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WLOV-FM

J

John Gemma

To clarify a discussion about WLOV, the original station was founded by my Father, Peter Gemma.
I'm having trouble remembering the year they started but it was arround 1959. At the time very few people owned FM radios. There were only 3 existing FM stations in Rhode Island. WPJB, owned by the Journal Buliten. WJAR, owned by the Outlet Company and WPRO. They all had a 100% Classical format. WLOV had an all Jazz format. While it was a critical success, especially among Colleges, it was a comercial disaster. It closed in about 2 years. The call letters were eventually reissued.
 
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Fascinating! If you have more stories or any memorabilia from WLOV, they'd be most welcome here.
 
John Gemma said:
To clarify a discussion about WLOV, the original station was founded by my Father, Peter Gemma.
I'm having trouble remembering the year they started but it was arround 1959. At the time very few people owned FM radios. There were only 3 existing FM stations in Rhode Island. WPJB, owned by the Journal Buliten. WJAR, owned by the Outlet Company and WPRO. They all had a 100% Classical format. WLOV had an all Jazz format. While it was a critical success, especially among Colleges, it was a comercial disaster. It closed in about 2 years. The call letters were eventually reissued.
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Was it a continuation of the license of the original WHIM-FM, or did it just use the same frequency (like 95.5 which doesn’t descend from WJAR-FM; & 101.5, which only descends from WTMH, not WFCI-FM)?
 
It must have been a fascinating experience to work with FM radio in the 1950s and 60s. As a kid, I'd see the FM station guide in the newspaper, all these stations I couldn't hear. Classical, jazz and folk for stand-alone FMs and straight simulcasts of co-owned AM stations for others. But few people, other than audiophiles, owned an FM receiver in those days. Some major broadcasting companies turned in the licenses to their experimental FM stations, thinking they'd never see any profit from them, even if the audio was superior to AM.

My family didn't get an FM radio until my dad bought a large living room FM stereo and phonograph around 1966. Then the FCC, I think in 1968, said FM stations in large cities could only simulcast 1/4 of their programming with an AM station. NBC, CBS, ABC and other big owners HAD to find new programming for their FM stations but it also had to be economical because FM was in few homes and even fewer cars.

I remember when I was about to begin commuting to college, I bought an FM converter for the AM radio in my Volkswagen. I could now hear all these FM stations, including my college station, as I drove to and from the school!
 
99.9-Cranston, & I think it went off in 1961. It was originally WHIM-FM, I believe. If correct, WHJY is the 2nd WHIM-FM.
 
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