Instruct: Given a question, retrieve relevant documents that can help answer the question.
Query: When did the radio station WEEI first air?
WEEI traces its roots to its original owner, Edison Electric Illuminating Company of Boston (hence the call letters). Edison placed the station on the air September 29, 1924.[1][3] The station broadcast on various frequencies over the next several years, settling on 590kHz in 1927.[1] In 1926, WEEI became a charter member of the NBC Red Network[1] and remained an NBC Red affiliate until 1936, when the station was leased by CBS and became an affiliate of that network.[4] CBS bought WEEI outright from Boston Edison on August 31, 1942.[5] An FM sister station, WEEI-FM (103.3 FM, now WODS), went on the air in 1948.[6] Until 1960, WEEI, through CBS Radio, was the last Boston radio station to devote a large amount of its program schedule to "traditional" network radio programming of daytime soap operas, comedy shows, variety shows, and similar fare.
The history of the 590 frequency dates back to September 29, 1924 as WEEI, owned by Edison Electric Illuminating (hence the call letters). In its earliest days, the station was a public relations vehicle for Edison. The station broadcast on various frequencies over the next several years, settling on 590 kHz in 1927. In 1926, WEEI became a charter member of the NBC Red Network and remained an NBC Red affiliate until 1936, when the station was leased by CBS and became an affiliate of that network. CBS bought WEEI outright from Boston Edison on August 31, 1942. An FM sister station, WEEI-FM (103.3 FM, now WODS), went on the air in 1948. Until 1960, WEEI, through CBS Radio, was the last Boston radio station to devote a large amount of its program schedule to "traditional" network radio programming of daytime soap operas, comedy shows, variety shows, and similar fare.
Although its talk radio format was popular, the station went all-news in 1974, following the lead of several other CBS-owned stations.[6] At first, WEEI was not 24/7 all-news; the station's late-night schedule featured the CBS Radio Mystery Theater, an attempt to revive radio drama, as well as a local overnight talk show with Bruce Lee (no relation to the martial-arts actor), a holdover from the previous format. But by the end of the 1970s, WEEI was all-news around the clock.
The station is popular with fans of the Boston professional sports teams, especially the New England Patriots and Boston Red Sox. WEEI-FM calls itself "the #1 rated sports radio talk station in America," in terms of the percentage of the area radio listening audience tuned-in. WEEI-FM isn't alone in providing 24/7 sports radio in Boston; sister station WEEI (850 AM) offers the full ESPN Radio lineup, while local competition includes WBZ-FM (98.5 FM). 
WEEI-FM's sports play-by-play broadcasts are distributed separately, though some games originated by WEEI may air on some of the other affiliated stations by way of a separate deal. Some of the stations have picked up play-by-play rights in concert with WEEI after their conversion to the simulcast. Most stations carry either ESPN Radio or Fox Sports Radio when the flagship station carries games or when WEEI-FM is not airing local programming.WVEI, WVEI-FM, and WWEI are owned by Entercom outright. WVEI originally carried WEEI programming under a lease from Zapis Broadcasting from 1991 until 1994; after Zapis sold the renamed WWTM to American Radio Systems along with WAAF in 1996, it reincorporated WEEI programming into its lineup in 1997, and in 2000 reclaimed the WVEI call sign. What is now WVEI-FM was acquired from Phoenix Media/Communications Group in 2004, and what is now WWEI was purchased from Vox Radio Group in 2006. Entercom's initial plan to syndicate WEEI programming to non-Entercom stations was to place it on stations owned by Nassau Broadcasting in 13 more markets, but the deal between the two companies ended up collapsing; one of these stations, the station now known as WZEI, joined the WEEI network in 2013 after Nassau sold its stations. The first of WEEI's eventual affiliates began airing its programming in September 2008. WPPI, one of the first affiliates, initially carried WEEI programming (as WGEI) from September 2008 until April 2009, when it began simulcasting talk station WLOB; it rejoined the network in August 2011. Additionally, WAEI (910 AM and 97.1 FM) in Bangor, Maine carried WEEI programming from September 2008 until January 2010, when Blueberry Broadcasting terminated its affiliation following a breach-of-contract dispute. WRCH-HD3 converted to a WEEI simulcast after the CBS Radio/Entercom merger from its former WBZ-FM simulcast (WBZ-FM went to Beasley Broadcast Group) in mid-November 2017.
During game broadcasts, WEEI-FM is also made available through the Major League Baseball web site (for a fee), and (for home games) on XM Satellite Radio (as part of the standard service) for those outside the Boston listening area. The entire 162-game Red Sox schedule also may be heard on an extensive radio network throughout the 6 New England states. Many of the smaller stations have always aired the Red Sox Network regardless of what Boston station originated those broadcasts.
WEEI's programming is almost entirely sourced from the national ESPN Radio schedule, this includes Mike and Mike in the Morning, and SVP & Russillo.[2] However, the station has indicated that it may also air some locally produced weekend long-form specialty programs that do not necessarily fit on WEEI-FM.[63] WEEI also aired Boston Celtics games that conflicted with Boston Red Sox games on WEEI-FM through the 2013–2013 season; if the conflict involved a Celtics playoff game, the Celtics aired on WEEI-FM and the Red Sox game was on WEEI.
WEII (96.3 FM, "SportsRadio 96.3") is a radio station in Dennis, Massachusetts. The station airs a sports radio format from Boston-based WEEI-FM. It is owned by iHeartMedia.
On June 8, 2007, WTSM was granted a construction permit to change its community of license to Swanzey, New Hampshire. This allowed the station to better serve the Keene, New Hampshire, market. As a result, when WTSM's attempt to return on January 25, 2008 was canceled by an interference complaint, the station permanently shut down the transmitting facility in Springfield, as the interference concerns would be alleviated by the relocation of the station. When WTSM completed its move on October 5, 2008 (though it was initially announced for September 15), the station resumed operations with sports talk provided by Boston's WEEI, under the call letters WEEY. In February 2012, WEEY replaced its nighttime simulcast of Fox Sports Radio with a simulcast of ESPN Radio, already carried in the market on WZBK; Fox Sports Radio returned to WEEY after less than one week. , WEEY airs NBC Sports Radio when not airing WEEI programming.
WEEY (93.5 FM) is a radio station licensed to serve Swanzey, New Hampshire. The station is owned by Great Eastern Radio, LLC and serves as the Keene affiliate for WEEI-FM.
The station was acquired by Boston Celtics Communications (a group that shared ownership with the Boston Celtics basketball team) on May 10, 1990, the Celtics also simultaneously purchased WFXT (channel 25) from Fox Television Stations.[11][12] The Celtics initially pledged to continue the all-news format, hiring a new morning anchor[13] and shifting the station to a 30-minute clock (it previously followed a one-hour clock);[14] however, the CBS Radio Network's decision to shift its Boston affiliation to WRKO effective September 3, 1990 (ending a 54-year link with WEEI) for reasons that included WRKO having a stronger news commitment,[15] which compelled WEEI to join the ABC Direction Network,[16] led to speculation that the station was shifting to an all-sports format.[13] Though this was played down by station officials,[13] WEEI, which had already carried Celtics broadcasts since 1987,[17] expanded its sports programming after the sale; WEEI became the flagship station of the Boston Bruins (replacing WPLM-FM) in 1990[18] (however, Celtics broadcasts were given priority, resulting in some Bruins broadcasts moving to WVBF or WMEX[19]), and a nightly sports talk show with Craig Mustard was launched on August 20, 1990.[20] WEEI also carried Sports Byline USA and CBS Radio Sports broadcasts not cleared by WRKO.[11] The all-news format continued in other dayparts until September 3, 1991, when WEEI became an all-sports station.[11][21][22]
Dennis and Callahan was an American morning radio show on WEEI-FM, a sports radio station in Boston, Massachusetts. On November 16, 2010, a live three-hour simulcast began airing on NESN at 6–10 AM Eastern time each weekday. The show combines talk of sports and politics, along with current or "water cooler" issues. The show premiered in 1997 with Callahan and former WHDH Sports Director John Dennis, and it received strong ratings until WEEI received ratings competition in 2009 with the launch of CBS Radio's sports station, WBZ-FM (98.5); ratings have since fallen from their peak.
WEEI is a sports radio station in Boston, Massachusetts, that broadcasts on 850 kHz from a transmitter in Needham, Massachusetts, and is owned by Entercom Communications. Studios are located in Brighton, Massachusetts. The station broadcasts programming from ESPN Radio; until October 4, 2012, the station aired a highly rated locally produced sports talk format, which is now heard on WEEI-FM (93.7 FM).[2] Originally established in 1924, in 1994 WEEI moved from 590 AM to 850 AM, replacing WHDH, which had operated since 1929.
The station was acquired by Boston Celtics Communications (a group that shared ownership with the Boston Celtics basketball team) on May 10, 1990; the Celtics also simultaneously purchased WFXT (channel 25) from Fox Television Stations. The Celtics initially pledged to continue the all-news format, hiring a new morning anchor and shifting the station to a 30-minute clock (it previously followed a one-hour clock); however, the CBS Radio Network's decision to shift its Boston affiliation to WRKO effective September 3, 1990 (ending a 54-year link with WEEI) for reasons that included WRKO having a stronger news commitment, which compelled WEEI to join the ABC Direction Network, led to speculation that the station was shifting to an all-sports format. Though this was played down by station officials, WEEI, which had already carried Celtics broadcasts since 1987, expanded its sports programming after the sale; WEEI became the flagship station of the Boston Bruins (replacing WPLM-FM) in 1990 (however, Celtics broadcasts were given priority, resulting in some Bruins broadcasts moving to WVBF or WMEX), and a nightly sports talk show with Craig Mustard was launched on August 20, 1990. WEEI also carried "Sports Byline USA" and CBS Radio Sports broadcasts not cleared by WRKO. The all-news format continued in other dayparts until September 3, 1991, when WEEI became an all-sports station. Following the format change, the station began simulcasting its programming on WVEI in Worcester to reach central Massachusetts.
Ron Borges also played a part in starting the long running feud between the Boston Globe and Boston sports talk radio station WEEI. In 1999, the "Boston Globe"'s executive sports editor banned "Globe" sportswriters from appearing on WEEI's afternoon 'The Big Show' after Borges appeared on it and allegedly used a racial slur to describe New York Yankees pitcher Hideki Irabu. Glenn Ordway, host of the show defended Borges stating that he was only trying to 'recall Yankees owner George Steinbrenner's infamous description of Irabu as a "fat, pussy toad." Ordway claims he corrected Borges on the air and was surprised when the ban was announced. Two weeks later, Skwar banned Globe sportswriters from appearing on WEEI's morning Dennis and Callahan Show because of its perceived lowbrow humor. After this ban, WEEI retaliated by banning "Globe" sportswriters from all WEEI programs.
On March 16, 1994, the Boston Celtics reached a deal to sell WEEI to Back Bay Broadcasting; shortly afterward, the rights to Celtics broadcasts passed to American Radio Systems (ARS), owner of WRKO and WHDH, effective with the 1994–95 season, while the Bruins signed a deal with WBZ to carry its broadcasts starting in 1995. Sister station WFXT was sold back to Fox Television Stations soon afterward. On August 29, Back Bay Broadcasting sold the call letters and all-sports programming of WEEI to ARS, which placed the WEEI call sign and intellectual property on the 850 kHz frequency that was previously home to WHDH. After a brief simulcast, AM 590 relaunched as business news station WBNW, and later became WEZE. With the move, WEEI retained Boston Celtics broadcasts, and also added BC basketball; it also ceded the final year of its Bruins contract to the new WBNW. It also inherited the CBS Radio Network affiliation (which had by then passed from WRKO to WHDH) until early 1995, when it moved to WBZ. The move to the 850 frequency allowed WEEI to broadcast at 50,000 watts, as opposed to 5,000 watts on 590. ARS also moved Red Sox broadcasts to WEEI from WRKO starting in 1995. Conversely, Celtics broadcasts were moved to WRKO for the 1995–96 season; they returned to WEEI the following season.
The sports format currently heard on WEEI-FM originated on September 3, 1991 on 590 AM (which at that time had the WEEI call letters), replacing an all-news format that had been in place since 1974; WEEI itself had gone on the air in 1924. At that time, the station was owned by Boston Celtics Communications (a group that shared ownership with the Boston Celtics basketball team), which bought WEEI from Helen Broadcasting on May 10, 1990 and simultaneously purchased WFXT (channel 25) from Fox Television Stations. The station, which had already carried Celtics broadcasts since 1987, expanded its sports programming after the sale; WEEI became the flagship station of the Boston Bruins (replacing WPLM-FM) in 1990 (however, Celtics broadcasts were given priority, resulting in some Bruins broadcasts moving to WVBF or WMEX), and a nightly sports talk show with Craig Mustard was launched on August 20, 1990. WEEI also carried "Sports Byline USA" and CBS Radio Sports broadcasts not cleared by WRKO, which took all other CBS Radio Network programming from WEEI on September 3, 1990, leading the station to affiliate with the ABC Direction Network.
WODS began as WEEI-FM in 1948, under the ownership of CBS. It ran CBS's "The Young Sound" format beginning in 1965 after Federal Communications Commission (FCC) regulations forced it to cease to be a 24-hour simulcast of the AM side (WEEI 590, now WEZE). "The Young Sound" was an easy listening format focusing on instrumental versions of recent pop tunes, which aired on many of CBS's FM owned-and-operated stations. By 1969, "The Young Sound" had evolved to a Top 40/AOR hybrid format, voice tracked on WEEI-FM by Dick Provost. In late 1972, WEEI-FM flipped to an adult contemporary format. The station evolved into its famous "Soft Rock" format in 1977, which remained in place until 1982 when it flipped to a Top 40 format. (During the Soft Rock years, WEEI-FM would only play the softer hits by Rock-oriented artists. Artists heard only on Top 40 stations were not aired.) By 1981, all of the other owned-and-operated CBS FM radio stations employed the "Hot Hits" format except for WCBS-FM in New York City. Unlike its sister stations, though, WEEI-FM played hits from the past several years as well as the hits of the current day.
Although its talk radio format was popular, the station went all-news in 1974, following the lead of several other CBS-owned stations. At first, WEEI was not 24/7 all-news; the station's late-night schedule featured the "CBS Radio Mystery Theater", an attempt to revive radio drama, as well as a local overnight talk show with Bruce Lee (no relation to the martial-arts actor), a holdover from the previous format. But by the end of the 1970s, WEEI was all-news around the clock.
WEEI again lost the Celtics broadcast rights in 2001, this time to WWZN. Entercom reacquired the rights to the broadcasts in 2005; initially heard on WRKO, Celtics games moved back to WEEI in 2007 (though Celtics coaches and players appeared on WEEI regularly during WRKO's time as flagship). In April 2005, WEEI began streaming its broadcasts live online by way of a free membership at its official website; a previous stream was offered from 1997 until 2002. The exception is for Red Sox and Celtics games, as these are streamed only through the team and league websites as part of subscription packages. Around the same time, the station again lost ESPN Radio programming when the affiliation was acquired by WAMG and WLLH; the station then expanded an affiliation with Fox Sports Radio that began in 2002.
Concurrent with the move to 850, WEEI ceased an affiliation with ESPN Radio;[48] however, it returned to the network on September 11, 1995 to carry The Fabulous Sports Babe (in middays) in a schedule shuffle that also saw the merger of the Dale Arnold and Eddie Andelman shows into The A-Team and the launch of The Big Show.[49] WEEI also added "Patriots Monday", featuring weekly appearances from New England Patriots players and coaches, in 1995; it moved to rival WNRB/WWZN in 1999,[50] but returned to WEEI in 2002,[51] and was joined by the similar "Patriots Friday" (formerly aired on WAMG) in 2008. In March 1995, the station ceased carrying Sports Byline USA and One-on-One Sports in the overnight hours in favor of the Sports Fan Radio Network. WEEI dropped The Fabulous Sports Babe after the October 3, 1997 broadcast, leading to the launch of Dennis and Callahan on October 6.[52] Dennis and Callahan became the station's morning show on September 7, 1999,[53] after the station dropped Imus in the Morning in August due to declining ratings.[54]
A number of other stations in the New England region carry most of WEEI-FM's local programming. The stations are branded as "Sports Radio WEEI", and many carry call letters similar to the Boston flagship station.
Concurrent with the move to 850, WEEI ceased an affiliation with ESPN Radio; however, it returned to the network on September 11, 1995 to carry The Fabulous Sports Babe (in middays) in a schedule shuffle that also saw the merger of the Dale Arnold and Eddie Andelman shows into "The A-Team" and the launch of "The Big Show". WEEI also added "Patriots Monday," featuring weekly appearances from New England Patriots players and coaches, in 1995; it moved to rival WNRB/WWZN in 1999, but returned to WEEI in 2002, and was joined by the similar "Patriots Friday" (formerly aired on WAMG) in 2008. In March 1995, the station ceased carrying "Sports Byline USA" and One-on-One Sports in the overnight hours in favor of the Sports Fan Radio Network. WEEI dropped The Fabulous Sports Babe after the October 3, 1997 broadcast, leading to the launch of "Dennis and Callahan" on October 6. "Dennis and Callahan" became the station's morning show on September 7, 1999, after the station dropped "Imus in the Morning" in August due to declining ratings.
WEEI-FM (93.7 FM, "SportsRadio 93.7") is a radio station licensed to serve Lawrence, Massachusetts. The station is one of the top-rated sports talk radio stations in the nation. Studios are located in Brighton, Massachusetts, and has a transmitter in Peabody, Massachusetts. Its local programming is heard on the "WEEI Sports Radio Network" that broadcasts throughout the New England region.
WEEI-FM is the flagship station of the WEEI Red Sox Radio Network. In addition, WEEI broadcasts games of the Boston College football and basketball teams in season. When local programming is not on WEEI-FM, usually ESPN Radio or NBC Sports Radio will air.