WCRB
Encyclopedia
WCRB is a non-commercial radio station licensed to Lowell, Massachusetts
and based in the Brighton area of Boston, which serves the Greater Boston
area. It broadcasts a classical music format; it existed as a commercial station from the early 1950s until December 2009, and as a listener-supported station since then, having then been acquired by the WGBH Educational Foundation. Programming is also simulcast on the second HD Radio
channel of WGBH
(89.7 FM), allowing WCRB to reach some portions of the Boston area that cannot receive 99.5, as well as WNCK (89.5 FM) on Nantucket
, WJMF (88.7 FM) in Smithfield, Rhode Island
(serving nearby Providence
), and W242AA (96.3 FM) in Kendall Square, Cambridge
(designed to serve Beacon Hill, Boston).
on January 30, 1948. In 1950, the station was sold entirely to Theodore Jones, who would own the station under the name of Charles River Broadcasting
until his death in 1991. Prior to that time, “Ted” Jones set up the Charles River Broadcast Trust to guarantee that his establishment would continue in perpetuity.
Around the time Jones first acquired the station, WBMS
, a daytime AM radio station that had programmed classical music, changed format. Jones decided to change WCRB's format from that of a typical suburban AM station of the era to fulltime classical music. FM service at 102.5 megahertz was added by 1954 upon the purchase of the WHAV FM transmitter. FM brought WCRB's classical music format to parts of the Boston area that did not get good reception of WCRB's directional AM signal, and made improved audio quality available.
In 1961, WCRB-FM became the first Boston-area station to broadcast in multiplex stereo; for a few years prior to that, WCRB had broadcast some of its programming in stereo by carrying one channel on AM, the other on FM. WCRB was directly involved with the development of FM multiplex stereo. Station WCRB and H.H. Scott, then of Maynard, Massachusetts
developed prototype stereophonic equipment that was used to prove the “General Electric” multiplex method being evaluated by the Federal Communications Commission
(FCC). H.H. Scott was an early stereophonic receiver manufacturer that developed and manufactured high-quality home stereo equipment. Once the FCC approved stereophonic broadcasting, WCRB created a special “stereo” studio in downtown Boston, the first in the world. There was no dual channel (stereo) studio equipment at the time. Much of the equipment was hand-made by the engineering staff. Many can remember the call-letter announcements, made on the half-hour as required by the FCC; “You are tuned to WCRB, Waltham, thirteen-thirty AM, one-oh-two-point-five FM, with downtown studios in the elegant hotel Sheraton Plaza, featuring more than seventy hours weekly of FM stereo programming.”
WCRB is noted for many other innovations. It was the first radio station to obtain a permanent waiver of the FCC rules requiring average modulation in excess of eighty-five percent. This was necessary to preserve the dynamic range of the concert music broadcasts. The station also obtained a permanent waiver of the FCC rule that required a station identification
announcement every thirty minutes. This meant that a live concert performance no longer had to be interrupted for station identification.
The WCRB engineering staff worked with the National Association of Broadcasters
(NAB) to codify the RIAA LP record frequency-response curve, and create the NAB standard. Other technical innovations followed. Before the early days of FM stereo broadcasting, nobody had encountered the necessity of amplitude- and phase-matching two 15 kHz stereo leased lines. The telephone company called such a channel type; “Program channel A.” To them, as long as the frequency response and noise level matched their specifications, stereo simply meant that there would be two lines. It was just a matter of labeling them! Not so. WCRB engineering worked with AT&T to generate a specification involving matching both the phase and frequency response. This became the standard of the industry. Eventually, as stereo caught on across the country, these methods and specifications were used to install stereophonic leased lines to transmitters across the country, until they were made obsolete by the development of composite-signal studio-transmitter links. In the early days of radio, stations had full-time engineers on duty. Therefore, the WCRB engineering staff also recorded live performances for the Boston Symphony Orchestra Transcription Trust.
Although Charles River Broadcasting had acquired other radio stations, WCRB remained as the company's flagship station.
In 1975, WCRB ended simulcasting of WCRB-FM, changing call letters to WHET, and its format to big-band/adult standards. In 1978, Charles River Broadcasting sold off WHET (later renamed WRCA
), but retained WCRB, which became increasingly successful over the years as a 24/7 classical music station.
WCRB was under a long-term commitment by Charles River Broadcasting Trust, established by Theodore Jones, to continue to air classical music in perpetuity, and it carried no non-classical music programs. However, the decision to interpret the commitment as a request rather than a demand resulted in the announced sale of the station to Greater Media
on December 19, 2005. The trustees of the Charles River Broadcast Trust had already sold off portions of the trust’s property so that there was little physical property and real estate left. The AM transmitter site in Waltham was sold to a developer who built the Watermill Complex. This, and the sales of stations such as WCRQ
in Providence, Rhode Island, marked the beginning of the gradual dissolution of the Theodore Jones trust. It was upon the death of Richard L. Kaye, an early manager, minority stockholder, and trusted associate of Jones, that the Charles River Trust would no longer maintain the commitments made by its founder.
Greater Media already owned five FM stations in the Boston market - the maximum allowed by the FCC - and one of Greater Media's Boston stations would have to be sold before the company could acquire WCRB. Speculation arose that Greater Media would sell off 99.5 WKLB-FM
, as its Andover transmitter location provided poor overall coverage of the Boston market, in contrast to the company's other stations. These thoughts were confirmed on July 31, 2006, when Greater Media announced that it would sell the physical property of WKLB-FM
and the intellectual property of WCRB to Nassau Broadcasting, thus saving the commercial classical format for the Boston area, albeit on a station with poorer coverage of Boston. At the same time, Greater Media announced that the country format and intellectual property of WKLB would relocate to the prime signal of 102.5 MHz. WCRB's transition from 102.5 to 99.5 was completed on Friday, December 1, 2006 at noon local time. The first selection broadcast on the new frequency was the Hallelujah Chorus from Handel's Messiah.
It was announced on September 21, 2009 that the WGBH Educational Foundation would acquire WCRB from Nassau and convert the station to non-commercial operation, complementing sister station WGBH
(89.7 FM). The sale was completed on December 1. Since assuming control of WCRB, WGBH has sought to expand the reach of the station, particularly to areas that had been served by the station prior to the frequency shift in 2006; WCRB's programming was added to WNCK, which formerly simulcast WGBH, concurrent with the sale's completion, and April 8, 2010, W242AA also switched from carrying WGBH to WCRB, via the 89.7 HD-2 simulcast. WJMF began carrying WCRB programming in September 2011; since the frequency change in 2006, Providence had been one of the largest markets without access to a full-time classical music station. Because of this expanded reach, the station rebranded from 99.5 All Classical (the branding used since the sale to WGBH) to Classical New England on October 3, 2011.
(1400 AM), programming a full-service format to the Merrimack Valley
.
During the 1970s, 99.5 became WSSH (for "Wish 99.5"), which programmed a format of chiefly soft instrumental renditions of pop tunes with a few vocalists an hour, consisting of soft AC (adult contemporary) and standards cuts. In 1982 WSSH, evolved to a soft AC format gradually eliminating the instrumental renditions and became home to popular nighttime radio personality Delilah Rene
before she became nationally syndicated. Ratings were very high through the 80's and WSSH often led other AC stations. By then, the station was separated from WLLH, but later gained a sister station on 1510 (now WWZN
). WSSH had high ratings and was often the top rated adult contemporary radio station in the market throughout the 1980s.
However, in the early 1990s, ratings went from excellent to mediocre; part of the reason was the perception that WSSH was still an elevator music
station. During this period, the station modified their soft AC format (by 1991), adding current product and some up-tempo AC tunes, evolving to a mainstream AC format. WSSH became the third place radio station, following WMJX
and WVBF
(now known as WROR, which subsequently became sister station to 99.5). In 1995, the owner of WSSH, Granum Communications, changed the format to smooth jazz
, under the branding of WOAZ ("99.5 The Oasis"), mirroring Granum's KOAI in Dallas, Texas
.
Then in 1997, Granum sold WOAZ and WBOS
to Greater Media
, which already owned WMJX, 96.9 WBCS (the incarnation of WKLB at that time) and 105.7 WROR (the former WVBF, and WCLB). On August 22, 1997, Greater Media swapped the frequencies of WOAZ and WCLB in a move where the format and personalities of WOAZ moved to 96.9 (adopting the call sign WSJZ
), while WKLB moved to 99.5 and became "Country 99.5 WKLB", where it stayed until December 1, 2006. Greater Media noted that the move was made because the 99.5 signal is stronger than that of 96.9 in Essex County
, home to many country music listeners.
The 99.5 station was spun off to Nassau Broadcasting Partners
as a consequence of a deal where Greater Media acquired WCRB's current dial position, with 102.5 adopting the WKLB format and call sign. Nassau also acquired WCRB's call letters and programming. Nassau already has four classical-formatted stations in Maine which are affiliated with the World Classical Network
. The two stations switched frequencies at noon on December 1, 2006. The last broadcast by WKLB on 99.5 was of the U.S. National Anthem. The first song played by WKLB at 102.5 was "Life Is A Highway
" by Rascal Flatts
. The last air personality on 99.5, and consequently the first live voice on 102.5, was longtime midday host Carolyn Kruse. A redesigned website was launched immediately after the frequency change.
broadcasts and the station's other programming, a longtime claim by management. According to Arbitron
, the Metropolitan Boston market contains 3.8 million individuals 12 years of age or older. An FM station of WCRB's power transmitting on 102.5 MHz could reach parts of Worcester, Massachusetts
; Providence, Rhode Island
; and Southeastern New Hampshire. One could reasonably assume that such coverage adds one-half million individuals, for a total of 4.3 million. If the Boston Symphony Orchestra broadcasts did in fact reach half a million people, it would generate a rating of close to 12 per cent of the market on Saturday evenings, not a high listening period of radio usage. The most popular radio programs on Boston radio stations are heard in morning and afternoon drive on weekdays and don't reach as many people as WCRB claimed for Saturday nights. These numbers predate the move to 99.5 and the switch to a non-commercial format.
WCRB engineers worked with Bell Telephone to develop frequency and phase matching technology for using pairs of 15 kHz throughout the country leased line
s to carry stereo signals for studio to transmitter links
and improved geographical coverage
of broadcast signals (leased-line technology has since been replaced by microwave links, satellite feeds, and high-quality transmission using the Internet
).
They were also at the center of the development of modern multiplexed FM stereo technology
and its approval by the FCC, in cooperation with FM receiver manufacturer H. H. Scott, Inc.
. WCRB had a backup power generator at its Waltham studios and at its Needham FM transmitter site. Within a few minutes of the power failure, WCRB was back on the air. So far, this was no big deal. Nobody knew how long the power failure would last. Nobody knew its extent.
Soon reports were coming to the station that showed the extent of the blackout. WCRB engineering checked the amount of diesel fuel remaining and found that it might not last more than a few hours. The fuel vendor was notified, but there was no fuel available. A radio engineer started driving around and discovered that the Civil Defense
was trying to get a portable generator running that they had connected to the (former) Waltham Hospital. The hospital had no power. The only generator available would not run. WCRB’s station engineer suggested that the electric company back-feed power from WCRB to the hospital, using the existing distribution lines, but disconnecting everybody else. The hospital was on Hope Avenue, off South Street, on the other side of Brandeis University
. This worked. WCRB fed power to the hospital and, incidentally, the fuel from the inoperative generator was transferred to WCRB’s tank. Within a few hours, WCRB had its fuel tank filled from donations. To have enough power available to feed the hospital, it became necessary to shut down the AM transmitter.
Lowell, Massachusetts
Lowell is a city in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, USA. According to the 2010 census, the city's population was 106,519. It is the fourth largest city in the state. Lowell and Cambridge are the county seats of Middlesex County...
and based in the Brighton area of Boston, which serves the Greater Boston
Greater Boston
Greater Boston is the area of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts surrounding the city of Boston. Due to ambiguity in usage, the size of the area referred to can be anywhere between that of the metropolitan statistical area of Boston and that of the city's combined statistical area which includes...
area. It broadcasts a classical music format; it existed as a commercial station from the early 1950s until December 2009, and as a listener-supported station since then, having then been acquired by the WGBH Educational Foundation. Programming is also simulcast on the second HD Radio
HD Radio
HD Radio, which originally stood for "Hybrid Digital", is the trademark for iBiquity's in-band on-channel digital radio technology used by AM and FM radio stations to transmit audio and data via a digital signal in conjunction with their analog signals...
channel of WGBH
WGBH (FM)
WGBH is a public radio station located in Boston, Massachusetts. WGBH is a member station of NPR and PRI. The license-holder is the WGBH Educational Foundation, which also owns WGBH-TV and WGBX-TV....
(89.7 FM), allowing WCRB to reach some portions of the Boston area that cannot receive 99.5, as well as WNCK (89.5 FM) on Nantucket
Nantucket, Massachusetts
Nantucket is an island south of Cape Cod, Massachusetts, in the United States. Together with the small islands of Tuckernuck and Muskeget, it constitutes the town of Nantucket, Massachusetts, and the coterminous Nantucket County, which are consolidated. Part of the town is designated the Nantucket...
, WJMF (88.7 FM) in Smithfield, Rhode Island
Smithfield, Rhode Island
Smithfield is a town in Providence County, Rhode Island, United States. It includes the historic villages of Esmond, Georgiaville, Mountaindale, Hanton City, Stillwater and Greenville...
(serving nearby Providence
Providence, Rhode Island
Providence is the capital and most populous city of Rhode Island and was one of the first cities established in the United States. Located in Providence County, it is the third largest city in the New England region...
), and W242AA (96.3 FM) in Kendall Square, Cambridge
Kendall Square
Kendall Square is a neighborhood in Cambridge, Massachusetts, with the "square" itself at the intersection of Main Street, Broadway, Wadsworth Street, and Third Street...
(designed to serve Beacon Hill, Boston).
History of WCRB intellectual property
WCRB began broadcasting on 1330 kHz out of WalthamWaltham, Massachusetts
Waltham is a city in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, United States, was an early center for the labor movement, and major contributor to the American Industrial Revolution. The original home of the Boston Manufacturing Company, the city was a prototype for 19th century industrial city planning,...
on January 30, 1948. In 1950, the station was sold entirely to Theodore Jones, who would own the station under the name of Charles River Broadcasting
Charles River Broadcasting
Charles River Broadcasting was the owner of three classical music stations, one classic rock station, one CNN Headline News relay in Rhode Island, and a syndicated classical satellite delivery program service.- History :...
until his death in 1991. Prior to that time, “Ted” Jones set up the Charles River Broadcast Trust to guarantee that his establishment would continue in perpetuity.
Around the time Jones first acquired the station, WBMS
WILD (AM)
WILD 1090 AM is a radio station licensed to Boston, Massachusetts. It broadcasts on 1090 kHz and airs programming from China Radio International under a lease agreement...
, a daytime AM radio station that had programmed classical music, changed format. Jones decided to change WCRB's format from that of a typical suburban AM station of the era to fulltime classical music. FM service at 102.5 megahertz was added by 1954 upon the purchase of the WHAV FM transmitter. FM brought WCRB's classical music format to parts of the Boston area that did not get good reception of WCRB's directional AM signal, and made improved audio quality available.
In 1961, WCRB-FM became the first Boston-area station to broadcast in multiplex stereo; for a few years prior to that, WCRB had broadcast some of its programming in stereo by carrying one channel on AM, the other on FM. WCRB was directly involved with the development of FM multiplex stereo. Station WCRB and H.H. Scott, then of Maynard, Massachusetts
Maynard, Massachusetts
Maynard is a town in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, United States. As of the 2010 census, the town population was 10,106.- History :Maynard, located on the Assabet River, was incorporated as an independent municipality in 1871. Prior to that it was known as 'Assabet Village' but was legally...
developed prototype stereophonic equipment that was used to prove the “General Electric” multiplex method being evaluated by the Federal Communications Commission
Federal Communications Commission
The Federal Communications Commission is an independent agency of the United States government, created, Congressional statute , and with the majority of its commissioners appointed by the current President. The FCC works towards six goals in the areas of broadband, competition, the spectrum, the...
(FCC). H.H. Scott was an early stereophonic receiver manufacturer that developed and manufactured high-quality home stereo equipment. Once the FCC approved stereophonic broadcasting, WCRB created a special “stereo” studio in downtown Boston, the first in the world. There was no dual channel (stereo) studio equipment at the time. Much of the equipment was hand-made by the engineering staff. Many can remember the call-letter announcements, made on the half-hour as required by the FCC; “You are tuned to WCRB, Waltham, thirteen-thirty AM, one-oh-two-point-five FM, with downtown studios in the elegant hotel Sheraton Plaza, featuring more than seventy hours weekly of FM stereo programming.”
WCRB is noted for many other innovations. It was the first radio station to obtain a permanent waiver of the FCC rules requiring average modulation in excess of eighty-five percent. This was necessary to preserve the dynamic range of the concert music broadcasts. The station also obtained a permanent waiver of the FCC rule that required a station identification
Station identification
Station identification is the practice of radio or television stations or networks identifying themselves on air, typically by means of a call sign or brand name...
announcement every thirty minutes. This meant that a live concert performance no longer had to be interrupted for station identification.
The WCRB engineering staff worked with the National Association of Broadcasters
National Association of Broadcasters
The National Association of Broadcasters is a trade association, workers union, and lobby group representing the interests of for-profit, over-the-air radio and television broadcasters in the United States...
(NAB) to codify the RIAA LP record frequency-response curve, and create the NAB standard. Other technical innovations followed. Before the early days of FM stereo broadcasting, nobody had encountered the necessity of amplitude- and phase-matching two 15 kHz stereo leased lines. The telephone company called such a channel type; “Program channel A.” To them, as long as the frequency response and noise level matched their specifications, stereo simply meant that there would be two lines. It was just a matter of labeling them! Not so. WCRB engineering worked with AT&T to generate a specification involving matching both the phase and frequency response. This became the standard of the industry. Eventually, as stereo caught on across the country, these methods and specifications were used to install stereophonic leased lines to transmitters across the country, until they were made obsolete by the development of composite-signal studio-transmitter links. In the early days of radio, stations had full-time engineers on duty. Therefore, the WCRB engineering staff also recorded live performances for the Boston Symphony Orchestra Transcription Trust.
Although Charles River Broadcasting had acquired other radio stations, WCRB remained as the company's flagship station.
In 1975, WCRB ended simulcasting of WCRB-FM, changing call letters to WHET, and its format to big-band/adult standards. In 1978, Charles River Broadcasting sold off WHET (later renamed WRCA
WRCA
- External links :*...
), but retained WCRB, which became increasingly successful over the years as a 24/7 classical music station.
WCRB was under a long-term commitment by Charles River Broadcasting Trust, established by Theodore Jones, to continue to air classical music in perpetuity, and it carried no non-classical music programs. However, the decision to interpret the commitment as a request rather than a demand resulted in the announced sale of the station to Greater Media
Greater Media
Greater Media, Inc., known as Greater Media, is an American media company that specializes in radio stations. The markets where they own radio stations include Boston, Detroit, Philadelphia, Charlotte, and the state of New Jersey...
on December 19, 2005. The trustees of the Charles River Broadcast Trust had already sold off portions of the trust’s property so that there was little physical property and real estate left. The AM transmitter site in Waltham was sold to a developer who built the Watermill Complex. This, and the sales of stations such as WCRQ
WWBB
WWBB is a radio station in Providence, Rhode Island. The station mainly plays classic hits and oldies from the 1960s, 1970s, and early 1980s. The station is also carried as background music on several Public-access television cable TV in southeastern Massachusetts...
in Providence, Rhode Island, marked the beginning of the gradual dissolution of the Theodore Jones trust. It was upon the death of Richard L. Kaye, an early manager, minority stockholder, and trusted associate of Jones, that the Charles River Trust would no longer maintain the commitments made by its founder.
WKLB-FM
WKLB-FM is a radio station licensed to Waltham, Massachusetts. WKLB was formerly broadcast on 99.5 MHz. It currently has a country music radio format. Its transmitter is located in Newton, Massachusetts...
, as its Andover transmitter location provided poor overall coverage of the Boston market, in contrast to the company's other stations. These thoughts were confirmed on July 31, 2006, when Greater Media announced that it would sell the physical property of WKLB-FM
WKLB-FM
WKLB-FM is a radio station licensed to Waltham, Massachusetts. WKLB was formerly broadcast on 99.5 MHz. It currently has a country music radio format. Its transmitter is located in Newton, Massachusetts...
and the intellectual property of WCRB to Nassau Broadcasting, thus saving the commercial classical format for the Boston area, albeit on a station with poorer coverage of Boston. At the same time, Greater Media announced that the country format and intellectual property of WKLB would relocate to the prime signal of 102.5 MHz. WCRB's transition from 102.5 to 99.5 was completed on Friday, December 1, 2006 at noon local time. The first selection broadcast on the new frequency was the Hallelujah Chorus from Handel's Messiah.
It was announced on September 21, 2009 that the WGBH Educational Foundation would acquire WCRB from Nassau and convert the station to non-commercial operation, complementing sister station WGBH
WGBH (FM)
WGBH is a public radio station located in Boston, Massachusetts. WGBH is a member station of NPR and PRI. The license-holder is the WGBH Educational Foundation, which also owns WGBH-TV and WGBX-TV....
(89.7 FM). The sale was completed on December 1. Since assuming control of WCRB, WGBH has sought to expand the reach of the station, particularly to areas that had been served by the station prior to the frequency shift in 2006; WCRB's programming was added to WNCK, which formerly simulcast WGBH, concurrent with the sale's completion, and April 8, 2010, W242AA also switched from carrying WGBH to WCRB, via the 89.7 HD-2 simulcast. WJMF began carrying WCRB programming in September 2011; since the frequency change in 2006, Providence had been one of the largest markets without access to a full-time classical music station. Because of this expanded reach, the station rebranded from 99.5 All Classical (the branding used since the sale to WGBH) to Classical New England on October 3, 2011.
History of the 99.5 FM broadcast license
The 99.5 FM broadcast license started out in 1947 as WLLH-FM, the FM counterpart to WLLHWLLH
WLLH is a radio station in the Merrimack Valley region of Massachusetts, licensed to Lowell, Massachusetts. The station is owned by Gois Broadcasting, LLC, and airs a tropical music format. In addition to a transmitter in Lowell, there is a synchronous transmitter in Lawrence, together forming...
(1400 AM), programming a full-service format to the Merrimack Valley
Merrimack Valley
The Merrimack Valley is a bi-state region along the Merrimack River in the states of New Hampshire and Massachusetts, United States. The Merrimack is one of the larger waterways in the New England region and has helped define the livelihood and culture of those living along it since native...
.
During the 1970s, 99.5 became WSSH (for "Wish 99.5"), which programmed a format of chiefly soft instrumental renditions of pop tunes with a few vocalists an hour, consisting of soft AC (adult contemporary) and standards cuts. In 1982 WSSH, evolved to a soft AC format gradually eliminating the instrumental renditions and became home to popular nighttime radio personality Delilah Rene
Delilah Rene
Delilah Rene Luke , almost always known mononymously as Delilah, is an American radio personality, author, and songwriter, best known as the host of a nationally syndicated nightly U.S...
before she became nationally syndicated. Ratings were very high through the 80's and WSSH often led other AC stations. By then, the station was separated from WLLH, but later gained a sister station on 1510 (now WWZN
WWZN
WWZN is an AM radio station licensed to serve the Boston media market. Its programming is a time-brokered mix between progressive talk radio during the daytime , sports talk and religious programming in the overnight hours...
). WSSH had high ratings and was often the top rated adult contemporary radio station in the market throughout the 1980s.
However, in the early 1990s, ratings went from excellent to mediocre; part of the reason was the perception that WSSH was still an elevator music
Elevator music
Elevator music refers to instrumental arrangements of popular music designed for playing in shopping malls, grocery stores, department stores, telephone systems , cruise ships, airports, doctors' and dentists' offices, and elevators...
station. During this period, the station modified their soft AC format (by 1991), adding current product and some up-tempo AC tunes, evolving to a mainstream AC format. WSSH became the third place radio station, following WMJX
WMJX
WMJX is a radio station licensed to Boston, Massachusetts. It has an Adult Contemporary format. The station's transmitter is located atop the Prudential Tower in Downtown Boston...
and WVBF
WROR-FM
WROR-FM is a radio station licensed to Framingham, Massachusetts. It broadcasts on 105.7 MHz and serves the Boston market. The station offers a classic hits format, with a timespan of the '60s, '70s and '80s...
(now known as WROR, which subsequently became sister station to 99.5). In 1995, the owner of WSSH, Granum Communications, changed the format to smooth jazz
Smooth jazz
Smooth jazz is a genre of music that grew out of jazz fusion and is influenced by R&B, funk, rock, and pop music styles ....
, under the branding of WOAZ ("99.5 The Oasis"), mirroring Granum's KOAI in Dallas, Texas
Dallas, Texas
Dallas is the third-largest city in Texas and the ninth-largest in the United States. The Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex is the largest metropolitan area in the South and fourth-largest metropolitan area in the United States...
.
Then in 1997, Granum sold WOAZ and WBOS
WBOS
WBOS is a commercial radio station located in Brookline, Massachusetts, broadcasting to the Greater Boston area on 92.9 FM. The station airs a mainstream rock format branded as "Radio 92.9"...
to Greater Media
Greater Media
Greater Media, Inc., known as Greater Media, is an American media company that specializes in radio stations. The markets where they own radio stations include Boston, Detroit, Philadelphia, Charlotte, and the state of New Jersey...
, which already owned WMJX, 96.9 WBCS (the incarnation of WKLB at that time) and 105.7 WROR (the former WVBF, and WCLB). On August 22, 1997, Greater Media swapped the frequencies of WOAZ and WCLB in a move where the format and personalities of WOAZ moved to 96.9 (adopting the call sign WSJZ
WTKK
WTKK is a New England commercial talk radio station, first broadcast out of Boston on 96.9 FM beginning in 1999. It can be heard in eastern Massachusetts, the northernmost area of Rhode Island, southern New Hampshire, and southern Maine...
), while WKLB moved to 99.5 and became "Country 99.5 WKLB", where it stayed until December 1, 2006. Greater Media noted that the move was made because the 99.5 signal is stronger than that of 96.9 in Essex County
Essex County, Massachusetts
-National protected areas:* Parker River National Wildlife Refuge* Salem Maritime National Historic Site* Saugus Iron Works National Historic Site* Thacher Island National Wildlife Refuge-Demographics:...
, home to many country music listeners.
The 99.5 station was spun off to Nassau Broadcasting Partners
Nassau Broadcasting Partners
Nassau Broadcasting Partners LP is a company based in Princeton, New Jersey that owns radio stations in New England and the Mid-Atlantic United States. Nassau's stations, which include both AM and FM frequencies, are located in Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New Jersey,...
as a consequence of a deal where Greater Media acquired WCRB's current dial position, with 102.5 adopting the WKLB format and call sign. Nassau also acquired WCRB's call letters and programming. Nassau already has four classical-formatted stations in Maine which are affiliated with the World Classical Network
World Classical Network
The World Classical Network is an internet-delivery classical radio broadcasting service owned by Cape Cod Broadcasting in Hyannis, Massachusetts. The service has been in existence since February 1998, when it was owned and operated by Charles River Broadcasting. It filled a void left by the...
. The two stations switched frequencies at noon on December 1, 2006. The last broadcast by WKLB on 99.5 was of the U.S. National Anthem. The first song played by WKLB at 102.5 was "Life Is A Highway
Life Is a Highway
"Life Is a Highway" is a song written by Tom Cochrane, from his 1991 album Mad Mad World. The song was Cochrane's most famous song, as it was a number one hit in his native Canada. The song also peaked at number six on the Billboard charts in the United States in 1992...
" by Rascal Flatts
Rascal Flatts
Rascal Flatts is an American country music band that originated in Columbus, Ohio, United States of America. Since its inception, Rascal Flatts has been composed of three members: Gary LeVox , Jay DeMarcus and Joe Don Rooney...
. The last air personality on 99.5, and consequently the first live voice on 102.5, was longtime midday host Carolyn Kruse. A redesigned website was launched immediately after the frequency change.
Audience
WCRB claimed to have about 500,000 listeners who tune in to the live Boston Symphony OrchestraBoston Symphony Orchestra
The Boston Symphony Orchestra is an orchestra based in Boston, Massachusetts. It is one of the five American orchestras commonly referred to as the "Big Five". Founded in 1881, the BSO plays most of its concerts at Boston's Symphony Hall and in the summer performs at the Tanglewood Music Center...
broadcasts and the station's other programming, a longtime claim by management. According to Arbitron
Arbitron
Arbitron is a consumer research company in the United States that collects listener data on radio audiences. It was founded as American Research Bureau by Jim Seiler in 1949 and became national by merging with L.A. based Coffin, Cooper and Clay in the early 1950s...
, the Metropolitan Boston market contains 3.8 million individuals 12 years of age or older. An FM station of WCRB's power transmitting on 102.5 MHz could reach parts of Worcester, Massachusetts
Worcester, Massachusetts
Worcester is a city and the county seat of Worcester County, Massachusetts, United States. Named after Worcester, England, as of the 2010 Census the city's population is 181,045, making it the second largest city in New England after Boston....
; Providence, Rhode Island
Providence, Rhode Island
Providence is the capital and most populous city of Rhode Island and was one of the first cities established in the United States. Located in Providence County, it is the third largest city in the New England region...
; and Southeastern New Hampshire. One could reasonably assume that such coverage adds one-half million individuals, for a total of 4.3 million. If the Boston Symphony Orchestra broadcasts did in fact reach half a million people, it would generate a rating of close to 12 per cent of the market on Saturday evenings, not a high listening period of radio usage. The most popular radio programs on Boston radio stations are heard in morning and afternoon drive on weekdays and don't reach as many people as WCRB claimed for Saturday nights. These numbers predate the move to 99.5 and the switch to a non-commercial format.
Community and innovation
WCRB has a long history of helping the community and providing innovative solutions to technical problems.WCRB engineers worked with Bell Telephone to develop frequency and phase matching technology for using pairs of 15 kHz throughout the country leased line
Leased line
A leased line is a service contract between a provider and a customer, whereby the provider agrees to deliver a symmetric telecommunications line connecting two or more locations in exchange for a monthly rent . It is sometimes known as a 'Private Circuit' or 'Data Line' in the UK or as CDN in Italy...
s to carry stereo signals for studio to transmitter links
Studio/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....
and improved geographical coverage
Broadcast relay station
A broadcast relay station, relay transmitter, broadcast translator , rebroadcaster , or repeater is a broadcast transmitter which relays, repeats, or reflects the signal of another radio station or television station, usually to an area not covered by the signal of the originating station...
of broadcast signals (leased-line technology has since been replaced by microwave links, satellite feeds, and high-quality transmission using the Internet
IP audio codec
IP audio codecs are used to send broadcast quality audio over IP from remote locations to radio and television studios around the globe. IP codecs are ideal for use in remote broadcasts, as studio/transmitter links or for studio-to-studio audio distribution....
).
They were also at the center of the development of modern multiplexed FM stereo technology
FM broadcasting
FM broadcasting is a broadcasting technology pioneered by Edwin Howard Armstrong which uses frequency modulation to provide high-fidelity sound over broadcast radio. The term "FM band" describes the "frequency band in which FM is used for broadcasting"...
and its approval by the FCC, in cooperation with FM receiver manufacturer H. H. Scott, Inc.
H. H. Scott, Inc.
Founded by Hermon Hosmer Scott in 1947, H.H. Scott, Inc. was one of the top hi-fi brands sold in the U.S. during the "Golden Age" of the vacuum tube. Other similar brands included Fisher, Marantz, McIntosh, and Harman Kardon. H.H. Scott sold some of the earliest FM Stereo Multiplex tuners and...
WCRB and the 1965 blackout
The solutions developed by WCRB were not just about getting high fidelity audio from remote locations to the studio. Often they involved solutions to problems that nobody anticipated. On November 9, 1965, the northeast experienced a massive power blackoutNortheast Blackout of 1965
The Northeast blackout of 1965 was a significant disruption in the supply of electricity on November 9, 1965, affecting Ontario, Canada and Connecticut, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, Vermont, New York, and New Jersey in the United States...
. WCRB had a backup power generator at its Waltham studios and at its Needham FM transmitter site. Within a few minutes of the power failure, WCRB was back on the air. So far, this was no big deal. Nobody knew how long the power failure would last. Nobody knew its extent.
Soon reports were coming to the station that showed the extent of the blackout. WCRB engineering checked the amount of diesel fuel remaining and found that it might not last more than a few hours. The fuel vendor was notified, but there was no fuel available. A radio engineer started driving around and discovered that the Civil Defense
Civil defense
Civil defense, civil defence or civil protection is an effort to protect the citizens of a state from military attack. It uses the principles of emergency operations: prevention, mitigation, preparation, response, or emergency evacuation, and recovery...
was trying to get a portable generator running that they had connected to the (former) Waltham Hospital. The hospital had no power. The only generator available would not run. WCRB’s station engineer suggested that the electric company back-feed power from WCRB to the hospital, using the existing distribution lines, but disconnecting everybody else. The hospital was on Hope Avenue, off South Street, on the other side of Brandeis University
Brandeis University
Brandeis University is an American private research university with a liberal arts focus. It is located in the southwestern corner of Waltham, Massachusetts, nine miles west of Boston. The University has an enrollment of approximately 3,200 undergraduate and 2,100 graduate students. In 2011, it...
. This worked. WCRB fed power to the hospital and, incidentally, the fuel from the inoperative generator was transferred to WCRB’s tank. Within a few hours, WCRB had its fuel tank filled from donations. To have enough power available to feed the hospital, it became necessary to shut down the AM transmitter.