WORCESTER — The call letters are legendary, synonymous with broadcasting many years of tough-driving rock 'n' roll first from Worcester after which from Boston.
but as of Saturday, WAAF-FM 107.3 will abandon its challenging rock layout in prefer of contemporary Christian music.
"i believed 'holy cow, that's the end of an period,'" Bob Rivers, who co-hosted the morning exhibit The Bob and Zip exhibit on WAAF from 1981 to 1987, stated upon listening to the information Tuesday. "Then I awoke this morning the manner you'd awaken after a chum died, i assumed 'Wow is that real?'"
It's real.
Entercom Communications Corp. introduced late Tuesday that it had a definitive settlement to sell WAAF-FM to educational Media basis for $10.seventy five million, in line with an announcement. Entercom pointed out it is going to continue to air WAAF on its latest HD stations, 104.1 HD2 and 93.7 HD2, and on radio.com.
academic Media groundwork is a nonprofit organization working radio networks broadcasting contemporary Christian song. It has purchased two other former heritage rock stations in southern New England: WCCC-FM 106.9 in Hartford, Connecticut in 2014 and WBRU-FM (now WLVO-FM) 95.5 in providence, Rhode Island in 2017.
in the community, EMF additionally owns WKMY-FM ninety one.1 in Winchendon, and it's purchasing WFNX-FM ninety nine.9 in Athol/Orange, which simulcasts Boston's WXRV-FM 92.5.
Entercom did not respond to requests to comment.
The information was not necessarily miraculous, besides the fact that children, based on those interviewed. The station recently lost both its morning display host Greg Hill to WEEI and some of its broadcasting sign after a old merger, these interviewed spoke of.
but the sale even so sent "shockwaves" in the course of the radio industry, in accordance with Rivers, who now, with cohost Zip Zipfel reprises the Bob and Zip camaraderie Saturdays on one hundred.1 The Pike.
"This changed into a really huge, very revered radio station," Rivers said.
WAAF all started as a simple-listening station in 1961, but is described by its swap to "innovative" rock in March 1970, according to a Dec. 2, 1982, article in the trip component of the Telegram.
"The WAAF musical focus became always challenging, melodic rock," stated Bob Goodell, regional vice chairman and market supervisor of Cumulus Radio Station neighborhood: Worcester, Boston, New London. Goodell labored at WAAF from 1978 to 2010, together with two years as the station's mascot GirAAF. "It become more durable-edged songs that had a melody that you just may hum, versus the heavier metal that doesn't have as much of a melody to it. not to say that we didn't play a few of these songs, however the focus turned into on the genre of guns 'n Roses, the Metallica Black Album, purple sizzling Chili Peppers, Motley Crue and native bands Godsmack and severe."
And it spread that message — and the subculture that its fanatics promoted — right through New England with a powerful crucial Massachusetts sign.
a great deal to the chagrin of Boston rival WBCN-FM, with whom Goodell observed "a spirited contention" emerged.
in all probability the greatest victory for WAAF in that rivalry became its sponsorship of the Sept. 14, 1981 live performance through the Rolling Stones at the green street club Sir Morgan's Cove.
definitely, the Boston station became so peeved that it reportedly tried to sabotage the display through broadcasting the particulars of the experience and inspiring everyone to exhibit up at a venue that held only 235 people. An estimated 4,000 individuals showed.
one other outstanding WAAF adventure became Skyblast, a fireworks monitor coordinated with rock music that attracted an estimated 300,000 to Worcester Regional Airport on July 2, 1982, and "paralyzed" the city, in accordance with the Telegram's insurance tomorrow.
"These had been enormous hobbies of that time that the radio station made happen," noted Goodell. "They have been a few of my fondest recollections."
The contention was most effective intensified when WAAF started transitioning to the Boston market — the No. 10 radio market in the nation — within the early Eighties. with the aid of the Nineties scores surged and the station moved to Westborough from Worcester.
In 2001-2002 the station at last moved to Boston.
This brought about a mixed response amongst Worcesterites, a few of whom felt the city had been deserted for an even bigger market.
"I consider WAAF at all times obtained a bit bit of unhealthy rap with some individuals in Worcester as a result of they felt they abandoned the metropolis and moved the station into Boston," noted Rivers. "but I agree with it become an iconic force within the metropolis merchandising concert events, hobbies, it become involved within the Centrum, now the DCU middle."
but the WAAF message unfold, fueled through concerts, activities, irreverence — the station changed into the first to rent Opie and Anthony in 1995 however fired them after their April Fools' Day prank falsely claimed Boston Mayor Tom Menino had died in a car crash, Goodell recalled — and tough-using rock.
"I really remember the most about how iconic it became; it had such a loyal listenership," referred to Zip Zipfel. "It always amazed that people really did know these name letters in different components of the nation. It all the time shocked me when people would repeat those call letters lower back to me. It become a very powerful station in its time."
however each and every of those interviewed referred to that the digital revolution has changed radio and rock tune.
"The only thing it is for certain is that exchange comes along — you've gotta just roll with it," Zipfel said.
And whereas the subsequent chapter of WAAF can be very distinct from its past, its historical past will never alternate.
"It was a Worcester station that took on the large city and succeeded and received," said Rivers. "The legend of getting executed that goes down in radio history."
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