The station was licensed for national broadcast under the Broadcasting Rules and Regulations of The Bahamas in January, and after months of preparation, regular programming begins in Nassau today.
The move comes during the Freeport station’s 10th anniversary.
“We’re excited to be expanding and spreading our wings,” a COOL96 executive told The Freeport News yesterday while hoping the Nassau, Bahamas audience is just as good to them. “We’ve been working on the licence for the past year and a half.”
The Nassau station, situated at Radio House on the corner of School Lane and Shirley Street, will be run by a separate management team and operate on its own programming schedule.
The Freeport station was the vision of the late businessman Cay Walter Gottlieb and is Grand Bahama’s first private radio station.
Since then, Mix 102.1, LOVE97 and MOREFM joined the FM band in Grand Bahama creating a lively, competitive mix and alternative from the AM band.
For a decade, faithful listeners in Grand Bahama turned their dial to 96.1FM to hear Bahamian, Caribbean, Oldies, R& B, Blues, Jazz, Top 40, Latin, Rock, Country, and Gospel music.
Andrea Gottlieb, wife of Mr. Gottlieb, heads the station as president and CEO.
Now, New Providence listeners can tune in to the same dial and get their own programming.
The Grand Bahama station is also on digital cable and can be heard in Freeport, Nassau, Eleuthera and Abaco.
With the radio station now on the Internet the two separate programming ﾗ COOL Freeport and COOL Nassau ﾗ gives their listening audience a choice.
With the Nassau station comes the addition of new radio announcers.
So instead of listening to Kendrick “The Big Guy” on Daybreak from 7:00 am to 11:00 am, Renee ‘Natural Empress’ on the Lunchtime Show from 12:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m. and Paul, the ‘Crazy White Man’ at 5:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m, the sister station bursts on the airwaves with familiar voices but a new style.
The station has been on air the last two weeks for sound testing and today, between 6:00 and 10:00 a.m., it begins with the Eric and Ed Show.
Eric D. and Ed Fields are no new boys on the block and have actually been around the block for at least 12 years at the popular, 100JAMZ, the Nassau radio station which has captured a wide youth audience.
Eric and Ed said good-bye to its JAMZ audience last week Friday.
Cognizant of the challenge ahead and the competition it is up against in the capital, the COOL96 executive said the Eric and Ed show has been in the works for a while.
“Their experienced and they’ve got a good following,” the executive added.
For now, both stations will keep their separate programming and have their own voice 24-7, the executive pointed out.
The Freeport station, situated on Yellow Pine Street, suffered a major fire back in August. The generator room was destroyed, and the ceiling in the reception area and kitchen sustained fire, water and smoke damage.
While the recovery work has been challenging, the fire has not caused any major setbacks.
Senior FN Reporter, lededra@nasguard.com
