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WAAF (FM)
Encyclopedia
WAAF is a Boston, Massachusetts, area commercial Album Oriented Rock/Active rock
radio station
that mixes music that is popular in the modern rock
, heavy metal
and classic rock
genres.
Originally the station targeted the Worcester, Massachusetts
market, but by the mid-1980s, WAAF had begun to direct most of its attention to the Boston radio market.
, Massachusetts with an effective radiated power of 9.6 kW directional (protecting three other FM signals) WAAF used to broadcast out of Paxton, Massachusetts
on 107.3 FM and maintains a backup site there. They simulcast on 97.7 FM, which is licensed to Brockton, Massachusetts
(where their signal can be better heard in parts of Boston). When they transmitted from the location in Paxton, the central part of Massachusetts
, WAAF could be heard throughout much of Massachusetts, as well as parts of neighboring U.S. states New Hampshire
, Rhode Island
, Connecticut
, Vermont
, Maine
and eastern New York
.
In spring and summer of 2006, they began testing the new transmitter site, the station's signal strength dramatically decreased in most parts of Rhode Island, Connecticut, Vermont and Western Massachusetts. WAAF was trying to concentrate the signal into its primary sales market, Boston. The new transmitter began operating on program test authority from the FCC, at the WUNI
-TV tower on Stiles Hill in Boylston
, Massachusetts. The first experiment from this transmitter location took place between October 31 and November 22, 2005 but the station had to resort back to Paxton for a couple of months to address alleged multipath
issues.
(The issues being blamed on a faulty T1 line between their Brighton studios and the transmitter site after extensive testing). WAAF continued to operate from this site, under the original program test authority until May 26, 2011, when the FCC officially issued a license for the site.
On August 21, 2006, Entercom acquired Urban Contemporary
outlet WILD-FM (97.7) from Radio One for $30 Million. Hours after that deal was made Entercom pulled the plug on WILD-FM's format at 7pm (EDT) and replaced it with a computerized voice countdown "T Minus [] Hours, [] Minutes, [] Seconds and counting", also adding little funny snippets every few seconds leading up to the August 22, 5:30 PM start of simulcasting WAAF's format on that signal, beginning with AC/DC's "For Those About To Rock (We Salute You)". The addition of 97.7 now gives WAAF improved signal coverage in parts of Boston. On August 30, 2006, 97.7's call sign offifically changed from WILD-FM to WKAF.
station from the early 1930s, WAAB in Boston
.
By 1951, the station was operating under the call letters of WGTR, at 99.1 MHz, owned by Thomas S. Lee Broadcasting, which had also purchased the Shepard stations in the late 1940s. (Radio-TV Annual, 1952 edition, p. 1268) Subsequently, the WGTR call letters, and the station itself, seemed to disappear, and only WTAG
, owned by the Worcester Telegram and Gazette newspaper, operated an FM in Worcester during the remainder of the 1950s.
The station which took the call letters of WAAB-FM did not go on the air till the autumn of 1961, operating at 107.3 MHz and owned by Bernard E. Waterman.
On August 12, 2009 WAAF became the longest-running rock radio station in Boston, when rival station WBCN signed off analog radio to allow WBMX to move from 98.5 to 104.1 FM. The same day 98.5 became WBZ-FM "The Sports Hub."
aka LB, "Air Personality" and Producer: Spaz, News Director: Danielle Murr and Assistant Producers: Big Red, Jack, and Demick. Mike Hsu has hosted mid-days since November 2005 and was the weeknight evening host from January 2004-November 2005. Hsu also served as news anchor for The Hill-Man Morning Show from the late 1990s-January 2004. Mistress Carrie, the "Purple Haired Bitch of Boston", has been the host of AAF's afternoon drive slot from November 2005–Present. Carrie started out as an intern for The Hill-Man Morning Show in 1991 then worked part-time and with the promotions department until 1998 when she became the weeknight evening host until moving to mid-days in 2001-November 2005. Carrie became WAAF's music director in 2001–present. During the week of September 8, 2006, Mistress Carrie went over to Iraq to visit U.S. Forces from the New England area. Carrie broadcast live for those back home as a reporter for WAAF. On April 5, 2007, Mistress Carrie was awarded the Commander's Award for Public Service
.
Saturday programming features Mike Brangiforte (formerly music director of WAAF and afternoon co-host on WHJY
), Gomez on afternoons, Matt Leonard on evenings, and Skratch 'N Sniff on nights.
Sunday programming features Mike Brangieforte on mid-days, Ron Medeiros on afternoons, Murphy on evenings, and Bay State Rock (started in 1981 by then Music Director Russ Mottla, now hosted by Carmelita) on nights.
The program has spawned a Calendar and DVD set, branded Mantown, in which local women are featured. Women appear on the show to interview for a position in the calendar, and are asked a standard set of questions about their anatomy, their sexual preferences, and their sexual history.
In the past, women were often asked to fake an orgasm on the air, for the listeners to vote on.
In 1993, Kevin Barbare joined The Hill-Man Morning Show to provide comedic content with his wide range of musical and celebrity impressions as Co-Host. Kevin previously worked for WROQ in his hometown of Greenville, South Carolina. Lyndon 'LB' Byers, a former Boston Bruins player, joined the show a few years later as their Sports Director and additional Co-Host. Anthony Parziale, aka Spaz, became the show's Producer in 2001. Anthony gained his nickname of Spaz after the other members of the show noticed how odd his personality is. Anthony's sudden outbursts of rage when he would mess up on the show did not help much in fueling his co-worker's produced nickname. Though through Anthony's outbursts he slowly became a recognizable voice for the listeners and started talking more and more on-air. In late December 2007 it was announced that Spaz would be stepping down from producing the show and stepping up to the microphone as the show's newest personality. It was also announced that former intern turned assistant producer "Super Producer" Dave would become the new producer for the show starting January 1, 2008. Danielle Murr, current News Director, got her position on the show after doing such a good job of filling in for (then News/Traffic Director) Major Dick for a week back in late 2005. The show also has an assistant producer, Big Red, though he is very rarely heard from but regularly mentioned and poked fun at by the cast members of the show.
s Opie and Anthony
came to WAAF from Long Island rock station WBAB
. For three years they powered the afternoon drive shift. When they were at WBAB they were not technically a pair. Opie was doing nights(7-12am) and Anthony would come in and perform comedy songs with his brother Joe. It was not until they got to WAAF (hired by Ron Valeri WAAF program director who heard them in N.Y.) that they became "Opie and Anthony". Throughout their time at WAAF Opie and Anthony became number one in afternoons. They were a part of a number of the early "Real Rock TV episodes. Anthony would parody Howard Stern, and they would perform ridiculous bits (The most popular was the Tickle Me Elmo episodes performed back in 1997 when the doll was popular. They put it in a wood chipper and hung the parts from the WAAF rock van while at a toy drive event in Natick, MA.) The duo released a comedy CD entitled Demented World, composed of clips and bits from their show. They came up with a promotion called W.O.W.(Whip em' Out Wednesday) were women are encouraged to flash their breast at drivers that display the word WOW on their car. Their show was the cause of a lot of controversy, resulting in a number of suspensions. They were ultimately fired from WAAF for an April Fool's prank which stated that Boston Mayor Thomas M. Menino died in a car crash while in Florida. People close to Menino were not sure whether the story was true, causing Menino to demand for Opie and Anthony's termination.
After leaving WAAF. Opie and Anthony went to WNEW in New York City, were they gained popularity, reached number one, received syndication to over 30 cities nationwide. They developed a talk format that has made their show top rated and amongst the best in the country. They hired stand up comic Jim Norton to be their third mic. At WNEW Opie and Anthony developed one of the greatest radio wars of all time, squaring off against Howard Stern. On August 15, 2002 the Opie and Anthony show was canceled. Although their show was canceled they were not actually fired. Infinity paid them for two years, until their contracts were up. In that time Opie and Anthony were not allowed to broadcast a show.
On October 4, 2004 Opie and Anthony started on XM satellite radio. Now in the mornings they can be heard daily 6-11am (M-F) on XM ch. 105 (Sir. Ch. 197).
Opie and Anthony have appeared on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno, Late Night with David Letterman, Jimmy Kimmel Live and other television shows.
in Boston, Massachusetts. After being fired from WRKO in August 2003, Osterlind moved to Miami Beach where he owned and operated a rock bar/restaurant, Scrap Bar and Smoke House until 2008. After a 5 year break from radio he now hosts a weekday evening talk show on WRNO-FM
99.5 in New Orleans.
Starting in 2003, while this event is proceeding, the DJs at the station will play requested songs, for a price. While the station will play any song requested, obnoxious or unpopular songs, such as the SpongeBob SquarePants
theme, will have a higher price than the station's standard fare. In 2009, for the first time in 17 years, the "Walk and Rock for Change" was held in December, one week before Christmas.
WAAF KIDS is the launched channel broadcasting such as Blue's Clues, sister shows Super Why and Team Umizoomi, Postman Pat, SpongeBob SquarePants, and Tasty Time with Zefronk.
WAAF also released pie and Anthony's Demented World, a CD that highlighted some of Opie and Anthony's most popular bits during their time at WAAF. The CD has not been acknowledged by the station since Opie and Anthony were fired; however, is still acknowledged by Opie and Anthony on their current Sirius XM show.
magazine Active Rock
station of the year in a top 25 market award. Other nominees included WIYY
in Baltimore, KBPI
in Denver, WRIF
in Detroit, WMMR
in Philadelphia, and KISW in Seattle.
Active rock
Active rock is a radio format used by many commercial radio stations across the United States and Canada. Active rock plays contemporary rock artists with a mix of songs common in the classic rock radio format.-Format background:...
radio station
Radio station
Radio broadcasting is a one-way wireless transmission over radio waves intended to reach a wide audience. Stations can be linked in radio networks to broadcast a common radio format, either in broadcast syndication or simulcast or both...
that mixes music that is popular in the modern rock
Modern rock
Modern rock is a rock format commonly found on commercial radio; the format consists primarily of the alternative rock genre...
, heavy metal
Heavy metal music
Heavy metal is a genre of rock music that developed in the late 1960s and early 1970s, largely in the Midlands of the United Kingdom and the United States...
and classic rock
Classic rock
Classic rock is a radio format which developed from the album-oriented rock format in the early 1980s. In the United States, the classic rock format features music ranging generally from the late 1960s to the late 1980s, primarily focusing on the hard rock genre that peaked in popularity in the...
genres.
Originally the station targeted the Worcester, Massachusetts
Worcester, Massachusetts
Worcester is a city and the county seat of Worcester County, Massachusetts, United States. Named after Worcester, England, as of the 2010 Census the city's population is 181,045, making it the second largest city in New England after Boston....
market, but by the mid-1980s, WAAF had begun to direct most of its attention to the Boston radio market.
WAAF signal
WAAF currently broadcasts from Stiles Hill in BoylstonBoylston, Massachusetts
Boylston is a town in Worcester County, Massachusetts, United States. The population was 4,355 at the 2010 census.-History:Boylston was first settled by Europeans around 1706 in the north part of the present-day town, most notably by the Sawyer family...
, Massachusetts with an effective radiated power of 9.6 kW directional (protecting three other FM signals) WAAF used to broadcast out of Paxton, Massachusetts
Paxton, Massachusetts
Paxton is a town in Worcester County, Massachusetts, United States. The population was 4,806 at the 2010 census.-History:Paxton was first settled in 1749 and was officially incorporated in 1765....
on 107.3 FM and maintains a backup site there. They simulcast on 97.7 FM, which is licensed to Brockton, Massachusetts
Brockton, Massachusetts
Brockton is a city in Plymouth County, Massachusetts, United States; the population was 93,810 in the 2010 Census. Brockton, along with Plymouth, are the county seats of Plymouth County...
(where their signal can be better heard in parts of Boston). When they transmitted from the location in Paxton, the central part of Massachusetts
Massachusetts
The Commonwealth of Massachusetts is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States of America. It is bordered by Rhode Island and Connecticut to the south, New York to the west, and Vermont and New Hampshire to the north; at its east lies the Atlantic Ocean. As of the 2010...
, WAAF could be heard throughout much of Massachusetts, as well as parts of neighboring U.S. states New Hampshire
New Hampshire
New Hampshire is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States of America. The state was named after the southern English county of Hampshire. It is bordered by Massachusetts to the south, Vermont to the west, Maine and the Atlantic Ocean to the east, and the Canadian...
, Rhode Island
Rhode Island
The state of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations, more commonly referred to as Rhode Island , is a state in the New England region of the United States. It is the smallest U.S. state by area...
, Connecticut
Connecticut
Connecticut is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States. It is bordered by Rhode Island to the east, Massachusetts to the north, and the state of New York to the west and the south .Connecticut is named for the Connecticut River, the major U.S. river that approximately...
, Vermont
Vermont
Vermont is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States of America. The state ranks 43rd in land area, , and 45th in total area. Its population according to the 2010 census, 630,337, is the second smallest in the country, larger only than Wyoming. It is the only New England...
, Maine
Maine
Maine is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States, bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the east and south, New Hampshire to the west, and the Canadian provinces of Quebec to the northwest and New Brunswick to the northeast. Maine is both the northernmost and easternmost...
and eastern New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
.
In spring and summer of 2006, they began testing the new transmitter site, the station's signal strength dramatically decreased in most parts of Rhode Island, Connecticut, Vermont and Western Massachusetts. WAAF was trying to concentrate the signal into its primary sales market, Boston. The new transmitter began operating on program test authority from the FCC, at the WUNI
WUNI
WUNI, digital channel 29, is the Univision television affiliate for the Greater Boston market. Licensed to Worcester, Massachusetts, the station runs general Spanish entertainment programs as well as news and information programming...
-TV tower on Stiles Hill in Boylston
Boylston, Massachusetts
Boylston is a town in Worcester County, Massachusetts, United States. The population was 4,355 at the 2010 census.-History:Boylston was first settled by Europeans around 1706 in the north part of the present-day town, most notably by the Sawyer family...
, Massachusetts. The first experiment from this transmitter location took place between October 31 and November 22, 2005 but the station had to resort back to Paxton for a couple of months to address alleged multipath
Multipath interference
Multipath interference is a phenomenon in the physics of waves whereby a wave from a source travels to a detector via two or more paths and, under the right condition, the two components of the wave interfere...
issues.
(The issues being blamed on a faulty T1 line between their Brighton studios and the transmitter site after extensive testing). WAAF continued to operate from this site, under the original program test authority until May 26, 2011, when the FCC officially issued a license for the site.
On August 21, 2006, Entercom acquired Urban Contemporary
Urban contemporary
Urban contemporary is a music radio format. The term was coined by the late New York DJ Frankie Crocker in the mid 1970s. Urban contemporary radio stations feature a playlist made up entirely of hip hop/rap, contemporary R&B, pop, electronica such as dubstep and drum and bass and Caribbean music...
outlet WILD-FM (97.7) from Radio One for $30 Million. Hours after that deal was made Entercom pulled the plug on WILD-FM's format at 7pm (EDT) and replaced it with a computerized voice countdown "T Minus [] Hours, [] Minutes, [] Seconds and counting", also adding little funny snippets every few seconds leading up to the August 22, 5:30 PM start of simulcasting WAAF's format on that signal, beginning with AC/DC's "For Those About To Rock (We Salute You)". The addition of 97.7 now gives WAAF improved signal coverage in parts of Boston. On August 30, 2006, 97.7's call sign offifically changed from WILD-FM to WKAF.
History
The station that became WAAF was actually a distant cousin of an AMAM broadcasting
AM broadcasting is the process of radio broadcasting using amplitude modulation. AM was the first method of impressing sound on a radio signal and is still widely used today. Commercial and public AM broadcasting is carried out in the medium wave band world wide, and on long wave and short wave...
station from the early 1930s, WAAB in Boston
Boston
Boston is the capital of and largest city in Massachusetts, and is one of the oldest cities in the United States. The largest city in New England, Boston is regarded as the unofficial "Capital of New England" for its economic and cultural impact on the entire New England region. The city proper had...
.
By 1951, the station was operating under the call letters of WGTR, at 99.1 MHz, owned by Thomas S. Lee Broadcasting, which had also purchased the Shepard stations in the late 1940s. (Radio-TV Annual, 1952 edition, p. 1268) Subsequently, the WGTR call letters, and the station itself, seemed to disappear, and only WTAG
WTAG
WTAG is an AM radio station broadcasting on 580 kHz in Paxton, Massachusetts. WTAG programming is also simulcast on FM translator W235AV at 94.9 MHz, licensed to Tatnuck, Massachusetts...
, owned by the Worcester Telegram and Gazette newspaper, operated an FM in Worcester during the remainder of the 1950s.
The station which took the call letters of WAAB-FM did not go on the air till the autumn of 1961, operating at 107.3 MHz and owned by Bernard E. Waterman.
On August 12, 2009 WAAF became the longest-running rock radio station in Boston, when rival station WBCN signed off analog radio to allow WBMX to move from 98.5 to 104.1 FM. The same day 98.5 became WBZ-FM "The Sports Hub."
Current on-air personalities
Programming on WAAF is mostly locally produced. Weekdays include The Hill-Man Morning Show. Host: Greg Hill, Co-Host: Kevin Barbare, Sports Director: Lyndon ByersLyndon Byers
Lyndon Svi Byers is a Canadian-born radio host and retired professional ice hockey player.-Playing career:...
aka LB, "Air Personality" and Producer: Spaz, News Director: Danielle Murr and Assistant Producers: Big Red, Jack, and Demick. Mike Hsu has hosted mid-days since November 2005 and was the weeknight evening host from January 2004-November 2005. Hsu also served as news anchor for The Hill-Man Morning Show from the late 1990s-January 2004. Mistress Carrie, the "Purple Haired Bitch of Boston", has been the host of AAF's afternoon drive slot from November 2005–Present. Carrie started out as an intern for The Hill-Man Morning Show in 1991 then worked part-time and with the promotions department until 1998 when she became the weeknight evening host until moving to mid-days in 2001-November 2005. Carrie became WAAF's music director in 2001–present. During the week of September 8, 2006, Mistress Carrie went over to Iraq to visit U.S. Forces from the New England area. Carrie broadcast live for those back home as a reporter for WAAF. On April 5, 2007, Mistress Carrie was awarded the Commander's Award for Public Service
Commander's Award for Public Service
The Commander's Award for Public Service is the fourth highest honor the United States Department of the Army can bestow upon a civilian, ranking directly below the Outstanding Civilian Service Award.-Eligibility:...
.
Saturday programming features Mike Brangiforte (formerly music director of WAAF and afternoon co-host on WHJY
WHJY
WHJY is a commercial radio station in Providence, Rhode Island owned by Clear Channel that broadcasts at 94.1 MHz. .WHJY plays classic and mainstream rock - a radio format known as "active rock", and has been doing so since September 4, 1981...
), Gomez on afternoons, Matt Leonard on evenings, and Skratch 'N Sniff on nights.
Sunday programming features Mike Brangieforte on mid-days, Ron Medeiros on afternoons, Murphy on evenings, and Bay State Rock (started in 1981 by then Music Director Russ Mottla, now hosted by Carmelita) on nights.
Notable former on-air personalities
- Bob RiversBob RiversBob Rivers is a well-known American rock and roll radio on air personality in the Pacific Northwest as well as a prolific producer of parody songs, most famous for his Christmas song parodies....
(Co-Host of top rated morning drive timeDrive timeDrive time is the daypart analog to prime time for radio broadcasting. It consists of the morning hours when listeners wake up, get ready, and/or head to work or school, and the afternoon hours when they are heading home and before their evening meal. These are the periods where the number of...
show 'Bob and Zip' 1982-1988) - Peter "Zip" Zipfel (Co-Host of top rated morning drive time show 'Bob and Zip' 1982-1988 and later 'Drew and Zip' morning show Feb.-July 1989)
- Gregg "Opie" Hughes (Co-Host of top rated XM morning drive time show 'Opie and AnthonyOpie and AnthonyOpie and Anthony are the hosts of The Opie & Anthony Show, a talk radio program airing in the United States and Canada on XM Satellite Radio and Sirius Satellite Radio. Since the merger of the two satellite companies, this is now called Sirius/XM...
' 1995-1998) - Anthony Cumia (Co-Host of top rated XM morning drive time show 'Opie and AnthonyOpie and AnthonyOpie and Anthony are the hosts of The Opie & Anthony Show, a talk radio program airing in the United States and Canada on XM Satellite Radio and Sirius Satellite Radio. Since the merger of the two satellite companies, this is now called Sirius/XM...
' 1995-1998) - Liz WildeLiz WildeLiz Wilde is an American radio personality best known for her shock jock radio program, The Liz Wilde Show.-History:...
, a.k.a. "The Cream Cheese Bitch" (1990–1995) - Mike Wild, Overnights from late 1980s to circa 1995 (No relation to Liz Wilde) and later hosting "WAAF's Saturday Night Hairball."
- John Osterlind (Host of the "Ozone". Evenings 1992-1995 Mid-Day Afternoons 1995-2001)
- Rocko (Evenings 1995-1998, Co-Host of afternoon drive time shows 'Rocko and Birdsey' 1998-2001 and 'Rocko and Matty' 2001-2002)
- Tom Birdsey (Co-Host of afternoon drive time show 'Rocko and Birdsey' 1998-2001)
- Matty Blake (Co-Host of afternoon drive time show 'Rocko and Matty' 2001-2002)
- Drew Lane (1987-1989 Co-Host of morning drive time shows 'Drew and Karen' Feb. 1988-Feb. 1989 and later 'Drew and Zip' Feb.-July 1989)
- Ruby Cheeks (Co-Host of morning drive time show 'Ruby Cheeks and the Hillman' with Greg Hill Nov. 1989 - March 1990)
- "Billboard" Bill Whiteman (1990–1992)
- E.J. Crummy (Morning Drive 1980-1982)
- Harvey Warfield a.k.a. "The Commander Of The Rock N' Roll Air Force" (Evening then Afternoon Host 1979 - 1983)
- Jeremy Savage a.k.a. "The Master Blaster" (Afternoon Host 1977 - 1981)
- Paul Marshall a.k.a. "Neanderpaul" (2004–2005)
- John Clark Late Night Host (1978–1980)
- Jeff Berlin (fill in, afternoon, then night host (1978–1984)
- Chuck Knowlin (1984–1988, Host of afternoon drive time show)
- Mark Razz (1991–1993, Music Director, Mid-Day Afternoons), now Music Director, Afternoons at WXTUWXTUWXTU is a Country music formatted radio station which is broadcast in the Philadelphia area. It is the largest country radio station in the United States based on listener cume . The station plays a variety of country music, including current hits, as well as older hits...
/Philadelphia - T.C.McGuire (1988–1989)
- Karen Grace (1981–1985)
- Kid Mitchell (1989–1990)
- Steven Craig Brown (1984-1986 with Bob & Zip Show))
- Annalisa (1984–1989)
- Anita West (1986–1988)
- Dave Bernstein(1980–1983)
- Mark Fox (1989–1995)
- Ilyse Gottlieb (1977–1978)
- Kevin Redding (Former host of 'Saturday Night Hairball' from December 2004 until April 2005)
- George Osborne (Original host of 'Saturday Night Hairball' from ? until December 2004)
- Tom Doyle (Host of Morning drive time show 1977 - 1979)
- Patty Geier(Co-Host of morning drive with Tom Doyle through the mid to late 1970s)
- Ian O'Malley (Late 1980s)
- Rick O'B (mid 1980s)
- David Breen (1996–2010) aka Doug Dave Green Breen
- Bob Hannah (2003–2009, Overnight Host from 03-06, 7pm-12m Host 2006-09, Now back to doing Saturday mornings. 10am-2pm)
- Super Producer Dave (2004–2008)
- Steve Minichiello - Beatles Forever (1980–1982)
- Bob Sawyer (early 1970s)
- Michael Gray (1971–1976)
- Chris Caine (1973–1976)
- Russ Dana (1975–1976)
- Paul Lemieux (1975–1981)
- Joe Biedryski (1970s)
- Jim Taylor (1973–1974)
- Mike Raymond (1975)
The Hill-Man Morning Show
"The Hill-Man Morning Show", led by host Greg Hill, is WAAF's most popular current program as well as one of its longest running. Although a music program, the show is known for its hosts' banter.The program has spawned a Calendar and DVD set, branded Mantown, in which local women are featured. Women appear on the show to interview for a position in the calendar, and are asked a standard set of questions about their anatomy, their sexual preferences, and their sexual history.
In the past, women were often asked to fake an orgasm on the air, for the listeners to vote on.
In 1993, Kevin Barbare joined The Hill-Man Morning Show to provide comedic content with his wide range of musical and celebrity impressions as Co-Host. Kevin previously worked for WROQ in his hometown of Greenville, South Carolina. Lyndon 'LB' Byers, a former Boston Bruins player, joined the show a few years later as their Sports Director and additional Co-Host. Anthony Parziale, aka Spaz, became the show's Producer in 2001. Anthony gained his nickname of Spaz after the other members of the show noticed how odd his personality is. Anthony's sudden outbursts of rage when he would mess up on the show did not help much in fueling his co-worker's produced nickname. Though through Anthony's outbursts he slowly became a recognizable voice for the listeners and started talking more and more on-air. In late December 2007 it was announced that Spaz would be stepping down from producing the show and stepping up to the microphone as the show's newest personality. It was also announced that former intern turned assistant producer "Super Producer" Dave would become the new producer for the show starting January 1, 2008. Danielle Murr, current News Director, got her position on the show after doing such a good job of filling in for (then News/Traffic Director) Major Dick for a week back in late 2005. The show also has an assistant producer, Big Red, though he is very rarely heard from but regularly mentioned and poked fun at by the cast members of the show.
Opie and Anthony
On March 27, 1995, shock jockShock jock
Shock jock is a slang term used to describe a type of any radio broadcaster who attracts attention using humor that a significant portion of the listening audience may find offensive. The term is usually used pejoratively to describe provocative or irreverent broadcasters whose mannerisms,...
s Opie and Anthony
Opie and Anthony
Opie and Anthony are the hosts of The Opie & Anthony Show, a talk radio program airing in the United States and Canada on XM Satellite Radio and Sirius Satellite Radio. Since the merger of the two satellite companies, this is now called Sirius/XM...
came to WAAF from Long Island rock station WBAB
WBAB
WBAB is a rock radio station on Long Island. Located at 102.3 FM, the station is licensed to Babylon, New York and is owned by Cox Radio. The station is also simulcast on WHFM 95.3 FM in eastern Suffolk County. Both WBAB's 102.3 and WHFM's 95.3 signals are broadcast in HD. The station also streams...
. For three years they powered the afternoon drive shift. When they were at WBAB they were not technically a pair. Opie was doing nights(7-12am) and Anthony would come in and perform comedy songs with his brother Joe. It was not until they got to WAAF (hired by Ron Valeri WAAF program director who heard them in N.Y.) that they became "Opie and Anthony". Throughout their time at WAAF Opie and Anthony became number one in afternoons. They were a part of a number of the early "Real Rock TV episodes. Anthony would parody Howard Stern, and they would perform ridiculous bits (The most popular was the Tickle Me Elmo episodes performed back in 1997 when the doll was popular. They put it in a wood chipper and hung the parts from the WAAF rock van while at a toy drive event in Natick, MA.) The duo released a comedy CD entitled Demented World, composed of clips and bits from their show. They came up with a promotion called W.O.W.(Whip em' Out Wednesday) were women are encouraged to flash their breast at drivers that display the word WOW on their car. Their show was the cause of a lot of controversy, resulting in a number of suspensions. They were ultimately fired from WAAF for an April Fool's prank which stated that Boston Mayor Thomas M. Menino died in a car crash while in Florida. People close to Menino were not sure whether the story was true, causing Menino to demand for Opie and Anthony's termination.
After leaving WAAF. Opie and Anthony went to WNEW in New York City, were they gained popularity, reached number one, received syndication to over 30 cities nationwide. They developed a talk format that has made their show top rated and amongst the best in the country. They hired stand up comic Jim Norton to be their third mic. At WNEW Opie and Anthony developed one of the greatest radio wars of all time, squaring off against Howard Stern. On August 15, 2002 the Opie and Anthony show was canceled. Although their show was canceled they were not actually fired. Infinity paid them for two years, until their contracts were up. In that time Opie and Anthony were not allowed to broadcast a show.
On October 4, 2004 Opie and Anthony started on XM satellite radio. Now in the mornings they can be heard daily 6-11am (M-F) on XM ch. 105 (Sir. Ch. 197).
Opie and Anthony have appeared on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno, Late Night with David Letterman, Jimmy Kimmel Live and other television shows.
John Osterlind
John Osterlind doubled as the music director for the station and the popular mid-day DJ for many years. Nicknamed "Ozone", Osterlind combined a detailed, knowledgeable banter about current musical trends with such popular segments as one in which he invited listeners to call in daily with midget sightings in the greater Boston area. Osterlind left WAAF in May 2001 to host a radio call-in show with former congressman, Peter Blute, on WRKO AM 680WRKO
WRKO is a radio station based in Boston, Massachusetts, currently owned by Entercom. Its transmitter is located in Burlington, Massachusetts, next to the Burlington Mall.-1920-1940:...
in Boston, Massachusetts. After being fired from WRKO in August 2003, Osterlind moved to Miami Beach where he owned and operated a rock bar/restaurant, Scrap Bar and Smoke House until 2008. After a 5 year break from radio he now hosts a weekday evening talk show on WRNO-FM
WRNO-FM
WRNO-FM is an Interactive Talk formatted radio station serving New Orleans, Louisiana. The Clear Channel Communications station broadcasts at 99.5 MHz with an effective radiated power of 100 kilowatts.-History:...
99.5 in New Orleans.
Walk and Rock for Change
Every November, starting in 1993, WAAF has held its popular annual charity event "Walk and Rock for Change". During this event, the DJs (Greg Hill 1993-2003, LB and Spaz 2004–present) from the station walk across Massachusetts, asking for change from the people as they stop in each town. The station will often air interviews with people as they come across interesting events.Starting in 2003, while this event is proceeding, the DJs at the station will play requested songs, for a price. While the station will play any song requested, obnoxious or unpopular songs, such as the SpongeBob SquarePants
SpongeBob SquarePants
SpongeBob SquarePants is an American animated television series, created by marine biologist and animator Stephen Hillenburg. Much of the series centers on the exploits and adventures of the title character and his various friends in the underwater city of "Bikini Bottom"...
theme, will have a higher price than the station's standard fare. In 2009, for the first time in 17 years, the "Walk and Rock for Change" was held in December, one week before Christmas.
WAAF KIDS is the launched channel broadcasting such as Blue's Clues, sister shows Super Why and Team Umizoomi, Postman Pat, SpongeBob SquarePants, and Tasty Time with Zefronk.
CD releases
The station has released a number of mostly limited edition CDs containing exclusive in-studio performances and various comedy bits from the on-air staff.- Unusual Suspects: WAAF Exclusive Live Studio Recordings, November 19, 1996
- Royal Flush: Live On-Air, November 25, 1997
- Bootleg Live On-Air, March 23, 1999
- WAAF Survive This, October 30, 2000
- Prez Dispenser, (during Bill Clinton's administration)
WAAF also released pie and Anthony's Demented World, a CD that highlighted some of Opie and Anthony's most popular bits during their time at WAAF. The CD has not been acknowledged by the station since Opie and Anthony were fired; however, is still acknowledged by Opie and Anthony on their current Sirius XM show.
Awards
In 2007, the station was nominated for the Radio & RecordsRadio & Records
Radio & Records was a trade publication providing news and airplay information for the radio and music industries. It originally started out as an independent trade from 1973 to 2006 until VNU Media took over in 2006, up until its final issue in 2009.-History:The company was founded in 1973 and...
magazine Active Rock
Active rock
Active rock is a radio format used by many commercial radio stations across the United States and Canada. Active rock plays contemporary rock artists with a mix of songs common in the classic rock radio format.-Format background:...
station of the year in a top 25 market award. Other nominees included WIYY
WIYY
WIYY is a radio station in Baltimore, Maryland, USA, owned by the Hearst Corporation. WIYY broadcasts an Mainstream Rock format that mixes music popular in the modern rock, heavy metal and classic rock genres...
in Baltimore, KBPI
KBPI
KBPI is an active rock radio station based in Denver, Colorado. The Clear Channel Communications outlet broadcasts with an effective radiated power of 100 kW and has a transmitter in Boulder, Colorado...
in Denver, WRIF
WRIF
WRIF — branded 101 WRIF: The RIFF — is a commercial active rock radio station licensed by the FCC to operate in Detroit, Michigan serving surrounding Metro Detroit. The station is currently owned by Greater Boston Radio, Inc. WRIF is a grandfathered Class B station with a signal equivalent to...
in Detroit, WMMR
WMMR
WMMR is an active rock radio station in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, broadcasting at 93.3 MHz FM. The station is owned by Greater Media....
in Philadelphia, and KISW in Seattle.