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WJBR (AM)

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For the Wilmington, Delaware, radio station that used this call sign from 1978 to 2003, see WWTX.
WJBR
Broadcast areaTampa Bay
Frequency1010 kHz
BrandingPodcast Radio US
Programming
FormatAll-podcasts
Ownership
Owner
WPBB, WLLD, WQYK-FM, WRBQ-FM, WYUU
History
First air date
November 7, 1960
(64 years ago) (1960-11-07)
Former call signs
  • WINQ (1960–1981)
  • WCBF (1981–1988)
  • WQYK (1988–2004)
  • WBZZ (2004–2006)
  • WQYK (2006–2012)
  • WHFS (2012–2023)[1]
Call sign meaning
warehoused from WJBR-FM in Wilmington, Delaware
Technical information[2]
Licensing authority
FCC
Facility ID28629
ClassB
Power
  • 50,000 watts day
  • 5,000 watts night
Transmitter coordinates
27°59′25″N 82°15′6″W / 27.99028°N 82.25167°W / 27.99028; -82.25167
Translator(s)See § Translator
Repeater(s)104.7 WRBQ-HD2 (Tampa)
Links
Public license information
Websitepodcastradious.com

WJBR (1010 kHz) is an AM radio station licensed to Seffner, Florida, United States, serving the Tampa Bay market with an all-podcast format known as "Podcast Radio US". Owned by the Beasley Broadcast Group, the station's studios are located on Executive Center Drive in St. Petersburg.

By day, WJBR transmits with 50,000 watts, the maximum for commercial AM stations. As 1010 AM is a clear channel frequency reserved for Class A stations CFRB Toronto and CBR Calgary, WJBR must reduce power to 5,000 watts at night. Its transmitter is off Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard (Florida State Road 574) in Seffner, using a directional antenna with three-tower array to protect other stations from interference.[3] It is directional towards the east and west to protect WJXL Jacksonville by day, which also operates on 1010 AM. WJBR's call sign was granted by the Federal Communications Commission on September 19, 2023.[1] It is also heard on one FM translator, at 92.1 MHz in Tampa.

History

[edit]

MOR and talk

[edit]

The station signed on the air on November 7, 1960, as WINQ.[4] It was founded by Rex Rand, the owner of WINZ in Miami.

In its early days, WINQ was a network affiliate of the Mutual Broadcasting System and carried a middle-of-the-road (MOR) music format. In 1967, WINQ became the first station in Tampa Bay to offer an all-talk format, with network news and other programming from CBS Radio (which would later own this station). WINQ switched to a country music format in 1971, after the station was losing money on the talk programming.[5]

Christian programming

[edit]

By 1974, WINQ had changed to a Christian radio station, featuring pre-recorded religious programing, with southern gospel music filling the breaks. In 1975, after an influx of call-in requests to Kevin MacKenzie's "LoveTree" Jesus Music Show, he and station manager Phil Scott agreed to continue in the direction of Christian Rock. With the assistance of program director Bill Brown, WINQ became a full-time Christian contemporary station with live announcers, and launched what became the first commercially licensed Christian rock radio station in the country.

In late 1978, following Rand's death in a helicopter crash, the station was sold to different owners, who switched the format back to traditional religious programming, as WCBF ("We're Christians By Faith"), dropping the CCM format and again featuring Christian talk and teaching programs produced by area churches.

CBS ownership and Howard Stern

[edit]

In 1987, Infinity Broadcasting, which owned WQYK-FM, acquired WCBF. It was relaunched a year later as WQYK, returning it to a country format. During most hours, it simulcast its FM sister station WQYK-FM.[6] The simulcast did not last long.

The station has undergone many format changes since then, alternating between country, talk and sports radio. In July 2004, the station switched to a hot talk format as WBZZ, 1010 The Buzz, after acquiring the rights to the syndicated Howard Stern Show.[7][8] However, soon after Stern left for satellite radio in January 2006, the station switched to a classic country format. Then, it changed back to all-sports as WQYK on August 10, 2007. Nanci "The Fabulous Sports Babe" Donnellan is one of WQYK's most notable alumni. The station served as Donnellan's flagship during her show's run on the now-defunct Sports Fan Radio Network, from 1997 to 2001.

WQYK's sports format moved to WHFS-FM (98.7 FM, formerly WSJT) on August 2, 2012, under the branding SportsRadio 98.7 The Fan.[9] The WHFS call sign had previously been used on co-owned stations in Washington, D. C. and Baltimore and was "parked" or "warehoused" on a co-owned station in West Palm Beach. Concurrent with the move, WQYK changed its call sign to WHFS to match the FM station. The two stations simulcast until January 2, 2013, when the AM station became a full-time affiliate of CBS Sports Radio.[10] Among the new hosts was Donnellan, who was heard in overnights.

Moneytalk Radio

[edit]
Logo before translator sign on

On October 2, 2014, CBS Radio announced that it would trade all of the company's radio stations in Charlotte and Tampa (including WHFS), as well as WIP in Philadelphia, to the Beasley Broadcast Group in exchange for five stations in Miami and Philadelphia.[11] The swap was completed on December 1, 2014.[12]

On December 31, 2014, at 10 a.m., WHFS dropped CBS Sports Radio and flipped to a simulcast of WSBR's Moneytalk Radio programming.[13]

WHFS aired financial and business shows under this format, some of which was paid brokered programming. Nationally syndicated shows included The Ramsey Show with Dave Ramsey, The Mark Levin Show and The Ken Colman Show. WHFS carried The Schnitt Show with Todd Schnitt until its end in July 2023. Weekends included programs on pets, gardening, religion, health, travel, food and wine. Most hours began with an update from ABC News Radio.

Podcast Radio US

[edit]

On September 19, 2023, WHFS changed its call sign to WJBR, which was warehoused from sister station WJBR-FM in Wilmington, Delaware, which Beasley was in the process of selling to VCY America. Three days later, on September 22, WJBR flipped to an all-podcast format as "Podcast Radio US". WJBR was one of four Beasley stations to debut the format that day under an agreement between Beasley and the podcast originating company, the United Kingdom-based Podcast Radio Network.[14]

Translator

[edit]
Call sign Frequency City of license FID ERP (W) HAAT Class FCC info
W221DW 92.1 FM Tampa, Florida 138681 99 75 m (246 ft) D LMS

References

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  1. ^ a b "Call Sign History". FCC Media Bureau CDBS Public Access Database.
  2. ^ "Facility Technical Data for WJBR". Licensing and Management System. Federal Communications Commission.
  3. ^ "Radio Station Finder: Search Results". radio-locator.com.
  4. ^ "Broadcasting Yearbook 1963" (PDF). Retrieved May 29, 2015.
  5. ^ "WINQ - A History". RadioYears.com.
  6. ^ "WQYK AM & FM - A History". RadioYears.com.
  7. ^ "WQYK drops sports talk format Series: 2B". Archived from the original on March 4, 2016. Retrieved July 7, 2017.
  8. ^ "Stern finds home on Tampa Bay airwaves Series: 2B". Archived from the original on March 4, 2016. Retrieved July 7, 2017.
  9. ^ "Local sports talk hits FM with 1010 simulcast". The Tampa Tribune. June 21, 2012. Archived from the original on June 21, 2012. Retrieved June 22, 2012.
  10. ^ Marcucci, Carl (June 21, 2012). "CBS Radio, Cumulus pact for "CBS Sports Radio" network". Radio Business Report. Retrieved June 22, 2012.
  11. ^ CBS And Beasley Swap Philadelphia/Miami For Charlotte/Tampa from Radio Insight (October 2, 2014)
  12. ^ Venta, Lance (December 1, 2014). "CBS Beasley Deal Closes". RadioInsight. Retrieved December 1, 2014.
  13. ^ "Beasley Keeps Tampa Changes Coming". Radio Insight. Retrieved December 31, 2014.
  14. ^ "Beasley Launches Podcast Radio In Four Markets". radioinsight.com. RadioBB Networks. September 22, 2023. Retrieved September 22, 2023.
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