WBMX moved all of its subchannels with it from 98.5 to 104.1: "Mix" on analog and HD-1, "The '80s Channel" on HD-2, and "The Sky" on HD-3. If you're a scraper, please click the link below :-) Along with Andrew Kopkind, John Scagliotti, Bill Lichtenstein, and Marsha Steinberg, the news department evolved radically, introducing such novel concepts as a show oriented toward prison inmates, health warnings about the hazards of street drugs, a lost pet-finding service called the Cat and Dog Report, a travelers' aid service called the Travelers' Friend, live updates on the traffic problems at Woodstock, and by 1970, live-to-air concert broadcasts. WBCN was always in a state of perpetual brokenness. Search the history of over 797 billion While earning this degree, Martinie was first introduced to astrology when he attended a meeting of the school's astrology club. Learn more about the people at WBCN: Carter Alan Andy Beaubien John Brodey T. Mitchell Hastings J.J. Jackson Sam Kopper Charles Laquidara ChaChi Loprete Maxanne Oedipus Mark Parenteau Jim Parry Al Perry Ray Riepen Joe Rogers Danny Schechter Steve Segal Ken Shelton Matt Siegel Debbie Ullman Norm Winer Peter Wolf He hosts The Adam Carolla Show, a talk show distributed as a podcast .more #46 of 164 The Best Talk Show Hosts Of Daytime, Late Night, and All Time #37 of 61 Innovations at BCNlike the mix of music, talk, and humor that Charles Laquidara brought to his morning show The Big Mattresswere soon replicated across the country. Youre acting like Duane and you are separate people. And I said, But you just fired Duane! *Howard Stern (born January 12, 1954). The station survived and prospered through generations in spite of tumultuous turnover, not to mention a 1979 strike by its DJs and staff. Now they can actually afford to put out a halfway decent independent record which gets noticed by the major label, and now they get signed by the major label and become stars. A classical music station in its first ten years on the air, beginning in 1968, WBCN featured a rock format for 41 years. Is it a music station? Their playlist in general was more varied than many of their competitors, there was some focus on local music (also see the WBCN Rock & Roll Rumble), and the station was known nationwide for breaking acts (The Cars, 'Til Tuesday, U2) and setting trends. They had a studio upstairs, thats where the classical music station was, and thats where it started. For a long time, WBCN successfully balanced new and old music (featuring the slogan "Classic to Cutting Edge"). Regular and special guests chat with me . There wasnt bitterness; there was just sadness at the end. The station brought former disc jockeys into its studios to say goodbye. [22] The final song "Mix" played on 98.5 was "Move Along" by The All-American Rejects,[23] while the first song "Mix" played on 104.1 was "Use Somebody" by Kings of Leon. If you've ever wondered what your favorite radio personalities look like, scroll down or check out the slideshow. The aim was music discovery, which often meant strange and surprising band pairings. Laquidara would then give Martinie his start in radio as well as his nickname "The Cosmic Muffin", which was taken from a National Lampoon Radio Dinner parody "Deteriorata". fostered since 1968. The call sign stood for the Boston Concert Network (along with Hartford's WHCN, New York City's WNCN, and Providence's WXCN). Quick story about that first show: I prepped the hell out of it. Mark Parenteau was up in the car, doing a live broadcast. Charles Laquidara played Superman by The Kinks back to back for an entire show in celebration. Adam Carolla is an American radio personality and television host, comedian and actor. For those who lived in the listening area, which. Legendary Boston stripper Princess Cheyenne hosted a Sunday night sex advice show that eventually led to one of her appearances in Playboy Magazine in April 1986. Were all on a mattress together. I think it was $10,000. In a lot of ways, what Howard Stern does really grew from what Charles did. In the summer of 1999, WBCN moved its format away from strictly alternative music and more towards an active rock-leaning modern rock format. There were other conspiring factors, too: The alt-rock format was souring. nhbob Elektra Records said, Hey, why dont we give away a car? Okay: Thats easy, thats ordinary. Boston, Massachusetts, United States. The station was more commercial and "programmed" by this point, but still retained some of its progressive energy and edge. WBCN's 104.1 analog and HD-1 moved to 98.5 (WBZ-FM) HD-2. Once you reach number one, once you reach that magical economic success, once you reach X number of millions of dollars in billing, where do you go? Biography. This is awful! You have to be exceeding your success. Worcester personality and deejay LB Worm paid tribute on his . Music is a passion. Following the Telecommunications Act of 1996 which relaxed ownership rules for media, the station became just one small part of a vast empire at CBS/Viacom. Billy called up doing bacon frying. Im not a real fan of what he did or what he does. The 5-8 p.m. block on WRBB at the time was for alternative and indie rock . From February 26, 1991, to December 3, 2017, the "Mix" format in Boston used the callsign WBMX. The protest got local media coverage and the attention of several well-known Boston-based music acts, including The Cars, Aerosmith, and Boston, who got behind the protest. B96 - WBBM 96.3 FM. The Crypto Zoo August 14th Boston, 104.1 MHz FM. [24], On February 2, 2017, CBS Radio announced it would merge with Entercom (which locally owned WEEI, WEEI-FM, WRKO, WKAF, and WAAF). If anyone had anything to say, it went on the intercom. 2 While San Francisco was celebrating a psychedelic Summer of Love in 1967, Boston stayed buttoned up and battened down. [1] He gained notoriety as the pink-haired DJ who created the first Punk rock radio show in America, introducing Punk and New Wave to Boston and to the country. So Ill wait. If a certain jock was playing a record we liked all of the time, our answer was to put it in the REO Speedwagon section so he couldnt find it. Its legacy was in the artists it helped break. Added Parenteaus longtime attorney Frank Cimler: Mark was a terrific radio personality who, at the height of his career, was must listen-to radio.. He reminds me, every time I see him, that Id be nowhere without him. [3][4], In the late 1990s, Martinie began easing into retirement. The station lost some of its longtime listeners (who migrated to the now co-owned WZLX, where former WBCN DJs Laquidara and Carter Alan had gone), but quickly gained credibility among many younger people. As part of the switch, the WBMX call letters were parked on 1660 AM in Charlotte from July 29, 2009, until WBCN signed off for the last time at 104.1 in Boston on August 12, 2009. By June 1968, the station's air staff included Mississippi, Peter Wolf (who was just starting with the J. Geils Band), Tommy Hadges, Jim Parry, Al Perry, and Sam Kopper was joined by Steven "The Seagull" Segal. General Hospital, Alan said, where he was recovering from surgery. You go to a station for a specific reason and its just the way things have gone. Exec at RAB in NYCTom Couch 1976-82 Production Manager at WXRT,ChicagoPeter Choyce 1978-88 Air Talent,Las VegasCarolyn Fox 1991-93 Air Talent,Providence RIJerry "The Duke of Madness" Goodwin 1977-81 Air Talent,WCGY,Lawrence MAEddie Gordetsky 1978-82 Comedy Writer in NYC and LAKenny Greenblatt 1968-1979 deceasedTommy Hadges 1968-78 President of Pollack Media Groupin LATami Heidi 1977-79 1984-91 Air Talent,KROQ in LAJohn "Hoch" Hoccheimer 1972 Professor at Ithaca College in Itaca,NYKate Ingram 1979-81 Harmonic Converge,San FranciscoEric Jackson 1973-75 Air Talent,WGBH-FM BostonJ.J. It was also a groundbreaking station. Branded as "WAAF", WWBX-HD2 also simulcasts over the HD2 digital subchannel of WEEI-FM and is available online via Audacy; both subchannels previously simulcast the analog signal of WAAF (107.3 FM) until that station was divested to the Educational Media Foundation on February 22, 2020.[29]. Gil Santos, former WBZ sports reporter, did play-by-play, while Gino Cappelletti, former Patriots star, provided color commentary. I was the rare DJ from somewhere else. On September 14, 2009, WBCN split from WFNZ and became "America's Talk", a conservative-leaning talk station. Acts including Led Zeppelin, Grateful Dead, Fleetwood Mac, Eric Clapton, Jeff Beck, Van Morrison and The Kinks all played The Boston Tea Party. So that effectively destroyed radio. He held his final radio gig at the former XM satellite radio station in Washington, D.C. until his arrest. I thought the song was appropriate.. People forget that there was a time when the Police were brand-new and they played the Rat, in Kenmore Square. "WBCN Free Form Rock" (originally "WBCN Free Form 104", then "Free Form BCN") was a digital-only radio station broadcasting on the Internet and in the Boston radio market on WZLX 100.7 HD3. You cant go backward. That does not exist anymore. penny modesto. The Patriots on the weekend: Is it a football station? Since then:Assistant program director and midday DJ, WZLX. Yes, in the years that followed, we had competition. But youve got to admit hes creative and managed to make it successful. WBCN-FM, a collective of free-spirited radio pioneers, launched from the fading grandeur of a classical music radio station rapidly spinning out of business. He was called the unofficial sixth member of Aerosmith by virtue of his close friendships with the members of the Boston-based band. Ive heard that story six times, and its told differently each time. "WBCN Free Form Rock" was formatted to play multiple music genres (including rock, jazz, the blues, and country). I can remember sitting in the back of my parents Plymouth Valiant. Many of the DJs, particularly morning "Big Mattress" host Charles Laquidara, were now local quasi-celebrities. Oh, the stories you heard. And the Internets savage evisceration of the music industry finished off what was left. The Rock of Boston. Chicago Radio Personalities - Where are they now, 8. Rich Curtis. CBS Radio will launch 98.5 The Sports Hub in the other slot. Profile: WBCN was an over-the-air radio station in Boston, Massachusetts, USA. Rob also hosts one of America's fastest growing and highest rated political commentary shows, The Newsmax Daily with Rob Carson.. In December 2017, owner Beasley Broadcast Group discontinued WBCN, switching the station's format to 'Hubcast', a replay of segments and podcasts from air . He died on July 26, 2006 at his home in Saugus, Massachusetts.[4]. A weekly journey through the wild and twisted mind of Mikey Adams. WBCN is a CBS Radio station. Howie Carr: The kinked grocery cart under Biden's America, Hire at Massachusetts U.S. Attorney's Office loses job after old racist, sexist tweets emerge, Patriots slammed in NFLPA survey about team facilities, player working conditions, Boston Police seize 37 dirt bikes and mopeds, recover fentanyl and guns, and arrest 4 after 'illegal drag racing' investigation, 98.5 employees had their sensitivity training after Tony Massarotti suspension, Mike Felger rants about people getting fired over a 'bad comment', Student loan debt cancellation could be on thin ice as Supreme Court takes up case, Massachusetts lawmakers push for relief, Milton asks governor to stop demolition of broken MBTA station staircase, Black WWII vets denied G.I. Capture a web page as it appears now for use as a trusted citation in the future. People really related to that. So many of the best stories would get me or somebody else in trouble, which is probably why theyre great stories. Callers to the WBCN Listener Line got advice on everything from new bands to how to survive a bad drug trip. It led us to all of the other decisions. [22] WBCN's rock format moved to 98.5's HD2 subcarrier. The kid comes into the station. It was probably not OSHA-sanctioned. I didnt have $10. I was there at the end of the heyday in some ways. DAVID BIEBERAt WBCN:Creative services director,197894. If you're a human and see this, please ignore it. So if todays October 15, youd put 10 slash 15, and then depending on what hour you played it, if it was the first hour, you put a little diagonal X up in the upper-left corner. "WBCN's Free Form 104", moved from 104.1 HD-2 to 100.7 (WZLX) HD-3 and was renamed "Free Form BCN". When The Police were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2003, they thanked him personally for their initial support in America. It was like the old BCN, and it was remarkably brave radio. We all wish we could have been around in the 70s and 80s. The gala celebration will featu "More than a million people listen to Nancy every week," the station once boasted. The station slowly began to change to an "underground" progressive rock format on the night of March 15, 1968. They would be heard next to the great bands of the time. WBCN came along in Boston at a time when virtually every aspect of cultural, social, and political life was changing dramatically in this countrythe intersection of the women's movement, the gay. The station went on strike in 1979 because the new owners, Hemisphere Broadcasting, came in. High Profile Show & Ratings (was Re: Changes at WBCN-Boston), 5. WIVY Jacksonville "Y103 Top 40 1979 13 min. By the fall of 2002, certain classic artists, such as Aerosmith, Led Zeppelin, and Ozzy Osbourne, were added back in the station's playlist rotation. In late summer of 1969, WBCN somehow obtained a reel-to-reel tape of a reference acetate of a potential album song lineup prepared by Beatles' engineer Glyn Johns on March 10, 1969. I was like that kid. BCN was already its own entity, its own country, its own reality. In 1966 he began his first job as district manager of Illinois Bell Telephone Company in Decatur, Illinois. 3. The idea of just listening, not being distracted by images, is an art of its own. We had a grid that we taped in front of the albums, and everybody had their own color pen. While still digital and largely automated, the online stream was live Monday through Friday during the day. A Worcester native, Parenteau began his career at 15 on WORC-AM in his hometown. See details [2] Although he initially believed astrology to be "stupid" and asinine", he later became hooked. Thats how we found Billy West, from The Ren & Stimpy Show and Futurama. November 29, 2020. WBCN came along in Boston at a time when virtually every aspect of cultural, social, and political life was changing dramatically in this countrythe intersection of the womens movement, the gay and lesbian rights movement, basic rights, what it meant to be an American. Oedipus (Edward Hyson) is an American radio personality. At 12:05a.m. on August 12, 2009, the station went into a static-like sound, and after a few moments, a voice read the new station identification: "WBMX, WBMX-HD1, Boston" over the "static". Last fall, former music director Carter Alan published a history of the station, Radio Free Boston: The Rise and Fall of WBCN (Northeastern University Press), and a documentary film is in the works. That played the clubs. When the strike was over, Charles needed someone to be his brain. The union produced one son. They started questioning decisions we made, because all they cared about was ratings and dollars. We were next door to an Acura dealership. There are no reviews yet. Eddie Gorodetsky, who went on to do The Big Bang Theory and Two and a Half Men, he was our head writer. Sirius XM Radio Inc. Sep 2016 - Aug 20226 years. Everybody, send a bag of shit to Arbitron. Duane gave out the exact address, every break, for four hours. [5] In May 2001 Boston Magazine named Oedipus the third most influential person in the arts in Boston. At first, the new "American Revolution" format was only heard during the late-evening and overnight hours, but in mid-May, the station expanded the rock programming to 24 hours a day. "Free Form BCN" began airing live freeform shows in September 2009 on WZLX-HD3 and at wbcn.com. We got musicians to ask the station to stop playing the music, and the advertisers just walked away. This allowed them to retain their "Big Mattress" morning show along with its large and loyal audience. Jack O'Brien remained as the drive-time host until the following January. Aliquam varius dui varius tincidunt pulvinar. Just dont lose us the license. Suddenly for a week, it was amazing radio. [1] He did the first radio interviews with the Ramones, Talking Heads and The Damned (band), and legendary on-air conversations with The Clash, Public Image Ltd, Suicide (band) and so many others. Unlike most rock stations of the era, WBCN still allowed a degree of individual DJ control of the music. (#921058) WIVY Jacksonville, "Y103" AC Early 1991 35 min. They gave Mark Parenteau a 3, and they gave Charles Laquidara, that old guy, like a 3.6. I said, Paul, the guy singing with the high falsetto voice sounds like hes Mark Farner, a Grand Funk Railroad wannabe. The song was More Than a Feeling from the band Boston. I was only there for a short time. The station broadcasts a Rock format and is owned by Beasley Broadcast Group. It all started in. On March 15th the station celebrated 25 years on the air. If you grew up in the Boston metro, BCN was part of your life in some way, shape, or form. 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