WBAB
Encyclopedia
WBAB is a rock radio station
on Long Island
. Located at 102.3 FM
, the station is licensed to Babylon, New York
and is owned by Cox Radio
. The station is also simulcast
on WHFM 95.3 FM in eastern Suffolk County
. Both WBAB's 102.3 and WHFM's 95.3 signals are broadcast in HD. The station also streams its signal worldwide at wbab.com.
WBAB first went on the air in 1958. It simulcasted with WNYG 1440 AM, then called WBAB AM, until 102.3 FM was sold.
WBAB is best known for playing an album-oriented rock
format and is considered one of the pioneering stations in the country to champion the format. Heritage bands like Pink Floyd
, Lynyrd Skynyrd
, Led Zeppelin
and Van Halen
are heard on a regular basis, along with newer bands like Nickelback
, Daughtry, Green Day
, and Bon Jovi
. This music receives a fair amount of play as the station does not limit itself to a strict classic rock format. This can classify It as an active rock
format, similar to WXRK (before its switch to a Top 40 format) and northern New Jersey's WDHA
.
An often asked question is the identity of the on-air commercial voiceover; the female voice who does all the self promotion spots for WBAB. The answer is "LJ Lovely", former on-air personality for sister station WBLI, and currently working in Sales, also for WBLI.
The radio station is the most listened to rock station on Long Island and scores in the Top 3 with Adults 25–54 years old. As of Spring 2010 WBAB's morning show of Roger and JP is #1 with Men 25–54 years old and #3 in Mornings with people 25-54. The afternoon show hosted by legendary jock Fingers is continually #1 or #2 with people 25-54 as well.
(STL) was jammed for about 90 seconds while the signal jammers aired a song called "Nigger Hatin' Me" by the 1960s-era white supremacist
country
singer Johnny Rebel
. Roger Luce, the station's morning host, said at the time "Whatever that was - it was very racist... 22 years at this radio station - I've never seen anything like this." The station apologized that same day in a news conference outside the station. The investigation of this matter is ongoing.
The incident made all the local newscasts that night. The next morning, it made the front page on Newsday
with the headline "JACKED FM". The station's new general manager, John Shea, said, "I've only been here a week and we get hijacked." Former program director John Olsen said, "This was not some child's prank, this was a federal offense." The FCC's New York field manager Dan Noel made a visit to the Cox Radio Long Island building on May 20 to investigate the matter, which has never been solved.
The same incident had occurred a couple of weeks earlier when the same song aired on sister station
WBLI
on a Sunday night.
, many hours a day (especially after 5pm and all weekend), This plagues BAB's signal in Brooklyn, Queens and western Nassau County.
On November 6, 2007, the FCC, accompanied by US marshals, made a visit to the Red Hot Studios, based in an apartment complex on East 35th street and Avenue H, and seized equipment. However, the station returned to the air less than a month later from a new location, where it continues to broadcast from today. There are about 30 pirate radio
stations on the air in Brooklyn interfering with radio stations on Long Island and the Hudson Valley
daily. The investigation and follow up from the FCC continues.
Cox Radio Long Island has warned that it will go after any pirate broadcasters interfering with the WBAB signal on 102.3 or 95.3 FM and sister 106.1 WBLI.
Radio station
Radio broadcasting is a one-way wireless transmission over radio waves intended to reach a wide audience. Stations can be linked in radio networks to broadcast a common radio format, either in broadcast syndication or simulcast or both...
on Long Island
Long Island
Long Island is an island located in the southeast part of the U.S. state of New York, just east of Manhattan. Stretching northeast into the Atlantic Ocean, Long Island contains four counties, two of which are boroughs of New York City , and two of which are mainly suburban...
. Located at 102.3 FM
Frequency modulation
In telecommunications and signal processing, frequency modulation conveys information over a carrier wave by varying its instantaneous frequency. This contrasts with amplitude modulation, in which the amplitude of the carrier is varied while its frequency remains constant...
, the station is licensed to Babylon, New York
Babylon (village), New York
Babylon is a village in Suffolk County, New York, United States. The population was 12,615 at the 2000 census.Its official name is The Incorporated Village of Babylon...
and is owned by Cox Radio
Cox Radio
Cox Radio, Inc. is a division of Cox Enterprises that holds a number of radio stations. Cox Radio is headquartered at 6205 Peachtree Dunwoody Road in Sandy Springs, Georgia....
. The station is also simulcast
Simulcast
Simulcast, shorthand for "simultaneous broadcast", refers to programs or events broadcast across more than one medium, or more than one service on the same medium, at the same time. For example, Absolute Radio is simulcast on both AM and on satellite radio, and the BBC's Prom concerts are often...
on WHFM 95.3 FM in eastern Suffolk County
Suffolk County, New York
Suffolk County is a county located in the U.S. state of New York on the eastern portion of Long Island. As of the 2010 census, the population was 1,493,350. It was named for the county of Suffolk in England, from which its earliest settlers came...
. Both WBAB's 102.3 and WHFM's 95.3 signals are broadcast in HD. The station also streams its signal worldwide at wbab.com.
WBAB first went on the air in 1958. It simulcasted with WNYG 1440 AM, then called WBAB AM, until 102.3 FM was sold.
WBAB is best known for playing an album-oriented rock
Album-oriented rock
Album-oriented rock is an American FM radio format focusing on album tracks by rock artists.-Music played:Most radio formats are based on a select, tight rotation of hit singles...
format and is considered one of the pioneering stations in the country to champion the format. Heritage bands like Pink Floyd
Pink Floyd
Pink Floyd were an English rock band that achieved worldwide success with their progressive and psychedelic rock music. Their work is marked by the use of philosophical lyrics, sonic experimentation, innovative album art, and elaborate live shows. Pink Floyd are one of the most commercially...
, Lynyrd Skynyrd
Lynyrd Skynyrd
Lynyrd Skynyrd is an American rock band prominent in spreading Southern Rock during the 1970s.Originally formed as the "Noble Five" in Jacksonville, Florida, in 1964, the band rose to worldwide recognition on the basis of its driving live performances and signature tune, Freebird...
, Led Zeppelin
Led Zeppelin
Led Zeppelin were an English rock band, active in the late 1960s and throughout the 1970s. Formed in 1968, they consisted of guitarist Jimmy Page, singer Robert Plant, bassist/keyboardist John Paul Jones, and drummer John Bonham...
and Van Halen
Van Halen
Van Halen is an American hard rock band formed in Pasadena, California, in 1972. The band has enjoyed success since the release of its debut album, Van Halen, . As of 2007 Van Halen has sold 80 million albums worldwide and has had the most #1 hits on the Billboard Mainstream Rock chart...
are heard on a regular basis, along with newer bands like Nickelback
Nickelback
Nickelback is a Canadian rock band from Hanna, Alberta. Since 1995 the band has included guitarist and lead vocalist Chad Kroeger, guitarist and back-up vocalist Ryan Peake and bassist Mike Kroeger.. The band's current drummer and percussionist is Daniel Adair who has been with the band since 2005....
, Daughtry, Green Day
Green Day
Green Day is an American punk rock band formed in 1987. The band consists of lead vocalist and guitarist Billie Joe Armstrong, bassist and backing vocalist Mike Dirnt, and drummer Tre Cool...
, and Bon Jovi
Bon Jovi
Bon Jovi is an American rock band from Sayreville, New Jersey. Formed in 1983, Bon Jovi consists of lead singer and namesake Jon Bon Jovi , guitarist Richie Sambora, keyboardist David Bryan, drummer Tico Torres, as well as current bassist Hugh McDonald...
. This music receives a fair amount of play as the station does not limit itself to a strict classic rock format. This can classify It as an active rock
Active rock
Active rock is a radio format used by many commercial radio stations across the United States and Canada. Active rock plays contemporary rock artists with a mix of songs common in the classic rock radio format.-Format background:...
format, similar to WXRK (before its switch to a Top 40 format) and northern New Jersey's WDHA
WDHA
WDHA-FM 105.5 FM is a rock music station licensed to Dover and Morristown, New Jersey. WDHA is owned and operated by Greater Media and serves the northern New Jersey region....
.
An often asked question is the identity of the on-air commercial voiceover; the female voice who does all the self promotion spots for WBAB. The answer is "LJ Lovely", former on-air personality for sister station WBLI, and currently working in Sales, also for WBLI.
The radio station is the most listened to rock station on Long Island and scores in the Top 3 with Adults 25–54 years old. As of Spring 2010 WBAB's morning show of Roger and JP is #1 with Men 25–54 years old and #3 in Mornings with people 25-54. The afternoon show hosted by legendary jock Fingers is continually #1 or #2 with people 25-54 as well.
Current
- Roger Luce / John "JP" Parise "Roger and JP"
- Matt Wolfe- Morning Show Board Op/Producer
- Ted Lindner, News/Traffic on Roger and JP Show
- Donna Donna - Middays.
- Fingers - Afternoon/Evenings.
- Rocky - Overnights
- Weekends/Swing
- Joe Rock
- Steady Eddie Zelmak
- Pete Rizzo
Former
- Bob Buchmann - Now PD at KLOSKLOSKLOS is an FM rock music radio station based in Los Angeles, California, that debuted in 1969. The station is owned by Cumulus Media. It is home to the nationally broadcast Mark & Brian radio show, and Off The Record host Uncle Joe Benson.-History:...
- Los Angeles.
- Ray Myers - Former APD/MD WSUL-FM Monticello, NY, WSPK-Poughkeepsie, NY
- Peri Appollo - Bob's first co-host and female newscaster. Fill-ins at KJOY, 98.3 FM.
- Marc "The Cope" Coppola - Now on Q104.3 (WAXQ-FM) and 106.7 Lite-FM (WLTW-FM) in New York & KGB 101.5 in San Diego, California
- Tracey Burgess - Now On-Air at THE FAN (WFAN)- New York..News/Traffic.
- Ralph Tortora - Now On-Air at Q104.3 (WAXQ-FM)- New York and Sirius Satellite RadioSirius Satellite RadioSirius Satellite Radio is a satellite radio service operating in North America, owned by Sirius XM Radio.Headquartered in New York City, with smaller studios in Los Angeles and Memphis, Sirius was officially launched on July 1, 2002 and currently provides 69 streams of music and 65 streams of...
, New York.
- Lisa Ritchie - former fill-in for Tracey Burgess/morning co-host & news. Now On-Air at Cablevision's News 12News 12 NetworksNews 12 Networks comprises seven regional cable news television channels in the New York metropolitan area. The channels offer local news 24-hours a day and reach approximately 3.8 million television households in the tri-state area...
Traffic & Weather Channel 61.
- "The Big E" Eric Wellman - Music Director / APD (WAXQ-FM) New York.
- Gerry Martire - Now On-Air at Q104.3 (WAXQ-FM)- New York.
- "Rockyn" Robyn Lane - Now Assistant Program Director/ Music Director On-Air at 95.9 "The Rat"(WRAT-FM)- New Jersey. On air Sirius Satellite Radio 2002-2008
- "Gabrielle Nistico" - Now with Voicehunter.com
- Steve "the Guy" Morris - Now in the Marketing/Community Affairs Department of Long Island daily newspaper, Newsday
- Dennis Daniel -Was DJ on air and Production Director 1982-1990. Did all the great character voices in commercials and Gerry's Gin Joint (Including STAR WRECK). Now works in Advertising
- Doug YoelDoug YoelDoug Yoel is an American singer/songwriter, guitarist, record producer, and head of Now Forward Music/Kindred Rhythm, a record label group based in Woodstock, New York, which has managed and marketed a variety of record labels including Dreyfus Jazz USA , Golden Beams Productions, Groovin' High...
- Now performing as a singer/songwriter. President of Kindred Rhythm/Now Forward Music, Inc., an independent record label group. Former WBAB DJ, "Homegrown" programmer, and producer/song parodist for "The Opie Show" (as "Doug & The Ballbusters" & "Bob Dylan Weather").
- Tracy Speed - currently working as the Director of Publicity for Lifetime.
- "Ripley"
- Jeff Levine - former WBAB program DirectorProgram directorIn service industries, such as education, a program director or programme director researches, plans, develops and implements one or more of the firm's professional services...
, now with Tribune publications, Florida.
- Jodi Vale - now Music Director and on-air at WKJY-FM, NY.
- Tony Paige- Former Production Director and Air Personality. Now working in Marketing for Marketing Werks (Chicago, Il and Jersey City New Jersey)
- "Domonique" - Now On-Air at 94.3 WMJC - Long Island, NY.
- Morgan Thomas—National voiceover actor and on-Air at KSON-FMKSON-FMKSON is a radio station licensed to serve San Diego, California, USA. The station, founded in 1964, is owned by Lincoln Financial Media and the broadcast license is held by Lincoln Financial Media Company of California....
in San Diego, CA
- Ed Banas. Now with 610WIP Sportsradio. Philadelphia.
- AJ Gentile "Axl" -- MTV (XM Satellite) -- Now on Playboy RadioPlayboy RadioPlayboy Radio is a radio station on Sirius Satellite Radio. Playboy Radio was originally launched on XM Satellite Radio in September 2002. Included were programs such as Night Calls Radio, originally hosted by adult film star Juli Ashton and Playboy TV star Tiffany Granath...
(Sirius-XM Satellite)
- Gregg "Opie" Hughes - Now On-Air/Syndicated-Various Markets/"The Opie & Anthony Show"- XM Satellite RadioXM Satellite RadioXM Satellite Radio is one of two satellite radio services in the United States and Canada, operated by Sirius XM Radio. It provides pay-for-service radio, analogous to cable television. Its service includes 73 different music channels, 39 news, sports, talk and entertainment channels, 21 regional...
.
- Anthony Cumia - Now On-Air/Syndicated-Various Markets/"The Opie & Anthony Show"- XM Satellite Radio.
- Lynda LopezLynda LopezLynda López is an Emmy Award-winning Puerto Rican American journalist and the youngest sister of actress and singer Jennifer Lopez.-Early years:...
- Now anchor, WCBS TV, Weekend News.
- David Race - Now Comedian/TV Host, actor and voiceover artist in Los Angeles, CA
- Christina Lang (News & Traffic)- Now heard on 1050 WEPNWEPNWEPN is a 24-hour sports talk formatted radio station in New York City featuring national and local sports talk programs and live broadcasts of sports matches. It is the New York affiliate for ESPN Radio...
(ESPN RADIO), afternoon's on "The Michael Kay ShowThe Michael Kay ShowNew York Yankees television play-by-play broadcaster Michael Kay currently hosts a drive-time talk show on 1050 ESPN Radio.*Terrestrial radio: 1050 ESPN Radio, New York City broadcasting area, 50,000 watts...
".
- John Klug - Now On-Air at 100.7 "The Bay" WZBA-FM - Baltimore, MD.
- "Kayla" - Now On-Air at Sirius Satellite Radio "Octane" Channel - New York and a fill-in traffic reporter on WCBS-TVWCBS-TVWCBS-TV, channel 2, is the flagship station of the CBS television network, located in New York City. The station's studios are located within the CBS Broadcast Center and its transmitter is atop the Empire State Building, both in Midtown Manhattan....
- New York.
- Bret Levine (News & Traffic)
- "Ally"
- Jerry Schaeffer - Now On-Air at 103.9 WRCN-FM - Long Island, NY.
- "Captain Kevin" - Now On-Air at 103.9 WRCN-FM - Long Island, NY.
- Barry Floyd
- Joe Taggart - Now Stand Up Comic (Bob's last Morning Show Co-host)
- Brett "The Brain" Fiumara - Now heard on Cablevision's News 12News 12 NetworksNews 12 Networks comprises seven regional cable news television channels in the New York metropolitan area. The channels offer local news 24-hours a day and reach approximately 3.8 million television households in the tri-state area...
Traffic & Weather Channel 61.
- Sara Karl
- Bob Stei- Now On-Air at Radio 104.5 (WRFF) Philadelphia.
- Ed Robinson
- Chris Frohne
- Bernie WagenblastBernie WagenblastBernhard Robert Wagenblast is the founder and editor of the Transportation Communications Newsletter , an e-mail publication with over 7,000 subscribers as of January 2008 which is distributed via Yahoo Groups and Google Groups Monday through Friday...
- The station's first Shadow TrafficShadow TrafficShadow Broadcast Services is a broadcasting outsourcing company based in Rutherford, New Jersey. It is a subsidiary of Clear Channel...
reporter.
- Annrae Fitzgerald - Now On-Air at 91X (XTRA-FMXETRA-FMXETRA-FM — branded 91X, and sometimes identified as XTRA-FM — is an English language, Mexican-owned modern rock music station broadcasting from Tijuana, Baja California on 91.1 MHz. The studios are located in the Mira Mesa area of San Diego...
) - San Diego, CA
- Bernie Bernard - On air in the 1970s - worked for Voice of AmericaVoice of AmericaVoice of America is the official external broadcast institution of the United States federal government. It is one of five civilian U.S. international broadcasters working under the umbrella of the Broadcasting Board of Governors . VOA provides a wide range of programming for broadcast on radio...
, now retired and teaching at C.W. Post CollegeLong Island University C.W. Post CampusThe C.W. Post Campus of Long Island University is a private institution of higher education located in Brookville in Nassau County, New York, United States...
- Christina Kay - Now On-Air Radio 105.3 (WPTY) in Calverton, New York
Signal hijacking
On Wednesday, May 17, 2006, WBAB's microwave studio-to-transmitter linkStudio/transmitter link
A studio-transmitter link sends a radio station's or television station's audio and video from the broadcast studio to a radio transmitter or television transmitter in another location....
(STL) was jammed for about 90 seconds while the signal jammers aired a song called "Nigger Hatin' Me" by the 1960s-era white supremacist
White supremacy
White supremacy is the belief, and promotion of the belief, that white people are superior to people of other racial backgrounds. The term is sometimes used specifically to describe a political ideology that advocates the social and political dominance by whites.White supremacy, as with racial...
country
Country music
Country music is a popular American musical style that began in the rural Southern United States in the 1920s. It takes its roots from Western cowboy and folk music...
singer Johnny Rebel
Johnny Rebel (singer)
Johnny Rebel is the pseudonym of Cajun country musician Clifford Joseph Trahan , also known as Pee Wee Trahan. Trahan has used this pseudonym most notably on racist recordings issued in the 1960s on J. D. "Jay" Miller's Reb Rebel label of Crowley, Louisiana...
. Roger Luce, the station's morning host, said at the time "Whatever that was - it was very racist... 22 years at this radio station - I've never seen anything like this." The station apologized that same day in a news conference outside the station. The investigation of this matter is ongoing.
The incident made all the local newscasts that night. The next morning, it made the front page on Newsday
Newsday
Newsday is a daily American newspaper that primarily serves Nassau and Suffolk counties and the New York City borough of Queens on Long Island, although it is sold throughout the New York metropolitan area...
with the headline "JACKED FM". The station's new general manager, John Shea, said, "I've only been here a week and we get hijacked." Former program director John Olsen said, "This was not some child's prank, this was a federal offense." The FCC's New York field manager Dan Noel made a visit to the Cox Radio Long Island building on May 20 to investigate the matter, which has never been solved.
The same incident had occurred a couple of weeks earlier when the same song aired on sister station
Sister station
In broadcasting, sister stations or sister channels are radio and/or television stations operated by the same ownership....
WBLI
WBLI
WBLI is a Top 40 music formatted radio station which mainly serves Nassau and Suffolk Counties on Long Island. It can also be heard in the Hudson Valley, the South Shore of Connecticut, and the Jersey Shore...
on a Sunday night.
Problems with pirate radio stations
A pirate radio station identifying itself as "Red Hot Radio" broadcasts on 102.3 FM out of Flatbush, BrooklynFlatbush, Brooklyn
Flatbush is a community of the Borough of Brooklyn, a part of New York City, consisting of several neighborhoods.The name Flatbush is an Anglicization of the Dutch language Vlacke bos ....
, many hours a day (especially after 5pm and all weekend), This plagues BAB's signal in Brooklyn, Queens and western Nassau County.
On November 6, 2007, the FCC, accompanied by US marshals, made a visit to the Red Hot Studios, based in an apartment complex on East 35th street and Avenue H, and seized equipment. However, the station returned to the air less than a month later from a new location, where it continues to broadcast from today. There are about 30 pirate radio
Pirate radio
Pirate radio is illegal or unregulated radio transmission. The term is most commonly used to describe illegal broadcasting for entertainment or political purposes, but is also sometimes used for illegal two-way radio operation...
stations on the air in Brooklyn interfering with radio stations on Long Island and the Hudson Valley
Hudson Valley
The Hudson Valley comprises the valley of the Hudson River and its adjacent communities in New York State, United States, from northern Westchester County northward to the cities of Albany and Troy.-History:...
daily. The investigation and follow up from the FCC continues.
Cox Radio Long Island has warned that it will go after any pirate broadcasters interfering with the WBAB signal on 102.3 or 95.3 FM and sister 106.1 WBLI.
See also
- Opie and AnthonyOpie and AnthonyOpie and Anthony are the hosts of The Opie & Anthony Show, a talk radio program airing in the United States and Canada on XM Satellite Radio and Sirius Satellite Radio. Since the merger of the two satellite companies, this is now called Sirius/XM...
- Opie met Anthony when Anthony submitted a song parody while Opie worked at WBAB