B101 returns after 101.1 More FM undergoes name change

After five years on the air under its current branding, radio station 101.1 More FM has gone back to its former name, B101, but little else about the station will change, a spokesperson said.

The station, WBEB, changed its name to More FM in Dec. 2013. The B101 name debuted in 1993. Prior to that, it was known as EAZY 101 and WDVR.

Despite the change, a spokesperson said, the station will not change its on-air presentation, personality lineup, or content strategy. The rebranding was instead a "natural choice that honors the station as one of the most beloved and recognized in broadcast history." The station is regularly among the top-ranked stations in the Philadelphia market, Nielsen records indicate.

The move comes following Entercom's purchase of B101 back in July, when former owner Jerry Lee Radio LLC sold the station for $57.5 million. As part of that deal, Entercom sold county-music station 92.5 WXTU to Beasley Media Group in a deal that was reportedly worth $38 million. The sale closed in late September, with former B101 general manager Blaise Howard returning to the station as general sales manager.

"During its storied history, B101 was the most aggressively marketed radio station in the country," a statement from WBEB read. "Our plan is to continue investing in Philadelphia's most-listened-to radio station."

As part of the rebranding, B101 has also debuted a new, redesigned logo that pays homage to the station's former bee-centric theme. It is not clear, however, if Buzzby, B101's former mascot, will also make a return. As Howard told the Daily News back in 2013, he actually retired down in Boca.

"It'll be a hard sell to get him to come back to the Northeast in the middle of winter, but stay tuned," a spokesperson said.