WAMG
Encyclopedia
WAMG is a radio station
in the Boston market licensed to Dedham, Massachusetts
. It is owned by Gois Broadcasting. It broadcasts in Spanish, & plays Bachata, Merengue, Salsa and Pop music.
WAMG also simulcasts its programming on WLLH
(1400 AM) in Lowell
and Lawrence
to reach the area north of Boston and the southern part of New Hampshire.
format that gradually migrated from WBIV (now WQOM). In 1995, the station adopted a sports
format, affiliated with the Prime Sports network. The station also adopted the call letters of WBPS at this time, which remained with the station for many years, even after the station dropped sports for brokered ethnic programs in 1996.
In 1998, WBPS was acquired by Mega Communications, and adopted a Spanish adult contemporary format, initially as "Estrella 890" before becoming "Amor 890".
After the failure of a Spanish-language all-news
format on WNNY (now WKDM
) in New York City
, Mega began to broker many of the company's stations. Consequently, on December 1, 2001, Mega began leasing WBPS to CNET, at which time the station adopted the technology news/talk
format of "CNET Radio," as a simulcast of KNEW
.
After CNET's programming left WBPS in 2002, Mega began leasing the station to Chicago
-based Air Time Media. This group launched a conservative news/talk
format on WBPS, which was known as the "Boston Talk Party".
In 2003, Mega sold the company's other Boston station, WAMG ("Mega 1150"), to Salem Communications
. In order to retain the successful Spanish-language tropical
format of WAMG, Mega moved the format and call letters to the 890 frequency, canceling Air Time's lease on the station. Some of the hosts which were dropped from WBPS landed on 1150, which Salem re-launched as conservative talk station WTTT (that station is now WWDJ).
Additionally, when WAMG relocated to 890 as "Mega 890", the frequency inherited the format's simulcast on WLLH, which was not included in 1150's sale to Salem.
In 2005, Mega Communications announced the sale of WAMG and WLLH to WallerSutton 2000, an investment firm, in cooperation with locally-owned "J Sports". Upon closure of the sale, WAMG dropped the Spanish tropical format and reverted to a sports format, this time affiliated with ESPN Radio
. The station also added a local afternoon show featuring Michael Felger
, and used the branding of "ESPN Boston". (The last broadcast of The Mike Felger Show was on July 10, 2008.) Other local programs heard on the station included Salk & Halloran, Lew & Mike, Celtic Pride and The New England Hockey Journal. The station was also the home of Northeastern University football and men's hockey. Through its ESPN Radio affiliation, WAMG also served as the Boston outlet for Mike and Mike in the Morning
, The Herd with Colin Cowherd
, The Scott Van Pelt Show, The Doug Gottlieb Show, and All Night with Jason Smith, as well as ESPN Radio's play-by-play broadcasts, such as Bowl Championship Series
, the World Series
, and the National Invitation Tournament
.
On August 3, 2006, WAMG was the first to report that veteran major league catcher Javy Lopez
was being traded from the Baltimore Orioles
to the Boston Red Sox. The trade was designed to fill a hole caused by the recent injury to Jason Varitek
. The next day, the trade was announced as official; the Orioles received cash and a player to be named later (Adam Stern
) in return.
WAMG discontinued ESPN Radio programming on September 14, 2009; the transmitter was shut off at 5:00 p.m. Gois returned the station to the air on December 3, 2009, reverting it again to Spanish-language programming with the current format, branded "La Nueva Mega"; simulcast partner WLLH had returned to the air with this format in late October. Initially operating the station under a local marketing agreement
, Gois purchased WAMG outright in January 2010.
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...
in the Boston market licensed to Dedham, Massachusetts
Dedham, Massachusetts
Dedham is a town in and the county seat of Norfolk County, Massachusetts, United States. The population was 24,729 at the 2010 census. It is located on Boston's southwest border. On the northwest it is bordered by Needham, on the southwest by Westwood and on the southeast by...
. It is owned by Gois Broadcasting. It broadcasts in Spanish, & plays Bachata, Merengue, Salsa and Pop music.
WAMG also simulcasts its programming on WLLH
WLLH
WLLH is a radio station in the Merrimack Valley region of Massachusetts, licensed to Lowell, Massachusetts. The station is owned by Gois Broadcasting, LLC, and airs a tropical music format. In addition to a transmitter in Lowell, there is a synchronous transmitter in Lawrence, together forming...
(1400 AM) in Lowell
Lowell, Massachusetts
Lowell is a city in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, USA. According to the 2010 census, the city's population was 106,519. It is the fourth largest city in the state. Lowell and Cambridge are the county seats of Middlesex County...
and Lawrence
Lawrence, Massachusetts
Lawrence is a city in Essex County, Massachusetts, United States on the Merrimack River. According to the 2010 U.S. Census, the city had a total population of 76,377. Surrounding communities include Methuen to the north, Andover to the southwest, and North Andover to the southeast. It and Salem are...
to reach the area north of Boston and the southern part of New Hampshire.
History
WAMG first came on the air in 1994 as WBMA, initially airing a Spanish-language religiousReligious broadcasting
Religious broadcasting refers to broadcasting by religious organizations, usually with a religious message. Many religious organizations have long recorded content such as sermons and lectures, and have moved into distributing content on their Internet websites.While this article emphasises...
format that gradually migrated from WBIV (now WQOM). In 1995, the station adopted a sports
Sports radio
Sports radio is a radio format devoted entirely to discussion and broadcasting of sporting events. A popular format with an almost exclusively male demographic in most areas, sports radio is characterized by an often-boisterous on-air style and extensive debate and analysis by both hosts and...
format, affiliated with the Prime Sports network. The station also adopted the call letters of WBPS at this time, which remained with the station for many years, even after the station dropped sports for brokered ethnic programs in 1996.
In 1998, WBPS was acquired by Mega Communications, and adopted a Spanish adult contemporary format, initially as "Estrella 890" before becoming "Amor 890".
After the failure of a Spanish-language all-news
All-news radio
All-news radio is a radio format devoted entirely to discussion and broadcast of news.All-news radio is available in both local and syndicated forms, and is carried in some form on both major US satellite radio networks...
format on WNNY (now WKDM
WKDM
WKDM 1380 is a United States ethnic brokered radio station serving New York City and owned by Multicultural Broadcasting. The station broadcasts in Mandarin Chinese, 24 hours a day from Monday to Friday.-History:...
) in New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
, Mega began to broker many of the company's stations. Consequently, on December 1, 2001, Mega began leasing WBPS to CNET, at which time the station adopted the technology news/talk
Talk radio
Talk radio is a radio format containing discussion about topical issues. Most shows are regularly hosted by a single individual, and often feature interviews with a number of different guests. Talk radio typically includes an element of listener participation, usually by broadcasting live...
format of "CNET Radio," as a simulcast of KNEW
KNEW (AM)
KNEW is a radio station in San Francisco, Oakland, and San Jose, CA, USA. The station is owned by Clear Channel. Prior to the format change, the station operated as CNET Radio, offering business and technology news 24 hours a day...
.
After CNET's programming left WBPS in 2002, Mega began leasing the station to Chicago
Chicago
Chicago is the largest city in the US state of Illinois. With nearly 2.7 million residents, it is the most populous city in the Midwestern United States and the third most populous in the US, after New York City and Los Angeles...
-based Air Time Media. This group launched a conservative news/talk
Conservative talk
Conservative talk radio is a talk radio format in the United States and Canada devoted to expressing conservative viewpoints of issues, as opposed to progressive talk radio...
format on WBPS, which was known as the "Boston Talk Party".
In 2003, Mega sold the company's other Boston station, WAMG ("Mega 1150"), to Salem Communications
Salem Communications
Salem Communications is a U.S. radio broadcaster, Internet content provider, and magazine and book publisher specializing in evangelical Christian and conservative political talk radio. It owns 99 commercial radio stations, 65 of which are in the top 25 markets. Salem is the fifth largest U.S....
. In order to retain the successful Spanish-language tropical
Tropical music
Musica tropical or tropical music is a broad term for vocal and instrumental music with "tropical" flavor usually associated with the Afro-Caribbean music. It is part of an even broader category of Latin music. Usually it is an upbeat dance music, but also includes ballads. It features complex,...
format of WAMG, Mega moved the format and call letters to the 890 frequency, canceling Air Time's lease on the station. Some of the hosts which were dropped from WBPS landed on 1150, which Salem re-launched as conservative talk station WTTT (that station is now WWDJ).
Additionally, when WAMG relocated to 890 as "Mega 890", the frequency inherited the format's simulcast on WLLH, which was not included in 1150's sale to Salem.
ESPN Radio
ESPN Radio is an American sports radio network. It was launched on January 1, 1992 under the original banner of "SportsRadio ESPN." ESPN Radio is located at ESPN headquarters in Bristol, Connecticut...
. The station also added a local afternoon show featuring Michael Felger
Michael Felger
Michael "Mike" Felger is a television sports reporter and anchorman for Comcast SportsNet New England. He also co-hosts an afternoon sports radio talk with The Boston Globe online columnist Tony Massarotti on WBZ-FM "98.5 The Sports Hub" in Boston....
, and used the branding of "ESPN Boston". (The last broadcast of The Mike Felger Show was on July 10, 2008.) Other local programs heard on the station included Salk & Halloran, Lew & Mike, Celtic Pride and The New England Hockey Journal. The station was also the home of Northeastern University football and men's hockey. Through its ESPN Radio affiliation, WAMG also served as the Boston outlet for Mike and Mike in the Morning
Mike and Mike in the Morning
Mike and Mike in the Morning is an American sports-talk radio show hosted by Mike Golic and Mike Greenberg on ESPN Radio and simulcast on television, normally on ESPN2. If ESPN is broadcasting a live sporting event during the show's timeslot, Sportscenter will air on ESPN2, and the show's...
, The Herd with Colin Cowherd
The Herd with Colin Cowherd
The Herd with Colin Cowherd is a sports talk radio show hosted by Colin Cowherd and broadcast on ESPN Radio from Bristol, Connecticut. The show is heard Monday through Friday from 10 a.m. ET until 1 p.m. ET on most ESPN Radio stations and is simulcasted on ESPNews...
, The Scott Van Pelt Show, The Doug Gottlieb Show, and All Night with Jason Smith, as well as ESPN Radio's play-by-play broadcasts, such as Bowl Championship Series
Bowl Championship Series
The Bowl Championship Series is a selection system that creates five bowl match-ups involving ten of the top ranked teams in the NCAA Division I Football Bowl Subdivision , including an opportunity for the top two to compete in the BCS National Championship Game.The BCS relies on a combination of...
, the World Series
World Series
The World Series is the annual championship series of Major League Baseball, played between the American League and National League champions since 1903. The winner of the World Series championship is determined through a best-of-seven playoff and awarded the Commissioner's Trophy...
, and the National Invitation Tournament
National Invitation Tournament
The National Invitation Tournament is a men's college basketball tournament operated by the National Collegiate Athletic Association. There are two NIT events each season. The first, played in November and known as the Dick's Sporting Goods NIT Season Tip-Off , was founded in 1985...
.
On August 3, 2006, WAMG was the first to report that veteran major league catcher Javy Lopez
Javy López
Javier López Torres is a former catcher in Major League Baseball who played from through for the Atlanta Braves , Baltimore Orioles and Boston Red Sox . He batted and threw right-handed...
was being traded from the Baltimore Orioles
Baltimore Orioles
The Baltimore Orioles are a professional baseball team based in Baltimore, Maryland in the United States. They are a member of the Eastern Division of Major League Baseball's American League. One of the American League's eight charter franchises in 1901, it spent its first year as a major league...
to the Boston Red Sox. The trade was designed to fill a hole caused by the recent injury to Jason Varitek
Jason Varitek
Jason Andrew Varitek is an American professional baseball catcher who is a free agent. After being traded as a minor league prospect by the Seattle Mariners, Varitek has played his entire major league career for the Boston Red Sox...
. The next day, the trade was announced as official; the Orioles received cash and a player to be named later (Adam Stern
Adam Stern
Adam James Stern is a Canadian Major League Baseball outfielder who is presently a free agent.He bats left-handed, and throws right-handed. He was dubbed the "Canadian Babe Ruth" by Cleveland Indians outfielder Trot Nixon. Stern is the second Jewish player from Canada in major league history....
) in return.
WAMG discontinued ESPN Radio programming on September 14, 2009; the transmitter was shut off at 5:00 p.m. Gois returned the station to the air on December 3, 2009, reverting it again to Spanish-language programming with the current format, branded "La Nueva Mega"; simulcast partner WLLH had returned to the air with this format in late October. Initially operating the station under a local marketing agreement
Local marketing agreement
In U.S. and Canadian broadcasting, a local marketing agreement is an agreement in which one company agrees to operate a radio or television station owned by another licensee...
, Gois purchased WAMG outright in January 2010.