WBLI (106.1 FM) is a

commercial Commercial may refer to: * a dose of advertising conveyed through media (such as - for example - radio or television) ** Radio advertisement ** Television advertisement * (adjective for:) commerce, a system of voluntary exchange of products and s ...

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 ...

owned by

Cox Radio CMG Media Corporation (doing business as Cox Media Group) is an American media conglomerate principally owned by Apollo Global Management in conjunction with Cox Enterprises, which maintains a 29% minority stake in the company. The company pri ...

and

licensed A license (or licence) is an official permission or permit to do, use, or own something (as well as the document of that permission or permit). A license is granted by a party (licensor) to another party (licensee) as an element of an agreeme ...

Patchogue, New York Patchogue (, ) is a Administrative divisions of New York#Village, village in Suffolk County, New York. The population was 11,798 at the time of the 2010 census. Patchogue is part of the Town (New York), town of Brookhaven, New York, Brookhaven, on ...

. It airs a top 40 (CHR)

radio format A radio format or programming format (not to be confused with broadcast programming) describes the overall content broadcast on a radio station. The radio format emerged mainly in the United States in the 1950s, at a time when Radio broadcasting, ...

. The station mainly serves

Suffolk County, New York Suffolk County () is the easternmost county in the U.S. state of New York. It is mainly located on the eastern end of Long Island, but also includes several smaller islands. According to the 2020 United States census, the county's populatio ...

Long Island Long Island is a densely populated island in the southeastern region of the U.S. state of New York (state), New York, part of the New York metropolitan area. With over 8 million people, Long Island is the most populous island in the United Sta ...

. Its studios and offices are located on

Sunrise Highway New York State Route 27 (NY 27) is a long state highway that runs east–west from Interstate 278 (I-278) in the New York City borough of Brooklyn to Montauk Point State Park on Long Island, New York. Its two most prominent compo ...

(NY 27) in

West Babylon, New York West Babylon is a census-designated place (CDP) in the Town of Babylon in Suffolk County, New York, United States. The population was 43,213 at the 2010 census. Geography West Babylon is located at (40.713399, -73.357106). West Babylon is bord ...

. WBLI is a Class B FM station with an

effective radiated power Effective radiated power (ERP), synonymous with equivalent radiated power, is an IEEE standardized definition of directional radio frequency (RF) power, such as that emitted by a radio transmitter. It is the total power in watts that would hav ...

(ERP) of 49,000

watt The watt (symbol: W) is the unit of power or radiant flux in the International System of Units (SI), equal to 1 joule per second or 1 kg⋅m2⋅s−3. It is used to quantify the rate of energy transfer. The watt is named after James Wa ...

s, the highest powered station on Long Island. In order to protect two

adjacent channel In broadcasting an adjacent channel is an AM, FM, or TV channel that is next to another channel. First-adjacent is immediately next to another channel, second-adjacent is two channels away, and so forth. Information on adjacent channels is us ...

stations from interference,

WQXR-FM WQXR-FM (105.9 FM) is an American non-commercial classical radio station, licensed to Newark, New Jersey and serving the North Jersey and New York City area. It is owned by the nonprofit organization New York Public Radio, which also operates ...

Newark, New Jersey Newark ( , ) is the most populous city in the U.S. state of New Jersey and the seat of Essex County and the second largest city within the New York metropolitan area.WHCN WHCN (105.9 MHz) is a commercial FM radio station licensed to Hartford, Connecticut. It broadcasts a classic hits radio format and is owned by iHeartMedia, Inc. It is called "The River 105.9," a reference to the Connecticut River. The studios a ...

Hartford, Connecticut Hartford is the capital city of the U.S. state of Connecticut. It was the seat of Hartford County until Connecticut disbanded county government in 1960. It is the core city in the Greater Hartford metropolitan area. Census estimates since the ...

(both on 105.9 FM), WBLI uses a

directional antenna A directional antenna or beam antenna is an antenna which radiates or receives greater power in specific directions allowing increased performance and reduced interference from unwanted sources. Directional antennas provide increased performance ...

. The station's

transmitter In electronics and telecommunications, a radio transmitter or just transmitter is an electronic device which produces radio waves with an antenna (radio), antenna. The transmitter itself generates a radio frequency alternating current, which i ...

is located in

Farmingville, New York Farmingville is a hamlet and census-designated place (CDP) in the Suffolk County town of Brookhaven, New York, United States. The population was 15,481 at the 2010 census. History The first settlement in what is now called Farmingville occurr ...

History

Early years

The station

signed on Signing may refer to: * Using sign language * Signature A signature (; from la, signare, "to sign") is a handwritten (and often stylized) depiction of someone's name, nickname, or even a simple "X" or other mark that a person writes on do ...

the air on December 13, 1957 as WPAC-FM, the FM counterpart to WPAC. The two stations were owned by the Patchogue Broadcasting Company. Because WPAC was a

daytimer A clear-channel station is an AM radio station in North America that has the highest protection from interference from other stations, particularly concerning night-time skywave propagation. The system exists to ensure the viability of cross-coun ...

, WPAC-FM

simulcast Simulcast (a portmanteau of simultaneous broadcast) is the broadcasting of programmes/programs or events across more than one resolution, bitrate or medium, or more than one service on the same medium, at exactly the same time (that is, simultane ...

its programming in the daytime and continued it after WPAC signed off the air at sunset. At first, it was only powered at 7,800 watts on a 115-foot tower, only heard in and around Western Suffolk County. It would take several decades before the station expanded its coverage area.

Contemporary hits

In January 1971, the station was purchased by Beck-Ross Communications, owner of WGLI in

Babylon, New York The Town of Babylon is one of ten towns in Suffolk County, New York, United States. Its population was 218,223 as of the 2020 census. Parts of Jones Beach Island, Captree Island and Fire Island are in the southernmost part of the town. It bord ...

. The station's

call sign In broadcasting and radio communications, a call sign (also known as a call name or call letters—and historically as a call signal—or abbreviated as a call) is a unique identifier for a transmitter station. A call sign can be formally assigne ...

was changed to WBLI, and switched to a contemporary hits format as ''FM 106 WBLI''. After Beck-Ross took ownership, the station initially broadcast from a trailer located behind the WPAC building in

Medford, New York Medford is a hamlet and census-designated place (CDP) in the Town of Brookhaven in Suffolk County, on Long Island, in New York, United States. The population was 24,142 at the 2010 census. History The Long Island Rail Road established the Me ...

. In March 1971, WBLI moved to new studios at 31 West Main Street in Patchogue. WBLI's DJ staff has included

George Taylor Morris George Taylor Morris (May 10, 1947 – August 1, 2009) was an American disc jockey and radio personality who grew up with and on the radio. Initially working on AM radio, then switching to the FM radio format, Morris' career evolved to where ...

and Alan "Al Nouveau" Bandiero. On September 27, 1985, WBLI's transmission tower was toppled by

Hurricane Gloria Hurricane Gloria was a powerful hurricane that caused significant damage along the east coast of the United States and in Atlantic Canada during the 1985 Atlantic hurricane season. It was the first significant tropical cyclone to strike the n ...

Shift to Hot AC

By 1991, with the CHR format on the decline across the country, WBLI evolved into more of a

hot 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, quiet ...

format. Steve Harper and news director Ken Rhodes (

Ken Rosato Ken Rosato is an American journalist. He graduated from Regis High School in New York City and then went on to get a bachelor's degree in Film, TV and Radio at New York University. Following his undergraduate studies, he received a master's d ...

, now

WABC-TV WABC-TV (channel 7) is a television station in New York City, serving as the flagship of the ABC network. Owned and operated by the network's ABC Owned Television Stations division, the station maintains studios in the Lincoln Square neighbor ...

's morning news anchor) hosted the morning show. The station often ran special weekend programming, such as the "Almost Made It But Didn't Weekend" and "The Ladies of the 80s Weekend." Musically, the station was slightly hotter than New York City's WPLJ and

WMXV WMXV (101.5 FM, "My 101.5") is a radio station licensed to Saint Joseph, Tennessee. WMXV broadcasts as part of the Florence/ Muscle Shoals, Alabama, Arbitron radio market. The station's format is hot adult contemporary music and its positioning s ...

. In March 1994, Beck-Ross Communications was acquired by Liberty Broadcasting, the owners of two other Long Island stations,

WGBB WGBB (1240 AM) is a radio station licensed to Freeport, New York and serving Nassau County, New York. It is Long Island's oldest radio station, founded in 1924. It broadcasts the Chinese–language "Chinese Radio Network" and various English a ...

and

WBAB-FM WBAB (102.3 FM) is a classic rock radio station licensed to Babylon, New York and owned by Cox Radio. The station is also simulcast on WHFM (95.3 FM) licensed to Southampton, New York and serving eastern Long Island. History WBAB first went ...

Cox ownership

Atlanta Atlanta ( ) is the capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Georgia. It is the seat of Fulton County, the most populous county in Georgia, but its territory falls in both Fulton and DeKalb counties. With a population of 498,715 ...

-based

Cox Media CMG Media Corporation (doing business as Cox Media Group) is an American media conglomerate principally owned by Apollo Global Management in conjunction with Cox Enterprises, which maintains a 29% minority stake in the company. The company pri ...

acquired the station in 1998. When Cox Radio took over WBLI, it evolved into a more mainstream CHR with less dance product (though still more than most other CHR's) and a tighter

playlist A playlist is a list of video or audio files that can be played back on a media player either sequentially or in a shuffled order. In its most general form, an audio playlist is simply a list of songs, but sometimes a loop. The term has sever ...

of hits. In June 2019, Cox announced it would sell the majority interest in its radio stations to Apollo Global Management. The new broadcasting company will continue to use the Cox Media name.

Personalities

Previous morning shows

Steve Harper (later with

WKJY WKJY (98.3 FM) is a radio station licensed to Hempstead, New York, and serving Nassau County, New York. It broadcasts an adult contemporary music format and is owned by Connoisseur Media. WKJY's studios and offices are located at Airport Plaza ...

) had hosted "'BLI in the AM" for 25 years before being let go in the summer of 2006. Maria Garcia (now an anchor with WCBS

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...

) was the co-host since 1998. The show was called "Steve and Maria in the Morning." Maria left in 2005. Dana DiDonato (later with

KBZT KBZT (94.9 FM, "Alt 94-9") is a commercial radio station licensed to San Diego, California. Owned by Audacy, Inc., the station broadcasts an alternative rock format. Its studios are located in San Diego's Stonecrest area, and the transmitter is ...

San Diego San Diego ( , ; ) is a city on the Pacific Ocean coast of Southern California located immediately adjacent to the Mexico–United States border. With a 2020 population of 1,386,932, it is the List of United States cities by population, eigh ...

) joined Harper in January 2006. Harper's last show was on July 19, 2006. Dana then assumed hosting duties along with Randy Spears and Drew Appelbaum. Randy and Drew exited the station on December 16, 2010. On January 10, 2011, the radio station introduced "The New BLI in the Morning," which featured Dana with new co-host Jeffrey Jameson (later with

WNEW-FM WNEW-FM (102.7 FM, ''NEW 102.7'') is a hot adult contemporary formatted radio station, licensed to New York, New York and owned by Audacy, Inc. The station's studios are located at the Audacy facility in the Hudson Square neighborhood of Manha ...

in New York City) Shawn "Puffy The Producer" Novatt also returned. The show was syndicated to Cox

sister station In broadcasting, sister stations or sister channels are radio or television stations operated by the same company, either by direct ownership or through a management agreement. Radio sister stations will often have different formats, and somet ...

"Hot 100.9" WHTI in

Richmond, Virginia (Thus do we reach the stars) , image_map = , mapsize = 250 px , map_caption = Location within Virginia , pushpin_map = Virginia#USA , pushpin_label = Richmond , pushpin_m ...

, and renamed "Dana and Jeffrey in the Morning" on Monday, June 4, 2012. Syndication ended when WHTI was sold to another owner in June 2013. Jeffrey Jameson announced he was leaving in December 2013. Jayson Prim (later with

) debuted on January 6, 2014. On June 30, 2016, the station announced on its

Facebook Facebook is an online social media and social networking service owned by American company Meta Platforms. Founded in 2004 by Mark Zuckerberg with fellow Harvard College students and roommates Eduardo Saverin, Andrew McCollum, Dustin M ...

page that ''Dana and Jayson in the Morning'' had ended its run. It featured Dana DiDonato, Jayson Prim, John Mingione (John Online), Shawn "Puffy The Producer" Novatt, and Ted Lindner with news and traffic. On July 11, 2016, Cooper Lawrence, formerly of

WPLJ WPLJ (95.5 FM) is a non-commercial Christian adult contemporary music radio station licensed to New York City. It is owned by the Educational Media Foundation (EMF) and broadcasts EMF's flagship programming service, K-Love. WPLJ's transmitte ...

, and Anthony Michaels, took over mornings 5:30 - 9am on the station. The show had its last broadcast on September 14, 2018.

Controversy

On Wednesday, February 27, 2008, Randy of the "BLI in the Morning" show made a remark that offended a caller from

Mastic Mastic may refer to: Adhesives and pastes *Mastic (plant resin) *Mastic asphalt, or asphalt, is a sticky, black and highly viscous liquid * Mastic cold porcelain, or salt ceramic, is a traditional salt-based modeling clay. *Mastic, high-grade con ...

, Long Island. He joked that she lived in a

trailer park A trailer park,caravan park, mobile home park, mobile home community or manufactured home community is a temporary or permanent area for mobile homes and travel trailers. Advantages include low cost compared to other housing, and quick and eas ...

. After the station received complaints regarding the remarks, and after Randy's refusal to apologize, he was suspended by station management.WBLI morning show co-host suspended for comment - Cox Radio Incorporated - Newsday.com
/ref>

References

External links

* * * {{COXMG BLI Contemporary hit radio stations in the United States Radio stations established in 1958 Mass media in Suffolk County, New York Cox Media Group 1958 establishments in New York (state)