WGBB

Last updated • 6 min readFrom Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia

WGBB
WGBB LOGO.png
Broadcast area Nassau County
Frequency 1240 kHz
Programming
Language(s) Chinese, English, and Spanish
Format Brokered programming
Ownership
OwnerWGBB AM, Inc.
History
First air date
1924;100 years ago (1924)
Former call signs
  • WGBB (1924–1988)
  • WBAB (1988–1991)
[1]
Former frequencies
  • 1240 kHz (1924–1925)
  • 1230 kHz(1925–1927)
  • 1220 kHz (1927)
  • 1210 kHz (1928–1941)
Call sign meaning
Randomly assigned, used for slogan of "Where Good Broadcasting Begins"
Technical information [2]
Licensing authority
FCC
Facility ID 72091
Class C
Power 1,000 watts
Transmitter coordinates
40°38′44″N73°34′39″W / 40.64556°N 73.57750°W / 40.64556; -73.57750
Translator(s) 95.9 W240DF (Freeport)
Links
Public license information
Webcast Listen live
Website wgbbradio.com

WGBB (1240 AM) is a radio station licensed to Freeport, New York and serving Nassau County, New York. Founded in 1924, [3] it is Long Island's oldest radio station. [4]

Contents

WGBB broadcasts the Chinese–language "Chinese Radio Network" and various English and Spanish language religious and ethnic brokered programming. The studio is located in Merrick, New York and its transmitter site is located in Freeport, former location of the studio.

History

The Carman years (1924–1954)

WGBB was first licensed on December 13, 1924, to Harry H. Carman, for operation on 1240 kHz. [5] The call letters were randomly assigned by the Commerce Department from a sequential roster of available call signs, and were later backronymed to form the slogan "Where Good Broadcasting Begins". Carman was also the operator of amateur station 2EL, [6] and remained owner of WGBB until his death in 1954. [7]

After the 1927 formation of the Federal Radio Commission (FRC), share-time assignments became common, because there were more stations than available frequencies, especially in the congested New York City region. WGBB's assignments included 1220 kHz (400 watts), sharing with WAAT, Jersey City, New Jersey and WSOM, New York City and, by November 1928, 1210 kHz (100 watts), now sharing with several suburban stations including WBRB, Red Bank, New Jersey; WFAS, White Plains, New York; and WGNY, Newburgh, New York.

WGNY dropped out in 1939 by moving to 1220 kHz. As part of the March 29, 1941, implementation of the FRC's General Order 40, most stations on 1210 kHz, including WGBB, were shifted to 1240 kHz. By 1942 the frequency sharing was reduced when WBRB went out of business. [8] On March 22, 1943, WFAS relocated to 1230 kHz, ending WGBB's share-time operation and allowing unlimited use of 1240 kHz.

In 1931, the studios for "The Voice of the Sunrise Trail" were moved from Carman's Bedell Street home in Freeport, to the Freeport Post Office building at 64 South Grove Street; the post office was in the process of relocating to its current building on Merrick Road. WGBB's transmitter remained at 217 Bedell Street; situated in Carman's garage. In 1937, the studios were relocated to 44 South Grove Street. In 1947 WGBB's long-wire antenna, strung between utility poles in Carman's backyard, was replaced by a gleaming self-supporting 285-foot (87m) vertical antenna. [9] Carman's original tower was replaced with the current structure in the early 1980s.

Post-Carman

Harry Carman was seriously injured in an auto accident just before Christmas 1953 and perished the following July. After Carman's death, WGBB was sold for $95,000 to a group of Long Island businessmen, who organized "Long Island's First Station, Inc." John Whitmore was named station manager, [10] who rapidly restructured programming into an up-to-date presentation playing current music. Despite the makeover WGBB faced financial difficulties and went into receivership.

On August 6, 1956, Edward J. Fitzgerald, owner of WGSM in Huntington, New York took control after a sale approved by the Federal Communications Commission (FCC), and a bankruptcy court judge; the price was assumption of WGBB's debt. The FCC waived its duopoly rule which prohibited ownership of overlapping signals saying this was a way to be sure creditors would be paid. Fitzgerald guided the station's music policy back to standards away from current hits and especially doo-wop which was being played on the popular Night Train evening music show hosted by Lee Donahue and later Alan Fredericks.[ citation needed ]

Under Fitzgerald's direction WGBB began to attract big-league national sponsors because sale of commercial announcements on WGBB/WGSM were made in combination, accounting for a revenue surge. Fitzgerald connected his stations with broadcast telephone lines establishing "The Long Island Network," which offered hourly news, sports, a fishing report, weekend public affairs programs, even a few music shows. The news originated at WGBB which had ample space for a newsroom.[ citation needed ]

On May 12, 1965, WGBB was sold for $452,000[ citation needed ] to Susquehanna, a group broadcaster based in York, Pennsylvania. Susquehanna built new studios in a building just a few steps from the Merrick Long Island Railroad station. WGBB morphed into a pop music outlet with a strong local news presence.

On July 22, 1981, Susquehanna sold WGBB to a group headed by Franz Allina for close to $1 million.[ citation needed ] The new operators had taken control by mid-September.

On November 19, 1986, Noble Broadcast Group acquired WGBB joining it with WBAB-FM a Babylon, New York-based AOR outlet. WGBB would soon move to the new WBAB studios on Sunrise Highway in West Babylon. On January 22, 1988, the sixty-four-year-old WGBB call letters were retired and 1240 took the identity of its FM sister station becoming WBAB and began simulcasting WBAB-FM most of the time. Also in 1988 night-time power was increased to 1,000 watts from 250 watts. When the simulcast with WBAB-FM ended, the station implemented a news-talk format and on April 15, 1991, returned to the original WGBB call letters.

WGBB and WBAB were purchased by Liberty Broadcasting on February 15, 1993, for $16 million. The deal did not separate WGBB's value. Liberty later added WBLI in Patchogue, New York and WHFM in Southampton, New York to its Long Island station cluster. WBLI would keep its Top 40 format, while WHFM became a simulcast of WBAB.

On July 1, 1996 Robert F. X. Sillerman's SFX Broadcasting Inc. announced it had acquired Liberty Broadcasting. As part of the deal SFX and Chancellor Broadcasting (owners of WALK and WALK-FM in Patchogue, New York) also agreed to exchange SFX's four Long Island stations in New York, gained in the Liberty acquisition, for two of Chancellor's Jacksonville, Fla., stations and $11 million. [11] On October 7, 1996, WGBB and WBAB-FM began an LMA with Chancellor Broadcasting, a simulcast with WALK 1370 was begun under the name "Sunrise Radio Network". On September 4, 1997, Chancellor changed its name to Chancellor Media Corp. The deal with Chancellor Media to purchase WGBB and WBAB-FM fell through in early 1998 after the Justice Department filed an antitrust suit to block Chancellor's purchase, and the simulcast ended. [12] At that time WGBB began running the audio portion of CNN Headline News during the times no local talk shows were scheduled.

On May 22, 1998 Cox Broadcasting, a large national chain, purchased WGBB, WBAB-FM, WBLI and WHFM. Cox's main interest was in the FM stations and a few months later, in October 1998, dealt WGBB to a splinter group of Multicultural Broadcasting for $1.7 million.[ citation needed ] Under the new ownership, WGBB began broadcasting in Chinese by simulcasting the Chinese Radio Network in time slots not brokered to outside producers. After the sale of WGBB to Multicultural, WGBB moved to a new studio at 1850 Lansdowne Avenue across Sunrise Highway from the Merrick Long Island Rail Road station; meanwhile, WBLI moved from their studios in Medford, New York into the studios that WGBB had just vacated.

A few years later, another move took place, this time to the WNYG (another Multicultural outlet) facilities at 404 Route 109 near Sunrise Highway in Babylon, New York. WNYG was sold a few years later and relocated to Medford, which left WGBB alone in the old WNYG facility.

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">WBAB</span> Radio station in New York, United States

WBAB is a classic rock radio station licensed to Babylon, New York and owned by Cox Radio. The station is also simulcast on WHFM licensed to Southampton, New York and serving eastern Long Island.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">WBLI</span> Radio station in New York, United States

WBLI is a commercial radio station owned by Cox Radio and licensed to Patchogue, New York. It airs a top 40 (CHR) radio format. The station mainly serves Suffolk County, New York on Long Island. Its studios and offices are located on Sunrise Highway in West Babylon, New York.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">WXTK</span> News/talk radio station in West Yarmouth, Massachusetts, United States

WXTK is a commercial radio station licensed to West Yarmouth, Massachusetts, and serving Cape Cod. It has a news/talk format and is owned by iHeartMedia, Inc. The studios and offices are on Barnstable Road in Hyannis, while the transmitter is on Radio Lane in Yarmouth. WXTK is the direct descendant of Cape Cod's first commercial radio station, WOCB.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">KODA</span> Adult contemporary radio station in Houston

KODA is an American commercial adult contemporary-formatted radio station in Houston, Texas. The station is owned by iHeartMedia. Its studios and offices are located along the West Loop Freeway in Uptown Houston.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">WRCR</span> Radio station in Haverstraw, New York

WRCR is a commercial AM radio station licensed to Haverstraw, New York, and serving Rockland County. WRCR broadcasts an adult contemporary music format with weekday talk and brokered programming shows. The station is owned by Alexander Broadcasting, Inc. Studios and offices are at 144 Ramapo Road in Garnerville.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">WBEA</span> Radio station in New York, United States

WBEA is a Mainstream Top 40 radio station licensed to Southold, New York and serving eastern Long Island. The station is licensed to LRS Radio, LLC, which is owned by WEHM on-air talent Lauren Stone (68.8%) and her father Roger W. Stone (31.2%), the Chairman/CEO of Kapstone Paper & Packaging Company in Northbrook, Illinois. Its transmitter is located in East Quogue, New York.

WHFM is a classic rock radio station licensed to Southampton, New York, and serving eastern Long Island. It is owned by Cox Radio and simulcasts 102.3 WBAB.

WJIM is a commercial AM radio station licensed to Lansing, Michigan. It is owned by Townsquare Media and broadcasts a news/talk format. It is also the flagship station of the Michigan Talk Network. Studios and offices are on Pinetree Road in Lansing.

WLIM is a radio station licensed to Medford, New York, broadcasting a Spanish news/talk radio format.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">WBZA</span> Radio station in Rochester, New York

WBZA is a commercial FM radio station in Rochester, New York. It airs an adult hits format and is owned by Audacy, Inc., based at the High Falls Studios, on Commercial Street and State Street in downtown Rochester.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">KFH (AM)</span> Sports radio station in Wichita, Kansas

KFH is a commercial AM radio station in Wichita, Kansas. The station is owned by Audacy, Inc. It airs a sports radio format. The station's studios and offices are located on East Douglas Avenue.

WFAS is a commercial digital-only radio station licensed to serve White Plains, New York. The station is owned by Cumulus Media and broadcasts with 1,000 watts from its transmitter site on Secor Road, in Hartsdale, New York. WFAS airs a conservative talk radio format with programming from Westwood One, which is itself owned by Cumulus Media. News updates are supplied by USA Radio News.

WNYH is a radio station licensed to Huntington, New York, it serves the Long Island area and broadcasts brokered programming. The station is owned by Win Radio Broadcasting Corporation.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">KNSS (AM)</span> News/talk radio station in Wichita, Kansas

KNSS is a commercial AM radio station in Wichita, Kansas. It carries a news/talk radio format and is owned by Audacy, Inc. The station simulcasts with co-owned KNSS-FM 98.7 MHz. The studios and offices are on East Douglas Avenue in Wichita.

WLID is a radio station licensed to Patchogue, New York. Established in 1952 as WALK, the station broadcasts a Spanish language Christian radio format.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">WGNY (AM)</span> Radio station in Newburgh, New York

WGNY is a commercial radio station broadcasting an oldies format. Licensed to Newburgh, New York, the station serves Orange, Dutchess and Putnam Counties. Most of the playlist is hits from the 1960s with some 50s and 70s titles. It is owned by the Sunrise Broadcasting Corporation with studios in New Windsor.

WNYG is a radio station licensed to Patchogue, New York, broadcasting a Spanish language Christian radio format. Its transmitter site and former studios are located at 45 Pennsylvania Ave in Medford, New York.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">WTAX (AM)</span> Radio station in Springfield, Illinois

WTAX is a commercial AM radio station in Springfield, Illinois. It is owned by Saga Communications, and operates as part of its Capitol Radio Group. WTAX simulcasts a news/talk radio format with 93.9 WTAX-FM. The radio studios and offices are on East Sangamon Avenue in Springfield.

WKOK is a commercial radio station in Sunbury, Pennsylvania. It is owned by Sunbury Broadcasting Corporation and it broadcasts a combination News, Talk and Sports radio format. The radio studios and transmitter are on County Line Road in Selinsgrove.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">WGNY-FM</span> Radio station in Rosendale, New York

WGNY-FM is a radio station broadcasting an oldies format. Licensed to Rosendale, New York, United States, the station serves the Poughkeepsie and Kingston areas. The station, which signed on on February 26, 2011, is owned by Hawkeye Communications and operated by Sunrise Broadcasting Corporation, and features programming from ABC News Radio. It also broadcasts in HD, and carries Dance "Drive FX" on its HD-2 channel. Its studios are in New Windsor, New York and its transmitter is in Esopus, New York.

References

  1. "Call Sign History". CDBS Public Access Database. FCC Media Bureau. Retrieved April 16, 2013. (Facility ID: 72091)
  2. "Facility Technical Data for WGBB". Licensing and Management System. Federal Communications Commission.
  3. Nadya Nataly (August 22, 2019). "95 years and counting".
  4. "A look back at the history of WGBB radio".
  5. "New Stations". Radio Service Bulletin. 93. Washington, D.C.: Department of Commerce, Bureau of Navigation: 3. January 2, 1925. Retrieved April 26, 2023.
  6. "Second District". Amateur Radio Stations of the United States. Washington, D.C.: Department of Commerce, Bureau of Navigation: 51. June 30, 1924. Retrieved April 26, 2023. The leading "2" in 2EL's call sign indicated that the station was located in the 2nd Radio Inspection district.
  7. Cynthia Jane Krieg; Regina G. Feeney (2012). Freeport. Arcadia Publishing. pp. 126–. ISBN   978-0-7385-9162-9.
  8. Bill Jaker; Frank Sulek; Peter Kanze (May 7, 2015). The Airwaves of New York: Illustrated Histories of 156 AM Stations in the Metropolitan Area, 1921-1996. McFarland. pp. 46–. ISBN   978-1-4766-0878-5.
  9. "New 285 ft. Tower For Station WGBB" (PDF). Manhasset Press. Manhasset New York. October 24, 1947. Retrieved April 22, 2016.
  10. "Whitmore Heads Corporation Taking Over Station WGBB" (PDF). The Leader. Freeport New York. December 23, 1954. Retrieved September 4, 2020.
  11. "SFX buys Liberty for $227 million" . Retrieved August 11, 2017.
  12. "A Radio Giant's Purchases on L.I. Raise Antitrust Questions". The New York Times. New York, New York. December 28, 1997. Retrieved August 11, 2017.

Further reading

FM translator