WZBR

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
For the station in Troy, New York, formerly called WZBR, see WHAZ (AM).
WZBR
Simulcast of WSRO, Ashland
WZBR AM 1410 logo.png
CityDedham, Massachusetts
Broadcast areaGreater Boston
Frequency1410 kHz
BrandingAM 1410 WZBR
Programming
FormatJazz music
Ownership
OwnerAlexander Langer
(Langer Broadcasting Group, LLC)
WSRO
History
First air date
July 17, 1961
Former call signs
WOKW (1961–1981)
WAMK (1981–1985)
WATD (1985–1990)
WMSX (1990-2013)
Technical information
Facility ID41348
ClassD
Power2,300 watts day
25 watts night
Transmitter coordinates
42°14′5.00″N 71°8′13.00″W / 42.2347222°N 71.1369444°W / 42.2347222; -71.1369444Coordinates: 42°14′5.00″N 71°8′13.00″W / 42.2347222°N 71.1369444°W / 42.2347222; -71.1369444
Translator(s)W251CR (98.1 MHz Medford)
Links
WebcastListen live
Websiteheat981fm.com
Part of a series on
Dedham, Massachusetts
Seal of Dedham, Massachusetts.jpg
History
People
  • Selectmen
  • Town Clerks
  • Businesspeople
  • Clergy
  • Military
  • Sportspeople
  • Writers
Places
Organizations
Businesses
Churches
Education
  • v
  • t

WZBR (1410 AM) is a radio station broadcasting a jazz music format. Licensed to Dedham, Massachusetts, United States, the station serves the Greater Boston area. The station is owned by Langer Broadcasting Group, LLC, which also owns WSRO in the area;[1][2] WZBR serves as an analog simulcast of WSRO, which broadcasts in digital only. WZBR also operates translator station W251CR (98.1 FM) in Medford.

History[]

The station signed on July 17, 1961, as WOKW. The callsign changed to WAMK on September 28, 1981; to WATD on December 15, 1985; and to WMSX on April 1, 1990.[3]

On June 10, 2013, WMSX filed an application to move from Brockton to Dedham, with a transmitter in the Hyde Park neighborhood of Boston.[4] Langer soon announced his intention to use the station as a Boston extension of his Framingham-area Portuguese language station, WSRO, with its own studios in Hyde Park.[5] Langer signed the station on from its new site on the Hyde Park-Dedham border on October 23, 2013, testing with jazz music.[6] The station transmits from a small Valcom fiberglass antenna next to the river;[7] the antenna was previously used a decade earlier (in a different location) by Langer's original WSRO (prior to its own move into the Boston area as WAZN), and had to be cleaned up after a decade of disuse.[6] On November 12, 2013, the station changed its call sign to the current WZBR.[3]

In early 2014, WZBR began simulcasting WSRO; the jazz programming was moved to Langer's newly-acquired Cape Cod station, WBAS,[8] ahead of that station joining the WSRO simulcast as well.[9] WZBR's new facility was licensed on February 11, 2014. In December 2014, WZBR and WBAS began carrying some separate programming from WSRO;[10] by 2015, the three stations were jointly branded as "Rede ABR".[11]

On February 3, 2016, WZBR dropped the Portuguese programming and launched an urban contemporary format, known as "The Bass of Boston". The new format, whose studios were located near Dudley Square, was operated by Frank Holder and programmed by Steve Gousby, both of whom had previously been associated with Boston's longtime Black-oriented station, WILD.[12] In September 2016, New Edition lead singer Ralph Tresvant launched his Friday afternoon, radio show "Inside The Ride" on WZBR. In 2018, the station rebranded as "98.1 The Urban Heat" to reflect the sign-on of its FM translator.[13]

Langer Broadcasting took WZBR and its translator silent in mid-July 2020, due to financial difficulties; the shutdown was concurrent with the suspension of operations of WSRO and WBAS, which had continued with the "Rede ABR" Portuguese programming. The "Urban Heat" programming continues to be available online.[14] WZBR resumed broadcasting on November 4, 2020.[15] As of December 2021, WZBR serves as an analog simulcast of WSRO, which had converted to digital-only operation on December 1, and was programming jazz music.[16]

FM translator[]

Broadcast translators of WZBR
Call sign Frequency
(MHz)		 City of license Facility
ID		 ERP
(W)		 Height
(m (ft))		 Class FCC info
W251CR 98.1 Medford, Massachusetts 201029 130 0 m (0 ft) D FCC LMS

References[]

  1. ^ "WZBR Facility Record". United States Federal Communications Commission, audio division.
  2. ^ APPLICATION FOR CONSENT TO ASSIGNMENT OF BROADCAST STATION CONSTRUCTION PERMIT OR LICENSE fcc.gov
  3. ^ a b "WZBR Call Sign History". United States Federal Communications Commission, audio division.
  4. ^ "APPLICATION FOR CONSTRUCTION PERMIT FOR COMMERCIAL BROADCAST STATION". CDBS Public Access. Federal Communications Commission. June 10, 2013. Retrieved June 30, 2013.
  5. ^ Swinconeck, John (June 30, 2013). "Framingham's Brazilian radio station branching out to Boston". The Boston Globe. Retrieved June 30, 2013.
  6. ^ a b Fybush, Scott (October 28, 2013). "NERW 10/28/2013: NYC Cringes at Herman, Mourns Mazer". NorthEast Radio Watch. Retrieved October 31, 2021.
  7. ^ "1410 WZBR Dedham, Massachusetts".
  8. ^ Fybush, Scott (February 3, 2014). "NERW 2/3/2014: Big Consolidation in Small Upstate Markets". NorthEast Radio Watch. Retrieved October 31, 2021.
  9. ^ Fybush, Scott (February 17, 2014). "NERW 2/17/2014: Sales, Sales and More Sales". NorthEast Radio Watch. Retrieved October 31, 2021.
  10. ^ http://redeabr.com/radios-1240-am-e-1410-am-inauguram-grade-de-programacao/
  11. ^ "Sudbury Valley Trustees, Rede ABR to host pumpkin patch children's day event". MetroWest Daily News. October 5, 2015. Retrieved October 31, 2021.
  12. ^ "Boston News Today - REBORN TO BE WILD: A STARTUP INDEPENDENT AM STATION GROWS TO SERVE THROWBACKS AND COMMUNITY". 18 May 2016.
  13. ^ Venta, Lance (July 31, 2018). "Translator Bringing Urban Heat To Boston". RadioInsight. Retrieved October 31, 2021.
  14. ^ Venta, Lance (July 14, 2020). "Pair Of Boston AMs Shut Down". RadioInsight. Retrieved October 31, 2021.
  15. ^ Langer, Alexander G. (November 4, 2020). "Resumption of Operations". CDBS Public Access. Federal Communications Commission. Retrieved October 31, 2021.
  16. ^ Stine, Randy J. (December 13, 2021). "New England Gets Its First All-Digital AM". Radio World. Retrieved December 26, 2021.

External links[]


Stub icon 1 Stub icon 2

This article about a radio station in Massachusetts is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by .

  • v
  • t
Retrieved from ""