WLVP

Last updated

WLVP
Currently silent
Broadcast area Portland, Maine
Frequency 870 kHz
BrandingMemories 870
Programming
Format Adult standards; oldies
Ownership
Owner
  • Robert Bittner
  • (Blue Jey Broadcasting Co.)
History
First air date
March 3, 1980;45 years ago (1980-03-03)
Former call signs
  • WDCI (1980–1982)
  • WASY (1982–1986)
  • WJBQ (1986–1989)
  • WKZN (1989–1990)
  • WLAM (1990–2001)
  • WMTW (2001–2004)
Call sign meaning
"Liberal Voice of Portland" (previous format)
Technical information [1]
Licensing authority
 FCC
Facility ID 24994
Class B
Power
  • 10,000 watts (day)
  • 1,000 watts (night)
Transmitter coordinates
 43°39′46.29″N70°29′39.19″W / 43.6628583°N 70.4942194°W / 43.6628583; -70.4942194 (WLVP)
Translator(s) 105.1 W286DR (Gorham)
Links
Public license information
Website www.bobsmemorystation.com

WLVP (870 AM) is a radio station broadcasting an adult standards and oldies format. Licensed to Gorham, Maine, United States, it serves southern Maine, including Portland. Established in 1980 as WDCI, the station is owned by the estate of Robert Bittner through licensee Blue Jey Broadcasting Co..

Contents

History

The station went on the air March 3, 1980, [2] as WDCI on 1590. [3] In the intervening years, the station would change its call letters to WASY and then WJBQ, the latter after coming into common ownership with WLAM (1470 AM) and WKZS (99.9 FM; now WTHT). [3] WJBQ moved to 870 kHz in 1988; [3] on this frequency, the station became WKZN on November 28, 1989, and then swapped call letters with WLAM on December 26, 1990. [4] The two stations eventually began simulcasting a standards format. [5] On April 2, 1993, WLAM began simulcasting on WJTO in Bath under a local marketing agreement; [6] [7] the arrangement ended in August 1995. [8]

Wireless Talking Machine Company sold WLAM, 1470 (by then WZOU), and WLAM-FM (106.7 FM, which had launched in 1996 as an FM simulcast of the stations; [5] it is now WXTP), along with 99.9 (by then WMWX) and WTHT (107.5 FM; now WFNK) to Harron Communications, then-owner of WMTW-TV, in 1999. [9] On May 7, 2001, Harron converted 870 and 106.7 to news/talk as WMTW. [10] The WLAM call letters were then returned to 1470, which initially retained the standards format; on November 26, the station was switched to a simulcast of WMTW. [11] Shortly afterwards, talk programming was removed from the stations in favor of an all-news format, mainly from the Associated Press's All-News Radio service. [12]

After Harron sold its Maine radio stations to Nassau Broadcasting Partners in 2004, Newsradio WMTW was discontinued that April. Nassau introduced three separate formats to the stations, [13] with WMTW switching to progressive talk from Air America Radio under the call letters WLVP. [14] Nassau first attempted to drop progressive talk for ESPN Radio in September 2004; this sparked listener protest, prompting Nassau to initially postpone the format change to November 8 [15] before canceling it entirely. [16] However, after significant changes occurred at Air America (including the departure of Al Franken), WLVP began airing ESPN Radio on June 1, 2007. [17]

WLVP and WLAM dropped ESPN Radio on February 2, 2009, and switched to oldies. [18] In conjunction with the change, the stations began to simulcast WCSH's morning and early evening newscasts, a move made to continue the newscasts' availability via radio even after WCSH's own 87.7 MHz audio was discontinued following the shutdown of analog television signals. [18] [19]

Initially locally programmed, in early 2010 WLVP and WLAM became affiliates of The True Oldies Channel. [20] Additionally, on August 2, the station added The Jeff Santos Show from WWZN in Boston (marking a partial return to progressive talk programming). [21] The stations' format was modified once more on August 6, 2011, when sports talk was readded to the weekend schedule via locally-produced shows from the Maine Sports Network (which previously provided some weekend programming to WJJB-FM). [22]

WLVP, along with 16 other Nassau stations in northern New England, was purchased at bankruptcy auction by WBIN Media Company, a company controlled by Bill Binnie, on May 22, 2012. Binnie already owned WBIN-TV in Derry, New Hampshire. [23] [24] The deal was completed on November 30, 2012. [25] In June 2014, WLVP and WLAM switched to Cumulus Media's Good Time Oldies service after Cumulus ended distribution of The True Oldies Channel. [26]

On December 9, 2015, Binnie agreed to sell WLAM and WLVP to Blue Jey Broadcasting Company, controlled by Bob Bittner, for $135,000; the deal made WLVP a sister station to WJTO in Bath. [27] The sale to Blue Jey Broadcasting was consummated on February 17, 2016. Upon takeover of WLVP and WLAM, the stations' format evolved to a playlist similar to (but separate from) WJTO, [28] and the simulcast of WCSH news programming was discontinued. By 2021, WLVP and WLAM had become separately programmed and automated from their transmitter sites, though continuing to feature a similar playlist of soft adult contemporary and standards to Bittner's flagship network of WJTO, WJIB in Cambridge, Massachusetts, and WBAS on Cape Cod. [29]

Owner Bob Bittner died in May 2023. [30] WLVP went silent in October 2024; its suspension of operations came several months before operator Bob Perry announced a subsequently-postponed April 2025 closure of sister stations WJTO and WLAM. [31]

Translator

Broadcast translator for WLVP
Call sign Frequency City of license FID ERP (W) Class Transmitter coordinatesFCC info
W286DR105.1 FM Gorham, Maine 202494250D 43°39′49.3″N70°29′39.2″W / 43.663694°N 70.494222°W / 43.663694; -70.494222 (W286DR) LMS

References

  1. ↑ "Facility Technical Data for WLVP". Licensing and Management System. Federal Communications Commission.
  2. ↑ Broadcasting Yearbook 1981 (PDF). 1981. p. C-104. Retrieved March 13, 2010.
  3. 1 2 3 Fybush, Scott (1996). "Maine Radio History, 1971–1996". The Archives @ BostonRadio.org. Retrieved January 27, 2009.
  4. ↑ "WLVP Call Sign History". United States Federal Communications Commission, audio division.
  5. 1 2 Fybush, Scott (June 18, 1996). "Portland Consolidates". New England RadioWatch. Retrieved January 27, 2009.
  6. ↑ "WLAM adds third location on the dial". Sun Journal . April 10, 1993. p. 14. Retrieved April 7, 2025.
  7. ↑ "Format Changes". The M Street Journal. May 5, 1993. p. 1.
  8. ↑ "Format Changes & Updates". The M Street Journal. August 30, 1995. p. 2.
  9. ↑ Fybush, Scott (November 19, 1999). "TV Duopoly Arrives in N.Y." North East RadioWatch. Retrieved January 27, 2009.
  10. ↑ Fybush, Scott (May 7, 2001). "Farewell, Old CHUM". North East RadioWatch. Retrieved January 27, 2009.
  11. ↑ Fybush, Scott (November 11, 2001). "Cumulus Buys Aurora". North East RadioWatch. Retrieved January 27, 2009.
  12. ↑ Fybush, Scott (December 31, 2001). "2001: The Year in Review". NorthEast Radio Watch. Retrieved January 27, 2009.
  13. ↑ Fybush, Scott (April 12, 2004). "Nassau Shakeup in Maine". NorthEast Radio Watch. Retrieved January 27, 2009.
  14. ↑ Fybush, Scott (2004). "2004: The Year in Review". NorthEast Radio Watch. Retrieved January 27, 2009.
  15. ↑ Fybush, Scott (September 27, 2004). "Rhode Islanders Fight WRNI Sale". NorthEast Radio Watch. Retrieved January 27, 2009.
  16. ↑ Fybush, Scott (October 4, 2004). "Scott Muni Dies". NorthEast Radio Watch. Retrieved January 27, 2009.
  17. ↑ Routhier, Ray (June 1, 2007). "Portland station drops Air America". Portland Press Herald. Retrieved September 13, 2007.
  18. 1 2 Routhier, Ray (January 27, 2009). "Portland to get new oldies station". Portland Press Herald . Archived from the original on January 30, 2009. Retrieved January 28, 2009.
  19. ↑ O'Brien, Maureen (January 26, 2009). "WCSH Strikes Deal To Simulcast Newscasts On Radio". WCSH6.com. Retrieved January 26, 2009.
  20. ↑ Fybush, Scott (March 8, 2010). "It's Go Time for "Rush Radio 1200"". NorthEast Radio Watch. Retrieved March 13, 2010.
  21. ↑ "Jeff Santos Show expands again!". Revolution Boston. Archived from the original on September 4, 2010. Retrieved August 2, 2010.
  22. ↑ Whitehouse, Randy (August 6, 2011). "Local duo making sports talk splash". Sun Journal . Retrieved August 6, 2011.
  23. ↑ "Carlisle Capital Corp. Wins Bidding For Rest Of Nassau Stations". All Access. May 22, 2012. Retrieved May 22, 2012.
  24. ↑ "WBIN Media acquires 17 N.E. radio stations". New Hampshire Union Leader . May 23, 2012. Retrieved May 24, 2012.
  25. ↑ Kitch, Michael (December 1, 2012). "Binnie closes on purchase of WLNH". Laconia Daily Sun . Retrieved December 1, 2012.
  26. ↑ Fybush, Scott (June 30, 2014). "NERW 6/30/2014: Cox, Fox Reshape Boston TV". Fybush.com. Retrieved April 5, 2025.
  27. ↑ "APPLICATION FOR CONSENT TO ASSIGNMENT OF BROADCAST STATION CONSTRUCTION PERMIT OR LICENSE". CDBS Public Access. Federal Communications Commission . Retrieved December 16, 2015.
  28. ↑ Fybush, Scott (February 22, 2016). "NERW 2/22/2016: Behind TV's Return to 1WTC". Fybush.com. Retrieved April 5, 2025.
  29. ↑ Fybush, Scott (August 12, 2022). "Site of the Week 8/12/2022: Bob Bittner's WJTO, Bath". Fybush.com. Retrieved April 5, 2025.
  30. ↑ "New England's 'Memories Radio' Owner/Host Bob Bittner Has Died". Insideradio.com. May 30, 2023. Retrieved April 5, 2025.
  31. ↑ Venta, Lance (April 11, 2025). "Bob's Memories Station To Remain In Operation". RadioInsight. Retrieved April 11, 2025.
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