When you talk to someone from Long Island, they don’t tell you they’re from New York. Instead, they tell you they’re from Long Island. It’s a badge of honor. For Chris Lloyd, Program Director overseeing two storied heritage brands, that distinction represents the bedrock of everything these stations do.
After 20 years on the island — with both daughters born here — Lloyd has earned that badge. Moreover, he’s committed to something larger than ratings: keeping WBAB and 106.1 BLI authentically, unmistakably Long Island.
“There’s nothing better than the pizza. There’s nothing better than the bagels. It’s just a special place,” Lloyd explains. “The authenticity of the people — you just can’t beat it. It’s hard to fake Long Island. You gotta be it.”
Ultimately, this is more than nostalgia. It’s the operative principle.
WBAB: 50+ Years of Community Commitment
At over 50 years as a rock station, WBAB has thrived by understanding something fundamental: a radio station isn’t a jukebox. Rather, it’s a community institution. Roger and JP on mornings, together for 26 years, embody that commitment. They’ve been a team long enough that they run into listeners at 7-Eleven when going to get coffee. Consequently, they’re part of the fabric.
“Roger and JP got put on the air just right before 9-11,” Lloyd recalls. “When it happened, they dropped all their commercials and just started talking to people, trying to figure out how they could help. In no time at all, they had tractor trailers showing up at the radio station.”
That moment defined them. Additionally, from Superstorm Sandy to COVID to the blackout, WBAB has shown up when Long Island needed it most. It’s that kind of commitment — the willingness to use the platform for something larger than entertainment — that creates loyalty algorithms can’t replicate.
“When someone needs something on Long Island, the people here at WBAB are there,” Lloyd says.
Producer Brett completes the morning trio — a 26-year partnership that feels like family business. Dominique handles middays after working nights for years, demonstrating how the station develops talent instead of cycling through names. Joe Rock covers afternoons while helping other Cox Media Group stations. Rocky takes nights. Ultimately, each personality reflects the station’s core identity: rock radio by and for Long Island.
106.1 BLI: Pop Station, Long Island Soul
If WBAB is the rock institution, then 106.1 BLI is the pop station that’s been central to countless artists’ careers. Lloyd oversees it with the same philosophy: authenticity first, format second.
“106.1 BLI has been a pop station for many years. It’s had amazing talent come through and continues to do so. We’re very excited about new music, very active with new music, really committed to breaking artists and making noise about it,” Lloyd explains. “It’s a really special brand in the pop world.”
However, the secret sauce isn’t format excellence or technical proficiency. Instead, it’s that every personality on air understands what it means to be Long Island. Syke and Ali anchor mornings — both Long Islanders who’ve been together a couple of years and found their stride. They’re not performing for Long Island. Rather, they are Long Island.
Ali also handles middays, providing consistency across the station’s most important dayparts. Kat brings her own Long Island energy to afternoons. Ultimately, the principle is refreshingly simple: hire people who actually live in the community and understand it from the inside.
The Long Island Difference
What separates these stations from hundreds of others isn’t production value or imaging. Notably, Long Island has a vibe that’s “truly different than other places,” and it’s nearly impossible to fake.
“There’s just a lot of town names and things that are really special and specific to Long Island,” Lloyd explains. “It becomes really tough. It’s hard to fake Long Island. You gotta be it.”
That’s not a slogan. Rather, it’s a job requirement. Everything — imaging, social strategy, community involvement, on-air conversation — comes back to that single principle. The station’s brand doesn’t exist separate from Long Island’s identity. They’re inseparable.
“We want to be the best Long Island radio station,” Lloyd says. “That’s definitely what we’re striving to be. That’s the bar.”
The strategy is refreshingly straightforward: be from Long Island, hire people from Long Island, make content that matters to Long Island, and show up when Long Island needs you.
“We don’t forget that we’re not doing something real, real serious,” Lloyd reflects. “So let’s have some fun and bust each other’s chops. Work hard, play hard, right?”
That culture shows in the laughter in the hallways and camaraderie between talent and staff. Ultimately, people want to come to work. In the streaming age, the stations have their own apps and partner with major platforms — but the strategy remains the same: be where the audience is, on your terms.
The Bottom Line
You can’t manufacture what WBAB and 106.1 BLI have built. Moreover, you can’t algorithm your way into a community’s heart. You can’t fake 26-year morning show partnerships or crisis response that becomes legend. Instead, what you can do is hire people who belong to that community and get out of their way while they do what they were born knowing how to do.
“Both of my girls were born on Long Island, so it’s my adopted home,” Lloyd notes. After 20 years, “You can’t take that badge away. You’re part of it. I feel like I’ve earned it.”
That’s the credential that matters at WBAB and 106.1 BLI — not degrees or market size. Can you honestly say you belong here? Do you understand what it means to be Long Island?
In an era where radio is pressured to be more corporate, more algorithmic, more geographically fungible, these stations double down on what radio actually can be: authentically local.
Long Island has cult status for a reason. Ask anyone who grew up there. They’ll tell you they’re not from New York. They’re from Long Island. They’ll mention the pizza. They might complain about the taxes. But they’ll make sure you understand: that’s home.
And the best radio stations on that island have built their entire business model on understanding that distinction. It’s the real formula. Ultimately, it’s what keeps people showing up, caring deeply, and maintaining these as working community institutions rather than just another format spun out by corporate radio.
As Lloyd puts it: “It’s hard to fake Long Island. You gotta be it.”
At WBAB and 106.1 BLI, they are.
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David Hill serves as a Music Radio Editor, Columnist and Features writer for Barrett Media. A radio lifer with more than 30 years behind the mic, in the control room, and in the program director’s chair, David’s career spans influential stops at brands such as WIYY 98 Rock, WBAL-AM, and 99X. He has worked across multiple formats and ownership groups, including iHeartMedia and Cumulus Media, developing talent, breaking music, and navigating every major industry shift from diary to PPM and terrestrial dominance to streaming disruption. When he’s not writing or analyzing the industry, Dave runs The Tune Farm, a marketing firm built to help artists and brands grow audience the same way great radio always has—by creating connection, not just impressions. He can be reached at David@BarrettMedia.com.