WBZ (AM)

WBZ (AM). WBZ is a commercial AM radio station licensed to Boston, Massachusetts, and serving the Greater Boston area. Owned by iHeartMedia, it broadcasts a news/talk format known as "WBZ NewsRadio 1030" from studios located in the Allston neighborhood. As a clear-channel station on 1030 kHz with 50,000 watts, its signal covers much of New England and eastern Canada at night.

History

WBZ began broadcasting on September 15, 1921, from its original home in Springfield, Massachusetts, owned by the Westinghouse Electric Corporation. It is one of the oldest radio stations in the United States and was the first licensed commercial station in Boston after relocating its main operations there in 1931. The station was a founding member of the NBC Red Network and later became part of the CBS Radio Network in 1932, serving as a key affiliate for decades. Under the ownership of Westinghouse Broadcasting, it pioneered early television broadcasting with WBZ-TV and was instrumental in developing the Emergency Broadcast System. The station was acquired by Infinity Broadcasting in the 1990s, which later became part of CBS Radio, before being purchased by iHeartMedia in 2017.

Programming

WBZ airs a live, local news radio format featuring extensive traffic and weather updates every ten minutes on the "3s and 8s" in partnership with the Massachusetts Department of Transportation and National Weather Service. Its schedule includes long-running local talk shows such as "NightSide with Dan Rea" and carries nationally syndicated programs from iHeartMedia personalities, including The Glenn Beck Program and The Clay Travis and Buck Sexton Show. The station provides comprehensive coverage of major events in New England, including Boston Marathon bombing aftermath, New England Patriots Super Bowl victories, and elections, while also broadcasting Boston Red Sox games for many years. Overnight programming features the syndicated Somewhere in Time with Art Bell and This Morning, America's First News with Gordon Deal.

Technical details

WBZ transmits with 50,000 watts, the maximum power for AM stations in North America, from a directional antenna array using four towers in Hull, Massachusetts. Its frequency of 1030 kHz is a clear-channel allocation, shared with KDKA in Pittsburgh under an agreement with the Federal Communications Commission to minimize interference. The station's groundwave signal provides reliable daytime coverage throughout Massachusetts, Rhode Island, New Hampshire, and parts of Connecticut, while its powerful skywave service at night reaches listeners across the Northeastern United States and into Canadian provinces like Ontario and Nova Scotia. WBZ's transmitter site has been recognized as a historic location by the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers.

Notable on-air staff

Current notable personalities include veteran news anchor Joe Mathieu, longtime talk host Dan Rea, and morning news editor Kim Tunnicliffe. Past legendary figures from WBZ's history include morning personality Dave Maynard, who hosted for over three decades, newsman Gary LaPierre, a fixture for more than 40 years, and afternoon drive host Larry Glick. Other notable alumni are Brad Shepard, Jordan Rich, and Carl DeSuze, all of whom became iconic voices in Boston broadcasting. The station's sports coverage has featured commentators like Gil Santos and Bob Lobel, who were synonymous with New England Patriots and Boston Bruins broadcasts.

Awards and recognition

WBZ has received numerous National Edward R. Murrow Awards from the Radio Television Digital News Association for overall excellence and breaking news coverage. It has been honored with multiple Associated Press awards for its investigative reporting and feature writing, and several Sigma Delta Chi awards from the Society of Professional Journalists. The station's coverage of the 2013 Boston Marathon bombing earned national acclaim and a Peabody Award. In 1996, WBZ was inducted into the Massachusetts Broadcasters Hall of Fame for its enduring contributions to the state's media landscape.