WUBG (AM)

{{short description|Hispanic rhythmic/reggaeton radio station in Boston}}

{{Infobox radio station

| name = WUBG

| logo = WUBG La Pantera 105.3 1570 logo.png

| logo_upright = .8

| above =

| city = Methuen, Massachusetts

| country = US

| area = Greater Boston

| branding = {{lang|es|La Pantera 105.3 FM and 1570 AM}}

| frequency = 1570 kHz

| translator = {{Radio Relay|105.3|W287CW|Methuen}}

| airdate = {{start date and age|1963|12|22|p=y}}{{cite web|last1=Halper|first1=Donna|author-link1=Donna Halper|last2=Wollman|first2=Garrett|title=The Eastern Massachusetts Radio Timeline: the 1960s|url=http://www.bostonradio.org/timeline/timeline-60s|work=The Archives @ BostonRadio.org|access-date=April 10, 2017}}

| language = Spanish

| format = Hispanic rhythmic–Latin pop–reggaeton–regional Mexican

| licensing_authority = FCC

| power = {{ubl|{{val|44000|u=watts|fmt=commas}} (day)|{{val|140|u=watts|fmt=commas}} (night)}}

| class = D

| facility_id = 22798

| coordinates = {{coord|42|40|26.3|N|71|11|24.2|W|region:US-MA_type:landmark|name=WUBG|display=inline,title}}

| callsign_meaning = "Big" (former format)

| former_callsigns = {{ubl|WMLO (1963–1979)|WBVD (1979–1984)|WNSH (1984–2012)|WMVX (2012–2017)|WCCM (2017–2018)}}

| affiliations =

| owner = Costa-Eagle Radio Ventures Limited Partnership

| operator = Costa Media Boston LLC

| sister_stations = {{hlist|WCCM|WMVX|WNNW}}

| webcast = {{listenlive|https://streamdb4web.securenetsystems.net/cirruscontent/WCCM&}}

| website = {{URL|https://www.lapanteraboston.com/}}

}}

WUBG (1570 kHz) is a Spanish Latin pop and reggaeton, and regional Mexican station licensed to serve Methuen, Massachusetts. It has an FM translator, W287CW, at 105.3 MHz. The station is called "{{lang|es|La Pantera}}". The WUBG transmitter is located in Andover, while W287CW's transmitter is in Medford. The station is owned by Costa-Eagle Radio Ventures Limited Partnership—a partnership between Pat Costa and The Eagle-Tribune.{{cite web|url=http://www.fcc.gov/fcc-bin/amq?call=WUBG |title=WUBG Facility Record |work=United States Federal Communications Commission, audio division}} Under a local marketing agreement, WUBG is programmed by Costa Media Boston LLC, a similarly-named but separate company controlled by Jose Villafañe.

History

The station signed on the air as WMLO, a 500-watt radio station originally licensed to Beverly, Massachusetts, on December 22, 1963.{{cite web|title=WBVD (WUBG) FCC history cards|url=https://cdbs.recnet.com/corres/?doc=50792|website=CDBS Public Access|publisher=Federal Communications Commission|access-date=April 10, 2017}} It changed its call sign to WBVD on December 5, 1979, and to WNSH on July 1, 1984.{{cite web|title=Call Sign History (WUBG)|url=http://licensing.fcc.gov/cgi-bin/ws.exe/prod/cdbs/pubacc/prod/call_hist.pl?Facility_id=22798&Callsign=WUBG|work=CDBS Public Access|publisher=Federal Communications Commission|access-date=April 4, 2018}} Its studios have been located in Danvers, in Salem (at Pickering Wharf), in two different buildings at Endicott College in Beverly, and on the second floor of a hardware warehouse in Hamilton.

In 2011, Willow Farm, Inc. sold WNSH for $400,000 to Costa-Eagle Broadcasting. In March 2011, Costa-Eagle changed the station to "Viva 1570". The format changed from tropical music, simulcasting Costa-Eagle sister station WNNW, to Spanish adult contemporary. On November 26, 2012, the call letters were changed to WMVX, after the rights to the WNSH call sign were acquired by Cumulus Media{{cite news |last1=Venta |first1=Lance |title=Cumulus Planning A National Country Brand |url=https://radioinsight.com/headlines/netgnomes/79538/is-cumulus-planning-a-national-country-brand/ |access-date=January 30, 2025 |work=RadioInsight |date=January 21, 2013}} for use on one of its stations in the New York City market.{{cite news |last1=Fybush |first1=Scott |title=NERW 1/28/2013: What Next for “Nash”? |url=https://www.fybush.com/nerw-20130128/ |access-date=January 30, 2025 |work=Fybush.com |date=January 28, 2013}} WMVX switched to a Brazilian Portuguese music and talk format in July 2014. On October 8, 2014, the New England Revolution soccer team announced that WMVX would become its Portuguese-language flagship station.{{cite press release|date=October 8, 2014|title=Brazilian radio station WMVX1570 NOSSA RADIO USA becomes the official Portuguese voice of the Revolution|url=http://www.revolutionsoccer.net/news/2014/10/brazilian-radio-station-wmvx1570-nossa-radio-usa-becomes-official-portuguese-voice-revo|type=Press release|location=Foxborough, Massachusetts and Somerville, Massachusetts|publisher=New England Revolution|access-date=March 6, 2015}}

In January 2013, WMVX was granted a U.S. Federal Communications Commission (FCC) construction permit to increase daytime power to 50,000 watts. Even with the anticipated increase to 50,000 watts, the maximum AM power allowed by the FCC, the permit required the station to reduce power at night to 85 watts because 1570 kHz is a Mexican clear channel frequency and WMVX must protect XERF in Ciudad Acuña, Coahuila, the Class A station on 1570. In 2016, the station switched its city of license from Beverly to Methuen with its transmitter in Andover, Massachusetts.

The station changed its call sign to WCCM on April 1, 2017. It swapped call letters with its sister station in Salem, New Hampshire.{{cite news|last1=Venta|first1=Lance|title=Classic Hits Comes To The Merrimack Valley|url=https://radioinsight.com/headlines/117287/classic-hits-comes-merrimack-valley/|access-date=April 10, 2017|work=RadioInsight|date=April 4, 2017|quote=The WMVX call letters have brought over from 1570 in Methuen MA, with the WCCM calls moved there.}} Also in 2017, the Brazilian Portuguese programming, branded "Nossa Radio", was dropped from the station. Its programmer, the International Church of the Grace of God, bought WBIX the following year, to air programming for the Boston area's Brazilian and Portuguese listeners.{{cite news|last1=Venta|first1=Lance|title=WBIX Boston Drops Conservative Talk For Brazilian|url=https://radioinsight.com/headlines/122261/wbix-boston-drops-conservative-talk-brazilian/|access-date=April 4, 2018|work=RadioInsight|date=January 8, 2018}}{{cite news|last1=Venta|first1=Lance|title=Station Sales Week Of 1/19: A Pair Of Boston AMs Sold|url=https://radioinsight.com/headlines/122516/station-sales-week-1-19-pair-boston-ams-sold/|access-date=April 4, 2018|work=RadioInsight|date=January 19, 2018}} WCCM then returned to simulcasting WNNW, and briefly ran a separate Spanish-language music format branded "Galaxia".

In March 2018, the station was heard simulcasting sister station WMVX (with an FM translator at 98.9 MHz), running classic hits as "Valley 98.9". On April 2, 2018, 1570 AM started broadcasting a classic hits format separate from WMVX as "Big 105.3", in reflection of its own FM translator.{{cite news|last1=Venta|first1=Lance|title=Big 105.3 Brings Classic Hits To Boston's Suburbs|url=https://radioinsight.com/headlines/167567/big-105-3-brings-classic-hits-to-bostons-suburbs/|access-date=April 4, 2018|work=RadioInsight|date=April 3, 2018}} On April 3, the call sign was changed to WUBG.

On July 1, 2019, WUBG's classic hits format went online-only as "Boston's Big-FM", while 1570 AM and the 105.3 translator switched to the Educational Media Foundation (EMF)'s "K-Love" contemporary Christian format. At the time, K-Love only had a limited presence in the Boston market via W260AS (99.9) in Lawrence and rimshot reception of WLVO in Providence, Rhode Island;[https://radioinsight.com/headlines/178465/big-105-3-gives-way-to-k-love-gaining-entry-in-boston/ Big 105.3 Gives Way to K-Love Gaining Entry in Boston] Radioinsight - July 1, 2019 the affiliation with WUBG predated EMF's 2020 acquisition of WAAF.{{cite news |last1=Fybush |first1=Scott |title=NorthEast Radio Watch 2/24/2020: The WAAF-termath |url=https://www.fybush.com/nerw-20200224/ |access-date=January 20, 2025 |work=Fybush.com |date=February 24, 2020}}

On May 29, 2022, the station dropped K-Love programming for a simulcast of the "LatinX" Spanish CHR programming of sister station WCCM, which is programmed by Jose Villafañe's Costa Media (a separate company from Costa-Eagle).https://www.fybush.com/nerw-20220530/ NorthEast Radio Watch May 30, 2022: Q107 Suspends Derringer{{cite news |last1=Jacobson |first1=Adam |title='Latinx' Gets More Signal Power, North of Boston |url=https://rbr.com/latinx-gets-more-signal-power-north-of-boston/ |access-date=July 28, 2023 |work=Radio & Television Business Report |date=May 31, 2022}} In January 2024, the stations rebranded to "{{lang|es|Exitos Boston}}", with no change in format.{{cite news |last1=Venta |first1=Lance |title=LatinX Gives Way To Exitos North of Boston |url=https://radioinsight.com/headlines/263614/latinx-gives-way-to-exitos-north-of-boston/ |access-date=March 14, 2024 |work=RadioInsight |date=January 18, 2024}}