View source for WNBP

{{Use mdy dates|date=November 2023}}
{{short description|Bloomberg Radio station in Newburyport–Boston, Massachusetts}}
{{Infobox radio station
| name                = WNBP
| city                = [[Newburyport, Massachusetts]]
| country             = US
| above               = Satellite of [[WBOS]], [[Brookline, Massachusetts|Brookline]]
| logo                = 
| area                = [[Greater Boston]]
| branding            = 
| frequency           = 1450 [[kilohertz|kHz]]
| translator          = {{ubl|{{Radio Relay|106.1|W291CC|[[Haverhill, Massachusetts|Haverhill]]}}|{{Radio Relay|92.1|W221EE|[[Topsfield, Massachusetts|Topsfield]]}}}}
| airdate             = {{start date and age|1958|3|10}}
| format              = Business news
| power               = 1,000 watts (unlimited)
| class               = C
| licensing_authority = [[Federal Communications Commission|FCC]]
| facility_id         = 15338
| coordinates         = {{coord|42|49|23.33|N|70|51|40.19|W|region:US-MA_type:landmark|display=inline,title}}
| callsign_meaning    = Newburyport
| former_callsigns    = {{ubl|WNBP (1957–1982)|WCEA (1982–1987)|WNCG (1987–1991)}}
| former_frequencies  = 1470 kHz (1957–1982)
| affiliations        = [[Bloomberg Radio]]
| owner               = [[Bloomberg, L.P.]]
| licensee            = Bloomberg Radio Newburyport LLC
| sister_stations     = 
| webcast             = {{iHeartRadio|5800}}
| website             = {{URL|https://www.bloombergradio.com/}}
}}
'''WNBP''' (1450 [[AM broadcasting|AM]]) is a [[Commercial broadcasting|commercial]] radio station [[city of license|licensed]] to [[Newburyport, Massachusetts]], United States, and serving the [[Greater Boston]] [[media market|radio market]].  The station is owned by [[Bloomberg L.P.]] and serves as a [[simulcast]] of Bloomberg-programmed [[WBOS]] (92.9 [[FM broadcasting|FM]]) in [[Brookline, Massachusetts]].  WNBP and WBOS carry financial news from [[Bloomberg Radio]].<ref name="arb1">{{cite web|title=Station Information Profile |work=Arbitron |url=http://www.arbitron.com/ |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100301134627/http://www.arbitron.com/ |archive-date=March 1, 2010 }}</ref>

WNBP has a power of 1,000 watts. Its [[transmitter]] is located off Ferry Road in [[Salisbury, Massachusetts]].<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://radio-locator.com/cgi-bin/finder?sr=Y&s=C&call=wnbp&nav=|title=WNBP-AM 1450 kHz - Newburyport, MA|website=radio-locator.com}}</ref>  The station's programming is simulcast on two [[FM translator]]s, '''W291CC''' (106.1&nbsp;MHz), transmitting from [[Haverhill, Massachusetts|Haverhill]],<ref>[https://transition.fcc.gov/fcc-bin/fmq?call=w291cc&fileno=&state=&city=&freq=0.0&fre2=107.9&serv=&status=&facid=&asrn=&class=&list=0&ThisTab=Results+to+This+Page%2FTab&dist=&dlat2=&mlat2=&slat2=&NS=N&dlon2=&mlon2=&slon2=&EW=W&size=9 FCC.gov/W291CC]</ref> and '''W221EE''' (92.1&nbsp;MHz) in [[Topsfield, Massachusetts|Topsfield]].<REF>[https://radio-locator.com/cgi-bin/finder?call=w221EE&x=0&y=0&sr=Y&s=C Radio-Locator.com/W221EE]</REF>

==History==
On March 10, 1958, WNBP [[sign-on|signed on]] the air as a 500 watt [[daytimer|daytime only]] station at 1470 AM, owned by Puritan Broadcasting of [[Lynn, Massachusetts]].<ref>[https://worldradiohistory.com/Archive-BC-YB/1958/Radio-All-1958-BC-YB.pdf Information] from the [[Broadcasting & Cable|Broadcasting Yearbook]] 1958 page A-300</ref>  (The call letters represented Newburyport.)  Puritan also owned [[WLYN]] (1360 AM) and [[WBWL (FM)|WLYN-FM]] (101.7), as well as stations in [[Brattleboro, Vermont]], and [[Nashua, New Hampshire]].

[[File:WNBP logo.png|thumb|125px|WNBP's logo as "The Legends"]]
Through the late 1970s, 1980s, and 1990s, the station changed hands several times. In 1982 the station moved to 1450&nbsp;kHz, added nighttime operation and changed call letters to WCEA. In 1987 it was purchased by longtime [[WBZ (AM)|WBZ]] newscaster Ted Larsen and Dan Friel for $195,000. They changed the call sign to WNCG, representing "Newburyport, The Coast and [[Gloucester, Massachusetts|Gloucester]], Your Coastal Home Companion". In 1989 they sold the station to New Hampshire broadcaster Win Damon for $425,000. He changed the call sign back to WNBP in 1991.

In 1998, Damon sold the station to Radio Newburyport LLC, owned by Robert "Doc" Fuller for $225,000. Fuller, along with partner [[J.J. Jeffrey]], owned several other stations under their company name [[Fuller-Jeffrey Broadcasting]]. WNBP was a sole venture of Fuller with his longtime friend Al Mozier as general manager. Although J.J. Jeffrey was not part of the ownership, his voice was used for all the recorded imaging and promotional announcements. Many improvements to the station were made by Fuller and Mozier including purchasing all new studio equipment, Audisk and later Air-Traffic-Control automation, new BE-1 transmitter and installing a new tower and ground system at the transmitter site on Ferry Road in [[Salisbury, Massachusetts]].

In September 2004, Radio Newburyport LLC (Robert Fuller, president) announced a deal had been reached to sell WNBP to Westport Communications LP (Todd Tanger, managing member) for a reported sale price of $500,000.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.broadcastingcable.com/article/CA454166.html?q=WNBP |work=Broadcasting & Cable |title=Changing Hands |date=September 20, 2004}}</ref> The deal was brokered by Frank Boyle of Frank Boyle and Associates. At the time of the sale, Westport Communications owned only one other station, [[WNKC|WBOQ]] (104.9 FM).<ref>{{cite news |work=The Boston Globe |title=New Owner, Old Sound for North Shore Station |date=September 9, 2004 |first=Clea |last=Simon}}</ref> WNBP's studios were relocated to nearby [[Beverly, Massachusetts]], but the station still focused its local news and community coverage on the greater Newburyport area.<ref>{{cite news |work=The Boston Globe |title=Mixed Signals |date=February 26, 2006 |first=Kathy |last=McCabe}}</ref>

In March 2009, WNBP was sold by Westport Communications to Port Broadcasting, LLC, owned by Carl Strube, Peter Falconi and Robert Couture. The station began broadcasting from new downtown Newburyport studios at 6 Federal Street on March 13.  The format remained the same. On January 1, 2013, WNBP shifted their format from [[adult standards]] to [[oldies]]. Among WNBP's air staff were former WBOQ disc jockey Jacky Ankeles  as well as Jeff Lawrence.

On July 28, 2017, Port Broadcasting agreed to sell WNBP and W291CC to [[Bloomberg L.P.]] for $1 million; Bloomberg began operating the station under a [[Local marketing agreement|local programming and marketing agreement]] on August 1.<ref name="fcc-saletobloomberg">{{cite web|title=APPLICATION FOR CONSENT TO ASSIGNMENT OF BROADCAST STATION CONSTRUCTION PERMIT OR LICENSE|url=http://licensing.fcc.gov/cgi-bin/ws.exe/prod/cdbs/forms/prod/prefill_and_display.pl?Application_id=1762373&Service=AM&Form_id=314&Facility_id=15338|website=CDBS Public Access|publisher=[[Federal Communications Commission]]|access-date=August 1, 2017}}</ref> The station began to simulcast [[Bloomberg Radio]] programming with [[WRCA]] (1330 AM); that station also operates a translator at 106.1&nbsp;MHz, which is required to limit its signal to the northeast of Boston to protect W291CC.<ref name="ri-saletobloomberg">{{cite news|last1=Venta|first1=Lance|title=Bloomberg Acquires WNBP Newburyport MA|url=https://radioinsight.com/headlines/119080/bloomberg-acquires-wnbp-newburyport-ma/|access-date=August 1, 2017|work=RadioInsight|date=August 1, 2017}}</ref> As a result of the sale, WNBP's staff was let go.<ref name="tdn-wnbpsale">{{cite news|last1=Shea|first1=Jack|title=WNBP staff members say goodbye to listeners|url=http://www.newburyportnews.com/news/local_news/wnbp-staff-members-say-goodbye-to-listeners/article_917fc46a-c453-5100-9166-86f19e1817fc.html|access-date=August 1, 2017|work=[[The Daily News of Newburyport]]|date=July 31, 2017}}</ref> The sale was completed on November 28, 2017.<ref name="fcc-saletobloombergcomplete">{{cite web|title=Consummation Notice|url=http://licensing.fcc.gov/cgi-bin/ws.exe/prod/cdbs/forms/prod/prefill_and_display.pl?Application_id=1772691&Service=AM&Form_id=905&Facility_id=15338|website=CDBS Public Access|publisher=[[Federal Communications Commission]]|access-date=December 27, 2017|date=November 28, 2017}}</ref>

==Translators==
{{RadioTranslators
| callsign = WNBP
| width    =

| call1    = W291CC
| freq1    = 106.1
| fid1     = 150780
| watts1   = 225
| class1   = D
| city1    = Haverhill, Massachusetts
| coord1   = {{coord|42|46|23.3|N|71|5|59.2|W|region:US-MA_type:landmark|name=W291CC}}
| notes1   =
| call2    = W221EE
| freq2    = 92.1
| fid2     = 201495
| watts2   = 250
| class2   = D
| city2    = Topsfield, Massachusetts
| coord2   = {{coord|42|38|27.3|N|70|56|27.2|W|region:US-MA_type:landmark|name=W221EE}}
| notes2   =
}}

==References==
<references />

==External links==
* {{Official website|https://www.bloombergradio.com/}}
{{AM station data|15338|WNBP}}
* {{FCC-LMS-Facility|150780|W291CC}}
* {{FMXL|W291CC}}
* {{FCC-LMS-Facility|201495|W221EE}}
* {{FMXL|W221EE}}

{{Lowell Radio}}
{{Bloomberg Radio}}
{{Bloomberg}}

[[Category:Radio stations in Massachusetts|NBP]]
[[Category:Bloomberg L.P.]]
[[Category:Business talk radio stations]]
[[Category:Business mass media in the United States]]
[[Category:Radio stations established in 1957]]
[[Category:Mass media in Essex County, Massachusetts]]
[[Category:Newburyport, Massachusetts]]
[[Category:1957 establishments in Massachusetts]]