WMLL

---

title: "WMLL" type: doc version: 1 created: 2026-02-28 author: "Wikipedia contributors" status: active scope: public tags: ["manchester,-new-hampshire", "bedford,-new-hampshire", "country-radio-stations-in-new-hampshire", "radio-stations-established-in-1996", "1996-establishments-in-new-hampshire"] description: "Radio station in Bedford, New Hampshire" topic_path: "general/manchester-new-hampshire" source: "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/WMLL" license: "CC BY-SA 4.0" wikipedia_page_id: 0 wikipedia_revision_id: 0

::summary Radio station in Bedford, New Hampshire ::

::data[format=table title="Infobox radio station"]

Field	Value
name	WMLL
logo	WMLL 96.5 Live Free Country logo.png
city	Bedford, New Hampshire
country	US
area	Merrimack Valley
branding	96.5 Live Free Country
frequency
subchannels	HD2: WFEA simulcast
airdate
format	Country music
erp	730 watts
haat	285 m
class	A
facility_id	17278
licensing_authority	FCC
coordinates
callsign_meaning	"Mill" (former branding)
former_callsigns
owner	Saga Communications
licensee	Saga Communications of New England, LLC
sister_stations
webcast
website
::

| name = WMLL | logo = WMLL 96.5 Live Free Country logo.png | logo_size = | city = Bedford, New Hampshire | country = US | area = Merrimack Valley | branding = 96.5 Live Free Country | frequency =
| subchannels = HD2: WFEA simulcast | translator = | repeater = | airdate = | last_airdate = | format = Country music | language = | power = | erp = 730 watts | haat = 285 m | class = A | facility_id = 17278 | licensing_authority = FCC | coordinates = | callsign_meaning = "Mill" (former branding) | former_callsigns = | former_frequencies = | affiliations = | owner = Saga Communications | licensee = Saga Communications of New England, LLC | sister_stations = | webcast = | website =

WMLL (96.5 FM; "96.5 Live Free Country") is an American radio station licensed to Bedford, New Hampshire, and serving the New Hampshire portion of the Merrimack Valley with a country music format. The station's studios are located on Commercial Street in Manchester. WMLL is owned by Saga Communications, and operates as part of its Manchester Radio Group.

History

The 96.5 FM frequency first signed on in May 1996 with test broadcasts under the call sign WAEF. Regular broadcasting began on June 27, with a rock format branded "96.5 The Fox"; The station was originally owned by Donna MacNeil. ::figure[src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/f/f1/WMLL965.png" caption="Logo as "96.5 The Mill""] ::

On July 1, 1997, Saga Communications announced that it had signed a time brokerage agreement to take over WOXF's operations; on July 29, Saga relaunched the station as "Cool 96.5", an oldies station. The call sign was changed to WQLL on August 15, 1997; on March 17, the call sign became WMLL. In August 2011, WMLL shifted to a classic hits format. In October 2016, WMLL returned to classic rock, branded as "Iconic Rock".

On December 15, 2023, WMLL flipped to a country music format as "96.5 Live Free Country". The new format was advertised as "Continuous Country Without The Static", as country music was previously available in the Manchester area via adjacent market stations (Portsmouth-market WOKQ, Concord-market WNHW, and two Boston stations); Saga already programmed classic country on the third HD Radio subchannel of WZID and on translators in Concord and Manchester.

References

References

1. (June 28, 1996). "WAEF On The Air". New England RadioWatch.
2. (May 28, 1996). "New England RadioWatch".
3. (July 13, 1996). "New Calls for 96.5". New England RadioWatch.
4. "Call Sign History". [[Federal Communications Commission]].
5. (January 12, 2015). "WFEA History - 1990s".
6. (March 14, 2005). "ESPN En Route To Boston's 890?". New England RadioWatch.
7. (December 16, 2023). "WMLL Flips To Country".

::callout[type=info title="Wikipedia Source"] This article was imported from Wikipedia and is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Content has been adapted to SurfDoc format. Original contributors can be found on the article history page. ::