WBFH Becomes a Blow Torch!
The official ceremony was held on October 1, 1991, but the actual event happened on August 28, 1991. WBFH passed another milestone.
It was the biggest day in the history of The Biff. After a 6:00 p.m. routine meeting in preparation for the new school year, Mr. Bowers and his staff of young broadcasters returned to his office where the new transmitter was installed.
Everyone present crowded around the transmitter, all anticipating what would become a defining moment in the history of WBFH-FM. No longer restrained by a mere 10 watts of power, the station was poised to become a “major player” in the realm of low-power noncommercial educational broadcasting.
Pete Bowers acknowledged the historical aspect of the moment, took a deep breath and flipped the switch. WBFH became a 360-watt “blowtorch.”
It took a lot of waiting. It took 6 months for the power increase application to be prepared. It then took 2 years for the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) to approve the application and issue a construction permit. It then took 8 more months while the antenna was ordered, constructed, tested and shipped to Bloomfield Hills. And it took an additional 3 weeks of waiting to remove the old antenna and replace it with the new one.
With one flip of the switch, WBFH had become a very powerful force in community radio. No longer relegated to snickers and snorts, and no longer confined to “broadcasting to the parking lot,” the station grew. Suddenly, reception reports up to 12 miles away were being documented.
The power increase did have some built-in restrictions. For one thing, the new signal was to be directional, that is, thrown in some areas and restricted in others. WBFH had to protect another radio station on 88.1 mhz to its southern listening area and 88.3 Mhz in Southfield, therefore, the signal was designed to be heart-shaped, facing north. People have reported getting the signal in Sterling Heights, Clarkston, White Lake and beyond.
The following is a message that appeared in the fall 1991/winter 1992 edition of the radio station newsletter, Biff Magazine.
The Biff Brief:
A Message from the General Manager
“The biggest day in the history of WBFH had to be the day we went on the air, October 1, 1976, with 10 disc jockeys, 10 records and 10 watts.
“That would make August 28, 1991, the second biggest day in the history of The Biff—the day that I flipped the switch on the transmitter to boost our power to 360 watts. I was happy to share that moment with some of our staffers. And to celebrate, we dedicated and played (We’ve got the) Power a song by the group Snap.
“Since day one, back in the summer of ‘76—when I took over—there wasn’t a week gone by when somebody wouldn’t make a joke about our low power, or complain that they couldn’t receive the station at their house, just a couple miles away. Now, those days are over.
“The jokes and snide comments have died down; and, I invite you to listen and give us a try.
“It was a wise FCC commissioner who said, “...good things come to those who wait...”, and now the waiting is over. We’re now Metro Detroit’s most powerful high school radio station!”
