Summary
WEIB (106.3 FM) is a radio station broadcasting a smooth jazz format. Licensed to Northampton, Massachusetts, United States, the station serves the Springfield, Massachusetts, area. The only commercial smooth jazz radio station in the Northeastern United States, WEIB is owned by Cutting Edge Broadcasting, Inc., and maintains studios on King Drive in Northampton.[3]
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|---|---|
| Broadcast area | Springfield, Massachusetts |
| Frequency | 106.3 MHz |
| Branding | 106.3 Smooth FM |
| Programming | |
| Format | Smooth jazz |
| Affiliations | Compass Media Networks |
| Ownership | |
| Owner | Cutting Edge Broadcasting, Inc. |
| History | |
First air date | 1999[1] |
| Technical information[2] | |
Licensing authority | FCC |
| Facility ID | 14771 |
| Class | A |
| ERP | 3,000 watts |
| HAAT | 88 m (289 ft) |
Transmitter coordinates | 42°22′24″N 72°40′23″W / 42.37333°N 72.67306°W |
| Links | |
Public license information |
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| Webcast | Listen Live |
| Website | weibfm.com |
History edit
The construction of a radio station on 106.3 MHz in Northampton took more than 15 years to accomplish. The first application for the frequency was filed on December 16, 1983, by a company controlled by Boston radio DJ Kenneth Carberry (known on air as Ken Carter). Three other applications were made, including one in 1984 by Carol Moore Cutting (then under the name of Cutter Broadcasting), and the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) designated the set for comparative hearing in April 1986.[4] Cutting had been inspired to file for the frequency when she moved to Northampton in 1971 and noted a lack of variety in local radio as well as a lack of Black-owned stations regionally.[5][6]
Mentoring is very important because I would not have this radio station if I had not turned on the television and saw another African American woman on the airwaves in Hartford, Connecticut.
Carol Moore Cutting[6]
All except the Cutting and Carberry applications left the field, and FCC administrative law judge Joseph Stirmer issued an initial decision in January 1988 favoring Cutter, which the FCC review board then affirmed.[7] It was not until 1992 that a construction permit was issued, after Carberry exhausted appeals to the full FCC and a federal appeals court.[5] The station then faced another seven years of delays regarding difficulties securing a tower site. Prolonged negotiations with local AM station WHMP were compounded by the need to replace that station's overloaded tower and, according to Cutting, by Robert F. X. Sillerman, who had allegedly made it "quite clear [she] wasn't going to be on the air any time soon".[5] During this time, Cutting considered giving up but credited staying in the fight to seeing another Black woman on television: Gayle King, then an anchor at WFSB television in nearby Hartford, Connecticut, who provided her mentorship.[6] Much of the studio equipment had been bought as much as five years before the station started broadcasting.[8]
The station began broadcasting in mid-1999 with full commercial operation by year's end,[1] airing its present mix of smooth jazz and adult contemporary music.[5] The station cost $750,000 to start, financed by Cutting's savings and members of her family.[9] By 2020, WEIB remained the only Black-owned radio station in New England.[6]
References edit
- ^ a b Fybush, Scott (December 3, 1999). "The CRTC Gets Busy". North East RadioWatch. Archived from the original on April 28, 2016. Retrieved August 7, 2018.
- ^ "Facility Technical Data for WEIB". Licensing and Management System. Federal Communications Commission.
- ^ "WEIB Facility Record". United States Federal Communications Commission, audio division. Archived from the original on 2002-02-13. Retrieved 2008-03-02.
- ^ "History: Docket 86-120" (PDF). Federal Communications Commission. Archived (PDF) from the original on August 5, 2022. Retrieved August 3, 2022.
- ^ a b c d Brown, Judson (December 14, 1999). "Radio station finally on air: After 15 years of struggle, WEIB offers relaxing sound". Daily Hampshire Gazette. Northampton, Massachusetts. p. A1, B2. Archived from the original on August 5, 2022. Retrieved August 4, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ a b c d Young, Robin; Raphelson, Samantha (July 22, 2020). "Diversifying The Radio Dial: Black Station Owners Demand Action". WBUR. Archived from the original on June 19, 2022. Retrieved August 4, 2022.
- ^ "Actions" (PDF). Broadcasting. September 5, 1988. p. 71. Archived (PDF) from the original on 2021-11-08. Retrieved 2022-08-04.
- ^ Reid, David (May 23, 1999). "New radio station to go on air". The Republican. p. A11.
- ^ McCrea, Bridget (February 2002). "Bucking the trend: One radio station is thriving despite industry slowdown". Black Enterprise. p. 48. ProQuest 217881758 – via ProQuest.
External links edit
- WEIB in the FCC FM station database
- WEIB in Nielsen Audio's FM station database