WZBG

WZBG
Broadcast areaLitchfield County, Connecticut
Frequency97.3 MHz
BrandingSoft Rock 97.3 WZBG
Programming
Language(s)English
FormatAdult contemporary
Affiliations
Ownership
Owner
  • Full Power Radio
  • (Red Wolf Broadcasting Corporation)
WSNG
History
First air date
July 8, 1992; 32 years ago (1992-07-08)
Technical information[1]
Licensing authority
FCC
Facility ID37906
ClassA
ERP3,000 watts
HAAT100 meters (330 ft)
Transmitter coordinates
41°48′07″N 73°09′47″W / 41.802°N 73.163°W / 41.802; -73.163
Links
Public license information
WebcastListen live
Websitewww.wzbg.com

WZBG (97.3 FM) is a radio station licensed to Litchfield, Connecticut, broadcasting an adult contemporary format, it serves the Litchfield area. The station is owned by John Fuller's Full Power Radio, through licensee Red Wolf Broadcasting Corporation.

History

The allocation for a new station on 97.3 FM was moved from New Paltz, New York, to Litchfield in 1984. A group of local residents, led by NBC Sports president Dick Ebersol and actress Susan Saint James[2] and also including Virginia and Michael Mortara,[3] received a construction permit to build the station in May 1991, beating out nine competing applicants. WZBG signed on July 8, 1992;[4] much of its programming was sourced from Denver–based Jones Satellite Audio, though the station also offered local news coverage,[2] as well as "Betty at the Beehive", a program that Saint James hosted under the pseudonym Betty Aster.[5]

On December 6, 2023, Local Girls & Boys Broadcasting announced that WZBG had been put up for sale, with the intent of announcing a buyer in early 2024. Managing partner Virginia Mortara said that the station had been profitable for all but two years of its existence, and that it was time to sell WZBG to "new and exciting ownership to move the station forward to its next chapter of its success".[3] On February 9, 2024, the company announced that the station would be acquired by John Fuller's Red Wolf Broadcasting Corporation (which does business as Full Power Radio), adding WZBG to a regional group that already included WSNG in nearby Torrington.[6]

References

  1. ^ "Facility Technical Data for WZBG". Licensing and Management System. Federal Communications Commission.
  2. ^ a b "Saint James, Ebersol start radio station". Hartford Courant. June 9, 1992. Retrieved December 14, 2023.
  3. ^ a b Turmelle, Luther (December 9, 2023). "'The time has come:' CT radio station up for sale after 30 years of business". CT Insider. Retrieved December 14, 2023.
  4. ^ "Talk show host". The Albany Herald. Associated Press. July 9, 1992. p. 3C. Retrieved December 14, 2023.
  5. ^ Clark, Kenneth R. (June 1, 1993). "Reincarnated". Chicago Tribune. Retrieved December 14, 2023.
  6. ^ Venta, Lance (February 9, 2024). "Full Power Radio Acquires WZBG". RadioInsight. Retrieved February 9, 2024.


Stub icon 1 Stub icon 2

This article about a radio station in Connecticut is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it.