WNBP
Encyclopedia
WNBP is a radio station
licensed
to serve Newburyport, Massachusetts
, USA. The station is owned by Westport Communications Limited Partnership. It airs an Adult Standards
/Nostalgia
music format.
The station was assigned the WNBP call letters by the Federal Communications Commission
on January 18, 1991.
Through the late 70s, 80s and 90s the station changed hands several times. In 1985 it was purchased by long time WBZ-AM, Boston, newscaster Ted Larsen and Dan Friel for $195.000. They changed the call signs to WNCG for "We're Newburyport,The Coast and Gloucester,Your Coastal Home Companion." In 1987 they sold the station to New Hampshire broadcaster Win Damon for $425,000 until being purchased in 1992 by Radio Newburyport LLC owned by Robert "Doc" Fuller for $225,000. Fuller along with partner J.J. Jeffrey owned several other stations under their company name Fuller-Jeffrey Broadcasting. WNBP was a sole venture of Fuller with his longtime friend Al Mozier as General Manager. Although J.J. Jeffrey was not part of the ownership, his voice was used for all the recorded imaging and promotional announcements. From 1992 to 2001, many improvements to the station were made by Fuller and Mozier including purchasing all new studio equipment, Audisk and later Air-Traffic-Control automation, new BE-1 transmitter and installing a new tower and ground system at the transmitter site on Ferry Road in Salisbury, Massachusetts.
In September 2004, Radio Newburyport LLC (Robert Fuller, president) announced a deal had been reached to sell WNBP to Westport Communications LP (Todd Tanger, managing member) for a reported sale price of $500,000. The deal was brokered by Frank Boyle of Frank Boyle and Associates. At the time of the sale, Westport Communications owned only one other station, WBOQ
(104.9 FM). WNBP's studios were relocated to nearby Beverly, Massachusetts
, but the station still focused its local news and community coverage on the greater Newburyport area.
In March of 2009 WNBP was sold by Westport Communications to Port Broadcasting, LLC. (owned by Carl Strube, Peter Falconi and Robert Couture) The station began broadcasting from new downtown Newburyport studios on March 13. The format remains the same.
Former WBOQ
DJ Jacky Ankeles debuted on WNBP on October 18, 2010, with a show running weekdays
from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.
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...
licensed
City of license
A city of license or community of license, in American and Canadian broadcasting, is the community that a radio station or television station is officially licensed to serve by that country's broadcast regulator....
to serve Newburyport, Massachusetts
Newburyport, Massachusetts
Newburyport is a small coastal city in Essex County, Massachusetts, United States, 35 miles northeast of Boston. The population was 21,189 at the 2000 census. A historic seaport with a vibrant tourism industry, Newburyport includes part of Plum Island...
, USA. The station is owned by Westport Communications Limited Partnership. It airs an Adult Standards
Adult standards
Adult standards is a North American radio format heard primarily on AM or class A FM stations.Adult standards is aimed at "mature" adults, meaning mainly those persons over 50 years of age, but it is mostly targeted for senior citizens...
/Nostalgia
Old-time radio
Old-Time Radio and the Golden Age of Radio refer to a period of radio programming in the United States lasting from the proliferation of radio broadcasting in the early 1920s until television's replacement of radio as the primary home entertainment medium in the 1950s...
music format.
The station was assigned the WNBP call letters 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...
on January 18, 1991.
Ownership
WNBP signed on the air in 1957 as a daytime only station at 1470 AM, owned by Puritan Broadcasting of Lynn Massachusetts. Puritan also owned WLYN 1360 AM and WLYN-FM 101.7 among stations in Brattleboro, VT and Nashua, NH. In 1982 the station moved to 1450 on the dial, added nighttime operation and changed call letters to WCEA. In 1987 the call letters were changed to WNCG; they were returned to WNBP in 1991.Through the late 70s, 80s and 90s the station changed hands several times. In 1985 it was purchased by long time WBZ-AM, Boston, newscaster Ted Larsen and Dan Friel for $195.000. They changed the call signs to WNCG for "We're Newburyport,The Coast and Gloucester,Your Coastal Home Companion." In 1987 they sold the station to New Hampshire broadcaster Win Damon for $425,000 until being purchased in 1992 by Radio Newburyport LLC owned by Robert "Doc" Fuller for $225,000. Fuller along with partner J.J. Jeffrey owned several other stations under their company name Fuller-Jeffrey Broadcasting. WNBP was a sole venture of Fuller with his longtime friend Al Mozier as General Manager. Although J.J. Jeffrey was not part of the ownership, his voice was used for all the recorded imaging and promotional announcements. From 1992 to 2001, many improvements to the station were made by Fuller and Mozier including purchasing all new studio equipment, Audisk and later Air-Traffic-Control automation, new BE-1 transmitter and installing a new tower and ground system at the transmitter site on Ferry Road in Salisbury, Massachusetts.
In September 2004, Radio Newburyport LLC (Robert Fuller, president) announced a deal had been reached to sell WNBP to Westport Communications LP (Todd Tanger, managing member) for a reported sale price of $500,000. The deal was brokered by Frank Boyle of Frank Boyle and Associates. At the time of the sale, Westport Communications owned only one other station, WBOQ
WBOQ
WBOQ is a radio station licensed to Gloucester, Massachusetts, USA, with studios on Route 1A in North Beverly. The station is currently owned by Westport Broadcasting.-Programming:...
(104.9 FM). WNBP's studios were relocated to nearby Beverly, Massachusetts
Beverly, Massachusetts
Beverly is a city in Essex County, Massachusetts, United States. The population was 39,343 on , which differs by no more than several hundred from the 39,862 obtained in the 2000 census. A resort, residential and manufacturing community on the North Shore, Beverly includes Beverly Farms and Prides...
, but the station still focused its local news and community coverage on the greater Newburyport area.
In March of 2009 WNBP was sold by Westport Communications to Port Broadcasting, LLC. (owned by Carl Strube, Peter Falconi and Robert Couture) The station began broadcasting from new downtown Newburyport studios on March 13. The format remains the same.
Former WBOQ
WBOQ
WBOQ is a radio station licensed to Gloucester, Massachusetts, USA, with studios on Route 1A in North Beverly. The station is currently owned by Westport Broadcasting.-Programming:...
DJ Jacky Ankeles debuted on WNBP on October 18, 2010, with a show running weekdays
from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.