WXKS (AM)

WXKS
City Newton, Massachusetts
Broadcast area Greater Boston
Branding "Talk 1200"
Slogan "Boston's Conservative Talk"
Frequency 1200 kHz
(also on HD Radio via WJMN (FM)-HD2)
First air date April 21, 1947 (as WKOX at 1190 kHz)
Format Conservative talk
Power 50,000 watts
Class B
Facility ID 53964
Transmitter coordinates 42°17′20.0″N 71°11′21.0″W / 42.288889°N 71.189167°W / 42.288889; -71.189167 (WXKS)Coordinates: 42°17′20.0″N 71°11′21.0″W / 42.288889°N 71.189167°W / 42.288889; -71.189167 (WXKS)
Callsign meaning WX KisS = (call sign shared with sister station Kiss 108 WXKS-FM)
Former callsigns WKOX (1947–2010)
Former frequencies 1190 kHz (1947–1985)
Affiliations Premiere Networks
Westwood One
Fox News Radio
Fox Sports Radio
Owner iHeartMedia
(Capstar TX LLC)
Sister stations WBWL, WBZ, WJMN, WKAF, WRKO, WXKS-FM, WZLX
Webcast Listen Live (via iHeartRadio)
Website talk1200boston.iheart.com

WXKS (1200 kHz, "Talk 1200") is a commercial AM radio station licensed to Newton, Massachusetts, and serving the Greater Boston area. It has a talk radio format and is owned by iHeartMedia.

WXKS operates with 50,000 watts around the clock, the maximum power permitted by the Federal Communications Commission. But its signal is highly directional to protect co-owned Class A WOAI in San Antonio, Texas, iHeartMedia's flagship station. WXKS's studios are located in Medford and the transmitter is in Newton. Besides a standard analog transmission, WXKS broadcasts over the HD 2 channel of sister station WJMN (94.5 FM), and streams online via iHeartRadio.

Programming

iHeartMedia owns three spoken word stations in the Boston radio market; WBZ (1030 AM) features an all-news radio format during the day and local talk shows at night; WRKO (680 AM) airs local talk shows (with some shows also being regionally syndicated) alongside some nationally syndicated offerings.

In contrast, WXKS's schedule is almost entirely syndicated conservative talk; serving as the Boston affiliate for The Glenn Beck Program, The Rush Limbaugh Show, The Sean Hannity Show, The Buck Sexton Show, The Mark Levin Show, The John Batchelor Show and Fox Sports Radio. Weekends feature shows on money, health, law, home repair, technology and gardening. Weekend hosts include Bill Handel, Gary Sullivan, Leo Laporte and Ron Wilson. Some shows are paid brokered programming.

History

WKOX 1190

On April 21, 1947, the station signed on as WKOX, a daytime-only station on 1190 kHz in Framingham.[1] WKOX added an FM station at 105.7 MHz in May 1960, WKOX-FM. (It is now known as WROR-FM and is owned by Beasley Broadcast Group.) Fairbanks Communications purchased the WKOX-AM-FM in 1970.[2] In 1985, the AM station moved to 1200 kHz and gained authorization to broadcast around the clock.

For many years, WKOX functioned as a full service station, oriented towards the MetroWest region.[2] However, during the 1990s, the station changed formats frequently. Following stints with satellite-fed oldies and talk radio, it became a simulcast of the FM station on March 1, 1993. At that time, it was WCLB-FM, a country music station. The two aired the same programming except for morning drive time, which continued to be programmed separately.[3] In August 1993, it switched to ABC Radio/Satellite Music Network's "Real Country" format.[4] The AM station offered a classic country format to compliment the more contemporary country sound heard on WCLB.[5]

Another attempt at talk, including a show hosted by former WEEI and WRKO host Gene Burns, was made on October 2, 1995. By this point, WKOX had begun to orient itself to the Boston market as a whole rather than MetroWest.[2][6] After only one year, the talk format was replaced with brokered programming in October 1996.[7] Most of the station's programming during this time was ethnic and foreign language.[7] For a time Contemporary Christian music station WJLT (1060 AM, now WQOM) leased WKOX's overnight hours to extend its programming time, since WJLT was a daytimer in those days.[8]

By this time, Fairbanks Communications was attempting to sell WKOX.[9] Companies such as Westinghouse Broadcasting were interested in the purchase.[10] The B-Mass Holding Company was also interested.[11][12] By 1998, WKOX had become Fairbanks' last radio station.[13]

Sale to Clear Channel

Owner Richard M. Fairbanks died in August 2000.[14] A short time later, the station was finally sold, to Clear Channel Communications (now iHeartMedia).[12]

The brokered format, by then primarily consisting of Spanish-language religious programming, was retained until 2004, when the station began simulcasting a progressive talk format with the original WXKS 1430 AM.[15] This was dropped at Noon on December 21, 2006, in favor of a Spanish tropical format, branded as "Rumba."[16]

Switch to AM 1200

As early as 1995, WKOX had been pursuing options to upgrade its power and serve the entire Boston area.[6] The station was approved by the FCC to move to the WUNR tower site in Newton, where it would run 50,000 watts and change its city of license to Newton in the process. But the plan was met with a great deal of community opposition. Finally, in fall 2008, the station left Framingham and began broadcasting from a new tower array on the WUNR site. In April 2009, it was announced that WKOX had begun broadcasting at 50,000 watts full-time. On September 4 of the same year, WXKS broke from the WKOX simulcast and flipped to a Spanish adult hits format, branded as "Mia 1430." "Rumba" continued on 1200.

WXKS was known as "Rush Radio 1200" from March 8, 2010 until February 28, 2011.

Clear Channel announced in January 2010 that WKOX would once again change to a talk format in April.[17] The launch was stepped up to March 8 after rival talk station AM 680 WRKO dropped The Rush Limbaugh Show from its line-up.[18] In preparation, the station swapped call letters with 1430 AM and became WXKS on March 1. Coast to Coast AM was the first talk program to air on the station, moving from WRKO in February 2010, several weeks before the full format change.[19] "Rumba" programming ceased on March 5, at which time the station began stunting. For the first year of the talk format, WXKS was branded as "Rush Radio 1200," which was named for Limbaugh. Clear Channel has also used Rush branding at WRNO-FM in New Orleans, WRDU in Raleigh-Durham, and WPTI in Greensboro, North Carolina.[18] On February 28, 2011, the station dropped the "Rush Radio" name and began calling itself simply "Talk 1200 Boston."[20]

WXKS was first known as "Talk 1200" from February 28, 2011 until August 10, 2012. The format would move up the dial to WKOX 1430 in 2015; it would return to WXKS in 2018.

On August 6, 2012, the station dropped local talk hosts Jeff Katz and Jay Severin Katz was reassigned to WRVA in Richmond, Virginia, also owned by Clear Channel, while Severin joined TheBlaze Radio Network. The Rush Limbaugh and Coast to Coast programs returned to WRKO.[21] The station continued with a lineup of syndicated talk shows until August 10, 2012, when the station began stunting with a 10-minute loop of political gaffes, branded as "Gaffe 1200."[22]

Comedy Radio and Bloomberg Radio

On August 13, 2012, at 8:30 AM, WXKS-FM host Matt Siegel announced on both stations that a new comedy radio format would be launched on AM 1200. Because Siegel was known for his funny morning show on Kiss-FM, the new AM station would be called "Matty's Comedy 1200." It began with a comedy routine from Cambridge native Dane Cook. Most of the station's programming came from the 24/7 Comedy Radio syndicated service.

Logo as "Bloomberg 1200", from March 1, 2013 until March 1, 2018.

On February 27, 2013, Clear Channel announced that WXKS would begin to carry Bloomberg Radio's financial news and information programming as of March 1. The comedy format continued on the HD2 channel of WXKS-FM until December 2013. The simulcast of 1200 AM, which had previously been on 107.9-HD2, moved to the HD2 subchannel of 94.5 WJMN, replacing old-school hip hop.[23][24] In September 2013, WXKS began broadcasting Harvard University football, men's hockey, and men's basketball games. The broadcasts would be produced by an independent packager who would pay for the airtime.

Return to Talk

Bloomberg L.P. announced on July 3, 2017 that the following day, Bloomberg Radio would move its programming to AM 1330 WRCA and its FM translator station at 106.1 MHz. WXKS continued to simulcast the Bloomberg programming for several months.[25]

After Bloomberg's local marketing agreement with WXKS ended on March 1, 2018, the station took on the conservative talk programming that had been on WKOX, including Rush Limbaugh. WXKS also returned to the "Talk 1200" branding.[26] WKOX returned to a tropical music format and was moved into a trust ownership, pending a sale.

References

  1. ↑ Broadcasting Yearbook 1948 page 144
  2. 1 2 3 "The Boston Radio Dial: WKOX(AM)". The Archives @ BostonRadio.org. August 16, 2009. Retrieved March 4, 2010.
  3. ↑ Fybush, Scott D (March 5, 1993). "WKOX AM Framingham MA to simulcast". rec.radio.broadcasting. Google Groups. Retrieved March 4, 2010.
  4. ↑ Stark, Phyllis; Boehlert, Eric; Borzillo, Carrie (August 14, 1993). "Revenues Post Double-Digit June Jump; Selling In Seattle; NPR Goes European". Billboard. p. 75. Retrieved January 29, 2012.
  5. ↑ "WKOX promises `Real Country'". The Boston Globe. August 30, 1993. Retrieved January 22, 2012. (subscription content preview)
  6. 1 2 Bickelhaupt, Susan (September 28, 1995). "WKOX joins talk circuit; lost Elvis song to air". The Boston Globe. Retrieved February 28, 2011. (subscription content preview)
  7. 1 2 Fybush, Scott (October 23, 1996). "Flood Effects". New England RadioWatch. Retrieved March 4, 2010.
  8. ↑ Fybush, Scott (January 22, 1999). "North East RadioWatch". Retrieved January 22, 2012.
  9. ↑ Wollman, Garrett (May 28, 1996). "New England RadioWatch". Retrieved March 4, 2010.
  10. ↑ Fybush, Scott (March 24, 2000). "WFAU Loses A Tower, WFNX Gains A State, NERW Visits California's Coast". North East RadioWatch. Retrieved March 4, 2010. Back when Westinghouse thought it was about to buy WKOX, circa 1993-94...
  11. ↑ Fybush, Scott (February 6, 1999). "WKOX, WLLH Sold". North East RadioWatch. Retrieved March 4, 2010.
  12. 1 2 Fybush, Scott (January 15, 2001). "North East RadioWatch". Retrieved March 5, 2010.
  13. ↑ Fybush, Scott (August 6, 1998). "Tower Falls on WLVI". North East RadioWatch. Retrieved March 5, 2010.
  14. ↑ Fybush, Scott (September 18, 2000). "LPFM - It's Nutmeg and Granite States' Turn". North East RadioWatch. Retrieved March 5, 2010.
  15. ↑ Fybush, Scott (October 4, 2004). "Scott Muni Dies". NorthEast Radio Watch. Retrieved March 5, 2010.
  16. ↑ Fybush, Scott (December 25, 2006). "Cox's Big Westchester (or NYC?) Move". NorthEast Radio Watch. Retrieved March 5, 2010.
  17. ↑ Heslam, Jessica (January 14, 2010). "Lawrence pastor 'proud' of Conan O'Brien". Boston Herald. Retrieved January 14, 2010.
  18. 1 2 http://radioinsight.com/blog/netgnomes/1621/cc-confirms-rush-radio-branding-for-1200-wxks-boston/
  19. ↑ Heslam, Jessica (February 11, 2010). "For all you "Coast to Coast" fans…". Boston Herald. Retrieved February 18, 2010.
  20. ↑ "Making Moves: Tuesday, March 1, 2011". Radio-Info.com. March 1, 2011. Archived from the original on March 5, 2011. Retrieved March 2, 2011.
  21. ↑ Heslam, Jessica (August 7, 2012). "WRKO tunes into Rush Limbaugh". Boston Herald. Retrieved August 11, 2012.
  22. ↑ "Talk 1200/Boston Launches 'Gaffe 1200' Stunt". All Access. August 10, 2012. Retrieved August 11, 2012.
  23. ↑ "New format for Clear Channel's WXKS, Hub biz to Bloom 24/7 on AM radio". Boston Herald. Retrieved 27 February 2013.
  24. ↑ https://radioinsight.com/blog/headlines/81062/bloomberg-usurps-comedy-in-boston/
  25. ↑ Venta, Lance (July 3, 2017). "Bloomberg Moving To 1330/106.1 In Boston". RadioInsight. Retrieved July 5, 2017.
  26. ↑ iHeartMedia Relaunches Talk 1200 and Rumba 1430 Boston Radioinsight - March 1, 2018
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