Jump to content

WBCN (AM)

Add links
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
WBCN
Broadcast areaFort Myers, Florida
Frequency770kHz
BrandingESPN Southwest Florida
Programming
FormatSports
AffiliationsESPN Radio
Florida Everblades
Tampa Bay Buccaneers Radio Network
Tampa Bay Rays Radio Network
Westwood One
Ownership
Owner
WJPT,WRXK-FM,WWCN,WXKB
History
First air date
December 17, 1983;40 years ago(1983-12-17)
Former call signs
  • WKZY (1983–1984)
  • WZRZ (1984–1990)
  • WVTI (1990–1991)
  • WRXK (1991)
  • WWCN (1991–2013)
  • WJBX (2013–2021)
Call signmeaning
"Boston Concert Network". Call sign is parked from its heritage use at104.1 FM in Boston
Technical information[1]
Licensing authority
FCC
Facility ID4437
ClassB
Power
  • 10,000wattsday
  • 630 watts night
Transmitter coordinates
26°46′30″N81°50′51″W/ 26.775°N 81.8475°W/26.775; -81.8475
Translator(s)See § Translators
Repeater(s)96.1WRXK-FM HD2(Bonita Springs)
Links
Public license information
WebcastListen live
Websiteespnswfl.com

WBCN(770kHz), branded as "ESPN Southwest Florida", is acommercialAMradio stationbroadcasting asports radioformat.LicensedtoNorth Fort Myers, Florida,the station is owned byBeasley Broadcast Group,Inc., through licensee Beasley Media Group, LLC.

Using adirectional antenna,WBCN broadcasts with 10,000wattsby day. Because770 kHzis aclear channel frequencyreserved forClass AWABCinNew York City,WBCN must reduce power at night to 630 watts to avoid interference. Thetransmitteris off Huffmaster Road in North Fort Myers and the studios and offices are on South Tamiami Trail inEstero, Florida.[2]In addition to its AM signal, WBCN uses twoFMtranslatorsto air its programming: 104.3 W282BY and 98.1 W251AL, both in Fort Myers.[3]

Programming

[edit]

WBCN carriesTampa Bay Raysbaseball,Tampa Bay Buccaneersfootball,Florida Gatorsfootball and basketball andWestwood Onecoverage of theNational Football League,along withFlorida Gulf Coast Universitybasketball. The station has carriedFlorida Firecatsfootball,Miami Hurricanesfootball,Florida State Seminolesfootball,Miami Marlinsbaseball andFort Myers Miraclebaseball in the past. The station carriedFlorida EverbladesECHLhockey from their inception to 2009.[4]

WBCN used to broadcastNBA,Major League Baseball,andcollege footballgames fromESPN Radio.NASCARraces fromMotor Racing NetworkandPerformance Racing Networkmoved to the then-WWCN fromWCKTin 2006.Miami Dolphinsgames not aired onWRXK-FM,mostly in the preseason, are heard on WBCN, which carried the team full-time before picking upNASCAR.

History

[edit]

WBCN firstsigned onthe air on December 17, 1983, asbig bandstation WKZY.[5]In 1987, the station was acquired by Beasley Broadcasting, switching the format tooldiesas WZRZ.[6]The station also spent time as asoft adult contemporaryoutlet and also playedactive rockfor a time.

For much of the 1990s and early 2000s, it used thecall lettersWWCN, originally as a radioaffiliateofCNN Headline Newsand later as a talk station. On June 20, 2013, WWCN begansimulcastingtherock musicprogramming on WJBX 99.3 FM, swapping call letters. (AM 770 became WJBX and FM 99.3 became WWCN.)

On June 28, 2013, WJBX dropped its simulcast with WWCN 99.3 FM and switched toSpanish-languagesports radio,with programming from theESPN Deportes RadioNetwork.

On June 16, 2016, WJBX changed its format back to talk.[7]The station primarily carriednationally syndicatedtalk shows, includingDave Ramsey,Brian Kilmeade,Hugh Hewitt,Todd SchnittandThis Morning, America's First News with Gordon Deal.Weekend hosts includedLarry Elder,Sebastian Gorka,Eric Metaxas,The Jesus Christ Showwith Neil Saavedra,and repeats of weekday programs.[8]WJBX carriedTownhall Newsat the start of each hour.

The call sign was changed from WJBX to WBCN on February 5, 2021, with the WJBX call sign being moved to the1660 AM facility in Charlotte, North Carolina,which had been WBCN. The Charlotte station went silent on December 31, 2020, as the result of the sale of its transmitter site land.[9]

On May 28, 2021, WBCN changed their format from news/talk to sports, branded as "ESPN Southwest Florida", with programming fromESPN Radio;the format moved from WWCN.[10]

Technology

[edit]

WBCN enjoys the largest daytime coverage area of any AM radio station in Southwest Florida. As a music station (Transtar Radio Networks' "Format 41" andCitadel Broadcasting's "Z-Rock") the station transmitted in AM stereo, using theC-QUAMsystem. It now incorporatesHD radiotechnology.

Translators

[edit]

It was announced on July 2, 2012 that Beasley Broadcasting would purchase the two translators from Reach Communications for $150,000, to serve as rebroadcasters for WWCN'ssports radioformat (viaWRXK-HD2):[11]On June 20, 2013, these translators changed their format toalternative rock,relaying WRXK-HD2. Then in 2016, the translators began simulcasting WJBX's talk radio format.

Broadcast translatorsfor WBCN
Call sign Frequency City of license FID ERP(W) HAAT Class FCC info
W251AL 98.1 FM Fort Myers, Florida 139037 230 129.2m(424ft) D LMS
W282BY 104.3 FM Fort Myers, Florida 139201 250 92 m (302 ft) D LMS
[edit]

References

[edit]
  1. ^"Facility Technical Data for WBCN".Licensing and Management System.Federal Communications Commission.
  2. ^"WBCN-AM 770 KHZ - North Fort Myers, FL".
  3. ^"Beasley Adds New Talker to Southwest FL at WJBX".17 June 2016.
  4. ^"News & Press".floridaeverblades.com.RetrievedFebruary 1,2024.
  5. ^"Broadcasting Yearbook 1984"(PDF).americanradiohistory.com.
  6. ^"Broadcasting Yearbook 1990"(PDF).americanradiohistory.com.
  7. ^"Beasley Launches Fort Myers Newstalker".radioinsight.com.
  8. ^"Resources and Information".ww16.wjbxnewstalk.com.Retrieved2024-02-01.
  9. ^Venta, Lance (January 14, 2021)."WBCN Goes Dark As Beasley Sells Tower Property".RadioInsight.RetrievedMarch 12,2021.
  10. ^"Playa & ESPN Move to New Locations in Fort Myers".radioinsight.com.
  11. ^"Music & Radio Station News | AllAccess.com".All Access.Retrieved2024-02-01.
[edit]
Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=WBCN_(AM)&oldid=1241442360"