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WBEC-FM

Coordinates: 42°24′43″N 73°17′02″W / 42.412°N 73.284°W / 42.412; -73.284
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
WBEC-FM
Broadcast areaBerkshire Mountains
Frequency95.9 MHz
BrandingLive 95-9
Programming
FormatHot adult contemporary
Affiliations
Ownership
Owner
WBEC, WNAW, WSBS, WUPE, WUPE-FM
History
First air date
1975; 49 years ago (1975)
Former call signs
  • WGRG-FM (1975–77)
  • WUPE-FM (1977–79)
  • WUPE (1979–2006)
  • WUPE-FM (April 7–14, 2006)
  • WMNB (April 14–May 2, 2006)
Call sign meaning
taken from sister station WBEC (AM), originally owned by the Berkshire Eagle Company
Technical information[1]
Licensing authority
FCC
Facility ID71437
ClassA
ERP1,000 watts
HAAT170 meters (560 ft)
Transmitter coordinates
42°24′43″N 73°17′02″W / 42.412°N 73.284°W / 42.412; -73.284
Links
Public license information
WebcastListen live
Websitelive959.com

WBEC-FM (95.9 MHz) is a commercial radio station in Pittsfield, Massachusetts. It is owned by Townsquare Media and broadcasts a hot adult contemporary format.

WBEC-FM has an effective radiated power (ERP) of 1,000 watts. The transmitter is off Alpine Trail in Pittsfield, near South Street (U.S. Route 20).[2]

History

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In 1975, the station signed on as WGRG-FM, airing a free form progressive rock sound. At that time, it was not associated with WBEC (1420 AM). WBEC had an FM station on 94.3 MHz dating back to the late 1940s, but gave it up in an era when few people owned FM receivers. It later put another FM station on the air on 105.5 MHz; that station moved to Easthampton, Massachusetts, becoming WVEI-FM, in 2006.

From 1977 to 2006, the station was known as WUPE-FM. WUPE began operations in 1977 simulcasting the top 40 sound heard on WUPE (1110 AM). WUPE-AM-FM later switched to soft adult contemporary and then oldies. After oldies, the WUPE-FM call sign and format were moved to 100.1 FM.

In August 2013, Gamma Broadcasting reached a deal to sell its Berkshire County radio stations, including WBEC-FM, to Reed Miami Holdings.[3] The sale was canceled on December 30, 2013.[4] In October 2016, Gamma agreed to sell its stations to Galaxy Communications.[5] That sale also fell through, and in 2017 the stations were acquired by Townsquare Media.[6]

References

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  1. ^ "Facility Technical Data for WBEC-FM". Licensing and Management System. Federal Communications Commission.
  2. ^ Radio-Locator.com/WBEC-FM
  3. ^ "Western Massachusetts Cluster Sold". All Access. August 23, 2013. Retrieved August 29, 2013.
  4. ^ Venta, Lance (January 14, 2014). "Pittsfield Cluster Sale Withdrawn". RadioInsight. Retrieved March 30, 2014.
  5. ^ Venta, Lance (October 17, 2016). "Galaxy Communications Acquires Pittsfield Cluster". RadioInsight. Retrieved April 19, 2017.
  6. ^ Venta, Lance (July 18, 2017). "Townsquare Media Acquires Six In Massachusetts". RadioInsight. Retrieved November 14, 2017.
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