WBWD (AM)

WBWD (540 AM Radio Zindagi) is a radio station licensed to Islip, New York and broadcasting an Indian and South Asian radio format.

WBWD
Simulcast with WXMC, Parsippany, New Jersey
Broadcast areaNew York metropolitan area
Frequency540 kHz
BrandingRadio Zindagi
Programming
Language(s)
Format
Ownership
OwnerOm Sai Broadcasting, LLC
History
First air date
October 16, 1959 (1959-10-16)
Former call signs
  • WBIC (1959–1967)
  • WLIX (1967–1995)
  • WLUX (1995–2002)
  • WLIE (2002–2018)[1]
Call sign meaning
WBollyWooD
Technical information[2]
Licensing authority
FCC
Facility ID37805
ClassB
Power
Transmitter coordinates
40°45′06″N 73°12′50″W
Links
Public license information
WebsiteRadio Zindagi New York

History

The station, originally owned by South Shore Broadcasting, signed on as WBIC on October 16, 1959.[3] Since the station occupied a Canadian clear-channel frequency, it was required to sign-off at sundown. Bob 'Bobaloo' Lewis, who would later gain fame as one of the “All Americans” on 77 WABC Radio in New York City, was one of the original DJs on WBIC.[4]

WLIX (1967–1980s)

In June 1967, the station was purchased by Long Island Broadcasting Corporation, owned by marketer, former Mutual Broadcasting System chairman and would-be politician Malcolm E. Smith Jr.. The call letters were changed to WLIX effective June 26, 1967.[5] By the early 1970s, it broadcast an automated "beautiful music" format, and on Sunday mornings an Italian-American music program hosted by Joe Rotolo.

Sometime in the mid-1970s, it changed to Christian programming, still as WLIX.

In 1981, this station was featured on the NBC series Real People.

In 1983, authority was granted for night-time operation at reduced power.

WLUX (1990s)

In the mid-1990s, it was WLUX with a pop standards format.

WLIE (2000s)

In September 2002, the station changed call letters to WLIE and flipped formats to become a talk radio station,[6][7] Mornings were hosted by David Weiss, Tracy Burgess, and later with Weiss and Amanda Clarke; and Steve Reggie with Traffic; Ed Tyll hosted mid-days, and Mike Seigel hosted drive-time with Matt Bartlett on Traffic; evenings featured a rotating schedule of brokered programing and overnights featured Jim Bohannon from Westwood One. Weekends featured Lynn Samuels. The Program Director of IslandTalk 540 was John McDermott, a long time producer at WOR.

Later the talk format was dropped for a business talk format.[8] The WLIE call letters referred to the Long Island Expressway.[9] Beginning in 2008, the station started airing Spanish language religious shows. It broadcast a variety format, including leased air-time and news/talk programs.

WBWD (2018–present)

On November 9, 2018, the station's call sign was changed to WBWD.[1] On December 3, 2018, WBWD changed their format to Bollywood music, branded as "Bolly 540 AM".[10]

In October 2020, the station was sold to Metro Mex USA LLC, and the station's format was changed to Spanish Christian.[11] The sale was consummated on December 1, 2020, at a price of $700,000.

On December 10, 2020, the station was sold for $1.3 million to Yash Pandya's Om Sai Broadcasting. The station's format reverted to the previous Indian and South Asian format, Radio Zindagi.[12]

References
  1. "Call Sign History". CDBS Public Access Database. FCC Media Bureau. Retrieved August 16, 2020.
  2. "Facility Technical Data for WBWD". Licensing and Management System. Federal Communications Commission.
  3. WBIC Sign-on Oct 1959
  4. "Station WBIC Now On Air" (PDF). The Suffolk County News. Sayville New York. 1959-10-29. Retrieved October 7, 2015.
  5. "New Radio Station" (PDF). The Babylon Beacon. Babylon New York. June 29, 1967. Retrieved June 24, 2020.
  6. Hinckley, David (2002-09-04). "Stern: Ousted Rivals Had It Coming". New York Daily News.
  7. Hinckley, David (2002-11-20). "WLIE Boosts Signal and Island Focus". New York Daily News.
  8. Solnik, Claude (2003-08-01). "Island Talk WLIE cuts staff to lower expenses". Long Island Business News. Archived from the original on May 22, 2011.
  9. "Call Letter Origins". Radio History on the Web. Retrieved April 8, 2013.
  10. Venta, Lance. "Bollywood Comes To Long Island". radioINSIGHT. Retrieved December 5, 2018.
  11. Venta, Lance. "Station Sales Week Of 10/2: Radio Zindagi Departs Long Island". radioINSIGHT. Retrieved October 3, 2020.
  12. Venta, Lance. "WBWD Sold For Second Time In Three Months Returning Radio Zindagi". radioinsight.com. Retrieved December 16, 2020.
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