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WABK-FM

From Wikipedia, in a visual modern way
WABK-FM
WABK-FM & WBAK logo.png
Gardiner, Maine
Broadcast areaAugusta - Central Maine
Frequency104.3 MHz
BrandingBig 104 FM
Programming
FormatClassic hits
Ownership
OwnerBlueberry Broadcasting
(Blueberry Broadcasting, LLC)
WQSK, WTOS-FM, WVQM
History
First air date
April 1, 1974[1]
Former call signs
WKME (1974–1978)
WABK-FM (1978–2013)
WABK (2013–2016)
Technical information
Facility ID68297
ClassB
ERP50,000 watts
HAAT113 meters (371 ft)
Transmitter coordinates
44°18′36″N 69°49′48″W / 44.310°N 69.830°W / 44.310; -69.830Coordinates: 44°18′36″N 69°49′48″W / 44.310°N 69.830°W / 44.310; -69.830
Repeater(s)104.7 WBAK (Belfast)
107.7 WBKA (Bar Harbor)
Links
WebcastListen live
Websitewww.big104fm.com

WABK-FM (104.3 MHz) is a commercial FM radio station licensed to Gardiner, Maine, and serving Augusta and Central Maine. It airs a classic hits radio format. WABK-FM is part of a three-way simulcast with FM 104.7 WBAK Belfast and FM 107.7 WBKA Bar Harbor. They are owned by Blueberry Broadcasting with studios and offices on Target Industrial Circle in Bangor.[2]

WABK-FM has an effective radiated power of 50,000 watts. Its transmitter is off Winthrop Street in Hallowell.[3]

Discover more about WABK-FM related topics

Hertz

Hertz

The hertz is the unit of frequency in the International System of Units (SI), equivalent to one event per second. The hertz is an SI derived unit whose expression in terms of SI base units is s−1, meaning that one hertz is the reciprocal of one second. It is named after Heinrich Rudolf Hertz (1857–1894), the first person to provide conclusive proof of the existence of electromagnetic waves. Hertz are commonly expressed in multiples: kilohertz (kHz), megahertz (MHz), gigahertz (GHz), terahertz (THz).

City of license

City of license

In U.S., Canadian, and Mexican broadcasting, a city of license or community of license is the community that a radio station or television station is officially licensed to serve by that country's broadcast regulator.

Gardiner, Maine

Gardiner, Maine

Gardiner is a city in Kennebec County, Maine, United States. The population was 5,961 at the 2020 census. Popular with tourists, Gardiner is noted for its culture and old architecture. Gardiner is a nationally accredited Main Street America community. It is included in the Augusta, Maine micropolitan New England City and Town Area.

Augusta, Maine

Augusta, Maine

Augusta is the capital city of the U.S. state of Maine and the seat of Kennebec County.

Maine

Maine

Maine is the easternmost state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It borders New Hampshire to the west, the Gulf of Maine to the southeast, and the Canadian provinces of New Brunswick and Quebec to the northeast and northwest, respectively. The largest state by total area in New England, Maine is the 12th-smallest by area, the 9th-least populous, the 13th-least densely populated, and the most rural of the 50 U.S. states. It is also the northeasternmost among the contiguous United States, the northernmost state east of the Great Lakes, the only state whose name consists of a single syllable, and the only state to border exactly one other U.S. state. Approximately half the area of Maine lies on each side of the 45th parallel north in latitude. The most populous city in Maine is Portland, while its capital is Augusta.

Classic hits

Classic hits

Classic hits is a radio format which generally includes songs from the top 40 music charts from the late 1960s to the early 2000s, with music from the 1980s serving as the core of the format. Music that was popularized by MTV in the early 1980s and the nostalgia behind it is a major driver to the format. It is considered the successor to the oldies format, a collection of top 40 songs from the late 1950s through the late 1970s that was once extremely popular in the United States and Canada. The term is sometimes incorrectly used as a synonym for the adult hits format, which uses a slightly newer music library stretching from all decades to the present with a major focus on 1990s and 2000s pop, rock and alternative songs. In addition, adult hits stations tend to have larger playlists, playing a given song only a few times per week, compared to the tighter libraries on classic hits stations. For example, KRTH, a classic hits station in Los Angeles, and KLUV, a classic hits station in Dallas, both play power songs up to 30 times a week or more, which is another differentiator compared to other formats that share songs with classic hits libraries.

Radio format

Radio format

A radio format or programming format describes the overall content broadcast on a radio station. The radio format emerged mainly in the United States in the 1950s, at a time when radio was compelled to develop new and exclusive ways to programming by competition with television. The formula has since spread as a reference for commercial radio programming worldwide.

Belfast, Maine

Belfast, Maine

Belfast is a city in Waldo County, Maine, in the United States. As of the 2020 census, the city population was 6,938. Located at the mouth of the Passagassawakeag River estuary on Belfast Bay and Penobscot Bay. Belfast is the county seat of Waldo County. Its seaport has a wealth of antique architecture in several historic districts, and remains popular with tourists.

Bar Harbor, Maine

Bar Harbor, Maine

Bar Harbor is a resort town on Mount Desert Island in Hancock County, Maine, United States. As of the 2020 census, its population is 5,089. During the summer and fall seasons, it is a popular tourist destination and, until a catastrophic fire in 1947, the town was a summer colony for the wealthy.

Bangor, Maine

Bangor, Maine

Bangor is a city in and the county seat of Penobscot County, Maine, United States. The city proper has a population of 31,753, making it the state's third-largest settlement, behind Portland (68,408) and Lewiston (37,121).

Effective radiated power

Effective radiated power

Effective radiated power (ERP), synonymous with equivalent radiated power, is an IEEE standardized definition of directional radio frequency (RF) power, such as that emitted by a radio transmitter. It is the total power in watts that would have to be radiated by a half-wave dipole antenna to give the same radiation intensity as the actual source antenna at a distant receiver located in the direction of the antenna's strongest beam. ERP measures the combination of the power emitted by the transmitter and the ability of the antenna to direct that power in a given direction. It is equal to the input power to the antenna multiplied by the gain of the antenna. It is used in electronics and telecommunications, particularly in broadcasting to quantify the apparent power of a broadcasting station experienced by listeners in its reception area.

Hallowell, Maine

Hallowell, Maine

Hallowell is a city in Kennebec County, Maine, United States. The population was 2,570 at the 2020 census. Popular with tourists, Hallowell is noted for its culture and old architecture. Hallowell is included in the Augusta, Maine, micropolitan New England City and Town Area.

History

WABK first signed on as an AM station, in the fall of 1968.[4] It aired an adult leaning Top 40 format on 1280 kHz (today WHTP). WABK-FM signed on during the summer of 1974 with the call letters WKME and featured Drake-Chenault's automated "Hit Parade" format. In February 1978, the original studios in Farmingdale were destroyed by fire.

Logo of the station between 1978 and 2013
Logo of the station between 1978 and 2013

As the stations rebuilt, WKME's call sign was changed to WABK-FM. Both the AM and FM stations began simulcasting an up-tempo full service adult contemporary format with an emphasis on local personalities, news and community involvement. The simulcast ended in 1983 when WABK 1280 changed its format to country music. It later tried oldies, then adult standards and finally in the late 1990s switched to sports radio with the call letters WFAU. In 1994, WABK-FM became "Oldies 104" but gradually shed the oldies image, playing more 1970s and 1980s music and billing itself as "Super Hits 104 WABK."

In January 2013, WABK-FM rebranded as "Big 104 FM," airing a classic hits format. It also began simulcasting on FM 104.7 WBAK Belfast and FM 107.7 WBKA Bar Harbor. .[5] From August 30, 2013 to July 26, 2016, the call sign on 104.3 in Gardiner was modified to WABK, without the "-FM" suffix.[6]

In 2014, the former WABI/WAEI at 910 AM in Bangor was added to the simulcast. In 2016, the AM's station's call letters were switched to WABK, and 104.3 WABK once again added the "-FM" suffix to its call sign. In January 2019, 910 AM dropped WABK-FM's programming and became WTOS, a simulcast of WTOS-FM.[7]

Discover more about History related topics

Hertz

Hertz

The hertz is the unit of frequency in the International System of Units (SI), equivalent to one event per second. The hertz is an SI derived unit whose expression in terms of SI base units is s−1, meaning that one hertz is the reciprocal of one second. It is named after Heinrich Rudolf Hertz (1857–1894), the first person to provide conclusive proof of the existence of electromagnetic waves. Hertz are commonly expressed in multiples: kilohertz (kHz), megahertz (MHz), gigahertz (GHz), terahertz (THz).

Drake-Chenault

Drake-Chenault

Drake-Chenault Enterprises was a radio syndication company that specialized in automation on FM radio stations. The company was founded in the late-1960s by radio programmer and deejay Bill Drake (1937–2008), and his business partner, Lester Eugene Chenault (1919–2010). Drake-Chenault was the predecessor of Jones Radio Networks with its syndicated satellite-delivered formats.

Automation

Automation

Automation describes a wide range of technologies that reduce human intervention in processes, namely by predetermining decision criteria, subprocess relationships, and related actions, as well as embodying those predeterminations in machines. Automation has been achieved by various means including mechanical, hydraulic, pneumatic, electrical, electronic devices, and computers, usually in combination. Complicated systems, such as modern factories, airplanes, and ships typically use combinations of all of these techniques. The benefit of automation includes labor savings, reducing waste, savings in electricity costs, savings in material costs, and improvements to quality, accuracy, and precision.

Farmingdale, Maine

Farmingdale, Maine

Farmingdale is a town in Kennebec County, Maine, United States. The population was 2,995 at the 2020 census. Farmingdale is included in the Augusta, Maine micropolitan New England City and Town Area.

Call sign

Call sign

In broadcasting and radio communications, a call sign is a unique identifier for a transmitter station. A call sign can be formally assigned by a government agency, informally adopted by individuals or organizations, or even cryptographically encoded to disguise a station's identity.

Country music

Country music

Country is a music genre originating in the Southern and Southwestern United States. First produced in the 1920s, country primarily focuses on working class Americans and blue-collar American life.

Oldies

Oldies

Oldies is a term for musical genres such as pop music, rock and roll, doo-wop, surf music from the second half of the 20th century, specifically from around the mid-1950s to the 1980s, as well as for a radio format playing this music.

Adult standards

Adult standards

Adult standards is a North American radio format heard primarily on AM or class A FM stations.

Sports radio

Sports radio

Sports radio is a radio format devoted entirely to discussion and broadcasting of sporting events. A widespread programming genre that has a narrow audience appeal, sports radio is characterized by an often-boisterous on-air style and extensive debate and analysis by both hosts and callers. Many sports talk stations also carry play-by-play of local sports teams as part of their regular programming. Hosted by Bill Mazer, the first sports talk radio show in history launched in March 1964 on New York's WNBC (AM).

Classic hits

Classic hits

Classic hits is a radio format which generally includes songs from the top 40 music charts from the late 1960s to the early 2000s, with music from the 1980s serving as the core of the format. Music that was popularized by MTV in the early 1980s and the nostalgia behind it is a major driver to the format. It is considered the successor to the oldies format, a collection of top 40 songs from the late 1950s through the late 1970s that was once extremely popular in the United States and Canada. The term is sometimes incorrectly used as a synonym for the adult hits format, which uses a slightly newer music library stretching from all decades to the present with a major focus on 1990s and 2000s pop, rock and alternative songs. In addition, adult hits stations tend to have larger playlists, playing a given song only a few times per week, compared to the tighter libraries on classic hits stations. For example, KRTH, a classic hits station in Los Angeles, and KLUV, a classic hits station in Dallas, both play power songs up to 30 times a week or more, which is another differentiator compared to other formats that share songs with classic hits libraries.

WBAK

WBAK

WBAK is a commercial FM radio station licensed to Belfast, Maine. It is owned by Blueberry Broadcasting, and broadcasts a classic hits radio format. Its programming is also simulcast on WBKA in Bar Harbor, as well as WABK-FM in Gardiner.

Belfast, Maine

Belfast, Maine

Belfast is a city in Waldo County, Maine, in the United States. As of the 2020 census, the city population was 6,938. Located at the mouth of the Passagassawakeag River estuary on Belfast Bay and Penobscot Bay. Belfast is the county seat of Waldo County. Its seaport has a wealth of antique architecture in several historic districts, and remains popular with tourists.

Source: "WABK-FM", Wikipedia, Wikimedia Foundation, (2022, March 18th), https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/WABK-FM.

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Further Reading

WHTP (AM)

KODJ

WHTP-FM

KLUP

KYCH-FM

WBFB

WTOS-FM

WJZN

WTVL

WBAK

WTOS (AM)

WHTK (AM)

WZLO

WGUY
References
  1. ^ Broadcasting & Cable Yearbook 1999 (PDF). 1999. p. D-199. Retrieved March 17, 2015.
  2. ^ Big104FM.com/contact-us
  3. ^ Radio-Locator.com/WABK-FM
  4. ^ Broadcasting Yearbook 1969 page B-77
  5. ^ "Blueberry Forms Maine Trimulcast".
  6. ^ "Call Sign History (WABK-FM)". CDBS Public Access. Federal Communications Commission. Retrieved July 27, 2016.
  7. ^ Venta, Lance (January 14, 2019). "WTOS Expands Into Bangor". RadioInsight. Retrieved January 14, 2019.
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