 | |
| Broadcast area | Greater Boston |
|---|---|
| Frequency | 101.7MHz (HD Radio) |
| Branding | 101.7 The Bull |
| Programming | |
| Format | Country music |
| Subchannels | HD2:Pride Radio |
| Affiliations | Premiere Networks |
| Ownership | |
| Owner |
|
| WBZ,WJMN,WRKO,WXKS,WXKS-FM,WZLX,WZRM | |
| History | |
First air date | August 5, 1963; 62 years ago (1963-08-05) |
Former call signs |
|
Call sign meaning | phonetically pronounced as "Bull" |
| Technical information[1] | |
Licensing authority | FCC |
| Facility ID | 40824 |
| Class | B1 |
| ERP | 13,500 watts |
| HAAT | 138 meters (453 ft) |
Transmitter coordinates | 42°25′52″N71°5′17″W / 42.43111°N 71.08806°W /42.43111; -71.08806 (WBWL) |
| Links | |
Public license information | |
| Webcast | Listen live (viaiHeartRadio) |
| Website | thebull1017 |
WBWL (101.7FM) is acommercialradio stationlicensed toLynn, Massachusetts, and servingGreater Boston. It is owned byiHeartMedia and it airs acountry musicformat that includes some acoustic-driven popcrossover hits not otherwise heard oncountry radio.[2] The studios are on Cabot Road offRevere Beach Parkway inMedford.[3] The Bull carries twonationally syndicated country music programs:The Bobby Bones Show in morningdrive time andAfter Midnite with Granger Smith overnight. From 1983 to 2012, the station was known as WFNX ("The Phoenix"), among the first to broadcast amodern rock format.
WBWL is aClass B1 FM station, with aneffective radiated power (ERP) of 13,500watts. Because it is short-spaced to co-ownedWWBB (101.5 FM) inProvidence andWCIB (101.9 FM) inFalmouth, WBWL cannot have the power of a full Class B station. It broadcasts usingHD Radio technology, carrying "Pride Radio" on its HD2digital subchannel. Thetransmitter site is on Murray Hill in Medford.[4]
WBWL signed on August 5, 1963,[5] as WLYN-FM, owned by Puritan Broadcasting Service along withWLYN (1360 AM). At the outset, WLYN-FM largely simulcast its AM sister station during hours in which the AM was on the air.[6][7] During the 1970s, the simulcast was cut todrive time, with WLYN-FM brokering the remaining time to ethnic programmers;[7] by 1974, the station's English-language programming included country music.[5] Although WLYN changed its call letters to WNSR in 1977, WLYN-FM retained its call sign, but dropped the "-FM" suffix;[8] both changes were reversed on December 31, 1979.[9][10]
WLYN-FM began to devote its nighttime programming tonew wave music in 1981. The following year, the station had become a full-timemodern rock station known as "Y102", with the ethnic programming moving to the AM station.[7]
In September 1982, Puritan announced that it would sell WLYN-FM to Stephen Mindich, publisher of theBoston Phoenix;[11] the station eventually became part of thePhoenix Media/Communications Group.[7] Mindich retained the modern rock format upon assuming control in March 1983, relaunching it on April 11 as "Boston Phoenix Radio",[12] with the WFNX call letters coming into use ten days earlier.[10] WFNX would subsequently become one of the earliestalternative rock stations.[12] Theclassic rock of the previous owners were gradually replaced with new wave, "deep cuts", British punk, and a sprinkling of jazz and reggae. The first song on WFNX was "Let's Go to Bed" byThe Cure.
WFNX broadened its focus toGreater Boston after the sale to Mindich, opening a sales office at thePhoenix offices in Boston, but its studios remained in the same building as WLYN in Lynn. The station did move its transmitter from WLYN's tower in Lynn toMedford in 1987 to provide a better signal within the market.[7]
At 7 pm on August 29, 1991, WFNX DJKurt St. Thomas gaveNirvana's albumNevermind its world premiere by playing the album from start to finish.[13] Nirvana's 1993Nevermind It's an Interview limited-edition promotional release on Geffen Records was produced and engineered at the station byKurt St. Thomas and Troy Smith. The original interview sessions were recorded by St. Thomas the night of Nirvana's first appearance onNBC'sSaturday Night Live in 1992.
In October 1992, the station launchedOne in Ten, a program dedicated to lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender issues.[14] The show was broadcast until 2010.
The station sponsored a freeGreen Day concert at theHatch Memorial Shell in Boston on September 9, 1994. An estimated 70,000 to 100,000 showed up, which WFNX, theMetropolitan District Commission and theMassachusetts State Police were not prepared for. The concert ended 20 minutes into Green Day's set when the crowd became uncontrollable, leaving 100 people injured, 24 of whom were sent to local hospitals, and 31 were arrested.[15][16]
WFNX had a long history of breaking new bands.[13] WFNX became the first commercial radio station to broadcastAllen Ginsberg'sHowl on Friday, July 18, 1997, despite U.S.Federal Communications CommissionSafe Harbor laws.[17][18]
WFNX continued to expand its reach starting in 1998, when it established atranslator station, W276AI (101.3 FM), on theJohn Hancock Tower to improve WFNX's reception in Boston.[7] During 1999 and 2000, Phoenix Media/Communications Group also acquired WCDQ (92.1 FM, renamed WPHX-FM) inSanford, Maine, WNHQ (92.1 FM, renamed WFEX) inPeterborough, New Hampshire, and WWRX-FM (103.7 FM) inWesterly, Rhode Island, to serve as WFNX simulcast stations.[7] WWRX-FM was sold toEntercom, eventually becomingWVEI-FM, in 2004.[7]
On March 30, 2006, WFNX vastly increased its power after receiving permission from the FCC to begin broadcasting from a new transmitter and a new antenna located atopOne Financial Center in downtown Boston. To promote its signal upgrade in downtown Boston, WFNX sold all of its commercial ad time to beverage makerSnapple fromMemorial Day, May 29 throughIndependence Day, July 4, 2006, (both arenational holidays in the United States). The unique deal allowed the station to eliminate traditional commercial breaks for that time. Following WFNX's move, operation of W267AI (101.3 FM) was discontinued as superfluous.[7] Even after its series of expansions, WFNX broadcast at a lower power than other Boston market stations, limiting WFNX's signal in the outer portions of the market.[12]
The combination of WFNX's signal upgrade and the departure ofHoward Stern fromWBCN resulted in a significant ratings change in the core rock 18–34 demographic in Boston starting in 2006. Arbitron Ratings four ratings books in 2007 (Fall 2006, Winter 2007, Spring 2007, Summer 2007) showed that WFNX's weekday 18–34 audience share had increased by 43% over 2005, while WBCN's 18–34 share decreased by 39% from 2005. Ratings hit their high point in the Fall of 2008 thanks to the success of morning show "The Sandbox". WFNX was never able to get over the 12+ hump of 1.0 following that mark.
WPHX-FM was sold to Aruba Capital Partners in 2011;[19] its simulcast of WFNX ended on August 11, when it relaunched asWXEX-FM.[20]
On May 16, 2012, Phoenix Media/Communications Group announced that it would sell WFNX toiHeartMedia (then known as Clear Channel Communications) for $14.5 million, after finding it difficult to sustain its continued operation.[21][22][23] The next day, WFEX was sold to Blount Communications, which would rename that stationWDER-FM.[24] Live programming ended on July 20, 2012,[25] with the last song being "Let's Go to Bed" bythe Cure (the first song on WFNX in 1983);[26] an automated version of WFNX remained available online until March 2013, when theBoston Phoenix publication shut down (citing huge financial losses), and was also heard on 101.7 FM[25] until 4:00 p.m. on July 24, 2012, when Clear Channel assumed control of the station. At that time, after playing "Shake It Out" byFlorence and the Machine, 101.7 began stunting with a loop of the Boston-famous song "Dirty Water" bythe Standells.
The 2012 sale of the station to Clear Channel did not include WFNX's intellectual property,[27] and the Phoenix continued to stream automated music on WFNX.com. The company had plans to eventually launch WFNX.com as a full-serviceinternet radio station.[27] On August 17, 2012, WFNX hired former programming director Kurt St. Thomas as executive producer for the internet station.[28]
WFNX.com officially relaunched as an internet station at midnight October 31, 2012.[29] The first song played on the revived station was "Comeback Kid" bySleigh Bells.[30][non-primary source needed]
Shortly before the sale of the station,The Boston Globe announced plans for an onlinealternative rock station for itsBoston.com website, and later hired former WFNX DJs Adam 12, Julie Kramer, Paul Driscoll, and Henry Santoro.[31] The station,RadioBDC, launched on August 13, 2012.[32]
On March 14, 2013, it was announced that WFNX.com would not continue in its current form after the announcement that theBoston Phoenix would be shutting down.[33] At midnight on March 19, 2013, WFNX.com was officially shut down; the final song played on the station was "Old Friend" bySea Wolf.[34][non-primary source needed]
As for the WFNX call letters, they would later be picked upby a radio station inAthol.[35] After that station was sold and changed call letters to WKMY in 2020, the call letters (WFNX) would moveto a station (95.3 FM; "The Otter") inGrand Marais, Minnesota. On January 23, 2024, 95.3 FM; "The Otter" returned its license to theFederal Communications Commission (FCC) rendering the WFNX call letters available for reassignment.[36]
On February 5, 2024, Scituate Community Radio, a new Low Power FM (LPFM) licensed to Scituate, MA was granted the WFNX-LP call letters bringing the legendary call letters back to Massachusetts.[37] WFNX-LP currently airs an Adult Album Alternative and community affairs format.
At approximately 4:28 p.m. on July 24, 2012, WFNX relaunched as WHBA, anadult hits station branded as "101.7 The Harbor".[38] The first song on "The Harbor" was "Sweet Emotion" by locally founded bandAerosmith. The launch of WHBA marked the return of the adult hits format to the Boston market; a similar format aired on WMKK (93.7 FM) from March 2005 until it becameWEEI-FM in September 2011. The station launched with commercial free music through Labor Day. During its short life, the station never had DJs.[39]
On December 20, 2012, at 6:00 pm, the station flipped todance, branded as "Evolution 101.7"; the format had been launched as an online station on Clear Channel'siHeartRadio service six weeks earlier. The final song on "The Harbor" was "Sweet Caroline" byNeil Diamond (a song that has become synonymous with the city of Boston through its playing atFenway Park duringRed Sox games),[40] while the first song on "Evolution" was "Don't You Worry Child" bySwedish House Mafia. As "Evolution", the station claimed to be "the first realEDM station in the country."[41] The call letters were changed to WEDX on January 2, 2013.[10] On January 14, 2013,Sisanie, who provides voicetracks for severaltop 40 andrhythmic top 40 stations also owned by iHeartMedia (including WEDX's sister stationWXKS-FM), became the first "airstaffer" to be added to WEDX's daily lineup, voicetracking in afternoons.[42] In December 2013, the station began simulcasting on WXKS-FM'sHD2 channel, which previously broadcast an all-comedy format. The move occurred due to WEDX's limited signal, which is nulled to the south to protectProvidence and Cape Cod-based sister stationsWWBB (101.5 FM) andWCIB (101.9 FM).
On June 13, 2014, at noon, after playing "How You Love Me" by3lau, WEDX began airing a country musicstunt and asking listeners to go online and use the hashtag "#CountryOn1017" to vote on what artists the station should play. At 3:00 pm, WEDX officially flipped to country, branded as "101.7 The Bull". The first song on "The Bull" was "This Is How We Roll" byFlorida-Georgia Line. The new format competes against established country stationWKLB-FM (102.5 FM), and serves as the Boston affiliate of the syndicatedBobby Bones Show. "Evolution" remained available through WXKS-FM's HD2 channel, the iHeartRadio mobile application, and in early-morning blocks on Saturdays and Sundays on WXKS-FM;[43][44][45][46] "Evolution" returned to 101.7 on its HD2 channel on December 19, 2017.[47] The call letters were changed to WBWL on June 30, 2014, to match the new format.[10][46]
iHeartMedia had filed with the FCC to downgrade the signals of stations it owns in Rhode Island (WWBB) and on Cape Cod (WCIB), which enabled WBWL to offer a non-directional, upgraded signal, from the previous transmitter site in Medford. The modifications were completed in August 2014.[48][49][50]
"Evolution" would be removed from WBWL-HD2 entirely on June 26, 2019, when it flipped to iHeart's "Pride Radio" format of Top 40/Dance music targeting theLGBTQ community. This marks the second such format to air in Boston, the other being Entercom's "Channel Q" network airing onWBGB-HD2.[51]
In December 1999, 92.1 WFEX ofPeterborough, New Hampshire, began simulcasting 101.7 WFNX. Previously WFEX was WNHQ, simulcasting 105.5WJYY ofConcord, New Hampshire.
WFEX was sold to Blount Communications Group, which uses it to simulcastWDER, a Christian religious station out ofDerry, New Hampshire, as WDER-FM.[52][53]
On July 21, 1999,[54] 92.1WPHX-FM ofSanford, Maine, began simulcasting of 101.7 WFNX. Previous to the simulcast, WPHX-FM wasWCDQ, playingclassic rock as Mount Rialto Radio. The WFNX simulcast on WPHX-FM ended in August 2011, when WPHX-FM switched to a simulcast ofWXEX 1540 AM, Exeter, New Hampshire, under the WXEX-FM calls. The station had a Sanford sister station on 1220 AM, also using the WPHX callsign. It was on the air until August 2010, when the transmitter failed, and remained off until June 2011. Prior to that, the station served asESPN Radio affiliate. Following WPHX-FM's sale, WPHX (AM) took on simulcasting WFNX until Port Broadcasting bought the AM station in 2012 and changed its call sign toWWSF.
From 2000 to 2003 and again briefly in 2004, WFNX was simulcast on 103.7 WWRX-FM inWesterly, Rhode Island, a facility that, asWVEI-FM, now simulcasts another Boston radio station,WEEI-FM. For a short time in 2003, WWRX broadcast its own local programming of alternative rock, with local DJs, though retaining the "FNX" branding.[55] Phoenix Media/Communications Group sold the station toEntercom in March 2004 and reverted to simulcasting WFNX until the transition took effect in April.