WBWL (101.7
FM) is an American
radio station
Radio broadcasting is transmission of audio (sound), sometimes with related metadata, by radio waves to radio receivers belonging to a public audience. In terrestrial radio broadcasting the radio waves are broadcast by a land-based radio ...
licensed to serve the
community
A community is a social unit (a group of living things) with commonality such as place, norms, religion, values, customs, or identity. Communities may share a sense of place situated in a given geographical area (e.g. a country, village, tow ...
of
Lynn, Massachusetts
Lynn is the eighth-largest municipality in Massachusetts and the largest city in Essex County. Situated on the Atlantic Ocean, north of the Boston city line at Suffolk Downs, Lynn is part of Greater Boston's urban inner core. Settled by E ...
. Established in 1963, WBWL is owned by
iHeartMedia
iHeartMedia, Inc., formerly CC Media Holdings, Inc., is an American mass media corporation headquartered in San Antonio, Texas. It is the holding company of iHeartCommunications, Inc. (formerly Clear Channel Communications, Inc.), a company fou ...
and serves the
Boston
Boston (), officially the City of Boston, is the state capital and most populous city of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, as well as the cultural and financial center of the New England region of the United States. It is the 24th- mo ...
metropolitan area. The station broadcasts a
country music
Country (also called country and western) is a genre of popular music that originated in the Southern and Southwestern United States in the early 1920s. It primarily derives from blues, church music such as Southern gospel and spirituals, ...
format. The station's studios are located in
Medford and the transmitter site is on Murray Hill, also in Medford.
History
WLYN-FM (1963-1982)
WBWL signed on August 5, 1963,
as WLYN-FM, owned by Puritan Broadcasting Service along with
WLYN
WLYN is a brokered time ethnic radio station in the Boston market. The station is licensed to Lynn, Massachusetts, and is owned by Multicultural Broadcasting. Its programming is broadcast on 1360 kHz on the AM band. WLYN had broadcast in AM ...
(1360 AM). At the outset, WLYN-FM largely simulcast its AM sister station during hours in which the AM was on the air.
During the 1970s, the simulcast was cut to
drive time
Drive time is the daypart in which radio broadcasters can reach the most people who listen to car radios while driving, usually to and from work, or on public transportation. Drive-time periods are when the number of radio listeners in this c ...
, with WLYN-FM brokering the remaining time to ethnic programmers;
[ by 1974, the station's English-language programming included country music.][ Although WLYN changed its call letters to WNSR in 1977, WLYN-FM retained its call sign, but dropped the "-FM" suffix;] both changes were reversed on December 31, 1979.
WLYN-FM began to devote its nighttime programming to new wave music
New wave is a loosely defined music genre that encompasses pop-oriented styles from the late 1970s and the 1980s. It was originally used as a catch-all for the various styles of music that emerged after punk rock, including punk itself. La ...
in 1981. The following year, the station had become a full-time modern rock
Modern rock is an umbrella term used to describe rock music that is found on college rock radio stations. Some radio stations use this term to distinguish themselves from classic rock, which is based in 1960s–1980s rock music.
Radio format
Mod ...
station known as "Y102," with the ethnic programming moving to the AM station.[
]
WFNX (1982-2012)
In September 1982, Puritan announced that it would sell WLYN-FM to Stephen Mindich, publisher of the ''Boston Phoenix
''The Phoenix'' (stylized as ''The Phœnix'') was the name of several alternative weekly periodicals published in the United States of America by Phoenix Media/Communications Group of Boston, Massachusetts, including the ''Portland Phoenix'' and ...
''; the station eventually became part of the Phoenix Media/Communications Group
Phoenix Media/Communications Group is an American, Boston, Massachusetts-based corporation with several publishing and broadcasting interests.
Operations
Phoenix Media's current outlets include the '' Portland Phoenix'' of Maine, and it pre ...
.[ Mindich retained the modern rock format upon assuming control in March 1983, relaunching it on April 11 as "Boston Phoenix Radio,"] with the WFNX call letters coming into use ten days earlier.[ WFNX would subsequently become one of the earliest ]alternative rock
Alternative rock, or alt-rock, is a category of rock music that emerged from the independent music underground of the 1970s and became widely popular in the 1990s. "Alternative" refers to the genre's distinction from Popular culture, mainstre ...
stations.[ The ]classic rock
Classic rock is a US radio format which developed from the album-oriented rock (AOR) format in the early 1980s. In the United States, the classic rock format comprises rock music ranging generally from the mid-1960s through the mid 1990s, primar ...
of the previous owners were gradually replaced with new wave, "deep cuts", British punk, and a sprinkling of jazz and reggae. The first song on WFNX was " Let's Go to Bed" by The Cure
The Cure are an English Rock music, rock band formed in 1978 in Crawley, Crawley, West Sussex. Throughout numerous lineup changes since the band's formation, guitarist, lead vocalist, and songwriter Robert Smith (musician), Robert Smith has re ...
.
WFNX broadened its focus to Greater Boston
Greater Boston is the metropolitan region of New England encompassing the municipality of Boston (the capital of the U.S. state of Massachusetts and the most populous city in New England) and its surrounding areas. The region forms the northern ar ...
after the sale to Mindich, opening a sales office at the ''Phoenix'' offices in Boston, but its studios remained in the same building as WLYN in Lynn. The station did move its transmitter from WLYN's tower in Lynn to Medford in 1987 to provide a better signal within the market.[
At 7 pm on August 29, 1991, WFNX DJ Kurt St. Thomas gave ]Nirvana
( , , ; sa, निर्वाण} ''nirvāṇa'' ; Pali: ''nibbāna''; Prakrit: ''ṇivvāṇa''; literally, "blown out", as in an oil lampRichard Gombrich, ''Theravada Buddhism: A Social History from Ancient Benāres to Modern Colombo.' ...
's album ''Nevermind
''Nevermind'' is the second studio album by the American rock band Nirvana, released on September 24, 1991, by DGC Records. It was Nirvana's first release on a major label and the first to feature drummer Dave Grohl. Produced by Butch Vig, ''Neve ...
'' its world premiere by playing the album from start to finish.[This Day In Music -29 August 1991](_blank)
Guardian.co.uk Nirvana's 1993 ''Nevermind It's an Interview
''Nevermind, It's an Interview'' is the only officially released interview CD of American grunge band Nirvana. It was only a promotional release and was never commercially available. Released in limited-edition form worldwide in 1992 by Geffen Re ...
'' 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
The National Broadcasting Company (NBC) is an American English-language commercial broadcast television and radio network. The flagship property of the NBC Entertainment division of NBCUniversal, a division of Comcast, its headquarters are l ...
's ''Saturday Night Live
''Saturday Night Live'' (often abbreviated to ''SNL'') is an American late-night live television sketch comedy and variety show created by Lorne Michaels and developed by Dick Ebersol that airs on NBC and Peacock. Michaels currently serves a ...
'' in 1992.
In October 1992, the station launched ''One in Ten'', a program dedicated to lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender issues. The show was broadcast until 2010.
The station sponsored a free Green Day
Green Day is an American rock band formed in the East Bay of California in 1987 by lead vocalist and guitarist Billie Joe Armstrong, together with bassist and backing vocalist Mike Dirnt. For most of the band's career, they have been a powe ...
concert at the Hatch Memorial Shell in Boston on September 9, 1994. An estimated 70,000 to 100,000 showed up, which WFNX, the Metropolitan District Commission and the Massachusetts State Police
The Massachusetts State Police (MSP) is an agency of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts' Executive Office of Public Safety and Security, responsible for criminal law enforcement and traffic vehicle regulation across the state. As of 10/4/2022, it ...
were not prepared for. The concert ended 20 minutes into Green Day's set when the crowd became uncontrollable, leaving 100 people injured, 24 of whom were sent to local hospitals, and 31 were arrested.
WFNX had a long history of breaking new bands. WFNX became the first commercial radio station to broadcast Allen Ginsberg's ''Howl
Howl most often refers to:
*Howling, an animal vocalization in many canine species
*Howl (poem), a 1956 poem by Allen Ginsberg
Howl may also refer to:
Film
* ''The Howl'', a 1970 Italian film
* ''Howl'' (2010 film), a 2010 American arthouse b ...
'' on Friday, July 18, 1997, despite U.S. Federal Communications Commission
The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) is an independent agency of the United States federal government that regulates communications by radio, television, wire, satellite, and cable across the United States. The FCC maintains jurisdiction ...
Safe Harbor laws.
WFNX continued to expand its reach starting in 1998, when it established a translator station
A broadcast relay station, also known as a satellite station, relay transmitter, broadcast translator (U.S.), re-broadcaster (Canada), repeater (two-way radio) or complementary station (Mexico), is a broadcast transmitter which repeats (or tran ...
, W276AI (101.3 FM), on the John Hancock Tower
200 Clarendon Street, previously John Hancock Tower and colloquially known as The Hancock, is a 60-story, skyscraper in the Back Bay neighborhood of Boston. It is the tallest building in New England. The tower was designed by Henry N. Cobb of ...
to improve WFNX's reception in Boston.[ During 1999 and 2000, Phoenix Media/Communications Group also acquired WCDQ (92.1 FM, renamed WPHX-FM) in ]Sanford, Maine
Sanford is a city in York County, Maine, United States. The population was 21,982 in the 2020 census, making it the seventh largest municipality in the state. Situated on the Mousam River, Sanford includes the village of Springvale. The city ...
, WNHQ (92.1 FM, renamed WFEX) in Peterborough, New Hampshire
Peterborough is a town in Hillsborough County, New Hampshire, United States. The population was 6,418 at the 2020 census. The main village, with 3,090 people at the 2020 census, is defined as the Peterborough census-designated place (CDP) and ...
, and WWRX-FM (103.7 FM) in Westerly, Rhode Island
Westerly is a town on the southwestern shoreline of Washington County, Rhode Island, first settled by English colonists in 1661 and incorporated as a municipality in 1669. It is a beachfront community on the south shore of the state with a popula ...
to serve as WFNX simulcast stations.[ WWRX-FM was sold to ]Entercom
Audacy, Inc. is an American broadcasting company based in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Founded in 1968 as Entercom Communications Corporation, it is the second largest radio company in the United States, owning 235 radio stations across 48 media ...
, eventually becoming WVEI-FM
WVEI-FM (103.7 MHz, ''SportsRadio 103.7'') is a radio station broadcasting a sports radio format, largely simulcasting Boston-based WEEI-FM. Licensed to Westerly, Rhode Island, United States. The station is owned by Audacy, Inc. In addition to W ...
, in 2004.[
On March 30, 2006, WFNX vastly increased its power after receiving permission from the FCC to begin broadcasting from a new transmitter and a new antenna located atop ]One Financial Center
One Financial Center is a modern skyscraper adjacent to Dewey Square in the Financial District of Boston, Massachusetts. Built in 1983 by Rose Associates, it is Boston's 9th-tallest building, standing tall, and housing 46 floors. An unusual ...
in downtown Boston. To promote its signal upgrade in downtown Boston, WFNX sold all of its commercial ad time to beverage maker Snapple
Snapple is a brand of tea and juice drinks which is owned by Keurig Dr Pepper and based in Plano, Texas, United States. The company (and brand), which was originally known as Unadulterated Food Products, was founded in 1972. The brand achieved som ...
from Memorial Day
Memorial Day (originally known as Decoration Day) is a federal holiday in the United States for mourning the U.S. military personnel who have fought and died while serving in the United States armed forces. It is observed on the last Monda ...
, May 29 through Independence Day, July 4, 2006, (both are national holidays National holiday may refer to:
* National day, a day when a nation celebrates a very important event in its history, such as its establishment
*Public holiday
A public holiday, national holiday, or legal holiday is a holiday generally establishe ...
in the United States). The unique deal allowed the station to eliminate traditional commercial breaks for that time. Following WFNX's move, operation of W267AI (101.3 FM) was discontinued as superflucious.[ Even after its series of expansions, WFNX broadcast at a lower power than other Boston market stations, limiting WFNX's signal in the outer portions of the market.][
The combination of WFNX's signal upgrade and the departure of ]Howard Stern
Howard Allan Stern (born January 12, 1954) is an American radio and television personality, comedian, and author. He is best known for his radio show, ''The Howard Stern Show'', which gained popularity when it was nationally syndicated on terre ...
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 (Fall 2006, Winter 2007, Spring 2007, Summer 2007) 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. Ratings hit their high point in the Fall of 2008 thanks to the success of morning show "The Sandbox". WFNX was never able to get over the 12+ hump of 1.0 following that mark.
WPHX-FM was sold to Aruba Capital Partners in 2011; its simulcast of WFNX ended on August 11, when it relaunched as WXEX-FM
WXEX-FM (92.1 FM; "Seacoast Oldies") is a radio station licensed to Sanford, Maine, United States. The station serves the Southern Maine Coast and New Hampshire Seacoast Region with an oldies format. WXEX-FM is owned by Port Broadcasting LLC ...
.
On May 16, 2012, Phoenix Media/Communications Group announced that it would sell WFNX to iHeartMedia
iHeartMedia, Inc., formerly CC Media Holdings, Inc., is an American mass media corporation headquartered in San Antonio, Texas. It is the holding company of iHeartCommunications, Inc. (formerly Clear Channel Communications, Inc.), a company fou ...
(then known as Clear Channel Communications) for $14.5 million, after finding it difficult to sustain its continued operation. The next day, WFEX was sold to Blount Communications, which would rename that station WDER-FM. Live programming ended on July 20, 2012, with the last song being " Let's Go to Bed" by The Cure
The Cure are an English Rock music, rock band formed in 1978 in Crawley, Crawley, West Sussex. Throughout numerous lineup changes since the band's formation, guitarist, lead vocalist, and songwriter Robert Smith (musician), Robert Smith has re ...
(the first song on WFNX in 1983); an automated version of WFNX remained available online until March 2013, when the ''Boston Phoenix'' publication shut down (citing huge financial losses), and was also heard on 101.7 FM[ until 4:00 p.m. on July 24, 2012, when Clear Channel assumed control of the station. At that time, after playing "]Shake It Out
"Shake It Out" is a song by English indie rock band Florence and the Machine, released as the first official single from their second studio album, ''Ceremonials'' (2011). It was written by Florence Welch and Paul Epworth, while production was ...
" by Florence and The Machine
Florence and the Machine (stylised as Florence + the Machine) are an English indie rock band that formed in London in 2007, consisting of lead vocalist Florence Welch, keyboardist Isabella Summers, guitarist Rob Ackroyd, harpist Tom Monger, and ...
, 101.7 began stunting with a loop of the Boston-famous song "Dirty Water
"Dirty Water" is a song by the American rock band The Standells, written by their producer Ed Cobb.
The song is a mock paean to the city of Boston, Massachusetts, and its then-famously polluted Boston Harbor and Charles River.
History
Accordi ...
" by The Standells
The Standells are an American garage rock band from Los Angeles, California, formed in the 1960s, who have been referred to as a "punk band of the 1960s", and said to have inspired such groups as the Sex Pistols and Ramones. They are best known ...
.
WHBA (2012)
At approximately 4:28 p.m., WFNX relaunched as WHBA, an adult hits station branded as "101.7 The Harbor." The first song on "The Harbor" was "Sweet Emotion
"Sweet Emotion" is a song by the American rock band Aerosmith from the band's third album '' Toys in the Attic''. It was released as a single on May 19, 1975. The song began a string of pop hits and large-scale mainstream success for the band ...
" by locally founded band Aerosmith
Aerosmith is an American Rock music, rock band formed in Boston in 1970. The group consists of Steven Tyler (lead vocals), Joe Perry (musician), Joe Perry (guitar), Tom Hamilton (musician), Tom Hamilton (bass), Joey Kramer (drums) and Brad Whi ...
. The launch of WHBA marked the return of the adult hits format to the Boston market; a similar format aired on WMKK (93.7 FM) from March 2005 until it became WEEI-FM
WEEI-FM (93.7 Hertz, MHz) – branded SportsRadio 93.7 WEEI-FM – is a commercial Sports radio, sports Radio broadcasting, radio station licensed to Lawrence, Massachusetts, serving Greater Boston and much of surrounding New England. Owned by ...
in September 2011. The station launched with commercial free music through Labor Day. During its short life, the station never had DJs.
WEDX (2012-2014)
On December 20, 2012, at 6:00 p.m., the station flipped to dance
Dance is a performing art form consisting of sequences of movement, either improvised or purposefully selected. This movement has aesthetic and often symbolic value. Dance can be categorized and described by its choreography, by its repertoir ...
, branded as " Evolution 101.7," the format had been launched as an online station on Clear Channel's iHeartRadio
iHeartRadio (often shortened to just "iHeart") is an American freemium broadcast, podcast and radio streaming Computing platform, platform owned by iHeartMedia. It was founded in August 2008. , iHeartRadio was functioning as the national umbr ...
service six weeks earlier. The final song on "The Harbor" was "Sweet Caroline
"Sweet Caroline" is a song written and performed by American singer Neil Diamond and released in May 1969 as a single with the title "Sweet Caroline (Good Times Never Seemed So Good)". It was arranged by Charles Calello, and recorded at Americ ...
" by Neil Diamond
Neil Leslie Diamond (born January 24, 1941) is an American singer-songwriter. He has sold more than 130 million records worldwide, making him one of the best-selling musicians of all time. He has had ten No. 1 singles on the Hot 100 and Adul ...
(a song that has become synonymous with the city of Boston through its playing at Fenway Park
Fenway Park is a baseball stadium located in Boston, Massachusetts, United States, near Kenmore Square. Since 1912, it has been the home of the Boston Red Sox, the city's American League baseball team, and since 1953, its only Major League Base ...
during Red Sox
The Boston Red Sox are an American professional baseball team based in Boston. The Red Sox compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) East division. Founded in as one of the American League's eight ...
games), while the first song on "Evolution" was "Don't You Worry Child
"Don't You Worry Child" is the sixth single released by Swedish house music supergroup Swedish House Mafia. It is the last single from their second compilation album, '' Until Now'', featuring vocals from Swedish singer John Martin. In the Uni ...
" by Swedish House Mafia
Swedish House Mafia (SHM) is a Swedish house music supergroup consisting of Axwell, Steve Angello and Sebastian Ingrosso. The group officially formed in late 2008, were placed at number ten on the ''DJ Mag'' Top 100 DJ Poll 2011, and have been ...
. As "Evolution," the station claimed to be "the first real EDM
EDM or E-DM may refer to:
Music
* Electronic dance music
* Early Day Miners, American band
Science and technology
* Electric dipole moment
* Electrical discharge machining
* Electronic distance measurement
*Entry, Descent, and landing demonstrat ...
station in the country." The call letters were changed to WEDX on January 2, 2013.[ On January 14, 2013, Sisanie, who provides voicetracks for several ]top 40
In the music industry, the Top 40 is the current, 40 most-popular songs in a particular genre. It is the best-selling or most frequently broadcast popular music. Record charts have traditionally consisted of a total of 40 songs. "Top 40" or " con ...
and rhythmic top 40
The Rhythmic chart (also called Rhythmic Airplay, and previously named Rhythmic Songs, Rhythmic Top 40 and CHR/Rhythmic) is an airplay chart published weekly by ''Billboard'' magazine.
The chart tracks and measures the airplay of songs played on ...
stations also owned by iHeartMedia (including WEDX's sister station WXKS-FM
WXKS-FM (107.9 FM), branded as ''Kiss 108'', is a commercial top 40/CHR radio station licensed to serve Medford, Massachusetts, and covering Greater Boston. Owned by iHeartMedia, the WXKS-FM studios are in Medford and the transmitter sits atop ...
), became the first "airstaffer" to be added to WEDX's daily lineup, voicetracking in afternoons. In December 2013, the station began simulcasting on WXKS-FM's HD2 channel, which previously broadcast an all-comedy format. The move occurred due to WEDX's limited signal, which is nulled to the south to protect Providence
Providence often refers to:
* Providentia, the divine personification of foresight in ancient Roman religion
* Divine providence, divinely ordained events and outcomes in Christianity
* Providence, Rhode Island, the capital of Rhode Island in the ...
and Cape Cod-based sister stations WWBB
WWBB (101.5 FM, "B101") is a radio station in Providence, Rhode Island, United States. The station plays classic hits from the 1970s, 1980s and 1990s. WWBB's offices and studios are located on Oxford Street in Providence, on the 3rd and 4th floor ...
(101.5 FM) and WCIB (101.9 FM).
Country (2014-present)
On June 13, 2014, at noon, after playing "How You Love Me" by 3LAU, WEDX began airing a country music stunt
A stunt is an unusual and difficult physical feat or an act requiring a special skill, performed for artistic purposes usually on television, theaters, or cinema. Stunts are a feature of many action films. Before computer generated imagery spec ...
and asking listeners to go online and use the hashtag "#CountryOn1017" to vote on what artists the station should play. At 3:00 p.m., WEDX officially flipped to country, branded as "101.7 The Bull". The first song on "The Bull" was "This Is How We Roll
"This Is How We Roll" is a song recorded by American country music duo Florida Georgia Line with fellow country music singer Luke Bryan. It is the fifth and final single from Florida Georgia Line's debut studio album, ''Here's to the Good Times' ...
" by Florida-Georgia Line. The new format competes against established country station WKLB-FM
WKLB-FM (102.5 FM broadcasting, FM, "Country 102.5") is a country music, country radio station licensed to Waltham, Massachusetts, and serving Greater Boston. WKLB's studios are located in Waltham. The transmitter is located in Needham, Massach ...
(102.5 FM), and serves as the Boston affiliate of the syndicated ''Bobby Bones Show
''The Bobby Bones Show'' is an American nationally syndicated country music radio show aired during the morning drive. The Bobby Bones Show originated in Austin, Texas, but now originates from studios at WSIX-FM in Nashville. The show is syndic ...
''. "Evolution" remained available through WXKS-FM's HD2 channel, the iHeartRadio mobile application, and in early-morning blocks on Saturdays and Sundays on WXKS-FM; "Evolution" returned to 101.7 on its HD2 channel on December 19, 2017. The call letters were changed to WBWL on June 30, 2014, to match the new format.[
iHeartMedia had filed with the FCC to downgrade the signals of stations it owns in Rhode Island (WWBB) and on Cape Cod ( WCIB), which enabled WBWL to offer a non-directional, upgraded signal, from the previous transmitter site in Medford. The modifications were completed in August 2014.
"Evolution" would be removed from WBWL-HD2 entirely on June 26, 2019, when it flipped to iHeart's "]Pride Radio
Pride Radio (stylized as PRIDE Radio) is an LGBTQ+ lifestyle and top 40 radio network launched by Clear Channel Communications Format Lab under the direction of Michael Albl, who conceived the format, on terrestrial HD2 & HD3 stations and onlin ...
" format of Top 40/Dance music targeting the LGBTQ
' is an initialism that stands for lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender. In use since the 1990s, the initialism, as well as some of its common variants, functions as an umbrella term for sexuality and gender identity.
The LGBT term is a ...
community. This marks the second such format to air in Boston, the other being Entercom's "Channel Q
Channel Q (stylized as CHANNEL Q) is an LGBT lifestyle talk and EDM top 40 radio network created, owned, and operated by Audacy, Inc. The network airs on the Audacy internet radio service, as well as on Audacy-owned terrestrial radio stations t ...
" network airing on WBGB-HD2.
WFNX.com
The 2012 sale of the station to Clear Channel didn't include WFNX's intellectual property,[- WFNX brand to live on as internet radio station](_blank)
- FMQB
''Friday Morning Quarterback'' (better known as ''FMQB'') was a trade magazine which covered the radio and music industries in the United States. Its coverage included programming, management, promotion, marketing, and airplay
Airplay is how ...
and the Phoenix continued to stream automated music on WFNX.com. The company had plans to eventually launch WFNX.com as a full-service internet radio station
Online radio (also web radio, net radio, streaming radio, e-radio, IP radio, Internet radio) is a digital audio service transmitted via the Internet. Broadcasting on the Internet is usually referred to as webcasting since it is not transmitted ...
. On August 17, 2012, WFNX hired former programming director Kurt St. Thomas as executive producer for the internet station.
WFNX.com officially relaunched as an internet station at 12:00am on October 31, 2012. The first song played on the revived station was " Comeback Kid" by Sleigh Bells.
Shortly before the sale of the station, ''The Boston Globe
''The Boston Globe'' is an American daily newspaper founded and based in Boston, Massachusetts. The newspaper has won a total of 27 Pulitzer Prizes, and has a total circulation of close to 300,000 print and digital subscribers. ''The Boston Glob ...
'' announced plans for an online alternative rock
Alternative rock, or alt-rock, is a category of rock music that emerged from the independent music underground of the 1970s and became widely popular in the 1990s. "Alternative" refers to the genre's distinction from Popular culture, mainstre ...
station for its Boston.com
''Boston.com'' is a regional website that offers news and information about the Boston, Massachusetts, region. It is owned and operated by Boston Globe Media Partners, the publisher of ''The Boston Globe''.
History
''Boston.com'' was one of t ...
website, and later hired former WFNX DJs Adam 12, Julie Kramer, Paul Driscoll, and Henry Santoro. The station, RadioBDC
RadioBDC was a commercial alternative rock music internet radio station based in Boston, Massachusetts.
History
Shortly before Phoenix Media/Communications Group sold WFNX to Clear Channel Communications, boston.com hired longtime WFNX staff ...
, launched on August 13, 2012.
On March 14, 2013, it was announced that WFNX.com would not continue in its current form after the announcement that the ''Boston Phoenix'' would be shutting down. At midnight on March 19, 2013, WFNX.com was officially shut down; the final song played on the station was "Old Friend" by Sea Wolf.
As for the WFNX call letters, they would later be picked up by a radio station in Athol. After that station was sold and changed call letters to WKMY in 2020, the call letters would move to a station in Grand Marais, Minnesota
Grand Marais () is a city and the county seat of Cook County, Minnesota, United States, of which it is the only municipality. It is on Lake Superior's North Shore. Grand Marais had a population of 1,337 at the 2020 census. Before it was settled ...
.
Former simulcast frequencies
WFEX
In December 1999, 92.1 WFEX of Peterborough, New Hampshire
Peterborough is a town in Hillsborough County, New Hampshire, United States. The population was 6,418 at the 2020 census. The main village, with 3,090 people at the 2020 census, is defined as the Peterborough census-designated place (CDP) and ...
began simulcasting 101.7 WFNX. Previously WFEX was WNHQ, simulcasting 105.5 WJYY
WJYY (105.5 FM, "105.5 JYY") is a radio station broadcasting a Rhythmic-leaning Top 40 (CHR) format. Licensed to Concord, New Hampshire, United States, the station serves the Concord and Manchester areas. The station is owned by Binnie Media an ...
of Concord, New Hampshire
Concord () is the capital city of the U.S. state of New Hampshire and the seat of Merrimack County. As of the 2020 census the population was 43,976, making it the third largest city in New Hampshire behind Manchester and Nashua.
The village of ...
.
WFEX was sold to Blount Communications Group, which uses it to simulcast WDER
WDER (1320 AM) and WDER-FM (92.1 FM) are radio stations broadcasting a Christian radio format. They are the flagship stations of the "Life Changing Radio" network. WDER AM is licensed to Derry, New Hampshire, and WDER-FM is licensed to Peter ...
, a Christian religious station out of Derry, New Hampshire, as WDER-FM.
WPHX
On July 21, 1999, 92.1 WPHX-FM of Sanford, Maine
Sanford is a city in York County, Maine, United States. The population was 21,982 in the 2020 census, making it the seventh largest municipality in the state. Situated on the Mousam River, Sanford includes the village of Springvale. The city ...
, began simulcasting of 101.7 WFNX. Previous to the simulcast, WPHX-FM was WCDQ, playing classic rock
Classic rock is a US radio format which developed from the album-oriented rock (AOR) format in the early 1980s. In the United States, the classic rock format comprises rock music ranging generally from the mid-1960s through the mid 1990s, primar ...
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, New Hampshire, under the WXEX-FM calls. The station had a Sanford sister station on 1220 AM, also using the WPHX callsign. It was on the air until August 2010, when the transmitter failed, and remained off until June 2011. Prior to that, the station served as ESPN Radio
ESPN Radio, which is alternately platform-agnostically branded as ESPN Audio, is an American sports radio network and extension of the ESPN television network. It was launched on January 1, 1992, under the original banner of "SportsRadio ESPN". ...
affiliate. Following WPHX-FM's sale, WPHX (AM) took on simulcasting WFNX until Port Broadcasting bought the AM station in 2012 and changed its call sign to WWSF
WWSF (1220 AM; "104.3 The Legends") is a radio station airing an oldies format. Established in 1957 as WSME, the station is licensed to serve Sanford, Maine, United States. WWSF is owned by Port Broadcasting.
History
WWSF signed on as WSME on N ...
.
WWRX
During 2000–03 and again briefly in 2004, WFNX was simulcast on 103.7 in Westerly, Rhode Island
Westerly is a town on the southwestern shoreline of Washington County, Rhode Island, first settled by English colonists in 1661 and incorporated as a municipality in 1669. It is a beachfront community on the south shore of the state with a popula ...
, a facility that, as WVEI-FM
WVEI-FM (103.7 MHz, ''SportsRadio 103.7'') is a radio station broadcasting a sports radio format, largely simulcasting Boston-based WEEI-FM. Licensed to Westerly, Rhode Island, United States. The station is owned by Audacy, Inc. In addition to W ...
, now simulcasts another Boston radio station, WEEI. For a short time in 2003, WWRX broadcast its own local programming of alternative rock, with local DJs, though retaining the "FNX" branding. Phoenix Media/Communications Group sold the station to Entercom
Audacy, Inc. is an American broadcasting company based in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Founded in 1968 as Entercom Communications Corporation, it is the second largest radio company in the United States, owning 235 radio stations across 48 media ...
in March 2004 and reverted to simulcasting WFNX until the transition took effect in April.
References
Bibliography
*1992 Broadcasting & Cable Marketplace, page A-165
Further reading
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External links
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{{IHeartMedia
Lynn, Massachusetts
Country radio stations in the United States
Radio stations established in 1963
BWL
Mass media in Essex County, Massachusetts
1963 establishments in Massachusetts
IHeartMedia radio stations