Jump to content

WPBB

Edit links
Coordinates:27°50′35″N82°48′50″W/ 27.843°N 82.814°W/27.843; -82.814
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
WPBB
Broadcast areaTampa Bay Area
Frequency98.7MHz(HD Radio)
Branding98.7 The Shark
Programming
FormatClassic rock
Ownership
Owner
WJBR,WLLD,WQYK-FM,WRBQ-FM,WYUU
History
First air date
1989(as WAYP)
Former call signs
  • WAYP (1989–1992)
  • WISP (1992–1998)
  • WLLD (1998–2009)
  • WSJT (2009–2012)
  • WHFS (2012)
  • WHFS-FM (2012–2015)
  • WBRN-FM (2015–2017)
Technical information[1]
Licensing authority
FCC
Facility ID18527
ClassC2
ERP47,000watts
HAAT141 meters (463 ft)
Transmitter coordinates
27°50′35″N82°48′50″W/ 27.843°N 82.814°W/27.843; -82.814
Links
Public license information
WebcastListen live
Website987theshark

WPBB(98.7MHz) is a commercialFMradio stationlicensedtoHolmes Beach, Florida,and serving theTampa Baymedia market.It is owned by theBeasley Broadcast Group,and airs aclassic rockradio format,branded as "98.7 The Shark".

WPBB's studios are on Executive Center Drive inSt. Petersburgand thetransmitteris off Park Boulevard North inSeminole.[2]

History

[edit]

WAYP/WISP/WLLD/WSJT

[edit]

The stationsigned onthe air on December 7, 1989, under thecall signWAYP. The call letters changed to WISP on April 2, 1992. As both WAYP and WISP, the station played mostlyeasy listeningandsoft adult contemporarymusic. On May 15, 1998, afterstuntingwith a loop of "Wild Thing"byTone Loc,therhythmic contemporaryformat of "WiLD 98.7" debuted under new call letters WLLD.[3]

On August 19, 2009, at 5 p.m., "WiLD 98.7" and "Smooth Jazz 94.1 WSJT" switched frequencies, with 94.1 becoming "WiLD 94.1" and 98.7 becoming "Smooth Jazz 98.7 WSJT". Under the ownership ofCBS Radio,thesmooth jazzformat evolved into a format known assmooth AC,a mix ofurban ACandsoft ACwith a few instrumental jazz songs included.

Play 98.7/The Fan

[edit]

On August 31, 2010, at 3 p.m., the station dropped smooth AC in favor ofAdult Top 40/CHRas "Play 98.7".[4]The first song on "Play" was "Use Somebody"byKings of Leon.The smooth jazz format was subsequently moved to HD Radio frequency 98.7-HD2. This would change on December 18, 2013, when thesports talkformat fromWFANinNew York Citymoved from 94.1-HD3 to 98.7-HD2, while the smooth jazz format was relocated to 94.1-HD2.

Due to low ratings with "Play", CBS Radio announced on June 20, 2012, that WSJT would flip to sports talk in August, branded as "The Fan".[5]On July 25, 2012, CBS said it would debut the new format on August 2.

On that day, at 11 a.m., "Play" signed off with "Closing Time"bySemisonic,and 98.7 FM began a half hour ofstuntingwith songs usually played at sports games, followed by a half-hour long monologue of the history of sports teams in the Tampa Bay area, which would lead into the official launch of "The Fan" at Noon.[6]At the same time as the format flip, WSJT changed call letters to WHFS-FM. The WHFS call letters were held by former sister stationWUUBinWest Palm Beachand were heritage call letters for a long-timealternative rock stationin theWashington, DC/Baltimore, Marylandarea. The stationsimulcastonsister stationWHFS (1010 AM)until January 3, 2013, when the AM became a 24/7affiliateof the newCBS Sports Radionetwork. WHFS-FM held the rights to carryUniversity of South Floridasports in the Tampa Bay area.

Bubba 98.7/No Rules Rock

[edit]
Logo as "98.7 No Rules Rock", used from December 9, 2015, to December 12, 2016

On October 2, 2014, CBS Radio announced that it would trade its stations inCharlotteand Tampa (including WHFS-FM), as well asWIP (AM)inPhiladelphia,to the Beasley Broadcast Group in exchange for five stations inMiamiand Philadelphia.[7]The swap was completed on December 1, 2014.[8]

On December 4, 2014, Beasley released the entire "Fan" airstaff, and at 3 p.m. that day, followingThe Jim Rome Show,the station dropped the sports format and began stunting withChristmas musicas "The New 98.7". On December 26, the station shifted its stunting to a broad mix of music from different genres.[9][10][11]

After months of speculation, longtime local morning personalityBubba the Love Spongereturned to the Tampa airwaves on 98.7 FM on January 5, the same day his non-compete withCox Radioended. Bubba's show aired live from 6 to 10 a.m. After Bubba's return show on the 5th, the station began airing repeats of the program the rest of the day, while the station built a permanent format outside of his show. On February 2, at 10 a.m., the station debuted a Rock-leaningVariety Hitsformat billed as "Bubba 98.7", which featured a mix of current and recent rock songs, along with selections of older music personally picked by Bubba himself. The first song played under the new format wasAC/DC's"It's a Long Way to the Top (If You Wanna Rock 'n' Roll)".The station's call sign changed to WBRN-FM on February 4.[12][13]

On December 9, 2015, WBRN-FM rebranded as "98.7 No Rules Rock".[14]

B98.7

[edit]
Former logo as "B98.7", used from January 5, 2017, to December 25, 2018

Due to low ratings, on December 12, 2016, at Midnight, WBRN-FM dropped Bubba's show, along with the rock format, and began stunting with Christmas music again, this time as "Santa 98.7". (Bubba'ssyndicatedshow would be picked up byWWBAin February 2017.) At Midnight on December 26, the station shifted its stunting to a mix of songs from various genres related to money, power, and/or authority, branded as "98.7DonaldFM ".[15][16]

On January 5, 2017, at 5:45 p.m., WBRN-FM officially flipped toadult contemporaryas "B98.7", with "Hello"byAdelebeing the first song played.[17][18]Chadd and Kristi Thomas, long-time morning hosts on new rivalWWRM,resigned the week prior from that station, and began hosting mornings on "B" beginning February 6, andvoice-trackedthe station's 10,000 songs in a row launch until that date.

On February 1, 2017, WBRN-FM changed call letters to WPBB to match their new branding, though the station had been identifying itself as WPBB since late January.[19]

98.7 The Shark

[edit]

On December 26, 2018, at Midnight, the station flipped again, this time toclassic rockas "98.7 The Shark", using the slogan "The Next Generation Of Classic Rock". The first song played on "The Shark" wasAC/DC's "For Those About To Rock (We Salute You)".[20]

References

[edit]
  1. ^"Facility Technical Data for WPBB".Licensing and Management System.Federal Communications Commission.
  2. ^"Radio Station Coverage Map".radio-locator.
  3. ^"WISP/Tampa Goes CHR/Rhythmic"(PDF).1998-05-22. p. 5.Retrieved2023-09-20.
  4. ^"CBS Radio drops former smooth jazz station WSJT-FM to create Play 98.7".Tampa Bay Times.Archived fromthe originalon June 10, 2011.
  5. ^"98.7 The Fan Tampa Debuts - RadioInsight".2 August 2012.
  6. ^"98.7 The Fan Debuts - Format Change Archive".2 August 2012.
  7. ^CBS and Beasley Swap Philadelphia/Miami for Charlotte/Tampafrom Radio Insight (October 2, 2014)
  8. ^Venta, Lance (December 1, 2014)."CBS Beasley Deal Closes".RadioInsight.RetrievedDecember 1,2014.
  9. ^Farewell to the Fan; 98.7 drops Sports format,Tampa Bay Times,December 5, 2014
  10. ^98.7 The Fan Signs Offfrom Format Change Archive December 4, 2014
  11. ^"Bubba The Love Sponge Announces Bubba 98.7 Launch - RadioInsight".2 February 2015.
  12. ^"Bubba the Love Sponge morning show returns to local radio".Tampa Bay Times.
  13. ^"Bubba 98.7 Debuts - Format Change Archive".2 February 2015.
  14. ^WBRN-FM Drops Bubba 98.7 BrandingRadioinsight - December 9, 2015
  15. ^98.7 Tampa Drops Bubba the Love Sponge For SantaRadioinsight - December 12, 2016
  16. ^Griffin, Justine (February 8, 2017)."'Bubba the Love Sponge Show' to air on WWBA-AM 820 in Tampa Bay ".Tampa Bay Times.Retrieved22 February2017.
  17. ^"Beasley Launches AC" B98.7 "Tampa - RadioInsight".5 January 2017.
  18. ^"WBRN-FM Becomes AC B98.7 - Format Change Archive".5 January 2017.
  19. ^Staff, FCC Internet Services."Call Sign History".licensing.fcc.gov.
  20. ^98.7 the Shark Attacks Tampa Bay with Classic Rock
[edit]
Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=WPBB&oldid=1240989341"