WILD (AM)
| City | Boston, Massachusetts |
|---|---|
| Branding | WILD AM 1090 |
| Frequency | 1090 kHz |
| First air date | November 24, 1946 |
| Format |
Brokered news/talk (simulcast of China Radio International) |
| Power | 4,800 watts daytime 1,900 watts critical hours |
| Class | D |
| Facility ID | 47413 |
| Transmitter coordinates | 42°24′10.00″N 71°4′28.00″W / 42.4027778°N 71.0744444°W |
| Callsign meaning | WILD about Boston |
| Former callsigns | WBMS (1946–1951) WHEE (1951–1952) WBMS (1952–1957) |
| Affiliations | China Radio International |
| Owner |
Radio One (Radio One of Boston Licenses, LLC) |
| Webcast | Listen Live |
| Website | WILD webpage within G&E Studio |
WILD is a radio station licensed to Boston, Massachusetts. It broadcasts on 1090 kHz and airs programming from China Radio International under a lease agreement. Prior to the flip to Chinese programming, the station had a legacy of serving Boston's African-American community as a R&B outlet (and its subgenres) from 1967 to 2011. The transmitter for WILD is in Medford.
WILD first went on the air in 1946 as WBMS, with a classical-music format. Eventually, the station went to a "popular music" format, briefly adopted the call letters WHEE, then went back to being WBMS. By the end of the fifties, the call letters were changed to WILD under then owner Bartell, who tried a personality DJ and music format. In 1966, Leonard Walk purchased the station.
The station's power output was originally 1,000 watts, but was increased to 5,000 watts in 1978.
However, the station's history is best known for a long-lasting urban contemporary format which began in 1967 (after several years in which Italian-language programming and rhythm and blues programs for the black community shared the station's schedule). WILD became the respected voice of Boston's black community for many years. In 1973, Sheridan Broadcasting bought the station; in August 1980, locally-based Nash Communications, owned and operated by Kendall Nash, bought WILD. When Nash died in 1999, his wife, Bernadine, took the helm of the station's operations.
WILD first saw competition when WZOU flipped to a Rhythmic Contemporary Hits format as WJMN ("Jam'n 94.5") in 1993. However, it was not until 1999, when African American-owned Radio One entered the market with WBOT, that WILD saw real competition for Boston's African American population.
In May 2000, Radio One took control of WILD through a local marketing agreement, which became an outright purchase later that year. After purchasing the station, Radio One slowly evolved WILD from a rather mainstream Urban Adult Contemporary format to a format that focused more on classic soul music. In addition, the syndicated Tom Joyner morning show was added to the lineup, with the former morning host ("Coach" Willie Maye) relegated to giving local updates on the show.
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