WBZO (AM)

WBZO (1570 AM) is a radio station licensed to Riverhead, New York. The station is owned and operated by JVC Broadcasting, and simulcasts the news/talk format of WRCN-FM (103.9).

WBZO

Simulcasts WRCN-FM Riverhead
Riverhead, New York United States
Broadcast area	Eastern Long Island
Frequency	1570 kHz
Branding	103.9 LI News Radio
Programming
Language(s)	English
Format	News/talk
Ownership
Owner	JVC Broadcasting (JVC Media LLC)
Sister stations	WBON, WJVC, WLIM, WPTY, WRCN-FM
History
First air date	August 8, 1963; 61 years ago (1963-08-08)[1]
Former call signs	WAPC (1963–1967) WHRF (1967–1974)[2] WRCN (1974–1982) WRHD (1983–January 1990) WRHZ (January–August 1990) WRHD (August 1990–1999) WFOG (1999–2001) WFTU (2001–2024)[3]
Technical information[4]
Licensing authority	FCC
Facility ID	18238
Class	B
Power	1,000 watts (daytime) 500 watts (night)
Transmitter coordinates	40°54′48″N 72°39′16″W
Translator(s)	104.9 W285FX (Riverhead)[5]
Links
Public license information	Public file LMS
Website	linewsradio.com

History

WBZO began as top 40 WAPC on August 8, 1963, to continue the signal of WPAC (1580 AM) to the east. It would later become WHRF as "Wharf Radio" and then the AM side of WRCN-FM in 1974 as WRCN.^[6]

Five Towns College (2001–2024)

The station occasionally broadcast live music performances from the Dix Hills Center for the Performing Arts and the other performance venues on the college campus. It also had a program called "Theatre of the Air," where students re-enacted the old days of radio through old radio dramas. The first of these events had so many on-line listeners, the station's server crashed.^[7]

The station briefly went silent in January 2017^[8] and resumed operations in January 2018.^[9][10]

References

1. 1969 Broadcasting Yearbook, page B-117
2. 1968 Broadcasting Yearbook, page B-113. 1570 is now listed as WHRF.
3. "Call Sign History". CDBS Public Access Database. FCC Media Bureau. Retrieved April 15, 2013.
4. "Facility Technical Data for WBZO". Licensing and Management System. Federal Communications Commission.
5. "Facility ID:202078 W285FX". fcc.gov. Federal Communications Commission. Retrieved January 1, 2021.
6. Long Island Radio History, AM stations
7. Snyder, Stephen (April 19, 2007). "Something special on the air...". Newsday. pp. combined ed. B section.
8. "Request for Extension of Special Temporary Authority to Remain Silent". FCC Media Bureau. Retrieved September 4, 2024.
9. "Correspondence Folder". FCC Media Bureau. Retrieved September 4, 2024.
10. "Facilities and Equipment". Five Towns College. Retrieved March 20, 2023.

External links

• Facility details for Facility ID 18238 (WBZO) in the FCC Licensing and Management System
• WBZO in Nielsen Audio's AM station database

FM translator

• Facility details for Facility ID 202078 (W285FX) in the FCC Licensing and Management System
• W285FX at FCCdata.org