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| Broadcast area | WesternMaine |
| Frequencies | |
| Branding | 96.3 The Big JAB |
| Programming | |
| Format | Sports |
| Affiliations | |
| Ownership | |
| Owner | Atlantic Coast Radio |
| WLOB,WPEI,WPPI | |
| History | |
First air date |
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Former call signs |
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Call sign meaning |
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| Technical information[2][3] | |
Licensing authority | FCC |
| Facility ID |
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| Class |
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| Power |
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| ERP |
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Transmitter coordinates | |
| Translator(s) | WRED: 92.5 W223BH (Portland) |
| Links | |
Public license information |
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| Webcast | Listen live |
| Website | www |
The Big JAB is the name of twosports radio stations in western and southernMaine, owned byAtlantic Coast Radio. It is heard onWRED (1440AM,licensed toWestbrook) andWJJB-FM (96.3FM, licensed toGray). The stations air local sports talk hosts Monday through Friday.Fox Sports Radio provides programming nights and weekends. In July 2017 Atlantic Coast Radio purchased a 250-watt translator at 92.5 MHz from Augusta, Maine-based Light of Life Ministries to further augment its Portland-area FM signal.[4]
Studios and offices are located on 779 Warren Avenue inPortland, Maine. The AMtransmitter is off Juniper Lane in Westbrook.[5] The FM transmitter is near King Hill Road inSouth Paris, Maine.[6]
The 1440 frequency first went on the air November 8, 1959, as WJAB.[7] At first it was adaytime only station playingtop 40 music, giving major competition to cross-town top 40 leaderWLOB. WJAB quickly became the top rated top 40 station in Portland, a position it held until 1965, when a resurgent WLOB, after having obtained night power, retook the top spot.[8] In 1974, WJAB launched an FMsimulcast on 106.3 WJBQ-FM, to allow listeners with FM radios to hear the station around the clock.[8] The WJBQcall sign was eventually added to the AM station as well.[9] In 1980,WJBQ-FM relocated to 97.9 in a frequency swap withclassical music station WDCS, a predecessor toWBACH. (106.3 is now occupied byWHXR.)
In the intervening years, the AM station would attempt several formats, includingall-news (as WMER), a simulcast of what had become WWGT-FM (as WWGT), and anaffiliation with thehard rock/heavy metalZ Rock Network (as WLPZ).[9] In the mid-1990s, the station settled on its current sports format; initially retaining the WLPZ call letters.[9] It became WJAE in 1997 in an attempt to restore the WJAB identity to the station. (The station could not reclaim the original call sign because it was now being used by astation in Alabama.)[10][11] Then-owners Bob Fuller andJ. J. Jeffrey had previously worked at WJAB during the 1960s.[8] Jeffrey retained WJAE by way of Atlantic Coast Radio upon the sale of Fuller-Jeffrey's FM stations toCitadel Broadcasting in 1999.[12]
The 96.3 frequency debuted in 1975 as WRUM-FM, call letters derived from its former city of license,Rumford. In 1981, the call letters were changed to WWMR, and by 1983 the format was a high-energy top 40/AOR hybrid with live DJs and the branding "96 WMR". Additionally, the station's power was boosted significantly, giving it wider coverage in Central Maine. In 1987, WWMR-FM was sold toCarter Broadcasting,[13] and the station adopted areligious format.[9] Carter eventually consolidated the operations of WWMR with that of sister station 1310 WLOB, and in 1997 the call sign was changed to WLOB-FM.[14] After WLOB and WLOB-FM were sold to Atlantic Coast Radio in 2000, the religious programming was discontinued in favor of anews-talk format. In 2006, WLOB-FM relocated itstransmitter from western Maine toSouth Paris to provide a clearer signal to the Portlandmedia market. Following the transmitter move, in 2008 WLOB-FM changed its city of license from Rumford to Gray. On August 25, 2008, WLOB-FM converted from the WLOB simulcast to an all-sports simulcast of The Big JAB.
From 1999[15] to 2008, the Big JAB's programming was also heard on WJJB (900 AM), licensed toBrunswick. In 2008, that frequency becameWWBK and the WJJB call sign subsequently moved to 1440.[16] AM 900 was sold to Bob Bittner (owner ofWJIB andWJTO) for $27,000.[17]
Additionally, from 2000[18] to 2008, The Big JAB's FM frequency was on 95.5. Initially, the station continued to broadcast under its previous WCLZ call letters.[19] On September 1, 2008, 95.5 began airing programming fromBoston sports stationWEEI in a simulcast with 95.9WPEI;[20] it eventually changed its call sign from WJJB-FM to WGEI, and is nowWPPI.[21]
| Call sign | Frequency | City of license | FID | ERP (W) | HAAT | Class | Transmitter coordinates | FCC info |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| W223BH | 92.5 FM | Portland, Maine | 145407 | 175 | 57 m (187 ft) | D | 43°39′17.2″N70°15′49.1″W / 43.654778°N 70.263639°W /43.654778; -70.263639 (W223BH) | LMS |