WBZ (AM)

WBZ
Broadcast areaGreater Boston
Frequency1030 kHz
BrandingWBZ NewsRadio 1030
Programming
Language(s)English
FormatNews/talk
Affiliations
Ownership
Owner
WBWL, WJMN, WRKO, WXKS, WXKS-FM, WZLX, WZRM
History
First air date
September 19, 1921;
103 years ago (1921-09-19)
Former frequencies
  • 833 kHz (1921–1922)
  • 750 kHz (1922–1923)
  • 710 kHz (1923)
  • 790 kHz (1923)
  • 890 kHz (1923–1925)
  • 900 kHz (1925–1928)
  • 990 kHz (1928–1941)
Call sign meaning
Randomly assigned by the Department of Commerce; previously assigned to a cargo ship[1] which burned the previous year[2]
Technical information[3]
Licensing authority
FCC
Facility ID25444
ClassA
Power50,000 watts unlimited
Transmitter coordinates
42°16′44.36″N 70°52′32.16″W / 42.2789889°N 70.8756000°W / 42.2789889; -70.8756000
Repeater(s)107.9 WXKS-FM HD2 (Medford)
Links
Public license information
WebcastListen live (via iHeartRadio)
Websitewbznewsradio.iheart.com

WBZ (1030 AM) is a commercial AM radio station, licensed to Boston, Massachusetts, and owned and operated by iHeartMedia, Inc.[4][5][6] Its studios and offices are located on Cabot Road in the Boston suburb of Medford.

WBZ's format features all-news programming most of the day and overnight, and talk radio programming in the evening. The station's programming is also carried on the second HD Radio channel of co-owned WXKS-FM.[7] WBZ is the designated Primary Entry Point (PEP) for the Emergency Alert System (EAS) in New England (except in Maine and Connecticut).

WBZ is a clear-channel station (officially classified as Class A), with a transmitter power output of 50,000 watts, and employing a directional antenna that sends a majority of its signal westward. Its two-tower array and transmitter site are in Hull, Massachusetts. WBZ can be heard during daylight hours throughout much of New England. Its nighttime signal covers at least 38 American states and much of Eastern Canada.[8][9][10][11][12]

WBZ was granted its first license by the United States Department of Commerce on September 15, 1921, and was originally located in Springfield, Massachusetts, before moving to Boston in 1931. It is the oldest broadcasting station in New England, and one of the oldest in the United States. It was founded, and owned for most of its existence, by Westinghouse Broadcasting and its successor CBS Radio.

  1. ^ Commercial and Government Radio Stations of the United States (Edition June 30, 1920), Santa Elena, Grace Steamship Co. (WBZ), page 43.
  2. ^ MV Santa Elena, July 27, 1920, (www.wrecksite.eu)
  3. ^ "Facility Technical Data for WBZ". Licensing and Management System. Federal Communications Commission.
  4. ^ "iHeart, Beasley, Bonneville Make Gains In Entercom-CBS Deal", November 1, 2017 (insideradio.com)
  5. ^ Venta, Lance (December 10, 2017). "Alt 102.9 & KUBE 104.9 Tacoma To Flip Monday". RadioInsight. Retrieved December 11, 2017. While iHeart has begun operating 1030 WBZ, 97.7 WKAF, and 100.7 WZLX in the Boston market and Sports "1090 The Fan" KFNQ Seattle via LMA...
  6. ^ "Consummation Notice". CDBS Public Access. Federal Communications Commission. December 19, 2017. Retrieved December 20, 2017.
  7. ^ "iHM Boston Debuts WBZ Simulcast on WXKS-FM-HD2". Radio Online. December 19, 2017. Retrieved December 20, 2017.
  8. ^ "How To Get Around MIT". web.mit.edu. Retrieved May 19, 2021.
  9. ^ "Jordan Rich: From the airwaves to the pages of a book". Lowell Sun. February 14, 2021. Retrieved May 19, 2021.
  10. ^ "NorthEast Radio Watch by Scott Fybush". www.fybush.com. Retrieved May 19, 2021.
  11. ^ "TPR : The Public's Radio : TPR". thepublicsradio.org. Retrieved May 19, 2021.
  12. ^ Kennedy, Dan (January 28, 2004). "No-shout Zone". CommonWealth Magazine. Retrieved May 19, 2021.