WBBA-FM

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WBBA-FM
Broadcast area Pittsfield, Illinois
Pike County, Illinois
Frequency 97.5 FM MHz
BrandingB97.5 Today's Best Mix
Programming
Format Hot AC
Ownership
Owner
  • Doug Smith
  • (GBI Communications, LLC)
History
First air date
1966
Call sign meaning
We Broadcast the Best Agriculture.
Technical information [1]
Licensing authority
FCC
Facility ID 62351
Class B1
ERP 10,000 Watts
HAAT 93 meters (305 ft)
Transmitter coordinates
39°34′53.0″N90°47′52.0″W / 39.581389°N 90.797778°W / 39.581389; -90.797778
Links
Public license information
Webcast https://free.rcast.net/66097
Website B975Radio.com

WBBA-FM is a broadcast radio station serving the Pittsfield, Jacksonville, IL and West Central Illinois areas, as well as parts of Northeastern Missouri including the Pike County, MO and Northern Lincoln County, MO areas.

Contents

WBBA-FM is owned and operated by Doug Smith, through licensee GBI Communications, LLC. [2] The station is currently under a management agreement with a purchase option from Jim Fishback. The station is known on the air as B97.5, and airs a full service Hot Adult Contemporary music format. [3]

DJ Two Rivers Radio purchased WBBA-FM in 2003, along with sister station WJBM, from Brown Radio Group Inc. for $320,000 in 2003. [4] WBBA-FM aired a country music format at the time of its sale, and was branded "Double Barreled Country". [4] [5]

WBBA-FM airs games and programming of the St. Louis Cardinals professional baseball team. [6]

On October 4, 2021, WBBA-FM dropped the news/talk format and switched to a classic rock format branded as "Classic Rock 97.5". [7] This format change also allowed a deal with the Kansas City Chiefs professional football team to be broadcast on WBBA-FM. [8]

Effective March 14, 2022, DJ Two Rivers Radio transferred the licenses for WBBA-FM and sister station WJBM, and the construction permit for translator W284DN, to Doug Smith's GBI Communications, LLC as settlement of a lawsuit between the two parties.

On February 22, 2025, after being silent since May 2024, WBBA-FM returned to the air and began stunting towards a new format to launch on March 17, 2025. [9]

On March 18, 2025, WBBA-FM signed back on the air with a new full service Hot Adult Contemporary format featuring The TJ Show in the morning, St. Louis Cardinals Baseball, Ag Reports from Monte James and Your Ag Network, Local News, Sports, Weather Reports, and other local programming.

WBBA Classic Rock 97.5.png

References

  1. "Facility Technical Data for WBBA-FM". Licensing and Management System. Federal Communications Commission.
  2. "WBBA Facility Record". Federal Communications Commission, audio division.
  3. https://radioinsight.com/headlines/295649/wbba-fm-resumes-operations-with-new-format-on-the-way/
  4. 1 2 Changing Hands, Broadcasting & Cable . November 6, 2003. Accessed July 23, 2015
  5. Welcome to WBBA Radio on the web! www.wbbaradio.com. Internet Archive. December 23, 2003. Accessed July 23, 2015
  6. https://riverrock975.fm/ [ dead link ]
  7. https://www.facebook.com/story.php?story_fbid=4902455326450948&id=191369454226249 [ user-generated source ]
  8. https://www.facebook.com/story.php?story_fbid=4902712233091924&id=191369454226249 [ user-generated source ]
  9. WBBA-FM RESUMES OPERATIONS WITH NEW FORMAT ON THE WAY Radioinsight - February 28, 2025