WBSX

Infobox Radio Station
name = WBSX


city = Hazleton, Pennsylvania
area = Scranton/Wilkes Barre/Hazleton
airdate = 1949
branding = 97-9 X
frequency = 97.9 MHz HD Radio
erp = 6,300 Watts
class = B
format = Active Rock
former_callsigns = WAOZ, WXBE, WZMT, WWSH, WVCD, WAZL-FM
owner = Citadel Broadcasting
website = [http://www.979x.com www.979x.com]
sister_stations = WARM-AM, WBHD/WBHT, WMGS, WSJR

WBSX is a FM radio station licensed to the city of Hazleton, Pennsylvania, broadcasting to the Scranton/Wilkes Barre/Hazleton radio market on 97.9 MHz. WBSX airs an active rock music format branded as "97-9 X" (pronounced as "Ninety-Seven Nine X").

History

The radio station first signed on the air in 1949 as WAZL-FM, the FM sister station to WAZL AM also located in the city of Hazleton. During the early 1970's, the station switched to what was branded as a "Beautiful Music" format (which was a form of Easy Listening or Elevator Music) and the call signs WVCD. The station was automated with no live DJs or announcers during this time. The station evolved their music format slightly by 1985 when the station changed call signs to WWSH and branded on air as "Wish 98". The station made a dramatic switch in 1994 to a rock music format and another call sign change to WZMT to reflect the new on air branding as "The Mountain". In 1996, it was renamed "98 Rock". In 1997, under the station's current owners Citadel Broadcasting, the name changed to "The Bear", with the call letters WXBE, and featuring the syndicated Howard Stern Show in mornings. 2001 saw a shift to a format branded as "classic hard rock", name change to "Z-Rock", and call letters to WAOZ. 7 months later, the station returned to a more current-based rock format under the call sign of WBSX, and branding as "97-9 X".

Trivia

979X is known for being one the first commercial stations to play Breaking Benjamin, who started in local Wilkes-Barre. The station's Breaking Benjamin promotion is also briefly featured in Breaking Benjamin's video for "Breath", which was recorded at Stabler Arena in Lehigh Valley in early 2007 [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qQ3qJmgktS0] .

External links

* [http://www.979x.com WBSX Official Web Site]
*FMQ|WBSX
* [http://www.fcc.gov/fcc-bin/FMTV-service-area?x=FM990583.html WBSX-FM Broadcast Signal Coverage Map from the FCC Database]
*Geolinks-US-buildingscale|41.081944|-75.948611