock radio station. The station began broadcasting on Monday, April 11, 1983. It was one of the first American commercial stations to play alternative rock and has become a leading radio station for breaking new alternative music.
WFNX broadcasts on 101.7 MHz from atop One Financial Center in downtown Boston, and is simulcast on another New England radio station, WFEX in Peterborough, New Hampshire (serving Manchester, NH), at 92.1 MHz. Simulcasting on another 92.1 MHz station, WPHX-FM in Sanford, Maine, ended in August 2011.
WFNX is owned by the Phoenix Media/Communications Group and promoted as the broadcast cousin of the Boston Phoenix, the Boston area's long-running alternative media newspaper.
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101.7 FM began as the FM outfit of WLYN in November 1947. WLYN-FM for years simulcast WLYN during the day and had its own programming after the AM signed off at sunset.
By the late 1970s, WLYN-FM had begun broadcasting ethnic programming in the midday hours, with drive times still simulcast with the AM. In 1981, WLYN-FM began broadcasting a nighttime block of new wave music which eventually became a 24/7 alternative music format in 1982, known as Y102. The midday ethnic programs were moved to the AM where they continue to air to the present day.
In the spring of 1983, WLYN-FM was sold to the Phoenix Media/Communications Group and became WFNX, retaining for the most part the format that had been launched by the previous owners.
The station sponsored a free Green Day concert at the Hatch Memorial Shell in Boston, MA on September 9, 1994.
WFNX has a long history of breaking new bands and being the first in the country to play artists such as Nirvana, The Killers, Franz Ferdinand, Florence and the Machine, Foster the People, Mumford and Sons, and many more. Since day one, WFNX has been all about new underground music, whether it’s local or national, and tries to balance them both and help the music community.
WFNX broadcasts are simulcast in New Hampshire.
In December 1999, 92.1 WFEX of Peterborough, New Hampshire began simulcasting 101.7 WFNX. Previously WFEX was WNHQ, simulcasting 105.5 WJYY of Concord, New Hampshire.
On July 21, 1999[1] 92.1 WPHX-FM of Sanford, Maine began simulcasting of 101.7 WFNX. Previous to the simulcast, WPHX-FM was WCDQ, playing classic rock as Mount Rialto Radio. The WFNX simulcast on WPHX-FM ended in August 2011, when WPHX-FM switched to a simulcast of WXEX 1540 AM, Exeter, NH.
On March 30, 2006, WFNX doubled its power after receiving permission from the FCC to begin broadcasting from its new antenna located atop One Financial Center in downtown Boston. To promote its signal upgrade in downtown Boston, WFNX sold all of its commercial ad time to beverage maker Snapple from Memorial Day, May 29 through Independence Day, July 4, 2006 (both are national holidays in the United States). The unique deal allowed the station to eliminate traditional commercial breaks for that time.
The combination of WFNX's signal upgrade and the departure of Howard Stern from WBCN resulted in a significant ratings change in the core rock 18-34 demographic in Boston starting in 2006. Arbitron Ratings four ratings books in 2007 (Fa06, Wi07, Sp07, Su07) showed that WFNX's weekday 18-34 audience share had increased by 43% over 2005, while WBCN's 18-34 share decreased by 39% from 2005.
Nirvana's 1993 Nevermind It's an Interview limited-edition promotional release on Geffen Records was produced and engineered at the station by Kurt St. Thomas and Troy Smith. The original interview sessions were recorded by St. Thomas the night of Nirvana's first appearance on NBC's Saturday Night Live in 1992.
WFNX Breakfast Show with DJ With No Name and Henry Santoro, Weekdays 6-10am
Julie Kramer, Weekdays 10am-2pm (includes "Leftover Lunch," which features tracks from the 80s and 90s starting at noon)
Adam 12, Weekdays 2-7pm
Jim Ryan, weeknights 7-11pm
Specialty Programming:
The Nightly News with Paul Driscoll, features local, national, and international artists on the brink of stardom, Weeknights from 11pm-1am.
Boston Accents, hosted by Michael Marotta, featuring the best local bands from New England, every Sunday night from 8-10pm
London Calling, hosted by XFM personality Ian Camfield, Sunday nights 10pm-midnight. Added to lineup in September 2010.
The weekend air staff includes Christine, D-Tension, Jason Layne, and Kaya.
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