 | |
| |
|---|---|
| Broadcast area | Mid-Hudson Valley |
| Frequency | 92.9MHz |
| Branding | 92.9 WBPM |
| Programming | |
| Format | Classic hits |
| Ownership | |
| Owner |
|
| WBNR,WGHQ,WHUD,WLNA,WSPK,WXPK | |
| History | |
First air date | October 22, 1999 (as WRKW) |
Former call signs | WRKW (1999–2004) |
Call sign meaning | "World's Best Popular Music" |
| Technical information[1] | |
Licensing authority | FCC |
| Facility ID | 43444 |
| Class | A |
| ERP | 6,000watts |
| HAAT | 88 meters (289 ft) |
Transmitter coordinates | 41°59′20.3″N74°1′6.5″W / 41.988972°N 74.018472°W /41.988972; -74.018472 |
| Links | |
Public license information | |
| Webcast | Listen live |
| Website | www |
WBPM (92.9 FM) is aclassic hitsradio station licensed toSaugerties,New York, serving the Mid-Hudson Valley andCatskills. The station is owned byPamal Broadcasting and broadcasts at 6,000wattsERP from a tower in theTown of Kingston, New York,[2] while its studios are inBeacon.
The WBPM calls were previously on 94.3 MHz from 1975 to 2003, that station is today known asWKXP.
The allocation for 92.9MHz inSaugerties, New York, was added to theFCC's Table of Allotments in June 1998.[3] The allotment was applied for and won by then-WRNQ/WKIP/WTND owner Eric Straus. In its preparation to reach the air, its tower site changed from WDST's original tower in Lake Katrine to a defunctAT&T microwave relay tower site in the Town of Kingston, given that a feasibility study showed that from the former very little signal would reach the main target market ofPoughkeepsie.[4]
On September 15, 1999, the allotment was assigned thecall letters WRKW,[5] signed on for testing that October 23, and made a full launch on November 1, 1999. WRKW's launch format was a "rock adult contemporary" format calledQuality Rock which was automated and jockless outside of the syndicatedBob & Tom morning show. Later avoicetracked PM drive jock and the syndicated weekend showThe Beatle Years was added. Considering that the same music was available on the far strongerWPDH, the station struggled to make a showing.
AfterClear Channel Communications purchased Straus' stations in 2000, the format remained unchanged until 2002 due to contractual obligations to the firm that programmed theQuality Rock format. On June 26, 2002, at 10 a.m., the station entered a 26-hour-long stunt ofEminem's "Without Me." The next day at noon, WRKW relaunched asactive rock92.9 Rock. Unlike its predecessor, the station launched with DJ's taken from sister stations and a heavy promotion blitz and quickly became a middle-of-the pack radio station.
In March 2003, the syndicatedWaking with the Wolf show began airing on the station. "The Wolf" had been onWPDH for several years before moving toWPYX inAlbany, New York. This show did not live up to the station's expectations and was canceled 14 months later when the station changed formats again.
On May 26, 2004, WRKW changed format tooldies asCool 92.9 and soon thereafter took the WBPM[5] calls which had served nearly three decades on94.3 FM and with air staff formerly of that station and oldies predecessorWCZX.
In late May 2006, it was announced that WBPM and sister stationWGHQ would be swapped toPamal Broadcasting along with Clear Channel's cluster in Rutland, Vermont (WSYB,WZRT), andWPYR in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, forWRNX in Amherst, Massachusetts. The deal made WBPM a sister station to market leadersWSPK andWHUD as well asWBNR andWLNA. On February 1, 2007, the station switched from oldies to classic hits.
On March 15, 2021, WBPM began to simulcast its classic hits programming on WBNR and WLNA. The move was primarily to better utilize the FM translators associated with the AM signals. The simulcast allows WBPM a larger coverage area including the southern part of the Poughkeepsie metro.
When Pamal took control of the station on February 1, 2007, the station changed to classic hits at 12:00 p.m. that day after twelve hours of stunting. The programming featured "Classic Rock-leaning hits from 1965-1989". Currently, the station is programmed by Randy Turner, formerly of WCZX. In October 2011 Bob Miller joined WBPM as morning show host (after a long stint at rival WCZX) reuniting with longtime co-host and newsman Brian Jones.
As of September 1, 2012, under the direction of station manager Don Verity, WBPM features classic pop hits marketed as "The Biggest Hits of All Time" from the 1960s, 1970s and 1980s. WBPM is considered the leading station in Kingston and Ulster County. In the 2020s, like many classic hits stations, the music on the WBPM has evolved away from the 1960s to focus on the 1970s, 1980s, 1990s, and early 2000s to accommodate Generation X listeners that are aging into the target demo.