WVBF
Radio station in Middleborough Center, Massachusetts
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
WVBF (1530 AM) is a radio station broadcasting a talk format. Licensed to Middleborough Center, Massachusetts, United States, the station serves the Middleborough/Taunton area. The station is currently owned by Massachusetts state senator Marc R. Pacheco through his MRP Communications and Consulting, LLC.[4] WVBF carries the Massachusetts Reading Network when not airing local programming. USA Radio News plays at the top of the hour during locally produced programs.
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| Broadcast area | Middleborough–Taunton |
|---|---|
| Frequency | 1530 kHz |
| Branding | AM 1530 WVBF |
| Programming | |
| Format | Talk and radio reading service programming |
| Affiliations |
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| Ownership | |
| Owner |
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| History | |
First air date | March 31, 1992[1][2] |
Former call signs | WCEG (1992–1997) |
Call sign meaning | Taken from the former WVBF, now WROR-FM |
| Technical information[3] | |
Licensing authority | FCC |
| Facility ID | 63403 |
| Class | D |
| Power |
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Transmitter coordinates | 41°52′56″N 71°3′50″W |
| Translator | 99.7 W259DD (Middleborough Center) |
| Links | |
Public license information | |
| Website | wvbfradio |
History
The station went on the air as WCEG on March 31, 1992.[1][2] [dead link] Original owner Steven J. Callahan sold the station to Metro South Broadcasting, owner of WMSX in Brockton, on January 7, 1993.[5] The new owners dropped WCEG's music programming in favor of a simulcast of WMSX; separate programming was subsequently introduced in Portuguese.[6] However, the station had been silent for several years by 1996, when Callahan reached a deal to repurchase the station.[7][8] Soon after reassuming control on January 5, 1997,[7] Callahan brought WCEG back on the air with radio reading service programming;[6] the call letters were changed to WVBF on March 21, 1997.[9] The WVBF call sign had previously been used by 105.7 FM in Framingham from 1971 until 1993, while broadcasting top 40 and adult contemporary formats; that station is now WROR-FM.
From the station's inception, WCEG/WVBF only broadcast during daytime hours with 1,000 watts;[1] however, 2-watt nighttime service was inaugurated in 2002.[10] In 2006, the station's daytime power was increased to 2,200 watts.[11][12] On August 7, 2007, WVBF began to air several local talk shows from studios in Taunton; these shows moved from WPEP (1570 AM), which was in the process of closing down to accommodate a power increase at WNSH in Beverly. The radio reading service programming continues when talk programming does not air.[13]
Translator
WVBF is relayed on translator station W259DD, which transmits on 99.7 MHz. It received its license to cover on April 10, 2019.[14]
| Call sign | Frequency | City of license | FID | ERP (W) | HAAT | Class | Transmitter coordinates | FCC info |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| W259DD | 99.7 FM | Middleborough Center, Massachusetts | 200670 | 20 | 0 m (0 ft) | D | 41°52′55″N 71°3′51″W | LMS |