WVBF

["PETER GEORGE, N1GGP" <PGEORGE@WELLESLEY.EDU>]

     WVBF was some player in the market !!!  Formerly WKOX-FM until the
fall of 1971, this station had probably one of the worst FM stereo signals
when it transmitted from the WKOX (1190) stick in Framingham.  Finally
when Fairbanks bought it in 1970, they moved the FM site to Needham, MA.
The signal was like night and day !!! 'VBF had a strong signal with some
the most up-to-date audio processing around.  IT WAS LOUD and sounded
similar to the WABC echo chamber.  The jingles were fun and very bouncy....
"EEEEEEEE-lectronic MAMA !!!!! (announcer- WVBF/Framingham...serving the
Metropolitan BOSTON area !!) W-V-B-F....STEREO..... 1-0-5 !!!!".  It
eventually was shortened to ....WVBF/Framingham-BOSTON .
     One major headache for WVBF was the WKOX/1190 (now 1200) tower had
a tendency to fall after every snowstorm.  The 'VBF STL was mounted
on the KOX tower.  NO STL, NO 'VBF.  One time in 1976 when the tower
fell, WBZ loaned 'VBF their "Incredible Broadcasting Machine" or
simply put..a mobile van.  Since 'VBF was a renter on the WBZ-TV stick,
theythey got help from the landlord for a couple of days.  So the van
was interfaced with the 'VBF transmitter and back-up processing.  It
was weird to hear the jocks still say "Stereo 105, WVBF" when the
signal was in mono.  Needless to say, all the jocks sounded and
probably felt weird underneath the 1200 foot Channel 4 tower.  I recall
that it was freezing outside that night.  Thank God for heaters.  It
was a real fun, almost to the point of being like a WKRP station.  The
jocks were very friendly on the phone too.  I recall the request line
was 969-9020 and 879-1057.  This was the day when LOCAL people made
local decisions, not some bigwig from L.A. programming the music.
But when 'VBF started to use the "F-105" moniker...it became more
homogenized as time went on.  FM was becoming BIG and AM could only
watch.  'MEX and 'RKO were fading.  'MEX gave up Top-40 in '75 and
'RKO slowly edged out the rock until '81.  'VBF was a major factor
in the decline of these two legendary stations.  But, alas...'VBF
messed up royally by switching to a mushy AC format "All of the
Comforts of New England...WVBF...".  It was the Fairwest format.
It simply SUCKED.  For a while though from 1984 through 1986, they
put more "zing" with an Oldies based Top-40 format as "105.7/WVBF".
It was not bad.  But once again they tinkered with the format, which
was beginning to get a good audience.  Then the "Boston/105" days
came and went with the same 3.0 rating, book to book to book.  The
one good thing with 'VBF throughout the last eleven years of its'
life were "Loren and Wally".  These two guys are seasoned professionals.
Wally Brine is the son of legendary Providence air-personality "Salty"
Brine of WPRO fame.  It was sad to hear the end of WVBF in February
of 1993.  But fortunately, 105.7 (after a painful stint as a Country
Station) is playing the hits as WROR.  Personally, I like it.

- -Pete-

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Peter Q. George, N1GGP                  *  "Scanning the bands since 1967 !" 
P.O. Box 1183                           *                  +
Randolph, Massachusetts 02368-1183      *                  |
USA                                     *      73         +|+    de N1GGP
PGEORGE@wellesley.edu                   *                +\|/+
XERB@bigfoot.com                        *               + \|/ +
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