WBOW (1230 AM)

WBOW was a radio station on 1230 AM in Terre Haute, Indiana, which broadcast between 1927 and 2001.

WBOW
CityTerre Haute, Indiana
Frequency1230 kHz
Ownership
OwnerContemporary Media, Inc.
History
First air date
June 15, 1927 (1927-06-15)
Last air date
October 4, 2001 (2001-10-04)
Former call signs
WRPI (1927–1928)
WBOW (1928–1993)
WBFX (1993–1995)
WZZQ (1995–2000)
WBUZ (2000–2001)
Technical information
Facility ID13730
Power1,000 watts
Transmitter coordinates
39°29′24″N 87°25′4.8″W

In the early 1990s, the WBOW intellectual unit moved to a new 640 AM facility. 1230 then became WBFX, WZZQ and WBUZ, closing down when its licensee, Contemporary Media, Inc., had all of its licenses cancelled in response to a Federal Communications Commission investigation.

History

WBOW

WBOW was the first successful radio station in Terre Haute, though it was not the first outright. That distinction belonged to WEAC, a short-lived station owned by Camille C. Baines that broadcast between May 30 and August 1922.[1]

While the station began operations slightly earlier in the year, after a tune-up and frequency change,[2] it formally signed on June 15, 1927[3] as WRPI, a service of then-Rose Polytechnic Institute, on 1440 kHz.[4] Local listeners and radio manufacturer Carl Stahl contributed the funds to build the station.[5] The next year, after Rose almost shuttered WRPI,[5] the station split from the institute and became commercial WBOW, owned by and named for the Banks of the Wabash Broadcasting Association. Banks of the Wabash also acquired a portable station, KGFO, to join WBOW for the purpose of making remote broadcasts;[6] General Order 40 relocated the station to 1310 kHz later in 1928, and WBOW upgraded from 100 watts to 250 watts in 1936. After two attempts to make frequency changes were denied, WBOW moved to 1200 kHz in 1939 and to 1230 in 1941 with NARBA.[4] In the early days of its existence, entertainer Burl Ives was a staff announcer at WBOW.[7] For years, WBOW was a full-service news and top-40 voice, and often the leading station, in the Terre Haute area. It was long affiliated with NBC radio. The station was sold to Radio WBOW, Inc., in 1957, and the new owners further boosted power to 1,000 watts in 1961.[4] The 1960s also saw WBOW gain an FM counterpart, WBOW-FM 107.5, which would remain co-owned with WBOW for the rest of its history as WBOW-FM, WHOE, WBOQ, and WZZQ. Prior to starting his long tenure as lead play-by-play announcer for the Cleveland Cavaliers Radio Network in 1970, Joe Tait was WBOW's morning host, and later, doubled as station manager.[8]

In its waning years, WBOW flipped to adult standards, and the station became affiliated with the ABC Information network, as well as NBC Talknet.[9]

WBFX, WZZQ and WBUZ

In 1992, WBOW moved to 640 AM, giving it a better signal and wider coverage. The 1230 frequency became WBFX with an album-oriented rock format,[3] and in 1995, it became WZZQ, simulcasting 107.5 FM. WZZQ became WBUZ in 2000, maintaining the FM simulcast.[10]

License cancellation

In 1982, then-WBOW and WBOQ were sold to Contemporary Media, Inc. The president of Contemporary Media was Michael S. Rice. In 1994, Rice was convicted of sexually abusing five teenagers in Missouri.[11] The next year, in light of the felony conviction, the Federal Communications Commission opened a hearing to revoke the licenses of all five stations owned by Contemporary Media and its sister companies, Contemporary Broadcasting and Lake Broadcasting, which also owned FM stations in Columbia, Missouri (KFMZ) and Eldon, Missouri (KBMX), as well as two additional unbuilt stations in the same state.[12]

In 1997, an FCC administrative law judge ruled that the licenses should be revoked.[13] The FCC affirmed the decision in March 1998.[11] Rice appealed, losing in federal appeals court. In March 2001, the Supreme Court refused to hear the case.[14] All Contemporary stations ceased operations by FCC order on October 4, 2001.[15] Incidentally, WBUZ was the second station by that call sign to have had its license revoked; another WBUZ in Fredonia, New York had lost its license in 1991.[16]

Reuse of the 1230 frequency

On June 14, 2011, the Bott Broadcasting Company obtained the construction permit for 1230 AM in Terre Haute as WYGJ. With three months before the permit was to expire, in March 2014, Bott sold the permit to Midwest to relocate WIBQ from 1300 to 1230.[17]

References
  1. McCormick, Mike (2005). Terre Haute: Queen City of the Wabash. Arcadia Publishing. ISBN 9780738524061.
  2. "WRPI To Close For Repairs". Brazil Daily Times. June 4, 1927. Retrieved June 10, 2019.
  3. "1994 Broadcasting Yearbook" (PDF). 1994. p. B-130. Retrieved June 8, 2019.
  4. FCC History Cards for WBOW (Facility ID 13730)
  5. "Station WRPI At Terre Haute May Be Abandoned". Brazil Daily Times. September 24, 1927. Retrieved June 10, 2019.
  6. "Terre Haute Has New Broadcasting Station". Indianapolis Star. March 28, 1928. Retrieved June 10, 2019.
  7. Francis, Judy (January 11, 2015). "Historical Treasure: Burl Ives' strong local connection". Tribune-Star. Retrieved June 8, 2019.
  8. Pluto, Terry (November 20, 2011). "Joe Tait teams up with Bill Fitch: Excerpt from 'Joe Tait: It's Been a Real Ball'". cleveland.com. Retrieved October 19, 2019.
  9. "Broadcasting Yearbook" (PDF). 1989. Retrieved June 8, 2019.
  10. Indiana RadioWatch profile of WBUZ
  11. Federal Communications Commission (June 25, 1998). "Initial Decision Revoking the Licences and Construction Permits of Contemporary Media, Inc. Contemporary Broadcasting, Inc. and Lake Broadcasting, Inc. Affirmed (MM Docket No. 95-154)". Retrieved June 8, 2019.
  12. McConnell, Chris (October 16, 1995). "Conviction may cost Rice radio licenses" (PDF). Broadcasting & Cable. p. 22. Retrieved June 8, 2019.
  13. McConnell, Chris (August 25, 1997). "FCC judge moves to pull radio licenses" (PDF). Broadcasting & Cable. p. 18. Retrieved June 8, 2019.
  14. Toroian, Diane (July 11, 2001). "Child molester will lose broadcast license". St. Louis Post-Dispatch. p. B1. Retrieved June 8, 2019. (Continued on B3)
  15. Broyles, Addie (October 5, 2001). "'The Buzz' drops off airwaves". The Maneater. Retrieved June 8, 2019.
  16. http://www.apnewsarchive.com/1987/FCC-Board-Recommends-Revoking-License-of-N-Y-Radio-Station-Owner/id-b995c8bb43edcde230461c6eacdb3cce
  17. Venta, Lance (May 14, 2014). "WIBQ Terre Haute Completes Move". RadioInsight. Retrieved June 8, 2019.
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