WHBO

Last updated
WHBO
Broadcast area Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater
Frequency 1040 kHz
BrandingNews Talk 1040
Programming
Format Conservative talk
Network USA Radio News
Affiliations Fox News Radio
NBC News Radio
Westwood One
Ownership
Owner
  • Genesis Communications
  • (Genesis Communications of Tampa Bay, Inc.)
WWBA
History
First air date
November 1948;75 years ago (1948-11) (at 1050)
Former call signs
WHBO (1948–1991)
WMTX (1991–1997)
WWBA (1997–2009)
Former frequencies
1050 kHz (1948-1980s)
Call sign meaning
WHillsBOrough
(the original station with these calls was based in Hillsborough County)
Technical information [1]
Licensing authority
 FCC
Facility ID 41383
Class B
Power 3,600 watts day
420 watts night
Translator(s) 94.5 W233CV (Egypt Lake)
Links
Public license information
Webcast Listen Live
Website newsstalkflorida.com

WHBO (1040 AM) is a commercial radio station licensed to Pinellas Park, Florida, and serving the Tampa Bay area. The station is currently owned by Genesis Communications and it airs a conservative talk radio format, branded as "News Talk 1040". Much of the programming comes from Westwood One and Fox News Radio. [2]

Contents

WHBO is powered at 3,600 watts non-directional by day. [3] But because AM 1040 is a clear channel frequency reserved for WHO Des Moines, WHBO must reduce power at night and switch to a directional antenna. Its nighttime power is currently 420 watts but it has a Federal Communications Commission (FCC) construction permit to increase nighttime power to 700 watts. Programming is also heard on FM translator W233CV at 94.5 MHz in Gulfport.

Programming

Most of WHBO's schedule is nationally syndicated conservative talk shows: Weekday mornings begin with a news magazine show from Westwood One: America in the Morning . That's followed by The Chris Plante Show, The Jimmy Failla Show, The Bill O'Reilly Show, The Ben Shapiro Show and Red Eye Radio . Weekends feature shows on money, health, law and real estate, as well as repeats of weekday shows.

History

Early years

WHBO first signed on the air in 1948. [4] At first, it was a daytimer on 1050 kHz, powered at 250 watts and required to go off the air at sunset. Its city of license was Tampa and it was owned by the Sulphur Springs Broadcasting Company.

In the 1960s and 70s, WHBO aired a country music format. [5] In the 1980s and 90s, WHBO was an oldies station, playing hits of the 1950s, ‘60s and ‘70s. WHBO also switched frequency to 1040 kHz in the mid-1980s.

Talk radio

WHBO switched to a talk radio format in the late-1990s, changing its call sign to WWBA. WWBA aired conservative and libertarian talk shows such as those hosted by Mark Larsen, Dro Silva, Bill O'Reilly, Michael Savage, Laura Ingraham and Kim Komando. While its competitors carried syndicated talk shows most of the day, WHBO had a large number of local hosts.

On September 29, 2008, WWBA moved its programming from 1040 AM to the more powerful 820 AM, which took the call letters WWBA. Listeners to the 1040 AM frequency heard a recorded message every 15 seconds that advised them of the station's frequency move. At 50,000 daytime watts, the 820 AM frequency is one of the state's most powerful radio signals that serves listeners on Florida's entire west coast. On that date, Genesis Communications announced that it reached an agreement to purchase the license from Mega Communications of Tampa, which aired a Spanish-language music format on 820 AM. [6] [7]

Sports radio

In October 2008, the sports radio format on WHBO moved to 1040 AM, and was simulcast on both 1040 and 1470 AM. The WHBO call letters moved to 1040 AM, with 1470 receiving new call letters WMGG and a Spanish-language talk format. This reunited the WHBO call letters with the 1040 frequency with which it was long associated. WHBO began airing shows from ESPN Radio.

Genesis Communications announced on June 22, 2012, that WHBO would drop ESPN on October 1, 2012, in favor of NBC Sports Radio. [8] AM 620 WDAE became the new ESPN affiliate in Tampa. Some WHBO shows were also simulcast in Greater Orlando on sister station WHOO 1080 AM. In August 2018, WHOO was sold to Catholic broadcasters, with the simulcast ended.

Previous sports programming

WHBO carried two local sports shows on weekdays, Tampa Bay Sports This Morning and Rock Riley in afternoons. Weekday syndicated programming included Jim Rome , Clay Travis , Amani Toomer and Rich Eisen .

WHBO was the Tampa Bay affiliate of the Florida State University football and men's basketball radio networks. The station also aired University of Miami football games when FSU is not playing. WHBO is an affiliate of the Performance Racing Network, airing the Coca-Cola 600 and other car races during the year.

During the 2006 NFL season, the station aired the "Monday Morning Quarterback" show on Mondays from 8:00 AM to 9:00 AM with John Kaleo, which focused on the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, NCAA football around the state of Florida, and local high school football games of interest. WHBO had been an affiliate of NBC Sports Radio. But at the end of 2018, NBC Sports Radio greatly reduced its schedule of shows. WHBO added shows from Fox Sports Radio and CBS Sports Radio to its line-up.

Talk 1040

The station began carrying the syndicated Bubba the Love Sponge show on weekday mornings on February 12, 2019, while keeping its sports schedule the rest of the day.

On May 26, 2020, WHBO changed its format from sports to conservative talk, branded as "Talk 1040". [9] It added talk shows from the Westwood One and Fox News Talk networks.

Tower collapse

In August 2006, tower number one of the three WHBO towers sustained a "catastrophic failure." The guy-wires were clipped during construction in the neighborhood where the three towers are located. [10] WHBO began operating under Special Temporary Authority. [11] Due to litigation issues over land use, and other factors, WHBO may be forced to find a new transmitter site. [12]

The center tower (tower #2) collapsed. WHBO only used two of the three original towers, and built a new third tower. [13]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">WDAE</span> Sports radio station in St. Petersburg, Florida, United States

WDAE is a commercial radio station licensed to St. Petersburg, Florida and serving the Tampa Bay area. It is owned by iHeartMedia and airs a sports radio format. WDAE is one of the oldest radio stations in Florida still broadcasting today, going on the air in 1922. The studios and offices are on West Gandy Boulevard in South Tampa. The transmitter site is located near the Gandy Bridge in St. Petersburg.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">WYSL</span> Radio station in Avon, New York

WYSL is a commercial radio station licensed to Avon, New York, and serving the Rochester metropolitan area. It broadcasts a talk radio format and is known as "The Voice of Liberty." The station is owned by Robert C. Savage under the name "Radio Livingston."

<span class="mw-page-title-main">WTKS (AM)</span> Radio station in Savannah, Georgia

WTKS is a radio station licensed to Savannah, Georgia. The station is owned by iHeartMedia, Inc., with iHM Licenses, LLC holding the license. WTKS airs a news/talk format. Its transmitter is located behind WTKS's studios on Alfred Street in Garden City, Georgia, with a Savannah address.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">WFLF (AM)</span> Radio station in Florida, United States

WFLF is a commercial AM radio station licensed to Pine Hills, Florida, and serving Greater Orlando. It is owned by iHeartMedia and airs a news/talk format. The studios and offices are in the iHeart Orlando complex in Maitland.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">WMGG</span> Radio station in Florida, United States

WMGG is a commercial radio station licensed to Egypt Lake, Florida, which exclusively transmits a digital signal on the AM band via HD Radio. WMGG serves the Tampa Bay area and is owned by Daniel de la Rosa, through licensee DRC Broadcasting, Inc. WMGG airs a Spanish language tropical radio format. The station uses the moniker "Ritmo 101.9".

WHOO is a non-commercial listener-supported Catholic talk radio station licensed to Winter Park, Florida, and serving Greater Orlando. It is an owned and operated network affiliate of Relevant Radio.

WHNZ is a commercial radio station licensed to Tampa, Florida. The station's broadcast license is held by iHM Licenses, LLC, a subsidiary of iHeartMedia. The station airs a talk/business format. WHNZ is one of the eight stations in the Tampa Bay radio market owned by iHeartMedia. The station's studios are located on West Gandy Boulevard in South Tampa.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">KLVI</span> Radio station in Beaumont, Texas

KLVI is a commercial radio station in Beaumont, Texas. It broadcasts a talk radio format and is owned by iHeartMedia, Inc. The radio studios and offices are on Dowlen Road in Beaumont, near U.S. Route 69.

KPNW is a commercial radio station licensed to Eugene, Oregon, and serving the Eugene-Springfield area. It is owned by Bicoastal Media and it airs a talk radio format, known as "Newsradio 1120 and 93.7". The studios and offices are on Valley River Drive in Eugene. KPNW and Portland's KOPB-FM are Oregon's primary entry point for the Emergency Alert System.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">KGNW</span> Radio station in Burien, Washington

KGNW is a commercial AM radio station licensed to Burien, Washington, and serving the Seattle metropolitan area. It airs a Christian talk and teaching radio format and is owned by the Salem Media Group. The radio studios and offices are on 5th Avenue South in downtown Seattle.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">KFH (AM)</span> Sports radio station in Wichita, Kansas

KFH is a commercial AM radio station in Wichita, Kansas. The station is owned by Audacy, Inc. It airs a sports radio format. The station's studios and offices are located on East Douglas Avenue.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">WGES (AM)</span> Spanish-language religious radio station in St. Petersburg, Florida

WGES is an AM radio station licensed to St. Petersburg, Florida, and serving the Tampa Bay area. It broadcasts a Spanish-language Christian radio format and is owned by Vision Communications Network, Inc. The call sign refers to the Book of Genesis from The Bible.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">WWBA</span> Radio station in Largo, Florida

WWBA is a commercial AM radio station that airs a hot talk and sports radio format. Licensed to Largo, Florida, it serves the Tampa Bay area. The station is currently owned by Genesis Communications of Tampa Bay, LLC, and is operated by NIA Broadcasting under a local marketing agreement (LMA). Middays, nights and weekends, the station carries the Infinity Sports Network. Weekday mornings and for an hour in the afternoon, it runs the syndicated and Florida-based "Bubba The Love Sponge Show."

<span class="mw-page-title-main">KDXU</span> Radio station in St. George, Utah

KDXU is a commercial AM radio station broadcasting a news/talk format. Licensed to St. George, Utah, the station is owned by Townsquare Media. The studios are on Ridgeview Drive in St. George.

WCCF is a commercial AM radio station broadcasting a talk radio format. It is licensed to Punta Gorda, Florida, and is owned by iHeartMedia, Inc. The studios and offices are on Tiseo Boulevard in Port Charlotte.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">KASI</span> Radio station in Ames, Iowa

KASI is a commercial AM radio station in Ames, Iowa, broadcasting a talk radio format. The station is owned by iHeartMedia, Inc., and is licensed to iHM Licenses, LLC. The studios and offices are on Main Street in Ames.

WURN is a commercial AM radio station Miami, Florida. The station airs a Spanish news/talk radio format. WURN is owned by Actualidad Media Group.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">KERN</span> Radio station in Wasco-Greenacres, California

KERN is a commercial radio station licensed to Wasco-Greenacres, California, and serving the Bakersfield metropolitan area. The station is owned by American General Media. The radio studios and offices are in the American General Media complex at 1400 Easton Drive, STE 134 in Bakersfield.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">KQNA</span> Radio station in Prescott Valley, Arizona

KQNA is a commercial AM radio station licensed to Prescott Valley, Arizona. It has a talk radio format and is owned by the Prescott Valley Broadcasting Co.. The studios and offices are on Karicio Lane in Prescott.

WBKK is a radio station licensed to Wilton, Minnesota, serving the Bemidji market area. The station airs a Catholic talk format as an owned and operated affiliate of Real Presence Radio.

References

  1. ↑ "Facility Technical Data for WHBO". Licensing and Management System. Federal Communications Commission.
  2. ↑ "WWBA/WHBO Tampa Complete Programming Revamps".
  3. ↑ "WHBO-AM 1040 kHz - Pinellas Park, FL". radio-locator.com. Retrieved 2024-01-31.
  4. ↑ Broadcasting Yearbook 1950 page 116
  5. ↑ "Broadcasting Yearbook 1969" (PDF). americanradiohistory.com.
  6. ↑ Manning, Maggie (September 29, 2008). "Genesis Communications to buy powerful Mega radio station". Tampa Bay Business Journal.
  7. ↑ "WWBA Moves to 820 AM".
  8. ↑ "Genesis Stations Drop ESPN in Tampa, Orlando".
  9. ↑ WWBA/WHBO Tampa Complete Programming Revamps Radioinsight - May 27, 2020
  10. ↑ "CDBS Print".
  11. ↑ "Application Search Results".
  12. ↑ "CDBS Print".
  13. ↑ "CDBS Attachment". licensing.fcc.gov. Retrieved 2024-01-31.

27°50′50″N82°46′21″W / 27.84722°N 82.77250°W / 27.84722; -82.77250

This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.