 | |
| |
|---|---|
| Broadcast area | Cape Cod andSouth Coast |
| Frequency | 101.9MHz |
| Branding | Cool 102 |
| Programming | |
| Format | Classic hits |
| Ownership | |
| Owner |
|
| WCOD-FM,WEII,WXTK | |
| History | |
First air date | August 1970; 55 years ago (1970-08) |
Call sign meaning | Cape and Islands Broadcasting (original owners) |
| Technical information[1] | |
Licensing authority | FCC |
| Facility ID | 2683 |
| Class | B1 |
| ERP |
|
| HAAT | 145 meters (476 ft) |
Transmitter coordinates | 41°33′31″N70°35′44″W / 41.5587°N 70.5956°W /41.5587; -70.5956 |
| Links | |
Public license information | |
| Webcast | Listen live (viaiHeartRadio) |
| Website | cool102 |
WCIB (101.9MHz "Cool 102") is acommercialFM radio stationlicensed toFalmouth, Massachusetts, and servingCape Cod,Martha’s Vineyard and theSouth Coast area. It airs aclassic hitsradio format and is owned byiHeartMedia, Inc. The studios and offices are on Barnstable Road inHyannis.
WCIB has aneffective radiated power (ERP) of 12,000 wattshorizontal polarization and 11,340 watts vertical. Thetransmitter is on Spring Bars Road in Falmouth, near the localWalmart.[2]
The WCIB call letters stand for Cape and Islands Broadcasting, the original company that signed the station on in August 1970 (not to be confused withWGBH-owned public radio stationWCAI, which has the same call sign meaning).
For several years, WCIB programmed atop-40 format, but by late 1974 (after losing the top-40 battle toWCOD-FM) the station switched to an "Adult Gold" format. The station was later home to asoft adult contemporary format known as "Lite 102 WCIB", owned by Boston radio personality Larry Justice. After a short stint as "Country Thunder 101", the station was rebranded by its new owner, Al Makkay, as Cool 102, which quickly established itself as the market's ratings leader. Makkay Broadcasting sold WCIB, with its sister stationsWRZE and WCOD-FM, to Qantum Communications in 2003 for $32M.
On May 15, 2014, Qantum Communications announced that it would sell its 29 stations, including WCIB, to Clear Channel Communications (now iHeartMedia), in a transaction connected to Clear Channel's sale ofWALK AM-FM inPatchogue, New York toConnoisseur Media via Qantum.[3] The transaction was consummated on September 9, 2014.
WCIB programsChristmas music during the holiday season. The station usually makes this change in the last week of November, but in 2017 did so on November 1. iHeartMedia Cape Cod market manager Allison Davis said that "Given the general malaise around the country, we decided this was the right time to launch a feel-good format."[4] It later discontinued the flip to Christmas music, except for Christmas Eve and Day.
On August 6, 2014, Clear Channel filed a contingent application involving WCIB,WBWL andWWBB. It would eliminate thedirectional pattern of WBWL in nearby Boston, giving WBWL a better signal. The application called for the reduction of WCIB's signal from a full 50,000 watts down to 13,000 watts with a directional null away from Boston, which also reduced their signal in theProvidence, Rhode Island market and the Outer Cape area.[5]
The application was approved on October 6, 2014. WCIB's reduced power transmitter was put on the air December 9, 2014.[6] In August 2015, WCIB’s power was reduced to 12,000 watts to become aClass B1 (25,000-watt equivalent) radio station.[7][8]