WZBC (90.3
FM) 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 radi ...
broadcasting an
Alternative
Alternative or alternate may refer to:
Arts, entertainment and media
* Alternative (''Kamen Rider''), a character in the Japanese TV series ''Kamen Rider Ryuki''
* ''The Alternative'' (film), a 1978 Australian television film
* ''The Alternative ...
format. Licensed to
Newton, Massachusetts
Newton is a city in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, United States. It is approximately west of downtown Boston. Newton resembles a patchwork of thirteen villages, without a city center. According to the 2020 U.S. Census, the population of Ne ...
,
United States
The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territori ...
, the station serves
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 ...
and its western suburbs. The station is currently owned by
Boston College.
While the station is run solely by students, much of the on-air staff is made up of members of the surrounding Boston community.
The station broadcasts alternative and
indie rock
Indie rock is a subgenre of rock music that originated in the United States, United Kingdom and New Zealand from the 1970s to the 1980s. Originally used to describe independent record labels, the term became associated with the music they produc ...
during the day, and then branches out to more diverse styles (ranging from
funk to
lounge
Lounge may refer to:
Architecture
* Lounge, the living room of a dwelling
* Lounge, a public waiting area in a hotel's lobby
* Lounge, a style of commercial alcohol- bar
* Airport lounge, or train lounge (e.g., AMTRAK's Acela Lounge), a premium ...
to
Middle Eastern) in the early evening. At night, the station focuses on
experimental music, which it calls ''No Commercial Potential''. WZBC is located in
Chestnut Hill, Massachusetts
Chestnut Hill is an affluent New England village located west of downtown Boston, Massachusetts, United States. Like all Massachusetts villages, Chestnut Hill is located within one or more incorporated municipal entities. It is located partia ...
at the corner of
Beacon
A beacon is an intentionally conspicuous device designed to attract attention to a specific location. A common example is the lighthouse, which draws attention to a fixed point that can be used to navigate around obstacles or into port. More mode ...
and
Hammond on
Boston College's main campus. WZBC also broadcasts sports for the
Boston College Eagles
The Boston College Eagles are the athletic teams that represent Boston College, located in Chestnut Hill, Massachusetts. They compete as a member of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division I level (Football Bowl Subdivisi ...
, including
basketball
Basketball is a team sport in which two teams, most commonly of five players each, opposing one another on a rectangular court, compete with the primary objective of shooting a basketball (approximately in diameter) through the defender's h ...
,
football,
hockey
Hockey is a term used to denote a family of various types of both summer and winter team sports which originated on either an outdoor field, sheet of ice, or dry floor such as in a gymnasium. While these sports vary in specific rules, numbers o ...
,
baseball
Baseball is a bat-and-ball sport played between two teams of nine players each, taking turns batting and fielding. The game occurs over the course of several plays, with each play generally beginning when a player on the fielding t ...
, and
softball
Softball is a game similar to baseball played with a larger ball on a smaller field. Softball is played competitively at club levels, the college level, and the professional level. The game was first created in 1887 in Chicago by George Hanc ...
. There are also a few public affairs and news shows, including the syndicated
Democracy Now!
''Democracy Now!'' is an hour-long American TV, radio, and Internet news program hosted by journalists Amy Goodman (who also acts as the show's executive producer), Juan González, and Nermeen Shaikh. The show, which airs live each weekday at ...
at noon weekdays and several hours of WZBC produced shows on the weekends.
History
Founded as WVBC, "The Voice of Boston College", the radio station began in 1960 as a carrier-current
AM station, broadcasting solely to the university community through the electrical wiring of on-campus buildings and dormitories. After operating in this capacity for 13 years, Boston College applied for and was granted a license to operate WZBC, a 17-watt station which aired a wide range of music, from folk to country to rock. With the advent of WZBC, the radio station expanded its listenership and began serving school's neighboring community.
WZBC has seen tremendous growth since its inception in 1974. The station was granted a power increase in 1975, bringing the station's output to 1,000 watts, allowing for further expansion of its listenership. Another important change took place in 1979, when the station started broadcasting in stereo. The first stereo broadcast was officially marked by a guest appearance by British radio DJ
John Peel. Perhaps the most important change in WZBC history occurred shortly after the switch to stereo, when the station narrowed its rock format to the genre known as
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 ...
, playing new bands which, for the most part, commercial radio would not touch, often because they were unmarketable. At approximately the same time, WZBC also began broadcasting more
experimental music under the moniker ''No Commercial Potential''.
In addition to the FM station, there is also WVBC-AM—staffed solely by students. The current WVBC can be streamed online. Additionally, the signal is broadcast over the BC cable television system, Channel 47.
In 1990, WZBC was profiled in
Rolling Stone
''Rolling Stone'' is an American monthly magazine that focuses on music, politics, and popular culture. It was founded in San Francisco, California, in 1967 by Jann Wenner, and the music critic Ralph J. Gleason. It was first known for its ...
magazine and was named one of the country's top 10 college radio stations that year.
When rock band
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.' ...
released its breakthrough 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, '' ...
'' on Tuesday, September 24, 1991, the group was in Boston that day. Band members
Dave Grohl and
Krist Novoselic
Krist Anthony Novoselic (; ; born May 16, 1965) is an American musician and activist. He was the bassist and co-founder of the rock band Nirvana.
Novoselic and Kurt Cobain formed the band Nirvana in 1987 along with drummer Aaron Burckhard, wh ...
stopped by WZBC and were interviewed on the air. Tracks from the new album were played and tickets were given away to listeners for a newly announced all-ages show that night at the since-closed Axis nightclub.
Although WZBC is best known for its music programming, a number of its former sports announcers have gone on to have successful professional careers in sportscasting.
Notable alumni
:
Brian Carpenter, musician
:Brian Coleman, ''
Check the Technique'' author
:
Gerard Cosloy
Gerard Cosloy (born 1964) is an American music industry executive.
Biography
Cosloy was raised in Wayland, Massachusetts, a western suburb of Boston. While he was in high school, he became involved in the local hardcore punk scene, put together m ...
, record label empresario
:Valerie Forgione,
Mistle Thrush vocalist
:
Fred Giannelli
Fred Giannelli (born 1960 in Lowell, Massachusetts) is an American electronic musician. He began experimenting with electronics in the 1970s as Turning Shrines. In 1984, Giannelli met Psychic TV's Genesis P. Orridge while the group was in Bosto ...
, musician
:
Maura Johnston
Maura K. Johnston (born May 28, 1975) is a writer, editor and music critic. A member of Boston College's journalism faculty, she has written for ''Rolling Stone'', ''The Boston Globe'', ''Pitchfork'', ''The Awl'', ''The New York Times'', ''Spin' ...
, writer, music critic, and Boston College journalism adjunct professor.
:
Jim McKay
James Kenneth McManus (September 24, 1921 – June 7, 2008), better known professionally as Jim McKay, was an American television sports journalist.
McKay was best known for hosting ABC's '' Wide World of Sports'' (1961–1998). His introd ...
, writer, director, producer of film and TV
:
Jon Rish
Jon Rish (born 1973) is an American former radio personality, best known for his work in the Boston area.
Career
Rish was a radio host for WEEI-FM in Boston.
Rish attended Boston College and began his sportscasting experience on WZBC, the schoo ...
, sports announcer
:
R. T. Rybak, mayor of Minneapolis, 2002–2014
:
Herb Scannell
Herb Scannell (born January 11, 1957) is an American media executive and businessman. He served as the president of Nickelodeon and TV Land from 1996 to 2006, was the founding CEO of Next New Networks, and the president of BBC Worldwide America. ...
, media mogul and businessman
:
Jon Sciambi
Jon "Boog" Sciambi (; born April 11, 1970) is an American sportscaster for ESPN and the Marquee Sports Network, currently the everyday play-by-play announcer for the Chicago Cubs TV broadcasts. He has worked extensively as a baseball play-by-pl ...
, sports announcer
:
Dave Smalley
Dave Smalley is an American musician, best known as the lead singer for the hardcore punk bands DYS, Dag Nasty, and All and as lead singer/guitarist with Down by Law. He is known for his influence on pop punk music and his early contribution ...
, punk vocalist
:
Joe Tessitore
Joseph William Tessitore (born January 1, 1971) is an American sportscaster for ABC and ESPN. He leads ESPN's world championship fight broadcasts as the blow-by-blow broadcaster for Top Rank Boxing on ESPN, serves as a play-by-play announcer f ...
, sports announcer
:
Bob Wischusen
Robert Wischusen (born October 1, 1971) is an American sports commentator who is currently a hockey, college football and basketball voice for ESPN and the radio voice announcer for the New York Jets on WEPN-FM.
Biography
Early life and career
W ...
, sports announcer
References
External links
WZBC web sitePlaylistsAudio archiveWZBC's YouTube channelNirvana at WZBC, 24 Sept. 1991 (YouTube)"Sound bites"- A March 2013 audio slideshow by Boston College Magazine featuring WZBC music programming and personalities
Creativity rules at WZBC; Campus station attracts diverse DJs*
WVBC
{{DEFAULTSORT:Wzbc
Boston College
ZBC
Freeform radio stations
Radio stations established in 1974
ZBC
Softball mass media
Newton, Massachusetts
Mass media in Middlesex County, Massachusetts
1974 establishments in Massachusetts