WUBG (AM)

WUBG
City Methuen, Massachusetts
Broadcast area Greater Boston
Branding "Big 105.3"
Slogan "Biggest Hits of the 60's and 70's"
Frequency 1570 kHz
Translator(s) 105.3 W287CW (Methuen)
First air date December 22, 1963 (as WMLO)[1]
Format Classic hits
Power 44,000 watts day
140 watts night
Class D
Facility ID 22798
Transmitter coordinates 42°40′26.72″N 71°11′25.82″W / 42.6740889°N 71.1905056°W / 42.6740889; -71.1905056 (WUBG)Coordinates: 42°40′26.72″N 71°11′25.82″W / 42.6740889°N 71.1905056°W / 42.6740889; -71.1905056 (WUBG)
Callsign meaning MeUthen BiG
Former callsigns WMLO (1963–1979)
WBVD (1979–1984)
WNSH (1984–2012)
WMVX (2012–2017)
WCCM (2017–2018)
Affiliations Good Time Oldies
Owner Costa-Eagle Radio Ventures Limited Partnership
Sister stations WCCM, WMVX, WNNW
Webcast Listen Live
Website www.big1053.com

WUBG (1570 kHz; "Big 105.3") is a commercial AM radio station licensed to Methuen, Massachusetts, and serving the northern suburbs of Greater Boston. The station is owned by Costa-Eagle Radio Ventures Limited Partnership, a partnership between Pat Costa and his chief investor, The Eagle-Tribune.[2] WUBG broadcasts a classic hits format. The station is branded as "Big 105.3", referring to its FM translator station, W287CW at 105.3 MHz.

WUBG's transmitter is located off Chandler Road in Andover, near the interchange of Interstate 93 and Interstate 495.[3] The station is powered at 44,000 watts by day. But because AM 1570 is a clear channel frequency reserved for Mexico, it must reduce power at night to only 140 watts to avoid interfering with other radio stations. It uses a non-directional antenna at all times. The 250 watt translator station, W287CW, has a transmitter near Girard Road in Medford.[4]

History

Logo as "Nossa Radio", from 2014 to 2017

The station signed on the air on December 22, 1963 as WMLO, a 500-watt radio station.[1] It was originally licensed to Beverly, Massachusetts.[5] It changed its call sign to WBVD on December 5, 1979 and to WNSH on July 1, 1984.[6] Its studios have been located in Danvers,[5] in Salem (at Pickering Wharf), and on the second floor of a hardware warehouse in Hamilton.

In 2011, Willow Farm, Inc. sold WNSH for $400,000 to Costa-Eagle Broadcasting. In March 2011, Costa-Eagle changed the station to "Viva 1570." The format changed from tropical music, simulcasting Costa-Eagle sister station WNNW, to Spanish adult contemporary. On November 26, 2012, the call letters were changed to WMVX.[6] The station switched to a Brazilian Portuguese music and talk format in July 2014. On October 8, 2014, the New England Revolution soccer team announced that WMVX would become its Portuguese-language flagship station.[7]

In January 2013, WMVX was granted a U.S. Federal Communications Commission (FCC) construction permit to increase daytime power to 50,000 watts. Even with the anticipated increase to 50,000 watts, the maximum AM power allowed by the FCC, the permit required the station to reduce power at night to 85 watts because 1570 kHz is a Mexican clear channel frequency and WMVX must protect XERF in Ciudad Acuña, Coahuila, the Class A station on 1570. In 2016, the station switched its city of license from Beverly to Methuen with its transmitter in Andover, Massachusetts.

Logo as "Galaxia Boston", used in late 2017

The station changed its call sign to WCCM on April 1, 2017.[6] It swapped call letters with its sister station in Salem, New Hampshire.[8] Also in 2017, the Brazilian Portuguese programming, branded "Nossa Radio," was dropped from the station. Its programmer, the International Church of the Grace of God, bought AM 1260 WBIX the following year, to air programming for the Boston area's Brazilian and Portuguese listeners.[9][10] WCCM then returned to simulcasting WNNW, and briefly ran a separate Spanish-language music format branded "Galaxia."

In March 2018, the station was heard simulcasting sister station WMVX (with an FM translator at 98.9 MHz), running classic hits as "Valley 98.9." On April 2, 2018, 1570 AM started broadcasting a classic hits format separate from WMVX.[11] On April 3, the call sign was changed to WUBG.[6]

Translators

In addition to the main station, WUBG is relayed by an FM translator.

Call signFrequency
(MHz)		City of licenseFacility
ID		ERP
W		ClassTransmitter coordinatesFCC info
W287CW105.3Methuen, Massachusetts139956250D42°25′52″N 71°5′19″W / 42.43111°N 71.08861°W / 42.43111; -71.08861 (W287CW)FCC

References

  1. 1 2 Halper, Donna; Wollman, Garrett. "The Eastern Massachusetts Radio Timeline: the 1960s". The Archives @ BostonRadio.org. Retrieved April 10, 2017.
  2. ↑ "WUBG Facility Record". United States Federal Communications Commission, audio division.
  3. ↑ Radio-Locator.com/WUBG
  4. ↑ Radio-Locator.com/W287CW
  5. 1 2 "WBVD (WUBG) FCC history cards" (PDF). CDBS Public Access. Federal Communications Commission. Retrieved April 10, 2017.
  6. 1 2 3 4 "Call Sign History (WUBG)". CDBS Public Access. Federal Communications Commission. Retrieved April 4, 2018.
  7. ↑ "Brazilian radio station WMVX1570 NOSSA RADIO USA becomes the official Portuguese voice of the Revolution" (Press release). Foxborough, Massachusetts and Somerville, Massachusetts: New England Revolution. October 8, 2014. Retrieved March 6, 2015.
  8. ↑ Venta, Lance (April 4, 2017). "Classic Hits Comes To The Merrimack Valley". RadioInsight. Retrieved April 10, 2017. The WMVX call letters have brought over from 1570 in Methuen MA, with the WCCM calls moved there.
  9. ↑ Venta, Lance (January 8, 2018). "WBIX Boston Drops Conservative Talk For Brazilian". RadioInsight. Retrieved April 4, 2018.
  10. ↑ Venta, Lance (January 19, 2018). "Station Sales Week Of 1/19: A Pair Of Boston AMs Sold". RadioInsight. Retrieved April 4, 2018.
  11. ↑ Venta, Lance (April 3, 2018). "Big 105.3 Brings Classic Hits To Boston's Suburbs". RadioInsight. Retrieved April 4, 2018.


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