I used to joke that WZBA was the retirement home for old 98 Rock staff members. That sounds meaner than I ever intended it to be. The truth is, if you worked at WIYY long enough, you knew the path. Some people retired. Some left town. Some moved into management, sales, consulting, or something else entirely. And some, sooner or later, found their way to 100.7 The Bay. That was not an insult.
A lot of talented people walked through the doors at WZBA. Some had already done great work at 98 Rock. Others had worked elsewhere. But many were simply good radio people who knew Baltimore, knew rock music, and understood what a local station was supposed to feel like.
That is why the end of The Bay deserves more than a passing mention.
The Easy Narrative Misses the Point
It is easy to reduce radio stories to formats and call letters. Classic rock station gets sold. K-LOVE moves in. Another local brand goes away. The business changes again. All true. But that does not really tell the story…