WBBB-FM 96.1 History
The station now known to the Triangle as "96 Rock" signed on in 1949 as WNAO-FM, the sister station of WNAO , 850 AM. The stations were brought to fruition by the Raleigh News and Observer newspaper. WNAO-FM simulcast AM 850's programming for many years, becoming WKIX-FM when their AM counterpart became CHR (then called Top 40) WKIX in 1959. By this time, the newspaper had sold the stations to Southeast Broadcasting. In the 1970s, 96.1 FM broke away from WKIX's programming to become easy listening WYYD. In the eighties, WYYD became WYLT "Lite 96.1" with a soft adult contemporary format. In late 1992, "Lite 96.1" repositioned as "Y96" with a seventies oldies format, later toying with alternative before swapping their calls with AM 850 to become contemporary country WKIX "Kix 96.1" on January 1st,1994. In 1996, Curtis Media Group purchased WKIX, by then a fierce competitor to the three Curtis-owned country outlets in the market, cross-town WQDR, Burlington's WPCM "Country 101.1" and Goldsboro's "Katie Country 96.9" WKTC. On January 9th, 1998, the "Kix" format and the WKIX calls moved to 96.9 FM in Goldsboro, which simultaneously began a simulcast on 101.1 FM in Burlington, thus effectively consolidating four greater Raleigh country stations into two. WPCM, the former call letters of the Burlington station, were moved onto it's AM sister station, WBBB,AM 920. The WBBB calls were subsequently moved to 96.1. Now WBBB, they simulcasted news/talk WPTF for several weeks before becoming "96 Rock".
WBBB-FM 96.1 Gallery
- WYYD used this logo in the 1970s.
- A DX site has this audio clip of WYYD taped in October of 1984, from over 500 miles away, 0:13.
- WYLT used this logo as "Lite 96.1" from the late 1980s until 1992.
- A 1996 aircheck of WKIX "Kix 96.1" from Bostonradio.org, 0:25.
- A photo of WBBB's antenna, located across Lake Wheeler in Raleigh.
