WLIE has had a tough road. I grew up not far from the station. It started life a a pop music station WBIC...then to WLIX Drake Chenault Hit Parade...then religious, then "live jocks" standards as WLUX...then "live & local" talk as WLIE (spending big bucks, too), now back to religion. Good frequency...540 AM.
From the Long Island Radio History website...
Awarded to Islip after a long battle, WBIC went on in 1960 as 'Big Signal Radio'. The first format was Top-40, then MOR with Lee Murphy as PD (later of WINS fame). Mitch Lebe also worked there while it was still WBIC. Other formats included Beautiful Music, Top 40 and a religious format from the 1980's through the early 90's. In the mid 1960's, WBIC dropped it's calls in favor of WLIX.
The tower fell on March 28, 1969 because of teenaged vandals (one teenager was killed). At the time of the accident, the news article had the station listed as WLIX. According to WLIX alumni Bob L. Goodman (75/76), the studios were located in a mobile trailer on Sunrise Highway, just across from the original Islip Speedway. WLIX moved to Bay Shore in 1980 when Sunrise Highway was widened. Other noted LI jocks that worked here were Ted David (news 1969), Bill Andres, Kevin Jefferies, Roger Alan Wade and Warren Green. The building was eventually torn down to make way for new service roads. WBIC/WLIX had always been a day-time with 250 watts and only in December 1991 did it begin to operate 24 hours with 1Kw daytime and 204 watts at night.
Owned at the time by LI Multimedia with an MOR format (which had at one time owned "This Week" Publications), WLIX became standards WLUX in October 1995. The studios were relocated to Farmingdale from 1995-2001. An application for a taller tower along with a power increase to 1000 watts was filed with the FCC and granted. The current studios are now located on Route 231 in Deer Park under the ownership of Stan and Stuart Henry. While the station was Standards, it employed Matt Taylor as the Program Director, George Wright held afternoons and Steve Reggie did morning drive.
In 2002, the station changed call letters to WLIE and started operating under the banner of "Island Talk 540 WLIE". While under the programming guidance of PD John McDermott, the station featured what is considered by many, some of Long Island's best live local talk radio programming. Air personalities on WLIE included David Weiss (morning drive), John Gomez (mid days) and Ed Tyll (early afternoon first... then moved to afternoon drive). Other legendary personalities included Max Kinkel (Geo-Political fill in) and Lynn Samuels (weekends).
Although WLIE is noted for officially being Long Island's first full service all News/Talk station, the high cost of running an all talk format quickly took it's toll. In September 2003, WLIE released virtually all of it's live talk radio staff and officially switched it's format to Business News (syndicated satellite programming) in October of 2003, ending a very short run as Long Island's first and only full service talk station.
