| SimulcastsWRRV,Middletown | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Broadcast area | Mid-Hudson Valley |
| Frequency | 96.9MHz |
| Branding | 92.7/96.9 WRRV |
| Programming | |
| Format | Alternative rock |
| Ownership | |
| Owner |
|
| History | |
First air date | 1989 (as WEXT) |
Former call signs | WEXT (1989–1991) WKIP-FM (1991–1993) WDSP (1993–1997) |
Call sign meaning | WRRB sounds similar to WRRV AlsoWRRVB (secondary) signal |
| Technical information[1] | |
Licensing authority | FCC |
| Facility ID | 10780 |
| Class | A |
| ERP | 310watts |
| HAAT | 307 meters |
| Links | |
Public license information | |
| Webcast | Listen Live |
| Website | wrrv.com |
WRRB (96.9FM) is analternative rock radio station licensed toArlington, New York and serving the Mid-Hudson Valley of New York state. The station is owned byTownsquare Media and broadcasts at 310 wattsERP from the Illinois Mountain master tower inMarlborough, New York
WRRB's programming is simulcast with that of 92.7WRRVMiddletown, New York which serves the lower Hudson Valley,Catskills,Sussex County, New Jersey andPike County, Pennsylvania. Though on paper WRRV is seen as the primary station, in reality WRRB is the more dominant of the two based on cume and sales (and the fact that, since 2000, the station has been run out of the longtime studios of sisterWPDH on Pendell Road in Poughkeepsie). Information on the specifics of WRRV's format can be seen in the article on WRRV.
The 96.9 frequency came on the air in Fall 1989 as Bridge Broadcasting-ownedWEXT ("Next FM") running a "new adult contemporary" format (a combination ofsmooth jazz andnew-age music). Aside from its licence, WEXT had another first in being the first station operated by alocal marketing agreement asWKIP/WRNQ owner Richard Novik later controlled WEXT.
WEXT's format was a bit ahead of its time and though it had a strong start and admiration of music critics and musicophiles, however this critical success did not translate into ratings as "Next FM" was the market's lowest rated FM signal in its onlyArbitron ratings book in 1990. Even with the station's poor ratings, it was somehow seen as a threat to the ratings of the more mainstream and successful WRNQ.
To boost WRNQ, Novik flipped WEXT's format to a simulcast of thetalk radio format of WKIP in February 1991 asWKIP-FM. Though the two stations split off at points, the simulcast of WKIP came with nearly no measurable ratings on 96.9 and at a financial loss on Novik's end. In August 1993, Novik terminated the LMA with Bridge who on September 1 of that year began an LMA withWoodstock-basedWDST, bringing that station's storiedAdult Album Alternative format to points south under the callsWDSP.
With a dedicated existing WDST audience on board and a good number of new listeners, WDSP became a middle-of-the pack station overall in the market but with good demographics; this success led Bridge to sell the station to WDST owner CHET-5 Broadcasting in 1994. The station remained moderately successful, however a financial crisis in early 1997 led CHET-5 to sell WDSP andWKNY inKingston to the Crystal Radio Group in April of that year. Seeing an opportunity to take its WRRV in Middletown to a full-market signal, WDSP flipped to a WRRV simulcast asWRRB which continues to this day.
In October 2000, Crystal sold its holdings to Aurora Communications, which a year later was bought out byCumulus Media. On August 30, 2013, a deal was announced in which Cumulus would swap its stations inDubuque, Iowa andPoughkeepsie, New York (including WRRB) toTownsquare Media in exchange for Peak Broadcasting'sFresno, California stations. The deal was part of Cumulus' acquisition ofDial Global; Townsquare, Peak, and Dial Global are all controlled byOaktree Capital Management.[2][3] The sale to Townsquare was completed on November 14, 2013.[4]
41°43′08″N73°59′46″W / 41.719°N 73.996°W /41.719; -73.996
