WBOQ

WBOQ

City	Gloucester, Massachusetts
Broadcast area	North Shore Merrimack Valley
Branding	North Shore 104.9
Slogan	Your Good Times Favorites Station
Frequency	104.9 MHz
First air date	September 14, 1964 (1964-09-14)^[1]
Format	Classic hits/Full-Service
ERP	6,000 watts
HAAT	98 meters (322 ft)
Class	A
Facility ID	61409
Transmitter coordinates	42°38′22″N 70°56′20″W / 42.6395°N 70.9389°W / 42.6395; -70.9389Coordinates: 42°38′22″N 70°56′20″W / 42.6395°N 70.9389°W / 42.6395; -70.9389
Callsign meaning	WBOQ = W-Bach (former station identifier when it was classical)
Former callsigns	WVCA-FM (1964–1988)
Affiliations	Westwood One
Owner	Westport Communications Limited Partnership
Webcast	Listen Live
Website	www.northshore1049.com

WBOQ (104.9 FM; "North Shore 104.9") is a Classic Hits/Full-Service radio station licensed to Gloucester, Massachusetts, USA, with studios on Route 1A in North Beverly. The station is currently owned by Westport Broadcasting.

Programming

The frequency was home to a longtime classical format, first as WVCA and then WBOQ ("W-Bach"). After the station's sale to new owner Douglas Tanger in 1988 it maintained its classical programming, adding on-air hosts well-versed in the form, such as professional flutist Heather Kent and program director Steve Murphy, a singer and choral conductor. In the late 1990s WBOQ transitioned to a mix of Broadway and movie music, and later to a jazz standards format. At the end of 2003 the station flipped to an oldies format under new owner Todd Tanger and Program Director Charlie Curtis, a veteran air personality at such oldies outlets as WCBS-FM in New York and WOMC in Detroit. It also adopted the new name "North Shore 104.9", to reflect the station's dedication to its North Shore location. The station's listening audience has grown considerably since then. Since 2006 it has carried Boston Red Sox baseball as part of the Red Sox Radio Network.

The station began broadcasting from a new transmitter site in Topsfield on January 10, 2013, with a 6,000 watt signal which has increased coverage to other areas such as the Merrimack Valley and the Route 1 corridor. The station now identifies as "WBOQ Gloucester-Boston".

History

WVCA

The station was founded by Lowell, Massachusetts native Simon Geller (c.1920-July 11, 1995). After working in radio in New Jersey, Geller moved to Gloucester in 1964 because, he told a reporter, it was the biggest town on the East Coast without a radio station. He first applied for a license for an AM station on 1410 kHz but the F.C.C. denied this, awarding the frequency instead to Brockton, Massachusetts. They suggested Geller apply for an FM channel at 104.9 MHz instead. This station became WVCA: The Voice of Cape Ann, a phrase which became attached to Mr. Geller himself. Geller operated the station out of his apartment, running it primarily on donations from among his estimated 43,000 listeners within the 35-mile radius reached by the station. When it was time to take a lunch break or run an errand, the unpredictable Geller might simply shut the station down. His eccentric on-air behavior earned Geller a loyal following of listeners wondering what he might do or say next.

One of the early programming choices was Top 40, followed by Classical later in the evening. Tom Todisco became one of the earliest WVCA DJ's, and his show, "Tommy T's Teen Scene" became popular and made a dent in the ratings at the expense of the Boston stations. Tom later became famous for his award winning direction of TV-38's Red Sox coverage for many years.

Geller owned the station for over 20 years before selling it in 1988 and moving to Las Vegas. During the time he owned WVCA, Grandbanke Communications filed a petition to deny license renewals because, they argued, he had not fulfilled the station's public service requirements. Grandbanke's application to take over the frequency was at first successful but upon appeal it was ultimately denied in 1985. Geller's argument was that the value of the frequency had gone up considerably, to at least $800,000, due to its proximity to Boston.

References

↑ Broadcasting & Cable Yearbook 1999 (PDF). 1999. p. D-210. Retrieved March 17, 2015.

Conniff, Richard (September 15, 1986). "In Massachusetts: Giving Music". TIME.

External links

WBOQ official website

Query the FCC's FM station database for WBOQ

Radio-Locator information on WBOQ

Query Nielsen Audio's FM station database for WBOQ

Radio stations in Boston, including Eastern Massachusetts

By AM frequency	590 650 680 740 800 850 890 950 980² 1030¹ 1060² 1090 1120 1150 1200 1230² 1260 1300 1330 1360 1390² 1410 1430 1460² ³ 1470 1490² 1510 1550 1570² 1600

By FM frequency	88.1 88.9 89.7 90.3 90.9 91.5 91.5 91.5² 91.5 91.7 91.9 92.5² 92.9 93.7 94.5 95.3 95.9² 96.9 97.7 98.5 99.1² 99.5 99.9 100.1 100.7 101.7 102.5 103.3 104.1 104.5² 104.9² 104.9 105.7 106.7 107.3² 107.9

Via FM subcarrier	67 kHz Radio Maria Estados Unidos (Spanish) Talking Information Center (radio reading service) TNT Radio Boston (Vietnamese) 92 kHz Radio Voie du Salut (Haitian Creole/English religion)

By NOAA Weather Radio frequency	162.425 162.475

Digital radio by frequency & subchannel	1030 1430 88.9-1 89.7-1 89.7-2 89.7-3 90.9-1 92.9-1 92.9-2 94.5-1 94.5-2 96.9-1 96.9-2 97.7-1 97.7-2 97.7-3 98.5-1 98.5-2 98.5-3 100.7-1 100.7-2 100.7-3 102.5-1 103.3-1 104.1-1 104.1-2 104.1-3 104.1-4 105.7-1 106.7-1 106.7-2 107.3-1 107.3-2 107.3-3 107.9-1 107.9-2

By callsign	KHB35 WAAF² WAMG WATD² WATD-FM² WAZN WBIX WBMX WBNW² WBOQ² WBOS WBQT WBRS WBUR-FM WBWL WBZ WBZ-FM WCAP² WCEC² WCRB WEEI WEEI-FM WERS WESX² WEZE WGBH WHHB WHRB WILD WJDA WJIB WJMN WKAF WKLB-FM WKOX WLYN WMBR WMEX WMFO WMJX WMLN-FM WMVX² WMWM WNG574 WNTN WODS WPLM² WPLM-FM² WQOM WRBB WRCA WRKO WROL WROR-FM WSRO WUMB-FM WUML² WUNR WWDJ WXLO² WXKS WXKS-FM WXRV WZBC WZBR WZLX WZLY

Internet stations	WBCN RadioBDC

Defunct stations	WDIS WFNX WGI/WARC

Nearby Markets Providence Manchester Worcester Cape Cod Concord Newport Springfield Portsmouth ¹ = Clear-channel stations with extended nighttime coverage. ² = A station from a neighboring market that serves Boston and area, and is considered a "Boston station" by Nielsen Audio. ³ = Station is silent.

Classic hits radio stations in Massachusetts

By frequency	1110 100.1 100.1 101.9 102.3 103.3-2 104.1-2 104.9 105.7

By callsign	WBMX-HD2 WBOQ WCIB WGTX WODS-HD2 WROR-FM WUPE WUPE-FM WWFX

By city	Boston Boston Falmouth Framingham Gloucester North Adams Pittsfield Southbridge Truro

See also adult contemporary classic hits college country news/talk NPR oldies religious rock sports top 40 urban other radio stations in Massachusetts See also Oldies Classic Hits

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