WBBO

For the Greenville, South Carolina station known as WBBO-FM from 1947 to 1994, see WTPT.

WBBO

City	Ocean Acres, New Jersey
Broadcast area	Ocean, Burlington County, New Jersey
Branding	B 98.5
Slogan	"The Jersey Shore's #1 Hit Music Station"
Frequency	98.5 MHz
First air date	March 10, 1993
Format	Contemporary Hit Radio
ERP	3,400 watts
HAAT	136 meters
Class	A
Facility ID	59495
Transmitter coordinates	39°42′56″N 74°17′32″W / 39.71556°N 74.29222°W / 39.71556; -74.29222
Former callsigns	WQNJ (1990-1997) WBBO (1997-2006) WKOE (2006) WKMK (2006-2010) WHTG-FM (2010)^[1]
Owner	Press Communications, LLC
Sister stations	WJLP-DT, KJWP-DT, WHTG, WKMK / WTHJ, WWZY / WBHX
Webcast	Listen Live
Website	b985radio.com

WBBO (98.5 FM, "B 98.5") is a radio station broadcasting a Contemporary Hit Radio format. Licensed to Ocean Acres, New Jersey, it serves Ocean & Burlington counties in New Jersey. It first began broadcasting in 1993 under the call sign WQNJ, but more recently operated under WKMK. The station is currently owned by Press Communications.^[2]

Coverage Area

98.5's signal blankets Ocean & Burlington in New Jersey as well as the New Jersey suburbs of Philadelphia. The station can be heard from Atlantic City to the South, Belmar to the North, and Philadelphia to the West.

The WBBO antenna is co-located with WVBH and WCHR-FM on a tower located near the intersection of Route 72 and the Garden State Parkway in Manahawkin.

Early history

98.5 was granted the WQNJ calls on February 7, 1990. Even before this station hit the air, it had extensive coverage in the local newspapers, because it was to be the first commercial station to hit the air in Ocean County since WJRZ signed on in 1976. FM 98.5 was originally owned by Seaira, Inc., a local company that was headed by Pat Parson, a former WCBS-AM news anchor from 1970 to 1990 and a former alumnus of WERA in Planfield.

Parson originally planned 98.5 to be a live and local Smooth Jazz station, using the slogan "Cloud Nine," with an original sign-on date of Spring 1991. However, that sign-on date changed many times, due mostly because of antenna clearances that had to be taken care of prior to signing on. In late 1992, with Seaira not having enough financial backing to sign on themselves with a local format, 98.5 entered into an agreement with D&K Broadcasting (the owners of WJLK at the time.)

On February 11, 1993, WQNJ began on-air testing and on March 10, 1993, officially signed on with a simulcast of WJLK. It was pretty much a 100% simulcast, with the exception of local commercial cut-ins and on weekday mornings at 6, 7, 8 and 9am, Pat Parson would do a 5 minute newscast. This basic format lasted until 1996 when it was announced that Nassau Broadcasting had purchased the station (and others in the Jersey Shore area.)

B98.5

The ogirinal B98.5 logo

Pat Parson's newscasts were soon dropped - but the simulcast continued on until Memorial Day weekend in 1997 when 98.5 broke away from WJLK and branched out on its own as "B-98.5 - The Jersey Shore's Hit Music Station." The first song played on "B-98.5" was the Spice Girls "Wannabe". On July 11, 1997, the calls were changed to WBBO.

In 2001, Nassau sold WBBO (along with WOBM-FM and WJLK) to Millennium Radio Group. In April 2003, it was announced that Millennium was selling WBBO to Press Communications, who ironically enough, was the original applicant for 98.5 in the late 1980s. In August 2004, Press officially took over WBBO.

Alumni

Original Staff * Neil Sullivan, Program Director 1997-1999 * Fox Feltman (aka. Alan Fox), Assistant Program Director/Music Director, Afternoons 97-1999 * Jessica Taylor, Mid day host, 1999 * Andy Chase, Promotions and Swing jock 1997-2003, morning host 2003-2004 * Mike and Diane, Mornings 1998-1999 * JC, then Scotty Valentino Nights 1997-1999

G Rock Radio

On February 18, 2005, 98.5 started simulcasting sister station WHTG-FM "G-106.3" from Eatontown and became GRock Radio. On July 5, 2006, 98.5 changed calls to WKOE as part of a switch with new move-in 106.5 in Bass River Township. WKOE was formerly located at 106.3 in Ocean City On July 24, 2006 at midnight, the simulcast on 98.5 ceased.

Real Jersey Kountry K98.5

WKMK logo from 2006-2009

Later on July 24, 2006, after "stunting" with playing The Eagles "New Kid In Town" over and over for 12 hours, 98.5 debuted as "K-98.5: Real Jersey Kountry" and new call letters of WKOE, were assigned at 10 AM that day (switching from WBBO which had been re-instated). The WKOE call letters were quickly replaced with WKMK to avoid a legal situation after it was noted that using WKOE on a country formatted station violated a usage agreement that Press Broadcasting signed regarding the WKOE calls. The first song played was Alan Jackson's "Gone Country." Past staffers of K98.5 include Jim Radler, Leeann Taylor and Brian Moore.

Ocean County's Country Thunder 98.5

WKMK logo from February 6, 2009 until September 12, 2010

On February 16, 2009, "K98.5" switched its name to "Thunder 98.5". Along with the name change, the station's format has been tweaked to an edgier sound, playing some classic southern rock along with country music; similar southern rock/country "hybrid" formats were used unsuccessfully on various U.S. country outlets in the 1990s, most even used the same "Thunder Country" moniker.

B 98.5 returns

The station swapped its "Thunder" country format with co-owned WHTG and WBBO on September 15, 2010 at 3:00 p.m.^[3] At that time, the station resumed its former identity of "B 98.5", and at that time also swapped call signals, assuming the WHTG-FM identity long associated with 106.3 FM in Eatontown, which became WKMK at that time. some of the staff were a carry-over from Hit 106. In the weeks leading up to the station change, commercials continuously announced "Hit 106 is moving down the dial".

Current B98.5 Airstaff: Mornings: The B985 Morning Show with Ali & Mateo (6a-10a)

Middays: Rashaud (10a-2p)

Afternoons: Sara Cucci (2p-6p)

Nights: JV Joe (6p-12a)

References

External links

Query the FCC's FM station database for WBBO

Radio-Locator information on WBBO

Query Nielsen Audio's FM station database for WBBO

Radio stations in Monmouth and Ocean Counties, New Jersey

By AM frequency	1160 1310 1410

By FM frequency	88.1 88.1 88.3 88.9 89.7 89.9 90.3 90.5 90.7 91.1 91.9 92.7 94.3 95.9 98.5 99.7 100.1 103.9 105.7 106.3 106.5 107.1 107.9

By callsign	WADB WBBO WBNJ WBHX WBJB-FM WCHR-FM WHTG WJLK WJRZ-FM WKMK WMCX-FM WMDI-LP WNJM WNJO WOBM WOBM-FM WPDI WRAT WRDR WTHJ WVBH WWNJ WWZY WYGG WYRS WZBL

Defunct	WBGD 91.9 FM

New Jersey radio markets Atlantic City–Cape May Middlesex–Somerset–Union Monmouth–Ocean Morristown Sussex Trenton Other New Jersey radio regions Vineland–Millville–Bridgeton NYC Metro Markets Long Island Hudson Valley [partial] Poughkeepsie Middlesex-Somerset-Union Monmouth-Ocean Morristown Bridgeport Danbury New Haven Stamford-Norwalk Philadelphia Metro Markets Allentown Monmouth-Ocean Reading Trenton Wilmington See also List of radio stations in New Jersey

Radio stations in the Philadelphia market

By FM frequency	88.1 88.1 88.5 88.7 88.9 88.9 89.1 89.1 89.3 (Warminster) 89.3 (Coatesville) 89.5 89.5 89.7 90.1 90.5 90.9 91.5 91.5 91.7 91.7 91.7 92.5 93.3 93.7 94.1 (HD2) 94.5 94.9 95.7 96.5 97.3 97.5 98.1 98.5 98.9 99.5 99.9 100.3 101.1 102.1 102.9 103.9 104.5 105.3 106.1 106.5 106.9 107.9 Satellite radio local traffic/weather XM Channel 212 Sirius Channel 149

By AM frequency	560 610 640 690² 740 800 860² 900 950 990 1060¹ 1110 1180 1210¹ 1310² 1340² 1360 1370 1420 1440 1460 1480 1490 1520 1540 1590 1640 1680² ¹ Clear-channel stations with extended nighttime coverage ²Broadcast in Spanish

NOAA Weather Radio frequency	162.425 162.475

By callsign	KIH28 KYW¹ WBCB WBBO WBEB WBEN-FM WBMR WBYO WCHE WCHR WCOJ WCUR WDAS WDAS-FM WDNR WEMG² WEXP WFIL WFYL WHAT WHHS WHYY WIFI WIOQ (HD2) WIP-FM (HD2) WISX WJBR WKDN WKDU WKVP WMGK WMMR WNAP WNG704 WNJC WNJS-FM WNPV WNTP WNWR WOGL WPAZ WPEB WPEN WPHE² WPHI WPHT¹ WPNX700 WPPZ-FM WPST WPWA WQHS WRDV WRFF WRNB WRSD WRTI WRTJ WSRN-FM WSTW WTEL WTHJ WTMR WTTM² WURD WUSL WVCH WWDB² WWJZ WWLU WWTX WXPN WXTU WXVU WYBF WYPA WZMP WZZE

Defunct stations	WCAU-FM WCAU (AM) WDRE WDVR WEGK WLCE WQHS WSNI WTHK WYXR

Pennsylvania radio markets Allentown–Bethlehem Altoona Bradford–Coudersport Chambersburg–Waynesboro Erie Harrisburg–Lebanon–Carlisle Lancaster Montrose New Castle Philadelphia Pittsburgh Reading Sayre–Towanda–Mansfield–Wellsboro Wilkes-Barre–Scranton Williamsport York Other Pennsylvania radio regions Bedford Indiana Johnstown Lewistown–Mifflintown Meadville–Franklin Punxsutawney–DuBois St. Marys–Emporium–Kane State College Stroudsburg Sunbury–Selinsgrove–Lewisburg Warren Philadelphia Metro Markets Allentown Monmouth-Ocean Reading Trenton Wilmington See also List of radio stations in Pennsylvania Mass media in the Philadelphia Area Radio stations TV stations Newspapers

CHR / Top 40 radio stations in the state of New Jersey

By frequency	94.5 95.1 98.5 100.3 102.7 105.5 106.3

By callsign	WAIV WAYV WBBO WHCY WHTZ WPST WWAC

By city	Atlantic City Blairstown Cape May Linwood Newark Ocean Acres Trenton

See also adult contemporary classic hits college country news/talk NPR oldies religious rock sports top 40 urban other radio stations in New Jersey See also Contemporary Hit Radio Rhythmic KISS-FM MOVin Radio Disney

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