WBXX (104.9

MHz The hertz (symbol: Hz) is the unit of frequency in the International System of Units (SI), equivalent to one event (or cycle) per second. The hertz is an SI derived unit whose expression in terms of SI base units is s−1, meaning that one he ...

) is a

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 ...

Battle Creek, Michigan Battle Creek is a city in the U.S. state of Michigan, in northwest Calhoun County, Michigan, Calhoun County, at the confluence of the Kalamazoo River, Kalamazoo and Battle Creek River, Battle Creek rivers. It is the principal city of the Battle C ...

. WBXX took over the 104.9 frequency formerly occupied by WRCC-FM in September 2007; its former 95.3 spot on the dial was taken over by WBCK-FM, and WRCC's classic rock format was discontinued. As WBXX "B95", 95.3 FM was a very popular CHR/

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 ...

station in the late 1980s and early 1990s. Despite the station's high ratings (especially with younger listeners), B95 was unsuccessful in terms of revenue because it played hip-hop and rap music that was unpopular with local advertisers. This led the station to change format to

oldies Oldies is a term for musical genres such as pop music, rock and roll, doo-wop, surf music (broadly characterized as classic rock and pop rock) from the second half of the 20th century, specifically from around the mid-1950s to the 1980s, as we ...

and later

adult contemporary Adult contemporary music (AC) is a form of radio-played popular music, ranging from 1960s vocal and 1970s soft rock music to predominantly ballad-heavy music of the present day, with varying degrees of easy listening, pop, soul, R&B, quie ...

, with which WBXX continued to broadcast initially after moving to 104.9. 104.9 was originally WALM-FM (sister station to the now-defunct WALM 1260 AM in

Albion, Michigan Albion is a city in Calhoun County in the south central region of the Lower Peninsula of the U.S. state of Michigan. The population was 8,616 at the 2010 census and is part of the Battle Creek Metropolitan Statistical Area. The earliest English-s ...

) and later WELL-FM with a middle-of-the-road format. The station first used the WRCC call sign in 1996, broadcasting a satellite-fed

country A country is a distinct part of the world, such as a state, nation, or other political entity. It may be a sovereign state or make up one part of a larger state. For example, the country of Japan is an independent, sovereign state, while the ...

format known as "Cereal City Country" which was unable to compete with powerhouses

WBCT WBCT (93.7 MHz, "B-93") is a commercial FM radio station licensed to Grand Rapids, Michigan and owned by iHeartMedia. The studios and offices are located at 77 Monroe Center in Downtown Grand Rapids. The station has had a country music radio f ...

and WNWN-FM and received low Arbitron ratings. WRCC changed the following year to WWKN, "Keener 104-9" (a tribute to

WKFR WKFR (103.3 FM), also known as KFR, is a Top 40 outlet serving the Kalamazoo, Michigan radio market. It broadcasts with an ERP of 50 kW in Battle Creek, Michigan and is owned by Townsquare Media. History The station began operations in Jun ...

's original home at 1400 AM in the 1960s as "Keener 14"), playing

of the 1960s and 1970s. Eventually WWKN repositioned as "Super Hits 104-9" and then "Super Rock 104-9" (adjusting its format to

classic hits Classic hits is a radio format which generally includes songs from the top 40 music charts from the late 1960s to the early 2000s, with music from the 1980s serving as the core of the format. Music that was popularized by MTV in the early 1980s ...

) before changing to all-out classic rock as "Rock 104-9" and changing its calls back to WRCC. Mix 104-9 featured the syndicated

Delilah Delilah ( ; , meaning "delicate";Gesenius's ''Hebrew-Chaldee Lexicon'' ar, دليلة, Dalīlah; grc, label=Greek, Δαλιδά, Dalidá) is a woman mentioned in the sixteenth chapter of the Book of Judges in the Hebrew Bible. She is loved b ...

show Sunday through Friday nights and played classic hits during its "Wayback Weekends". The station also aired the syndicated Bob and Sheri morning show. On August 30, 2013 a deal was announced in which

Townsquare Media Townsquare Media, Inc. (formerly Regent Communications until 2010) is an American radio network and media company based in Purchase, New York. The company started in radio and expanded into digital media toward the end of the 2000s, starting wi ...

would acquire 53 stations from

Cumulus Media Cumulus Media, Inc. is an American broadcasting company and is the third largest owner and operator of AM and FM radio stations in the United States behind Audacy and iHeartMedia. As of June 2019, Cumulus lists ownership of 428 stations in 87 ...

, including WBXX, for $238 million. The deal is part of Cumulus' acquisition of

Dial Global Westwood One is an American radio network owned by Cumulus Media. The company syndicates talk, music, and sports programming. The company takes its name from an earlier network also named Westwood One, a company founded in 1978. The company w ...

; Townsquare and Dial Global are both controlled by

Oaktree Capital Management Oaktree Capital Management is an American global asset management firm specializing in alternative investment strategies. As of March 31, 2022, the company managed $164 billion for its clientele. The firm was co-founded in 1995 by a group that ...

. The sale to Townsquare was completed on November 14, 2013. On the morning of January 29, 2016, WBXX flipped to alternative rock as "104.9 The Edge", filling, in part, the void left by WVIC dropping the format in March 2015. The station aired the

Free Beer and Hot Wings ''The Free Beer and Hot Wings Show'' is a syndicated morning talk radio show broadcast primarily from the Townsquare Media radio station WGRD-FM in Grand Rapids, Michigan. The show is hosted by Gregg "Free Beer" Daniels, Chris "Hot Wings" Michels ...

show mornings and featured 104-minute blocks of commercial free music the rest of the day. On January 16, 2023, WBXX dropped the alternative rock format and flipped to

urban adult contemporary Urban adult contemporary, often abbreviated as urban AC or UAC, (also known as adult R&B,) is the name for a format of radio music, similar to an urban contemporary format. Radio stations using this format usually would not have hip hop music on ...

, branded as "102.5/104.9 The Block" (simulcast on

WKFR-HD2 WKFR (103.3 FM), also known as KFR, is a Top 40 outlet serving the Kalamazoo, Michigan radio market. It broadcasts with an ERP of 50 kW in Battle Creek, Michigan and is owned by Townsquare Media. History The station began operations in Jun ...

in Kalamazoo and translator W273AR (102.5 FM)).The Block Debuts in Kalamazoo & Battle Creek
Radioinsight - January 16, 2023

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References

External links

* {{Townsquare Media BXX Urban contemporary radio stations in the United States Radio stations established in 1968 Townsquare Media radio stations