View source for WZLX

{{short description|Classic rock radio station in Boston}}
{{More citations needed|date=November 2009}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=November 2024}}
{{Infobox radio station
| name               = WZLX
| logo               = WZLX logo.png
| logo_size          = 200px
| city               = [[Boston|Boston, Massachusetts]]
| country            = US
| area               = [[Greater Boston]]
| branding           = ''100.7 WZLX''
| frequency          = {{Frequency|100.7|[[MHz]]}} {{HD Radio}}
| translator         =
| repeater           =
| airdate            = {{Start date and age|1948|10}}<ref name=by1949>{{cite book|title=Broadcasting Yearbook 1949|year=1949|page=306|url=http://www.americanradiohistory.com/Archive-BC-YB/1949/301-400%20Broadcasting%20Yearbook%201949-4.pdf|format=PDF|access-date=January 16, 2012}}</ref>
| format             = [[Classic rock]]
| subchannels        = {{ubl|HD2: [[Simulcast]] of [[WRKO]] simulcast ([[Talk radio|talk]])|HD3: Simulcast of [[WXKS (AM)|WXKS]] (talk)}}
| language           =
| power              =
| erp                = 21,500 [[watt]]s
| haat               = {{Convert|235|meters}}
| class              = B
| licensing_authority = [[Federal Communications Commission|FCC]]
| facility_id        = 13806
| coordinates        = {{coord|42|20|50.3|N|71|4|57.1|W|region:US-MA_type:landmark|display=inline,title}}
| callsign_meaning   =
| former_callsigns   = {{ubl|WCOP-FM (1948–1976)|WTTK (1976–1978)|WHUE-FM (1979–1984)|WCOZ (1984–1985)|WKKT (1985)}}
| former_frequencies =
| affiliations       = [[Premiere Networks]]
| owner              = [[iHeartMedia]]
| licensee           = iHM Licenses, LLC
| sister_stations    = [[WBWL (FM)|WBWL]], [[WBZ (AM)|WBZ]], [[WJMN (FM)|WJMN]], [[WRKO]], [[WXKS (AM)|WXKS]], [[WXKS-FM]], [[WZRM]]
| webcast            = [https://www.iheart.com/live/1007-wzlx-7730/ Listen Live]
| website            = {{URL|https://wzlx.iheart.com/}}
}}
'''WZLX''' (100.7 [[FM broadcasting|FM]]) is a [[classic rock]] radio station in [[Boston, Massachusetts]]. This station is owned and operated by [[iHeartMedia]]. WZLX was one of America's first classic rock FM stations. Its studios are in [[Medford, Massachusetts|Medford]], and its transmitter is atop the [[Prudential Tower]].
==History==
What is now WZLX was originally WCOP-FM, notable for being one of the first FM stations to break simulcasting with [[WWDJ|its AM partner]]. WCOP-FM's separate programming was initially [[european classical music|classical music]] and was one of the first FM stations in the region to (briefly) broadcast in [[FM stereo]] (the station would resume stereo programming in the early 1970s).
In 1965, WCOP (AM) had become Boston's affiliate for the [[NBC Radio Network]], and WCOP-FM would often simulcast the hourly NBC Radio newscasts. By 1969, NBC Radio's weekend series ''[[Monitor (NBC Radio)|Monitor]]'' had moved from WCOP to WCOP-FM, to allow the former to broadcast more hours of country music on the weekends.
WCOP-FM went through a number of format and callsign changes, including [[beautiful music]] in the late 1960s until 1973, [[oldies]] (as "Total Gold 101, WCOP-FM") from 1973 to 1974, [[country music|country]] from 1974 to October 1976, "progressive country" (as WTTK, "TK101") from October 1976 to December 1978,<ref>Steve Morse, "Pickin' country music," ''The Boston Globe'', September 23, 1976.</ref> beautiful music (as WHUE-FM) from January 1979 to January 1985,<ref>{{cite news |last1=McLean |first1=Robert A. |title=Takeover in the night |url=https://www.newspapers.com/image/436670507/ |newspaper=The Boston Globe |date=January 24, 1979 |page=31 |via=Newspapers.com}}</ref> and [[top 40]] (as WKKT, "The Cat") for a few months, beginning in February 1985.<ref>Robert A. McLean, "Aiming for the yuppie market," ''The Boston Globe'', January 3, 1985.</ref><ref>Robert A. McLean, "Two radio stations on the air soon," ''The Boston Globe'', February 9, 1985.</ref> In December 1984, while still a beautiful music station, WHUE-FM sought and received the WCOZ call letters formerly on [[WJMN (FM)|94.5]]; the call sign was only used for two weeks prior to becoming WKKT.
The station adopted its current format and callsign, WZLX, in mid-October 1985.  Station owners First Media Corporation hired Gary Guthrie as the architect of its [[classic hits]] format, a format aimed at people who experienced [[adolescence]] in either the 1960s and 1970s and enjoyed the music of those eras, but did not care for the then-current [[Heavy metal music|heavy metal]] or [[top 40]] 'hot hits' of the 1980s. These were people whose mindset was getting too old for [[Album Oriented Rock|AOR]] and top 40, but were too young for or not interested in oldies.<ref>Jack Thomas, "Extraordinary look at an ordinary day," ''The Boston Globe'', October 30, 1985.</ref>  WZLX is considered one of the [[classic rock]] [[radio format|format]]'s earliest success stories as reflected by the station's 19th to 2nd place climb in the Adults 25-54 demographic in its first ratings period.
In 1986, Guthrie spread his concept of the format to other radio stations he consulted, and Bill Smith was hired to be the station's program director and morning personality. Guthrie would return in 1990 for an additional on-site stint to repair the station's ratings.
A series of ownership changes made WZLX a part of [[Cook Inlet Region, Inc.|Cook Inlet Radio Partners]], then [[Infinity Broadcasting]] in late 1992. Infinity was renamed [[CBS Radio]] in December 2005.
In 1997, WZLX radio host [[George Taylor Morris]] created a media frenzy about the "[[Dark Side of the Rainbow]]" phenomenon, in which [[Pink Floyd]]'s album ''[[The Dark Side of the Moon]]'' is said to synch up with the movie ''[[The Wizard of Oz (1939 film)|The Wizard of Oz]]''.<ref>
{{cite news
| last = Holley
| first = Joe
| url = https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/08/02/AR2009080202158.html
| title = George Taylor Morris, 62: Radio Host Played Classic Rock
| newspaper = [[The Washington Post]]'
| date = August 3, 2009
| access-date = August 10, 2009
}}</ref>
In 2005, WZLX, along with sister stations [[WBZ-FM|WBMX]] and [[WBGB (FM)|WODS]], were rumored to flip to CBS Radio's ever-expanding "[[Jack FM]]" format. Had WQSX (now [[WEEI-FM]]) not flipped to the format as "93.7 Mike FM" on April 14, WZLX might have flipped to the format the next day as ''100.7 Jack FM''.
[[File:CBS Boston, 83 Leo Birmingham Parkway, Brighton, Boston 2011-04-17 (2).jpg|thumb|CBS Boston studios, home of WZLX from 2007 until 2018]]
From 1991 to 2007, the station had its studios on the 24th floor of the [[Prudential Tower]] in downtown [[Boston, MA|Boston]], the location of its [[transmitter]]. On March 3, 2007, the station moved crosstown to the facility where sister stations WODS and [[WBCN (FM)|WBCN]] were clustered in the [[CBS]] studios in [[Brighton, Massachusetts|Brighton]]. The antenna is still atop the Prudential Tower.
In the spring of 2007, WZLX became the very first FM station in the country to broadcast programming in full digital 5.1 stereo surround sound. This flagship effort coincides with the recent move of the industry to implement the [[HD Radio]] format.
On February 2, 2017, CBS Radio announced it would merge with [[Entercom]] (which locally owned [[WEEI (AM)|WEEI]], WEEI-FM, [[WZRM|WKAF]], [[WRKO]] and [[WKVB (FM)|WAAF]]).<ref>[https://radioinsight.com/headlines/116299/cbs-radio-to-merge-with-entercom/  CBS Radio to Merge with Entercom]</ref> On October 10, CBS Radio announced that as part of the process of obtaining regulatory approval of the merger, WZLX would be one of sixteen stations that would be divested by Entercom, along with sister stations [[WBZ (AM)|WBZ]] and WBZ-FM, as well as WRKO and WKAF ([[WWBX|WBMX]], WODS, WEEI AM and FM, and WAAF would be retained by Entercom, while WBZ-FM was traded to [[Beasley Broadcast Group]] in exchange for [[WMJX]]).<ref name="ri-cbsentercomdivestitures">{{cite news|last1=Venta|first1=Lance|title=Entercom Narrows Down 16 Stations To Be Divested To Complete CBS Radio Merger|url=https://radioinsight.com/headlines/120286/entercom-narrows-16-stations-divested-complete-cbs-radio-merger/|access-date=October 11, 2017|work=RadioInsight|date=October 10, 2017}}</ref> On November 1, [[iHeartMedia]] announced that they would acquire WZLX, WBZ (AM), WRKO, and WKAF. To meet ownership limits set by the FCC, iHeart placed [[WKOX (AM)|WKOX]] into the Ocean Stations Trust in preparation for a sale to a permanent buyer.<ref>[https://radioinsight.com/headlines/120711/entercom-trades-boston-seattle-spin-offs-iheartmedia-richmond-chattanooga-2/  Entercom Trades Boston/Seattle Spin-Offs to iHeartMedia for Richmond/Chattanooga]</ref> The merger was approved on November 9, 2017, and was consummated on November 17.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://entercom.com/press/entercom-receives-fcc-approval-merger-cbs-radio/|title=Entercom Receives FCC Approval for Merger with CBS Radio|work=Entercom|date=November 9, 2017|access-date=November 17, 2017}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://radioinsight.com/headlines/121072/entercom-completes-cbs-radio-merger/|title=Entercom Completes CBS Radio Merger|last=Venta|first=Lance|work=Radio Insight|date=November 17, 2017|access-date=November 17, 2017}}</ref> iHeart then began operating WZLX, WBZ, and WKAF under a [[local marketing agreement]].<ref name="ri-wbziheartlma">{{cite news|last1=Venta|first1=Lance|title=Alt 102.9 & KUBE 104.9 Tacoma To Flip Monday|url=https://radioinsight.com/headlines/121588/alt-102-9-tacoma-flip/|access-date=December 11, 2017|work=RadioInsight|date=December 10, 2017|quote=While iHeart has begun operating 1030 WBZ, 97.7 WKAF, and 100.7 WZLX in the Boston market and Sports “1090 The Fan” KFNQ Seattle via LMA…}}</ref> The sale of WZLX, WRKO, WKAF, and WBZ to iHeart was completed on December 19, 2017.<ref name="fcc-saletoiheartcomplete">{{cite web|title=Consummation Notice|url=http://licensing.fcc.gov/cgi-bin/ws.exe/prod/cdbs/forms/prod/prefill_and_display.pl?Application_id=1774692&Service=AM&Form_id=905&Facility_id=1902|website=CDBS Public Access|publisher=[[Federal Communications Commission]]|access-date=December 20, 2017|date=December 19, 2017}}</ref>
==Programming/personalities==
There have been a few morning shows on the station in its history. With the coming of [[Howard Stern]] to [[WBCN (FM)|WBCN]] in the early 1990s, the Boston legend [[Charles Laquidara]] and his show, The Big Mattress, took up residence at WZLX. With Charles's retirement, the short-lived ''Mornings with Tai and [[Steve Sweeney (comedian)|Steve Sweeney]]'' eventually gave way to ''Steve Sweeney's Neighborhood'' (co-hosted by [[Lance Norris]]), which ended a 5-year run in 2005. Longtime morning team ''Karlson and McKenzie'' took over on August 1, 2005. The run of the ''Karlson and McKenzie'' ended in late 2023 due to the death of Kevin Karlson in October 2023. On May 20, 2024, The Rich Shertenlieb Show premiered. Shertenlieb co-hosted the Toucher & Rich Show on both WBCN and WBZ-FM. The Rich Shertenlieb Show was canceled on Monday November 4, 2024.
Barry Scott and ''[[The Lost 45s]]'' retro radio show was a Sunday night staple (he was also the marketing and promotions director there from its inception until 1992).
===Sports conflict broadcasts===
Beginning in October 2013, WZLX carried [[Boston Celtics]] games that conflicted with [[Boston Bruins]] games. Games were produced by sister station WBZ-FM (which is the flagship for both teams).<ref name=bdc-wbzfmceltics>{{cite news|last=Finn|first=Chad|title=It's official: Celtics heading to The Sports Hub|url=http://www.boston.com/sports/touching_all_the_bases/2013/09/its_official_celtics_heading_to_the_sports_hub.html|access-date=September 28, 2013|newspaper=[[The Boston Globe|Boston.com]]|date=September 26, 2013}}</ref> In addition, some Bruins games conflicting with WBZ-FM's [[New England Patriots]] broadcasts aired on WZLX starting in 2011 (previously, WBZ served this function). Celtics and Bruins broadcasts were dropped from WZLX following the sale to iHeartMedia, which separated the station from WBZ-FM (now owned by the Beasley Broadcast Group). As of April 2020, conflicting Bruins games had moved [[WBOS]], while conflicting Celtics games moved to [[WROR-FM]].
===WZLX HD2===
WZLX previously aired an all-blues format on its HD2 subchannel called "Radio Mojo". On December 19, 2017, WZLX-HD2 began simulcasting sister [[talk radio]] station [[WRKO]].<ref name="ro-wrkoonwzlxhd2">{{cite news|title=iHM Boston Debuts WBZ Simulcast on WXKS-FM-HD2|url=https://news.radio-online.com/cgi-bin/rol.exe/headline_id=n35014|access-date=December 20, 2017|work=Radio Online|date=December 19, 2017}}</ref>
===WZLX HD3===
WZLX previously aired a freeform rock format on its HD3 subchannel called "WBCN" which continued the name of the former Boston [[album-oriented rock|AOR]] station. On January 29, 2016, WZLX-HD3 switched to an [[adult standards]] format as "The Lounge". After the sale of the station to iHeart was completed on December 19, 2017, the HD3 channel was removed. In early March 2020, the HD3 channel was reopened and started carrying the [[K-Love]] network under a lease agreement with [[EMF Broadcasting]]. In 2021, the lease ended, and the HD3 programming was changed to a simulcast of another sister talk radio station, [[WXKS (AM)|WXKS]].
==References==
{{Reflist}}
==External links==
*{{official website|https://wzlx.iheart.com/}}
*{{FM station data|13806|WZLX}}
{{Boston Radio}}
{{Classic Rock Radio Stations in Massachusetts}}
{{IHeartMedia}}
[[Category:Classic rock radio stations in the United States]]
[[Category:Radio stations in Boston|ZLX]]
[[Category:Radio stations established in 1948]]
[[Category:1948 establishments in Massachusetts]]
[[Category:IHeartMedia radio stations]]