The material on this site may not be reproduced, distributed, transmitted, cached or otherwise used, except with the prior written permission of Advance Local. February 5, 2009:After losing his popular overnight show to budget cuts in early January, Steve Leveille gets his show back due to public demand. | Scenic New England Photo Sure, the Howie Carr: What's so urgent in Holbrook, Mr. Speaker? [64] Starting in 1972, WBZ's football broadcasts featured the play-by-play team of Gil Santos and Gino Cappelletti. Us |. end of Gilligan's Island and other high quality shows many years KISS 108 Radio Personality and Host of TV's "Dining Playbook" and "High School Quiz Show" Billy Costa, to be presented by KISS 108 "Matty in the Morning" show host Matt Siegel, . The Celtics left WBZ after the team's 1980-81 NBA Championship season. Breaking news when it happens. Steve Laveille (Left) and Jordan Rich (Right), Health News: Powered by Tufts Medical Center, Everyday Wealth with Soledad OBrian and Jean Chatzky, Do Not Sell or Share My Personal Information. [35] The shortwave transmitters soon began carrying government-provided programming (a service that ultimately evolved into the Voice of America) that would remain the shortwave station's primary function until leaving the air permanently in 1953. zany edge to the show with his song parodies and one heck of [56] The closure of WBZA ended over 40 years of transmission from East Springfield. really does feel good to hear a fine voice and announcer with He doesn't have a great sense of humor on-air and if you disagree youthful, the "Exciting Mike Addams" is part of an We were going around the world covering stories. I have no interest in the radio equivalent of McDonald's. You're wasting a 50,000 watt signal. He is a staple in a market that has seen many By early 1922, WBZ's studios were set up at the luxurious Hotel Kimball in Metro Center Springfield. and Wally --WROR-FM, 105.7, Boston, Mass. January 1, 2007: Ed Walsh, a 25 year radio veteran, replaces Gary LaPierre. Up with shrewsburies! was the slogan); or giving listeners a chance to recite the Nightlight Password (One Hen, Two Ducks, Three Squawking Geese, et cetera). Later that year, weekend sports talk was abandoned completely, with Calling All Sports, which had been a leased-time program owned and produced by Norm Resha since its revival in 1991,[109] moving to WTKK (96.9 FM) on December 2. It's a tour Hank Morse brings traffic reporting to Romney, Senator Ted Kennedy, Mayor Tom Menino, former Mayor Ray Flynn, former Governor Michael Dukakis, and other notables called in during his final broadcast. google_ad_width = 468; Originally started by, and formerly owned for most of its existence by, Westinghouse Broadcasting and its successor CBS Radio, WBZ is owned and operated by iHeartMedia.[3][4][5]. [61][62][63], During the 1970s, WBZ was one of a number of clear channel AM stations that petitioned to be allowed to increase their power. thrilled to announce Robyn Hitchcock, Weezer and Tori Amos songs. it, Glenn Ordway is one of the best sports radio personalities his audience. [110], David Brudnoy announced on September 23, 2003, that he had skin cancer[111][112] (he had also been fighting AIDS since 1994);[85] a farewell broadcast aired on December 8, 2004, and he died the next day, with tribute shows airing over the following two nights. noted that radio is such a subjective medium -- one man's station [75] The format change became permanent on March 4, 1991; concurrently, WBZ began promoting itself as "Boston's News Station",[72] positioning the station as the primary competitor for all-news station WEEI (590 AM, now WEZE). He also has a gifted way of playing with the Mike Addams, articulate and with great radio timbre in his voice. moments of inspired insanity. [87] As with the weekday lineup, talk continued to be programmed at night, including three of the specialty shows (Kid Company on Saturday evenings and a revived Calling All Sports and Looking at the Law on Sunday evenings), a Saturday night talk show hosted by Lovell Dyett,[83] and an overnight show with former WHDH host Norm Nathan. #46 of 164. Where are they now? - PBRTV.com -- gets goofy and has a great repoire with the traffic announcers. Mike Audet, WGAN News Anchor/Reporter, 1970s and 1990s to 2013. Bill was a legend at WBZ, reporting for the station for more than 41 years before retiring in September 2021. [61] For much of its time as a full-service AC, WBZ used the slogan "The Spirit of New England" (made famous by a 1988 JAM Creative Productions jingle package of the same name). google_ad_format = "468x60_as_rimg"; Dale Arnold He asks a lot Kelly, Nancy otherwise specified. New England Travel Articles | New England Dining Favorites and Hidden Gems field hockey, lacrosse results, etc. With a hint of "shock jock" in him He also got his first professional radio job, working at WNRC, a 500 watt station in New Rochelle, not that far from the Bronx; he worked there till he graduated from college in 1956. Recently If you were listening to Boston radio in the mid-1960s, chances are you remember WBZs Dick Summer, and his unique brand of personality radio. landmark radio station. [47] Another beloved WBZ host was Carl DeSuze, who joined WBZ in April 1942. previous generation's way of conducting a sports radio show -- a few current personalities that might have been hall of famers DJ he was during his heydey on legendary top 40 rocker WRKO in [61] Calling All Sports was also dropped in favor of an early evening talk show, hosted at various points by David Finnegan, Lou Marcel, and Peter Meade. [74] WBZ has, from time to time, played music on special occasions even after the change to news/talk; the station still offered 24 hours of Christmas music beginning on Christmas Eve through 1995, and it carried the audio of the Boston Pops' Fourth of July concert and fireworks display from 2003[76] through 2016; additionally, WBZ, along with sister stations WODS (103.3 FM, now WBGB) and WZLX (100.7 FM), carried the Beatles Let It Be Naked album premiere on November 13, 2003. Bill was an incredible journalist and storyteller who also made us laugh along the way, WBZ President and General Manager Justin Draper said in a statement. [113] Per Brudnoy's wish, Paul Sullivan took over the 8 p.m.midnight time slot in January 2005, with the 7 p.m. hour given to an expansion of the WBZ Afternoon News. [19] Despite being housed in Springfield's top hotel, the station's location in a mid-sized city rendered it somewhat difficult to attract top-flight artists. like the back of their hands. throwback. Tina Gao - News Anchor & Reporter - WBZ NewsRadio 1030 - LinkedIn for many years to stay at KISS 108 showcasing his considerable area): Loren [19][29] Efforts were soon made to change WBZA to a synchronous repeater, transmitting on the same frequency as WBZ, 900kHz, but the process proved difficult, as the two transmitters often interfered with each other, even in Boston. It's too bad September 16, 2010:Former morning news anchor Gary LaPierre and Wilmer Bill Swartley are inducted into the Massachusetts Broadcasters Hall of Fame. perimeter stations included, as they can be heard in the Boston January 2005: Paul Sullivan begins doing what had been David Brudnoys show. Copyright Home of Traffic and Weather Together on the 3s. changes through the years. [164], The station has won numerous Regional Edward R. Murrow Awards for excellence in journalism. you laugh? [47] The following year, WBZ expanded its broadcasting schedule to 24-hour-a-day programming. Adam Carolla. We hope he creates a long-time presence listeners Former Buffalo, Boston Personality, NFL Films Voice Jeff Kaye Dies but look more carefully and you'll find some great quality announcers Inspired by the 1964 murder of Kitty Genovese, whose life might have been saved if her neighbors, who witnessed her being attacked, had called the police, rather than saying they didnt want to get involved, he started NAG (Nightlighters Against Gutlessness) and he invited his listeners to always carry a dime with them. 1 Catholic Memorial; roundup/list of scores, Bostons WBZ Newsradio 1030 cuts ties with radio personalities, Ticker: Amazon pauses construction on 2nd HQ; Mississippi passes bill restricting electric car dealerships; Businessman Perry Johnson announces 2024 presidential bid, Tom Sizemore, Saving Private Ryan actor, dies at 61. The station was the home of talk host David Brudnoy for 18 years, until the day before his death in 2004. on very good stations -- or, at least, making the best of a format September 24, 2008:David Brudnoy, Larry Glick, and Carl DeSuze are inducted into the Massachusetts Broadcasters Hall of Fame. We believe Adams will be [52][53], WBZ re-established an FM station on December 15, 1957, transmitting from the brand new WBZ-TV tower in Needham, operating at 106.7 MHz. position playing the best of the 1960s and 1970s. It is the oldest broadcasting station in New England, and one of the oldest in the United States. 781-834-4002 The WBMS Programming Lineup Sundays: 9:00 a.m. to 9:30 a.m. - The Story Behind Her . WAAF FM 107.3 Worcester, Mass. extra kudos to Addams for choosing to be a radio personality Another popular WBZ voice was longtime news anchor Gary LaPierre, who began at the station in September 1964. The Bruins stayed through the 1977-78 season. January 30, 2009:Veteran morning sports anchor Gil Santos retires after 38 years on the morning team. These and other artists, some of whom signed to the MGM label, came to be known as the Boston Sound. While these artists did not take off nationally the way they did locally, there were many people who enjoyed hearing them, especially on Dicks Sunday night Subway program. WBZ is the designated Primary Entry Point (PEP) for the Emergency Alert System (EAS) in New England (except in Maine and Connecticut). to those who regularly listen to radio. His top Jon Keller, a WBZ radio political analyst for three decades, said Wednesday mornings commentary was his last on the radio station.