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WSNE-FM

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Coordinates: 41°51′58″N 71°17′20″W / 41.866°N 71.289°W / 41.866; -71.289
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WSNE-FM
Broadcast areaProvidence, Rhode Island
Frequency93.3 MHz (Channel 227) (HD Radio)
BrandingCoast 93-3
Programming
FormatFM/HD1: Hot adult contemporary
HD2: News/talk (WHJJ simulcast)
HD3: Soft AC (The Breeze)
AffiliationsPremium Choice
iHeartRadio
Ownership
Owner
WWBB, WHJJ, WHJY
History
First air date
January 26, 1966
Former call signs
WRLM-FM (1966-September 26, 1980)
WRLM (September 26-December 11, 1980)
WSNE (December 11, 1980-March 1, 2001)
Call sign meaning
W Southern New England
Technical information
Facility ID74069
ClassB
ERP31,000 watts
HAAT180 meters (590 ft)
Transmitter coordinates
41°51′58″N 71°17′20″W / 41.866°N 71.289°W / 41.866; -71.289
Translator(s)104.7 W284BA (Warwick) (relays WHJJ via WSNE-HD2)
Links
WebcastListen Live
Websitecoast933.iheart.com

WSNE-FM (93.3 FM, "Coast 93-3") is a radio station serving the Providence, Rhode Island market with a hot adult contemporary music format. The station is licensed in Taunton, Massachusetts to iHeartMedia, Inc.. Its studio and offices are located on Oxford Street in Providence, and its transmitter is located at the WJAR transmitter site in Rehoboth, Massachusetts. The station was assigned its current WSNE-FM call sign by the Federal Communications Commission on March 1, 2001.[1]

History

In 1966, WSNE signed on as WRLM, named for original owner Robert L. McCarthy. Its programming was a middle of the road format in monaural, as well as broadcasting local news and high-school sports for Taunton and the vicinity. During the 1970s, WRLM adopted an Adult Contemporary format and went stereo in 1976.

In 1980, co-owners John McCarthy and Joseph Quill sold WRLM to the Outlet Company, the then owners of WJAR (now WHJJ) and WJAR-TV in Providence. While the AC format was maintained on "FM 93," the call sign was changed to WSNE and several high-profile Providence personalities joined the station's staff including Mike Sands, Paul Perry, Bob Hollands and Patty Costa. Studios were moved to Providence and the transmitter was moved to Rehoboth, Massachusetts, improving the station's signal in Rhode Island. By 1984, Ken Cole was added for evenings and the station was now known as "93.3 WSNE." By 1986, the last four hours of Ken Cole's show was called Pillow Talk, featuring love songs and dedications.

In 1986, Beck-Ross Communications, Inc purchased WSNE. Then former WEAN (now WPRV) personality Joannie Edwardsen was brought in as the morning news anchor. Shortly after, former WPRO afternoon host David Jones was hired to take over mornings. With the addition of Chuck Hinman as news anchor by years end, Jones & Joan would become the new morning show. By 1989, Jones & Joan had gained a large following, finishing only second to WPRO's legendary Salty Brine.

On Saturday, June 5, 1993, tragedy struck WSNE as longtime midday host Mike Sands was killed in an automobile accident while on his way to a station remote in Swansea, Massachusetts. The station paid tribute to Sands the following Monday with phone calls from listeners, former co-workers and personalities from other stations. Program Director Steve Peck and Jim Halfyard would split Sands' shift after his death, with Ken Cole on evenings and Amy Hawkins (later known as Amy Navarro) joining the station for overnights.[2]

Since 1993, the station had slowly been evolving from Adult Contemporary to Hot Adult Contemporary. When SFX Broadcasting acquired WSNE in 1995, the station re-imaged itself as "93-3 SNE," adding hotter jingles and the slogan "Southern New England's Variety Station." By late 1996, a less intense jingle package from JAM Creative Productions was added and the station re-imaged once again, reverting to the previously used "93-3 WSNE" with the slogan "A Better Variety of the '70s, '80s and '90s." After several mergers placing the station with Capstar and AMFM, Inc., Clear Channel Communications acquired WSNE in October 1999. Around this time, WSNE started leaning toward the AC format once again, with the syndicated Delilah show being added at night. This effectively gave WSNE an AC format during the hours her show aired, with a lighter flavor of Hot AC all other times.

In November 2002, a series of changes began at WSNE. The station played all Christmas music leading into Christmas Day.[3] On December 26, 2002, the long-running Jones & Joan morning show came to an end after nearly 17 years, as station management parted ways with Jones. The station re-imaged itself as the new "Star 93-3," leaning back toward Hot AC.[4] Within a month, Entercom Communications issued a cease and desist order on using the Star branding, as "Star 93.7" (now WEEI-FM) existed in the overlapping Boston market.[5] From mid-January until April 2003, the station was now known simply as "The New 93-3" before being renamed as "Coast 93-3." In August 2003, Brian Mulhern (aka "The Pharmacist") would join the morning show,;[6] however, Joannie, along with her husband Chuck Hinman, left the station in 2006. On November 16, 2006, Tad Lemire moved down the hall from WCTK to become new morning show host, with Brian as co-host.[7]

In June 2008, the syndicated On-Air With Ryan Seacrest was added for afternoons and Delilah was replaced with the John Tesh Radio Show for evenings.[8] With this change, Coast began to sound overall like a Hot AC station, since the AC music provided with Delilah was gone. On April 28, 2009, Clear Channel Communications eliminated 590 positions nationwide, which meant the dismissal of Coast Program Director Chris Duggan and morning man Tad Lemire. On May 18, 2009, the station began syndicating "Matty in the Morning" from sister station WXKS-FM in Boston.[9]

In May 2009, Coast installed the Hot AC programming of a newly formed Clear Channel Communications service called Premium Choice.[10] The service provides several music formats including the elements of scheduled music and the voicetracks of on-air talent from various Clear Channel stations across the country. Local Clear Channel stations have total choice in choosing the programming elements they wish to use (if any).[11] Coast elected to use its music playlist 24/7, while only using the voicetracked talent on weekends and Monday through Friday from Midnight to 6a.m. The same music and some of the talent heard on Coast can also be heard on iHeartRadio's "Today's Mix," which is the national Hot AC programming of Premium Choice.

After Premium Choice programming was implemented, Coast's weekday lineup included "Matty in the Morning" (6 to 10a.m.), the only remaining local personality Kristin Lessard (10a.m. to 3p.m.), "On-Air with Ryan Seacrest" (3 to 7p.m.) and the "John Tesh Radio Show" (7p.m. to midnight). In August 2009, John Tesh was dropped and replaced with Cindy Spicer from Premium Choice.

In June 2011, Coast pulled the plug on its two-year clearance of "Matty in the Morning" in favor of voicetracking from Toby Knapp, afternoon jock at Clear Channel's WIHT in Washington, DC.[12] The slogan was changed to "The Best Variety of the '90s, 2K and Today." Although not mentioned in the new slogan, popular songs from the 1980s were still played on occasion, as Hot AC programming from Premium Choice still includes '80s music. Ryan Seacrest and Kristin Lessard also swapped shifts, with Ryan now on middays and Kristin now on afternoons.

WSNE-FM HD2

On April 25, 2006, Clear Channel announced that WSNE-FM would add an HD2 sub-channel. When activated, it carried a format focusing on dance and disco hits.[13] In 2009, the HD2 flipped to its current format, smooth jazz. Both its previous and current formats are provided by Clear Channel's Premium Choice (originally named "Format Lab").

WSNE-FM HD3

On January 28, 2014, it was reported that WSNE-FM had begun rebroadcasting the K-Love religious music format on its new HD3 subchannel.[14] As of September 2014, WSNE-FM HD3 had been broadcasting a talk radio format. K-Love programming would eventually return to WSNE-FM HD3, before the sub-channel would eventually become a slightly-delayed simulcast of the main analog feed. This feed has since fallen silent. By early 2018, WSNE-FM HD3 had resumed broadcasting, this time as a simulcast of sister talk station WHJJ; the WSNE-FM HD3 simulcast of WHJJ is relayed over FM translator W284BA at 104.7 MHz.

References

  1. ^ "Call Sign History". FCC Media Bureau CDBS Public Access Database.
  2. ^ "Providence Radio Histories". WSNE History - July 22, 2007.
  3. ^ "NorthEast Radio Watch by Scott Fybush". NERW - November 24, 2003.
  4. ^ "NorthEast Radio Watch by Scott Fybush". NERW - December 30, 2002.
  5. ^ "NorthEast Radio Watch by Scott Fybush". NERW - January 13, 2003.
  6. ^ "NorthEast Radio Watch by Scott Fybush". NERW - August 25, 2003.
  7. ^ "NorthEast Radio Watch by Scott Fybush". NERW - November 20, 2006.
  8. ^ "NorthEast Radio Watch by Scott Fybush". NERW - June 16, 2008.
  9. ^ "NorthEast Radio Watch by Scott Fybush". NERW - May 18, 2009.
  10. ^ "NorthEast Radio Watch by Scott Fybush". NERW - May 4, 2009.
  11. ^ "Clear Channel Radio Press Release". Clear Channel Radio Launches Plan to Improve Program Quality for All Day Parts - April 15, 2009.
  12. ^ "NorthEast Radio Watch by Scott Fybush". NERW - June 27, 2011.
  13. ^ hdradio.com
  14. ^ K-Love on WSNE-FM HD3, reported January 28, 2014. Retrieved January 29, 2014.

Template:Smooth Jazz Radio Stations in Massachusetts

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