WKLB-FM

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WKLB-FM

City of license	Waltham, Massachusetts
Broadcast area	Greater Boston
Branding	Country 102.5
Frequency	102.5 MHz (also on HD Radio) 102.5 HD-2: Classic Country
First air date	1954 (as WCRB-FM)
Format	Country
ERP	14,000 watts
HAAT	276 meters
Class	B
Facility ID	10542
Callsign meaning	The Country KLuB (referring to a WKLB slogan while the format was on 105.7)
Owner	Greater Media (Charles River Broadcasting Co.)
Webcast	Listen Live
Website	wklb.com

WKLB-FM (102.5 FM, "Country 102.5") is a radio station licensed to Waltham, Massachusetts and serving Greater Boston. WKLB currently has a country music radio format. WKLB's transmitter is located in Newton, Massachusetts.

Past WKLB frequencies

Prior to its current location, the WKLB calls and format were located on 99.5, 96.9, and 105.7. 99.5 started out in 1947 as WLLH-FM, the FM counterpart to WLLH, programming a full-service format to the Merrimack Valley.

During the 1970s, 99.5 became WSSH (for "Wish 99.5"), which programmed a format of chiefly soft instrumental renditions of pop tunes with a few vocalists an hour, consisting of soft AC and standards cuts. In 1982, WSSH evolved to a soft AC format, gradually eliminating the instrumental renditions and became home to popular nighttime radio personality Delilah Rene (before she became nationally syndicated). Ratings were very high through the '80s and WSSH often led other AC stations. By then, the station was separated from WLLH, but it later gained a sister station on 1510 (now WUFC).

However, in the early 1990s, ratings went from excellent to mediocre, part of the reason was the perception that WSSH was still an elevator music station. During this time period, the station modified their soft AC format by 1991, adding current product and some up tempo AC tunes, evolving to a mainstream AC format. WSSH became the third place adult contemporary radio station, below WMJX and WVBF. On December 13, 1995, the owner of WSSH, Granum Communications, changed the format to smooth jazz, under the branding of WOAZ ("99.5 The Oasis"), mirroring Granum's KOAI in Dallas, Texas.

Meanwhile, 96.9 was a beautiful music station under the WJIB call sign, and later a smooth jazz station as WCDJ (which began in 1990). In 1993, Greater Media purchased this station and converted it to country under the WBCS call sign; however, 105.7 had dropped the AC format and WVBF calls to become another country station, WCLB, shortly beforehand, effectively giving Boston two country stations. Confusion with other radio stations, including 102.5's past occupant WCRB, and a TV station lead to WCLB changing its calls to WKLB-FM in 1995. 105.7 was sold by then-owners Evergreen Media in early 1996 to Greater Media, who combined the two country stations on 96.9 under the WKLB call sign. (105.7 became WROR-FM at that time.)

Then, in 1997, CBS (which had just merged with Infinity Broadcasting, which itself had purchased Granum) sold WOAZ and WBOS to Greater Media, and on August 22, it swapped WOAZ and WKLB's formats in a move where the format and personalities of WOAZ moved to 96.9 (but adopting the call sign WSJZ; the station is now WBQT), while WKLB moved to 99.5, where it stayed until December 1, 2006. Greater Media noted that the move was made as the 99.5 signal is stronger than 96.9 in Essex County, home to many country music listeners.

In November 2006, the 99.5 frequency was spun off to Nassau Broadcasting Partners as a consequence of a deal where Greater Media acquired WCRB's dial position, with 102.5 adopting the WKLB format and call sign, and Nassau acquired WCRB's call letters and programming. Nassau already has four classical-formatted stations in Maine, which are affiliated with WCRB's satellite-delivered classical music format. The two stations switched frequencies at Noon on December 1. The final song on "99.5 WKLB" was the United States National Anthem, while the first song played by "102.5 WKLB" was "Life Is A Highway" by Rascal Flatts.

History of the 102.5 license

The 102.5 license started in 1954 as WCRB-FM, the FM sister station of WCRB (AM) (now WRCA), bringing its classical music format to parts of the Boston area which did not get good reception of WCRB (AM)'s directional signal as well as improved audio quality. In 1961, WCRB-FM was the first Boston-area FM station to broadcast in multiplex stereo; for a few years prior to that, WCRB had broadcast some of its programming in stereo by broadcasting one channel on AM, the other on FM. Although Charles River Broadcasting acquired other radio stations in the last 10 years, WCRB remained the company's flagship station.

In 1975, WCRB ended simulcasting of WCRB-FM, changing call letters to WHET, and its format to big-band/adult standards. In 1978, Charles River sold-off WHET, but retained WCRB, which became increasingly successful over the years as a 24/7 classical music station.

WCRB was under a long term commitment by Charles River Broadcasting to continue to air classical music for the foreseeable future, and it carries no non-classical music programs. However, the decision to interpret the commitment as a request rather than a demand resulted in the announced sale of the station to Greater Media on December 19, 2005. However, as Greater Media already owned five FM stations in the Boston market - the maximum allowed - one of Greater Media's Boston stations would have to be sold before the company could acquire WCRB. The station that was sold was the 99.5 frequency, which was sold to Nassau Broadcasting, who also purchased WCRB's intellectual property. WCRB's transition from 102.5 to 99.5 was completed on December 1, 2006 at noon local time. The first selection broadcast on the new frequency was the Hallelujah Chorus from Handel's Messiah. All of the WCRB announcers including Laura Carlo, Don Spencer, Ray Brown, Mark Calder and Dave MacNeill were expected to stay on with the station. Programs including Kid's Classical Hour and the live Boston Symphony Orchestra broadcasts were also expected to continue.

HD Radio

WKLB broadcasts on 102.5 HD2 new country on its hd2 channel

Sources

Archives @ Boston Radio.org

External links

Query the FCC's FM station database for WKLB

Radio-Locator information on WKLB

Query Nielsen Audio's FM station database for WKLB

v t e Radio stations in Boston, including Eastern Massachusetts

By AM frequency	590 650 680 740 800 850 890 950 980² 1030¹ 1060² 1090 1120 1150 1170 ² 1200 1230² 1260 1300 1330 1360 1390² 1410 1430 1460² 1470 1490² 1510 1550 1570² 1600

By FM frequency	88.1 88.9 89.7 90.3 90.9 91.5 91.5 91.5 91.7 91.9 92.5² 92.9 93.7 94.5 95.3 95.9² 96.9 97.7 98.5 99.1² 99.5 99.9 100.1 100.7 101.7 102.5 103.3 104.1 104.9² 104.9 105.7 106.7 107.3² 107.9

By callsign	WAAF² WAMG WATD-FM² WAZN WBMX WBNW² WBOQ WBOS WBQT WBRS WBUR-FM WBZ WBZ-FM WCAP² WCEC² WCRB WDIS² WEDX WEEI WEEI-FM WERS WESX² WEZE WGBH WHHB WHRB WILD WJDA WJIB WJMN WKAF WKLB-FM WKOX WLYN WMBR WMFO WMJX WMKI WMLN-FM WMVX WMWM WNTN WODS WPLM² WPLM-FM² WQOM WRBB WRCA WRKO WROL WROR-FM WSRO WUFC WUMB-FM WUML² WUNR WWDJ WXBR² WXKS WXKS-FM WXRV WZBC WZBR WZLX

Former stations	WBCN WFNX

Internet Stations	RadioBDC

Massachusetts radio markets Boston Cape Cod New Bedford-Fall River Springfield Worcester Other Massachusetts radio regions Pittsfield See also List of radio stations in Massachusetts Manchester Radio ¹ = Clear-channel stations with extended nighttime coverage. ² = A station from a neighboring market that serves Boston and area, and is considered a "Boston station" by Nielsen Radio

v t e Country Radio Stations in the state of Massachusetts

By frequency	940 95.3 98.1 100.9 102.5 103.9

By callsign	WCTK WGFP WKLB-FM WKPE-FM WPVQ WRNX

By community of license	Amherst Greenfield New Bedford South Yarmouth Waltham Webster

See also adult contemporary classic hits college country news/talk NPR oldies religious rock sports top 40 urban other radio stations in Massachusetts

Greater Media

Boston

Detroit

Philadelphia

New Jersey

AM	WCTC WMTR

FM	WDHA WJRZ WMGQ WRAT

Charlotte

AM	WBT

FM	WBT WLNK

Coordinates: 42°18′36″N 71°14′13″W / 42.310°N 71.237°W / 42.310; -71.237

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