UTICA -- Happy 100th anniversary to WIBX 950! The Mohawk Valley's News, Talk and Sports Leader originally signed on the air for the first time on December 5, 1925. The centennial was marked with appearances from a handful of station alumni during Bill Keeler's show this morning.
Our thanks to longtime WIBX staffer Davey Smith for sharing these photos with CNYRadio.com. Click on any photo above to view full-size with captions.
This morning's 100th anniversary was marked by morning host Bill Keeler, as he welcomed some previous WIBX personalities into the studio to reminisce. Oneida County Executive Anthony Picente shared a proclamation naming today "WIBX Radio Day" in the county. State Senator Joe Griffo shared a Senate proclamation commending WIBX for its 100 years of service to the region.
According to Wikipedia, WIBX was launched by a local radio dealer, so they could ensure there would be programming available for customers to hear. (Kinda hard to sell radios if there's nothing on the air... that same line of thinking led to RCA launching NBC in 1926.) The WIBX call sign was assigned randomly by the government, the original frequency was 1460AM and the studios were located right inside the radio dealership.
Before landing at its current home at 950AM in 1948, the station would jump around the dial -- to 1260AM, then 1200AM, and 1230AM, as the studios also moved -- from the radio dealership into Hotel Utica, the Boston Store, and the First National Bank Building. From 1948 until 2003, the studios were right at the transmitter site on Clark Mills Road in Whitesboro. Since 2003, the studios have been on River Road in Marcy, while the transmitter and its four towers are still in Whitesboro.
WIBX was one of the CBS News Radio network's longest-lasting affiliates until 2011, when WIBX's switch to Fox News Radio ended its 76-year partnership with CBS.
Like many other heritage AM stations across the country, concern about the future of the AM band's availability in car radios prompted current owner Townsquare Media to launch an FM simulcast in 2022. Originally using 106.9FM, the WIBX simulcast has been on FM translator W295DI at 92.3 FM since 2024.
Today's WIBX lineup features longtime Utica-Rome personality Bill Keeler in morning drive, followed by a variety of nationally-syndicated talk shows for the remainder of the day.
Keeler offers more of WIBX's history on the WIBX website.