WZBC
Encyclopedia
WZBC is a radio station
broadcasting an Alternative
format. Licensed to Newton, Massachusetts
, United States
, the station serves Boston
and its western suburbs. The station is currently owned by Boston College
.
While the station is run solely by students, much of the on-air staff is made up of members of the surrounding Boston community. The station broadcasts alternative and indie rock
during the day, and then branches out to more diverse styles (ranging from funk
to lounge
to Middle Eastern) in the early evening. At night, the station focuses on experimental music
, which it calls No Commercial Potential. WZBC is located in Chestnut Hill, Massachusetts
at the corner of Beacon
and Hammond on Boston College's main campus
. WZBC also broadcasts sports for the Boston College Eagles
, including basketball
, football
, hockey
, baseball
, and softball
.
station, broadcasting solely to the university community through the electrical wiring of on-campus buildings and dormitories. After operating in this capacity for 13 years, Boston College applied for and was granted a license to operate WZBC (FM), a 17 watt station which aired a wide range of music, from folk to country to rock. With the advent of WZBC (FM), the radio station expanded its listenership and began serving school's neighboring community.
WZBC has seen tremendous growth since its inception in 1974. The station was granted a power increase in 1975, bringing the station's output to 1000 watts, allowing for further expansion of its listenership. Another important change took place in 1979, when the station started broadcasting in stereo. The first stereo broadcast was officially marked by a guest appearance by up and coming British radio DJ John Peel
. Perhaps the most important change in WZBC history occurred shortly after the switch to stereo, when the station narrowed its rock format to the genre known as modern rock
, playing new bands which, for the most part, commercial radio would not touch, often because they were unmarketable. At approximately the same time, WZBC also began broadcasting more experimental music
under the moniker No Commercial Potential.
In addition to the FM station, there is also WVBC-AM—staffed solely by students. The current WVBC can be streamed online. Additionally, the signal is broadcast over the BC cable television system, Channel 47.
Radio station
Radio broadcasting is a one-way wireless transmission over radio waves intended to reach a wide audience. Stations can be linked in radio networks to broadcast a common radio format, either in broadcast syndication or simulcast or both...
broadcasting an Alternative
Alternative rock
Alternative rock is a genre of rock music and a term used to describe a diverse musical movement that emerged from the independent music underground of the 1980s and became widely popular by the 1990s...
format. Licensed to Newton, Massachusetts
Newton, Massachusetts
Newton is a city in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, United States bordered to the east by Boston. According to the 2010 U.S. Census, the population of Newton was 85,146, making it the eleventh largest city in the state.-Villages:...
, United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
, the station serves Boston
Boston
Boston is the capital of and largest city in Massachusetts, and is one of the oldest cities in the United States. The largest city in New England, Boston is regarded as the unofficial "Capital of New England" for its economic and cultural impact on the entire New England region. The city proper had...
and its western suburbs. The station is currently owned by Boston College
Boston College
Boston College is a private Jesuit research university located in the village of Chestnut Hill, Massachusetts, USA. The main campus is bisected by the border between the cities of Boston and Newton. It has 9,200 full-time undergraduates and 4,000 graduate students. Its name reflects its early...
.
While the station is run solely by students, much of the on-air staff is made up of members of the surrounding Boston community. The station broadcasts alternative and indie rock
Indie rock
Indie rock is a genre of alternative rock that originated in the United Kingdom and the United States in the 1980s. Indie rock is extremely diverse, with sub-genres that include lo-fi, post-rock, math rock, indie pop, dream pop, noise rock, space rock, sadcore, riot grrrl and emo, among others...
during the day, and then branches out to more diverse styles (ranging from funk
Funk
Funk is a music genre that originated in the mid-late 1960s when African American musicians blended soul music, jazz and R&B into a rhythmic, danceable new form of music. Funk de-emphasizes melody and harmony and brings a strong rhythmic groove of electric bass and drums to the foreground...
to lounge
Lounge music
Lounge music is a retrospective description of music popular in the 1950s and 1960s. It is a type of mood music meant to evoke in the listeners the feeling of being in a place — a jungle, an island paradise, outer space, et cetera — other than where they are listening to it...
to Middle Eastern) in the early evening. At night, the station focuses on experimental music
Experimental music
Experimental music refers, in the English-language literature, to a compositional tradition which arose in the mid-20th century, applied particularly in North America to music composed in such a way that its outcome is unforeseeable. Its most famous and influential exponent was John Cage...
, which it calls No Commercial Potential. WZBC is located in Chestnut Hill, Massachusetts
Chestnut Hill, Massachusetts
Chestnut Hill is a wealthy New England village located six miles west of downtown Boston, Massachusetts, United States. Like all Massachusetts villages, Chestnut Hill is not an incorporated municipal entity, but unlike most of them, it encompasses parts of three separate municipalities, each of...
at the corner of Beacon
Beacon Street
Beacon Street is a major thoroughfare in Boston, Massachusetts and several of its western suburbs. Beacon Street in Boston, Brookline, Brighton, and Newton is not to be confused with the Beacon Street in nearby Somerville, or others elsewhere.-Description:...
and Hammond on Boston College's main campus
Boston College Main Campus Historic District
Boston College Main Campus Historic District located at 140 Commonwealth Avenue in the village of Chestnut Hill in Newton, Massachusetts was added to the National Register of Historic Places on .-National Register listing:...
. WZBC also broadcasts sports for the Boston College Eagles
Boston College Eagles
The Boston College Eagles are the athletic teams representing Boston College. They compete in NCAA Division I as members of the Atlantic Coast Conference. The men's and women's ice hockey teams compete in Hockey East. The women's crew team competes in the Eastern Association of Women's Rowing...
, including basketball
Basketball
Basketball is a team sport in which two teams of five players try to score points by throwing or "shooting" a ball through the top of a basketball hoop while following a set of rules...
, football
American football
American football is a sport played between two teams of eleven with the objective of scoring points by advancing the ball into the opposing team's end zone. Known in the United States simply as football, it may also be referred to informally as gridiron football. The ball can be advanced by...
, hockey
Hockey
Hockey is a family of sports in which two teams play against each other by trying to maneuver a ball or a puck into the opponent's goal using a hockey stick.-Etymology:...
, baseball
Baseball
Baseball is a bat-and-ball sport played between two teams of nine players each. The aim is to score runs by hitting a thrown ball with a bat and touching a series of four bases arranged at the corners of a ninety-foot diamond...
, and softball
Softball
Softball is a bat-and-ball sport played between two teams of 10 to 14 players. It is a direct descendant of baseball although there are some key differences: softballs are larger than baseballs, and the pitches are thrown underhand rather than overhand...
.
History
Originally founded as WVBC, "The Voice of Boston College", the radio station began in 1960 as a carrier-current AMAM broadcasting
AM broadcasting is the process of radio broadcasting using amplitude modulation. AM was the first method of impressing sound on a radio signal and is still widely used today. Commercial and public AM broadcasting is carried out in the medium wave band world wide, and on long wave and short wave...
station, broadcasting solely to the university community through the electrical wiring of on-campus buildings and dormitories. After operating in this capacity for 13 years, Boston College applied for and was granted a license to operate WZBC (FM), a 17 watt station which aired a wide range of music, from folk to country to rock. With the advent of WZBC (FM), the radio station expanded its listenership and began serving school's neighboring community.
WZBC has seen tremendous growth since its inception in 1974. The station was granted a power increase in 1975, bringing the station's output to 1000 watts, allowing for further expansion of its listenership. Another important change took place in 1979, when the station started broadcasting in stereo. The first stereo broadcast was officially marked by a guest appearance by up and coming British radio DJ John Peel
John Peel
John Robert Parker Ravenscroft, OBE , known professionally as John Peel, was an English disc jockey, radio presenter, record producer and journalist. He was the longest-serving of the original BBC Radio 1 DJs, broadcasting regularly from 1967 until his death in 2004...
. Perhaps the most important change in WZBC history occurred shortly after the switch to stereo, when the station narrowed its rock format to the genre known as modern rock
Modern rock
Modern rock is a rock format commonly found on commercial radio; the format consists primarily of the alternative rock genre...
, playing new bands which, for the most part, commercial radio would not touch, often because they were unmarketable. At approximately the same time, WZBC also began broadcasting more experimental music
Experimental music
Experimental music refers, in the English-language literature, to a compositional tradition which arose in the mid-20th century, applied particularly in North America to music composed in such a way that its outcome is unforeseeable. Its most famous and influential exponent was John Cage...
under the moniker No Commercial Potential.
In addition to the FM station, there is also WVBC-AM—staffed solely by students. The current WVBC can be streamed online. Additionally, the signal is broadcast over the BC cable television system, Channel 47.