WXBR (1460 AM) is a radio station broadcasting a News Talk Information format to the south Boston metro, a.k.a. "The South Shore". The station is licensed to BTR Boston, Inc. and features programing from AP Radio and CNN Radio.

History [link]

WXBR signed on as WBET on November 27, 1946. The original frequency was 990kc, daytime only, but by 1952 would move to its current 1460kc frequency due to the absorption of another Brockton station, WBKA/1450. WBKA had been owned by Joseph Curran. Curran sold the WBKA and WBKA-FM licenses to WBET in the early 1950s. WBET modified WBKA's license from 250 watts on 1450kc to 1 kW fulltime (directional antenna nights) on 1460kc. (WBKA-FM/107.1's license was returned to the FCC). When the transition to 1460 was complete, WBET's programming and callsign moved to the new frequency, and the old 990kc frequency was deleted. In a sense, the current WXBR is descended from both WBET and WBKA.

1948 saw the addition of FM simulcast service with WBET-FM/97.7 (Channel 249). When WBET(AM) would sign off at sundown, WBET-FM provided service through the nighttime hours. When WBKA was absorbed into WBET, the old WBKA-FM license was no longer needed.

The station was assigned the WBZB call letters on November 24, 2006. On December 12, 2006, the station changed its call sign to the current WXBR.^[1]

Talk show hosts [link]

Some of the hosts at WBET included Bill Alex who hosted a very popular Brockton-area morning talk show-news program weekdays from 9am to 11am during the 1990s. Bill also reported news events during the day at WBET. The following is a Bill Alex newsclip.[1] (credit to WBET/WXBR hosts Jim Larkin and Dale Morris).

Seasoned talk show host and former rival radio station WMSX's host Ron Van Dam sometimes who has gone by the pen name "Ron Nelson Peterson" became the successor to Bill Alex's morning talk show and has had regular listeners from as far away as Skowhegan, Maine even before WXBR started carrying the show on the Internet.

In January 2009, WXBR made changes to its traditional morning drive format, which featured two people, host Steve Mason and news director Kevin Tocci. Management cited tough economic times and decided go with a single personality. Tocci was asked to continue with live news updates, and also to fill the role of host. The show was soon renamed, "The MetroSouth Morning News with Kevin Tocci." The program still provides regional news coverage and familiar daily segments like "Ray Lucia's Money Clip", "The Biz Minute", "Today in History" and "Celebrity Birthdays". It also features interviews with various experts like automotive guru Junior Damato, community leaders in Brockton and other South Shore towns, plus from time to time a few surprises.

Tocci also hosts another talk show on the station with Mark Littlefield, that is heard every Saturday afternoon and is called, "KITB Sports Talk." The two hour program focuses on the world of sports from mixed martial arts, boxing, to issues around the local Boston sports teams; Boston Red Sox, Boston Celtics, New England Patriots and Boston Bruins.

Talk show callers [link]

Some of the frequent callers to WBET/WXBR include the "Democratic Cowboy", a Brockton native with an enduring love for the City of Brockton who calls in daily to WBET/WXBR talk show programs. The Democratic Cowboy speaks out in a brusque, honest fashion on the current topics of the day in Brockton.

References [link]

• 1992 Broadcasting Yearbook, p. A-163
• https://www.bostonradio.org/stations/19633
• https://lists.bostonradio.org/bri/v02/msg02202.html
• https://irishradio.homestead.com/WBET.html

External links [link]

• Query the FCC's AM station database for WXBR
• Radio-Locator Information on WXBR
• Query Arbitron's AM station database for WXBR