The Eastern Massachusetts Radio Timeline: the 1990s
[
1915–1929
|
1930–1939
|
1940–1949
|
1950–1959
|
1940–1969
|
1970–1979
|
1980–1989
|
1990–1999
|
2000–2009
]
1990
1991
- July 1
- WLVG sold at auction to Bob Bittner.
- Sept. 3
- WEEI flips to all-sports.
- Oct.
- W249AX becomes W242AA, translating WGBH-FM.
1992
- Feb. 12
- WVBF flips from gold AC to country as WCLB.
- Aug. 4
- WWEA flips to beautiful music, becomes WJIB.
1993
- May
- WCDJ sold to Greater Media and flips to country as
WBCS.
1994
- May
- WCGY is sold to American Radio Systems; WMFP is sold to
Shop-at-Home network.
- Aug. 29
- WHDH expires; the WEEI call sign and programming moves to
850. The following month, the old WEEI would become
business-talk WBNW.
- Sept. 27
- WCGY interim format begins.
- Sept. 28
- Silent WCVX (58 Vineyard Haven) is sold to Boston University
Communications.
- Sept. 30
- WCGY flips to seventies oldies.
- Oct.
- WVEI (1440 Worcester) drops WEEI simulcast and becomes
WWTM.
- Oct.
- WBMA (890 Dedham) is on the air testing.
- Nov.
- WSSH (1510 Boston) is purchased by religious broadcaster
Communicom. WCGY becomes WEGQ, “Eagle 93.7”.
- Nov. 3
- WBIV (1060 Natick) goes dark; WBMA is operating
full-time from the old 1060 array in Ashland.
- Nov. 30
- WCVX returns to the air as WZBU // WABU.
1995
- Feb.
- WSSH becomes WNRB; WBMA flips to all-sports.
- Apr.
- W32AY started on channel 32.
- June 1
- WBMA picks up Prime Sports Radio affiliation and becomes
WBPS.
- June 22
- WCLB(FM) becomes WKLB-FM.
- June 25
- WPLM-FM flips to smooth jazz.
- July 10
- WFXT sale for $105M to News Corp. finally closes.
- July 17
- Pyramid Communications sells out to Evergreen Media.
- Aug. 1
- CBS agrees to be purchased by Westinghouse Electric,
bringing WBZ and WODS under common ownership. Westinghouse
will drop the “Group W” moniker and rename itself
CBS Corporation after spinning off its remaining non-media
businesses.
- Sept.
- WNHT (21 Concord, N.H.) returns to the air as WNBU //
WABU.
- Dec.
- Westinghouse purchase of CBS closes.
- Dec. 13
- WSSH-FM becomes Smooth Jazz WOAZ.
1996
The Telecommunications Act of 1996 ushers in a new era of media
consolidation, eliminating most national limits on station
ownership and allowing one owner to control as many as eight
radio stations in a market (depending on the definitions of
“control” and ”market”, both of which
would remain in flux for some time). Limits on
newspaper-broadcast cross-ownership remain in place, but are
under challenge. The FCC will eventually permit common
ownership of multiple television stations in the largest markets
as well.
- Jan.
- Evergreen purchase of Pyramid closes.
- Mar. 4
- Granum is sold to Infinity for $410M, including WBOS,
WOAZ.
1997
1998
- Oct. 29
- WCVB-DT signs on, first digital TV station in New
England.
1999
