Classic Gold WABC
Encyclopedia
Classic Gold WABC was a United Kingdom
radio station, broadcasting to much of Wolverhampton
and Shropshire
from studios in Dunstable
. Regional news, weather, events and community information, local advertising (separate for Wolverhampton and Shropshire) and a four-hour live weekday regional programme came from a studio centre in Wolverhampton
, home also to Beacon Radio.
The station, along with the rest of the Classic Gold
network, was replaced on 3 August 2007 by a new network called simply Gold, the result of the merger of the Classic Gold
and Capital Gold
networks under one owner, GCap Media.
frequencies. Beacon began to cater for a younger audience following the frequency split, while the new AM service started to aim its programming toward a much older audience. Beacon's American management had originally wanted to use the name WABC for Beacon, but at the time of its launch during the 1970s, the IBA
had considered the name too American.
WABC's inaugural Breakfast show on 15 January 1989, was presented by Mark Edwards, who kicked proceedings off with Frank Sinatra
's Nice 'n' Easy, a song which it was felt would reflect the feel of the station, and which was used as its strapline. While other similar AM stations of the time were focusing on playing music from the 1950s through to the 1970s, WABC adopted a format of easy listening
and big band
tracks. The station also had a distinctly American flavour to its shows, with presenters often referred to as 'the good guys', and weather forecasts giving temperatures in 'WABC degrees'.
WABC first transmitted to Wolverhampton only on 990kHz, but in December 1990, a frequency was added for Shropshire (1017kHz), and again the vocals of Frank Sinatra heralded its launch. However, the music policy of the station gradually began to change, eventually shifting towards a standard 'Gold' format. Presenters began to play fewer big band and easy listening tunes, and more music generally associated with 'Gold' services. Music from the 1960s and 1970s became more prominent, together with tracks from the 1980s and contemporary chart hits. The 'Nice'n'Easy' strapline was also dropped in a bid to appeal to a younger audience, and replaced with 'The best mix of golden oldies'.
In 1993 WABC was sold to GWR. One of the conditions of the sale negotiated by Beacon was that the format would be retained for three years. When that period ran out in 1996, WABC underwent a management change, while GWR made significant alterations to the format. A restricted playlist of 800 songs was adopted, while on-air presenters were replaced the following year and the station relaunched as Classic Gold WABC. Finally on 1 April 1998, programming at WABC was networked with other Classic Gold
stations, with only four hours of local weekday programming remaining in the Midlands
. The WABC name was eventually dropped in 2006, when the station was renamed Classic Gold 990/1017.
On 3 August 2007, the station, along with the rest of the Classic Gold
network, was replaced by a new network called simply Gold, the result of the merger of the Classic Gold
and Capital Gold
networks under one owner, GCap Media.
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
radio station, broadcasting to much of Wolverhampton
Wolverhampton
Wolverhampton is a city and metropolitan borough in the West Midlands, England. For Eurostat purposes Walsall and Wolverhampton is a NUTS 3 region and is one of five boroughs or unitary districts that comprise the "West Midlands" NUTS 2 region...
and Shropshire
Shropshire
Shropshire is a county in the West Midlands region of England. For Eurostat purposes, the county is a NUTS 3 region and is one of four counties or unitary districts that comprise the "Shropshire and Staffordshire" NUTS 2 region. It borders Wales to the west...
from studios in Dunstable
Dunstable
Dunstable is a market town and civil parish located in Bedfordshire, England. It lies on the eastward tail spurs of the Chiltern Hills, 30 miles north of London. These geographical features form several steep chalk escarpments most noticeable when approaching Dunstable from the north.-Etymology:In...
. Regional news, weather, events and community information, local advertising (separate for Wolverhampton and Shropshire) and a four-hour live weekday regional programme came from a studio centre in Wolverhampton
Wolverhampton
Wolverhampton is a city and metropolitan borough in the West Midlands, England. For Eurostat purposes Walsall and Wolverhampton is a NUTS 3 region and is one of five boroughs or unitary districts that comprise the "West Midlands" NUTS 2 region...
, home also to Beacon Radio.
The station, along with the rest of the Classic Gold
Classic Gold Digital Network
Classic Gold Digital Network was one of the biggest 'gold' formatted radio networks in the United Kingdom, with a potential audience of 47 million. Classic Gold was broadcast on analogue and DAB digital platforms, as well as Sky channel 0189.-History:...
network, was replaced on 3 August 2007 by a new network called simply Gold, the result of the merger of the Classic Gold
Classic Gold Digital Network
Classic Gold Digital Network was one of the biggest 'gold' formatted radio networks in the United Kingdom, with a potential audience of 47 million. Classic Gold was broadcast on analogue and DAB digital platforms, as well as Sky channel 0189.-History:...
and Capital Gold
Capital Gold
Gold is a network of oldies radio stations which was formed by the merger of the Capital Gold network and the Classic Gold Network in August 2007...
networks under one owner, GCap Media.
History
The station began as Radio WABC in 1989 (the letters WABC standing for Wolverhampton and Black Country). The off-shoot of the area's long-established Beacon Radio, it was launched as a response to government disapproval of the simulcasting of radio companies' FM programming on their mediumwaveMediumwave
Medium wave is the part of the medium frequency radio band used mainly for AM radio broadcasting. For Europe the MW band ranges from 526.5 kHz to 1606.5 kHz...
frequencies. Beacon began to cater for a younger audience following the frequency split, while the new AM service started to aim its programming toward a much older audience. Beacon's American management had originally wanted to use the name WABC for Beacon, but at the time of its launch during the 1970s, the IBA
Independent Broadcasting Authority
The Independent Broadcasting Authority was the regulatory body in the United Kingdom for commercial television - and commercial/independent radio broadcasts...
had considered the name too American.
WABC's inaugural Breakfast show on 15 January 1989, was presented by Mark Edwards, who kicked proceedings off with Frank Sinatra
Frank Sinatra
Francis Albert "Frank" Sinatra was an American singer and actor.Beginning his musical career in the swing era with Harry James and Tommy Dorsey, Sinatra became an unprecedentedly successful solo artist in the early to mid-1940s, after being signed to Columbia Records in 1943. Being the idol of the...
's Nice 'n' Easy, a song which it was felt would reflect the feel of the station, and which was used as its strapline. While other similar AM stations of the time were focusing on playing music from the 1950s through to the 1970s, WABC adopted a format of easy listening
Easy listening
Easy listening is a broad style of popular music and radio format that emerged in the 1950s, evolving out of big band music, and related to MOR music as played on many AM radio stations. It encompasses the exotica, beautiful music, light music, lounge music, ambient music, and space age pop genres...
and big band
Big band
A big band is a type of musical ensemble associated with jazz and the Swing Era typically consisting of rhythm, brass, and woodwind instruments totaling approximately twelve to twenty-five musicians...
tracks. The station also had a distinctly American flavour to its shows, with presenters often referred to as 'the good guys', and weather forecasts giving temperatures in 'WABC degrees'.
WABC first transmitted to Wolverhampton only on 990kHz, but in December 1990, a frequency was added for Shropshire (1017kHz), and again the vocals of Frank Sinatra heralded its launch. However, the music policy of the station gradually began to change, eventually shifting towards a standard 'Gold' format. Presenters began to play fewer big band and easy listening tunes, and more music generally associated with 'Gold' services. Music from the 1960s and 1970s became more prominent, together with tracks from the 1980s and contemporary chart hits. The 'Nice'n'Easy' strapline was also dropped in a bid to appeal to a younger audience, and replaced with 'The best mix of golden oldies'.
In 1993 WABC was sold to GWR. One of the conditions of the sale negotiated by Beacon was that the format would be retained for three years. When that period ran out in 1996, WABC underwent a management change, while GWR made significant alterations to the format. A restricted playlist of 800 songs was adopted, while on-air presenters were replaced the following year and the station relaunched as Classic Gold WABC. Finally on 1 April 1998, programming at WABC was networked with other Classic Gold
Classic Gold Digital Network
Classic Gold Digital Network was one of the biggest 'gold' formatted radio networks in the United Kingdom, with a potential audience of 47 million. Classic Gold was broadcast on analogue and DAB digital platforms, as well as Sky channel 0189.-History:...
stations, with only four hours of local weekday programming remaining in the Midlands
English Midlands
The Midlands, or the English Midlands, is the traditional name for the area comprising central England that broadly corresponds to the early medieval Kingdom of Mercia. It borders Southern England, Northern England, East Anglia and Wales. Its largest city is Birmingham, and it was an important...
. The WABC name was eventually dropped in 2006, when the station was renamed Classic Gold 990/1017.
On 3 August 2007, the station, along with the rest of the Classic Gold
Classic Gold Digital Network
Classic Gold Digital Network was one of the biggest 'gold' formatted radio networks in the United Kingdom, with a potential audience of 47 million. Classic Gold was broadcast on analogue and DAB digital platforms, as well as Sky channel 0189.-History:...
network, was replaced by a new network called simply Gold, the result of the merger of the Classic Gold
Classic Gold Digital Network
Classic Gold Digital Network was one of the biggest 'gold' formatted radio networks in the United Kingdom, with a potential audience of 47 million. Classic Gold was broadcast on analogue and DAB digital platforms, as well as Sky channel 0189.-History:...
and Capital Gold
Capital Gold
Gold is a network of oldies radio stations which was formed by the merger of the Capital Gold network and the Classic Gold Network in August 2007...
networks under one owner, GCap Media.