| |
|---|---|
| Broadcast area | South Florida |
| Frequency | 105.9MHz (HD Radio) |
| Branding | Big 105.9 |
| Programming | |
| Language | English |
| Format | Classic rock |
| Subchannels |
|
| Affiliations | Miami Dolphins |
| Ownership | |
| Owner |
|
| History | |
First air date | July 1960; 65 years ago (1960-07) |
Former call signs |
|
Call sign meaning | "Big" |
| Technical information[1] | |
Licensing authority | FCC |
| Facility ID | 11965 |
| Class | C0 |
| ERP | 100,000 watts |
| HAAT | 314 meters (1,030 ft) |
Transmitter coordinates | 25°59′35.3″N80°10′26.2″W / 25.993139°N 80.173944°W /25.993139; -80.173944 |
| Links | |
Public license information | |
| Webcast | Listen live (viaiHeartRadio) |
| Website | big1059 |
WBGG-FM (105.9 MHz) is acommercial radio station licensed toFort Lauderdale, Florida, and serving theMiami-Ft. Lauderdalemedia market. Owned byiHeartMedia, the station airs aclassic rockradio format. WBGG's studios are located inPembroke Pines and itstransmitter site is off Fifth Street inPembroke Park.[2]
WBGG is licensed forHD Radio and carries thenews/talk format ofsister stationWIODAM 610 on its HD2 channel andPride Radio on its HD3 channel.[3]
The station firstsigned on the air in July 1960,[4] as WFLM,Broward County's firstall-stereo station, with aneasy listening format. It was sold to the owners of WIXX (1520 AM; todayWEXY), at first simulcasting country music with WIXX 1520 as WIXX-FM, the AM was daytime only. During this time WIXX-FM signed off at midnight. The station purchased an automation system and switched its call letters to WAXY in 1970 airing the syndicated format "Hitparade '70 and '71 In 1973 RKO General purchased WAXY. The combo was WEXY-WAXY after the AM switched to a contemporary format. When the FM was sold to RKO General, The AM switched togospel music.
In 1973, under RKO General ownership, the station aired the syndicated "Classic Gold" format, but flipped to a live contemporary format then back toautomatedoldies in 1975.[5][6] Four years later in 1979, the station dropped oldies and flipped toadult contemporary. In 1990, RKO sold WAXY-FM to Ackerley Communications, an outdoor advertising company, which later sold the station to Clear Channel Communications after theFederal Communications Commission relaxed its rules against one company owning numerous stations in the same market. In March 1991, WAXY-FM rebranded as "Mix 105.9". On January 17, 1992, WAXY-FM dropped the AC format and beganstunting with a loop of various versions of "Louie, Louie". On January 20, at 6 a.m., the station flipped to a locally staffed oldies format as simply "WAXY 106".[7][8][9]
Clear Channel Communications (nowiHeartMedia) acquired WAXY-FM in 1994, and changed its call sign to WBGG-FM on September 1. The final quarter-hour of music was delivered by DJ Miguel Lombana and consisted of "It's the Same Old Song" by theFour Tops, "The End" by The Doors and "The Long and Winding Road" by The Beatles (which was an inside gag and reference to Stuart Elliott and his signing off of 96XWMJX years earlier). The station went dark for one minute and signed back on the air at 12:01 a.m. as "The New Big 106".[10][11][12] (TheWAXY call sign is now used by an unrelated AM station in the Miami market at 790 kHz).
Initially, BIG 106 started out as a 1970s hits station. By mid-1995, it was calling itself aclassic hits station while still playing mostly 1970s music. By mid-1996, it evolved to aclassic rock format. In 2005, the station changed its branding from "BIG 106" to "BIG 105.9".
Between 2010 and 2015, the station served as the FM andde facto flagship station for broadcasts of theMiami Dolphins football team; after 2015, these games would move to a joint simulcast ofWQAM andWKIS. WBGG would regain the rights on January 30, 2023, following a new agreement between iHeart and the team; the games will be shared withWINZ (AM) and the stations will carry all Dolphins games, pre and post-game shows, and a weekly show with team and league personnel. The play-by-play team will remain the same with former Dolphin and WIOD morning hostJimmy Cefalo, former Dolphin and current WQAM morning hostJoe Rose and former DolphinKim Bokamper.[13]
In December 2024, the station's format shifted from classic rock back to classic hits, focusing on a wider variety of music from the 1980s and 1990s. The station adapted a new slogan, "Miami's Greatest Hits".[14]
From September 1994 until January 2004, it aired thesyndicatedHoward Stern Show for morningdrive time before dropping the show in the wake of theSuper Bowl XXXVIII halftime show controversy and a wave of stricterFederal Communications Commission obscenity regulation. In April 2004, the FCC fined Clear Channel Communications $495,000 for broadcasting allegedly indecent material on the Stern show. Subsequently, Clear Channel dropped Stern from WBGG and five other stations.[15]
To fill the morning talk slot, in May 2004, Clear Channel movedPaul & Young Ron from co-ownedWZTA.[16] (Lex and Terry took over the morning show at WZTA, but lost that outlet for their syndicated program when that station switched formats toHispanic urban in February 2005).
In December 2016, Young Ron retired, leaving Paul Castronovo as the morning host. Castronovo's show continues to be a popular program inSouth Florida.
