Silverman sold the station to Bruce Mittman, owner of WICE in Pawtucket, Rhode Island, that December.

[13] To minimize playlist overlap with WKSQ,[13] on September 20, Star changed the station's format to country music as "The Bear.

The change gave rival WQCB its first competition since WYOU-FM became modern rock station WWBX a year earlier.

[26] In January 2001, Bridge reached a seal to sell WMDI to Mariner Broadcasting;[27] after the sale was completed in April 2001, the station temporarily left the air,[28] returning on April 23 as WBQI, part of Mariner's WBACH network of classical music stations.

Prior to the conclusion of the auction, the Maine Public Broadcasting Network expressed interest in running the WBACH stations.

WBIN Media promptly announced plans to resell WBQI to Blueberry Broadcasting;[35] on November 30, 2012, the station began to simulcast WBAK.