Jump to content

WNBP

Add links
Coordinates: 42°49′23.33″N 70°51′40.19″W / 42.8231472°N 70.8611639°W / 42.8231472; -70.8611639
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

WNBP
Satellite of WRCA, Watertown
Broadcast areaGreater Boston
Frequency1450 kHz
BrandingBloomberg 106.1
Programming
FormatBusiness news
AffiliationsBloomberg Radio
Ownership
Owner
WRCA
History
First air date
March 10, 1958; 66 years ago (1958-03-10)
Former call signs
  • WNBP (1957–1982)
  • WCEA (1982–1987)
  • WNCG (1987–1991)
Former frequencies
1470 kHz (1957–1982)
Call sign meaning
Newburyport
Technical information[1]
Licensing authority
FCC
Facility ID15338
ClassC
Power1,000 watts (unlimited)
Transmitter coordinates
42°49′23.33″N 70°51′40.19″W / 42.8231472°N 70.8611639°W / 42.8231472; -70.8611639
Translator(s)
Links
Public license information
WebcastListen live (via iHeartRadio)
Websitewww.bloombergradio.com

WNBP (1450 kHz) is a commercial AM radio station licensed to Newburyport, Massachusetts, United States, and serving the Greater Boston radio market. The station is owned by Bloomberg L.P. and serves as a simulcast of Bloomberg-programmed WRCA 1330 AM in Watertown, Massachusetts. WNBP and WRCA carry financial news from Bloomberg Radio.[2]

WNBP has a power of 1,000 watts. Its transmitter is located off Ferry Road in Salisbury, Massachusetts.[3] The station's programming is simulcast on two FM translators, W291CC (106.1 MHz), transmitting from Haverhill,[4] and W221EE (92.1 MHz) in Topsfield.[5]

History

[edit]

On March 10, 1958, WNBP signed on the air as a 500 watt daytime only station at 1470 AM, owned by Puritan Broadcasting of Lynn, Massachusetts.[6] (The call letters represented Newburyport.) Puritan also owned WLYN (1360 AM) and WLYN-FM (101.7), as well as stations in Brattleboro, Vermont, and Nashua, New Hampshire.

WNBP's logo as "The Legends"

Through the late 1970s, 1980s, and 1990s, the station changed hands several times. In 1982 the station moved to 1450 kHz, added nighttime operation and changed call letters to WCEA. In 1987 it was purchased by longtime WBZ newscaster Ted Larsen and Dan Friel for $195,000. They changed the call sign to WNCG, representing "Newburyport, The Coast and Gloucester, Your Coastal Home Companion." In 1989 they sold the station to New Hampshire broadcaster Win Damon for $425,000. He changed the call sign back to WNBP in 1991.

In 1998, Damon sold the station to Radio Newburyport LLC, owned by Robert "Doc" Fuller for $225,000. Fuller, along with partner J.J. Jeffrey, owned several other stations under their company name Fuller-Jeffrey Broadcasting. WNBP was a sole venture of Fuller with his longtime friend Al Mozier as general manager. Although J.J. Jeffrey was not part of the ownership, his voice was used for all the recorded imaging and promotional announcements. Many improvements to the station were made by Fuller and Mozier including purchasing all new studio equipment, Audisk and later Air-Traffic-Control automation, new BE-1 transmitter and installing a new tower and ground system at the transmitter site on Ferry Road in Salisbury, Massachusetts.

In September 2004, Radio Newburyport LLC (Robert Fuller, president) announced a deal had been reached to sell WNBP to Westport Communications LP (Todd Tanger, managing member) for a reported sale price of $500,000.[7] The deal was brokered by Frank Boyle of Frank Boyle and Associates. At the time of the sale, Westport Communications owned only one other station, WBOQ (104.9 FM).[8] WNBP's studios were relocated to nearby Beverly, Massachusetts, but the station still focused its local news and community coverage on the greater Newburyport area.[9]

In March 2009, WNBP was sold by Westport Communications to Port Broadcasting, LLC, owned by Carl Strube, Peter Falconi and Robert Couture. The station began broadcasting from new downtown Newburyport studios at 6 Federal Street on March 13. The format remained the same. On January 1, 2013, WNBP shifted their format from adult standards to oldies. Among WNBP's air staff were former WBOQ disc jockey Jacky Ankeles as well as Jeff Lawrence.

On July 28, 2017, Port Broadcasting agreed to sell WNBP and W291CC to Bloomberg L.P. for $1 million; Bloomberg began operating the station under a local programming and marketing agreement on August 1.[10] The station began to simulcast Bloomberg Radio programming with WRCA (1330 AM); that station also operates a translator at 106.1 MHz, which is required to limit its signal to the northeast of Boston to protect W291CC.[11] As a result of the sale, WNBP's staff was let go.[12] The sale was completed on November 28, 2017.[13]

Translators

[edit]
Broadcast translators for WNBP
Call sign Frequency City of license FID ERP (W) Class Transmitter coordinates FCC info
W291CC 106.1 FM Haverhill, Massachusetts 150780 225 D 42°46′23.3″N 71°5′59.2″W / 42.773139°N 71.099778°W / 42.773139; -71.099778 (W291CC) LMS
W221EE 92.1 FM Topsfield, Massachusetts 201495 250 D 42°38′27.3″N 70°56′27.2″W / 42.640917°N 70.940889°W / 42.640917; -70.940889 (W221EE) LMS

References

[edit]
  1. ^ "Facility Technical Data for WNBP". Licensing and Management System. Federal Communications Commission.
  2. ^ "Station Information Profile". Arbitron. Archived from the original on March 1, 2010.
  3. ^ "WNBP-AM 1450 kHz - Newburyport, MA". radio-locator.com.
  4. ^ FCC.gov/W291CC
  5. ^ Radio-Locator.com/W221EE
  6. ^ Information from the Broadcasting Yearbook 1958 page A-300
  7. ^ "Changing Hands". Broadcasting & Cable. September 20, 2004.
  8. ^ Simon, Clea (September 9, 2004). "New Owner, Old Sound for North Shore Station". The Boston Globe.
  9. ^ McCabe, Kathy (February 26, 2006). "Mixed Signals". The Boston Globe.
  10. ^ "APPLICATION FOR CONSENT TO ASSIGNMENT OF BROADCAST STATION CONSTRUCTION PERMIT OR LICENSE". CDBS Public Access. Federal Communications Commission. Retrieved August 1, 2017.
  11. ^ Venta, Lance (August 1, 2017). "Bloomberg Acquires WNBP Newburyport MA". RadioInsight. Retrieved August 1, 2017.
  12. ^ Shea, Jack (July 31, 2017). "WNBP staff members say goodbye to listeners". The Daily News of Newburyport. Retrieved August 1, 2017.
  13. ^ "Consummation Notice". CDBS Public Access. Federal Communications Commission. November 28, 2017. Retrieved December 27, 2017.
[edit]
Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=WNBP&oldid=1235276060"