WBAB
WBAB (102.3 FM) is a classic rock radio station licensed to Babylon, New York and owned by Cox Radio. The station is also simulcast on WHFM (95.3 FM) licensed to Southampton, New York and serving eastern Long Island.
 | |
| City | Babylon, New York |
|---|---|
| Broadcast area | Long Island |
| Frequency | 102.3 MHz (HD Radio) |
| Branding | "102.3 WBAB" |
| Slogan | Long Island's Only Classic Rock |
| Programming | |
| Format | Classic rock |
| Ownership | |
| Owner | Cox Media Group (CMG NY/Texas Radio, LLC) |
| Sister stations | WBLI, WHFM |
| History | |
| First air date | August 27, 1958 |
| Former call signs | WBAB-FM (1958-2003)[1] |
| Call sign meaning | W BAbylon Bayshore Broadcasting (original owner) |
| Technical information | |
| Facility ID | 71199 |
| Class | A |
| ERP | 6,000 watts (analog) 240 watts (digital) |
| HAAT | 82 meters (269 ft) |
| Transmitter coordinates | 40°47′58″N 73°20′8″W |
| Links | |
| Webcast | Listen Live |
| Website | www |
History
WBAB first went on the air August 27, 1958 as WBAB-FM. It simulcast WBAB (1440 AM), until September 1975 when 1440 AM adopted a Gospel music format.[2]
Incidents
2006 signal hijacking
On the morning of Wednesday, May 17, 2006, the station's signal was hijacked for about 90 seconds[3] while the signal jammers aired the song "Nigger Hatin' Me" by the 1960s-era white supremacist country singer Johnny Rebel.[4] Roger Luce, the station's morning host, said at the time, "Whatever that was - it was very racist... 22 years at this radio station - I've never seen anything like this."[5]
The incident made all the local newscasts that night. The next morning, it made the front page of Newsday with the headline "JACKED FM". The station's new general manager, John Shea, said, "I've only been here a week and we get hijacked." Former program director John Olsen said, "This was not some child's prank, this was a federal offense."[3][6]
The hijack was likely accomplished by overpowering the studio transmitter link (STL) signal to the transmitter in Dix Hills, New York.[4] A signal hijacking with the same song happened to WBAB's sister station WBLI about two weeks earlier[4][7] on a Sunday night.
Simulcast
| Call sign | Frequency | City of license | Facility ID | ERP W |
Height m (ft) |
Class | Transmitter coordinates | First air date | Call sign meaning | Former call signs |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| WHFM | 95.3 FM (HD) | Southampton, New York | 72176 | 5,000 (Analog) 200 (Digital) | 108 m (354 ft) | A | 40°56′5″N 72°23′15″W | October 28, 1971 (as WWRJ)[8] | W Hamptons FM | WWRJ (1971-1979) WSBH (1979-1987)[9] |
Discography
- WBAB Homegrown Album (1981)
- WBAB Son of Homegrown (1984)
See also
- Opie and Anthony — Opie met Anthony when Anthony submitted a song parody while Opie worked at WBAB
References
- "WBAB Call Sign History". CDBS Public Access Database. FCC Media Bureau. Retrieved April 29, 2013.
- "Gospel for New York Suburbs" (PDF). Record World. October 1, 1977. Retrieved March 15, 2020.
- "WBAB radio signal hijacked" (website). Babylon, New York: WBAB. Archived from the original on June 30, 2009.
- Roe, Tom (May 19, 2006). "WBAB radio signal hijacked". free103point9 Newsroom / Transmission Art News. Galen Joseph-Hunter. Archived from the original on May 16, 2020.
- Aircheck of the WBAB Signal Intrusion
- Lamberty, Reid (May 18, 2006). "WBAB-FM Airwaves Hijacked By Pirates: Long Island Radio Station Has Offensive Material On Its Air". WCBSTV.com (website). Archived from the original on November 10, 2006.
- "Pirate hijacks New York radio signal". UPI. May 18, 2006. Retrieved May 16, 2020.
- "Southampton" (PDF). The Easthampton Star. November 4, 1971. Retrieved July 31, 2020.
- "WHFM Call Sign History". CDBS Public Access Database. FCC Media Bureau. Retrieved April 29, 2013.
External links
- WBAB in the FCC's FM station database
- WBAB on Radio-Locator
- WBAB in Nielsen Audio's FM station database
- WHFM in the FCC's FM station database
- WHFM on Radio-Locator
- WHFM in Nielsen Audio's FM station database