WUBG (AM)

WUBG (1570 AM) – branded K-Love – is a non-commercial contemporary Christian radio station licensed to serve Methuen, Massachusetts. Owned by Costa-Eagle Radio Ventures Limited Partnership—a partnership between Pat Costa and The Eagle-Tribune[2]—and operated by the Educational Media Foundation, WUBG acts as the K-Love affiliate for the northern suburbs of Greater Boston, and one of two affiliates in the market operated by EMF, Westborough-licensed WKVB being the other. In addition to a standard analog transmission, WUBG simulcasts over low-power Methuen FM translator W287CW (105.3 FM), and is available online. The WUBG transmitter is located in Andover, while W287CW's transmitter is in Medford.

WUBG
CityMethuen, Massachusetts
Broadcast areaGreater Boston
BrandingK-Love
SloganPositive and Encouraging
Frequency1570 kHz
Translator(s)105.3 W287CW (Methuen)
First air dateDecember 22, 1963 (1963-12-22)[1]
FormatContemporary Christian
Power44,000 watts day
140 watts night
ClassD
Facility ID22798
Transmitter coordinates42°40′26.72″N 71°11′25.82″W
Call sign meaningMethUen BiG (previous format)
Former call signsWMLO (1963–1979)
WBVD (1979–1984)
WNSH (1984–2012)
WMVX (2012–2017)
WCCM (2017–2018)
AffiliationsK-Love
OperatorEducational Media Foundation
OwnerCosta-Eagle Radio Ventures Limited Partnership
Sister stationsWCCM, WMVX, WNNW
WebcastListen Live
Websiteklove.com

History

The station signed on the air as WMLO, a 500-watt radio station[1] originally licensed to Beverly, Massachusetts, on December 22, 1963.[3] It changed its call sign to WBVD on December 5, 1979 and to WNSH on July 1, 1984.[4] Its studios have been located in Danvers,[3] in Salem (at Pickering Wharf), in two different buildings at Endicott College in Beverly, 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.[4] 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.[5]

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.

The station changed its call sign to WCCM on April 1, 2017.[4] It swapped call letters with its sister station in Salem, New Hampshire.[6] 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 WBIX the following year, to air programming for the Boston area's Brazilian and Portuguese listeners.[7][8] 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.[9] On April 3, the call sign was changed to WUBG.[4]

On July 1, 2019, WUBG's classic hits format went online-only, while 1570 AM and the 105.3 translator switched to EMF's "K-Love" contemporary Christian format.[10]

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′52.30″N 71°05′17.20″WFCC

Previous logos

References
  1. 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. "WBVD (WUBG) FCC history cards" (PDF). CDBS Public Access. Federal Communications Commission. Retrieved April 10, 2017.
  4. "Call Sign History (WUBG)". CDBS Public Access. Federal Communications Commission. Retrieved April 4, 2018.
  5. "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.
  6. 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.
  7. Venta, Lance (January 8, 2018). "WBIX Boston Drops Conservative Talk For Brazilian". RadioInsight. Retrieved April 4, 2018.
  8. Venta, Lance (January 19, 2018). "Station Sales Week Of 1/19: A Pair Of Boston AMs Sold". RadioInsight. Retrieved April 4, 2018.
  9. Venta, Lance (April 3, 2018). "Big 105.3 Brings Classic Hits To Boston's Suburbs". RadioInsight. Retrieved April 4, 2018.
  10. Big 105.3 Gives Way to K-Love Gaining Entry in Boston Radioinsight - July 1, 2019
FM Translator


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