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.

Pete Bowers poses with the brand-new 360-watt transmitter, moments before flipping the switch.

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.

One of two bays needed to get the WBFH signal out to the community. It took 3 weeks of waiting for the tower techs to show up before installation could begin.

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.