WNOB is an adult hits formatted broadcast radio station licensed to Chesapeake, Virginia, serving Hampton Roads and Northeastern North Carolina. WNOB is owned and operated by Sinclair Telecable, Inc.
Its community of license is Chesapeake, Virginia and studios are in Norfolk, Virginia. Its transmitter is located on Route 168 in Moyock, North Carolina, just south of the Virginia/North Carolina state line.
This has the Mark of being the first BOB FM station in the US. The current format started on sister WUSH on March 7th 2004 and at midnight on September 23, 2004, the two stations swapped signals and 93.7's current format was born
History
The station started in 1973 as AOR/Top 40 a.k.a. Rock 40 station WMYK "K94", and was a huge station in the late 1970s to 1985.
In 1985, WMYK became "K-Power 94" with an Urban Contemporary/Rhythmic CHR format, that lasted until 1991.
At 3PM on June 21, 1991, 93.7 switched to an Adult Album Alternative format called "93.7 The Coast" with call letters WKOC and added Howard Stern in 1995. The station simulcasted on 94.1 WVSP (with call letters WKOD) from 1991-1996 and 106.1 WUSH (with call letters WEXM) from 2001-2004.
In May 1996, Sinclair Communications purchased the station as well as WTAR-AM for 8 million dollars. At the time, Bob Sinclair was feuding with Tidewater Communications (owners of WNOR/WAFX) due to the fact that WNOR attempted to block Sinclair from installing a second transmitter on WROX. Perry Stone, program director of both WROX and WKOC, issued an on air ultimatum that WNOR must pay Sinclair 1 million dollars by the following Wednesday, or they would change the WKOC's format to rival WNOR. On the otherhand, if WNOR paid, Sinclair would convert WKOC to Country music. WNOR did not acknowledge this and thus on May 29, 1996, WKOC would briefly become K-94 again with a hard rock format before switching back to "The Coast" and adult album alternative music.
On December 3rd 2003, just after 4PM and days after WVHT switched to Rock, Both 93.7 and 106.1 switched to a Country format known as "93.7 Kick FM"
On March 7th 2004, 106.1 Broke from the Country simulcast and switched to Adult Hits as "106.1 BOB FM" with a new tower in Poquoson.
At Midnight on September 23, 2004, the two Stations swapped signals and 93.7 became "93.7 Bob FM" and 106.1 became "Kick 106"
References
External links
- 93-7 Bob FM Online
- Query the FCC's FM station database for WNOB
- Radio-Locator information on WNOB
- Query Nielsen Audio's FM station database for WNOB
