WNBF

Last updated

WNBF
Broadcast area Southern Tier
Frequency 1290 kHz
BrandingNews Radio 1290 AM & 92.1 FM
Programming
Format Talk
Affiliations
Ownership
Owner
WAAL, WHWK, WWYL
History
First air date
1927;96 years ago (1927)
Technical information
Licensing authority
FCC
Facility ID 72372
Class B
Power
  • 9,300 watts day
  • 5,000 watts night
Translator(s) 92.1 W221EJ (Binghamton)
Links
Public license information
Webcast Listen Live
Website wnbf.com

WNBF (1290 AM) is a commercial radio station in Binghamton, New York. It airs a talk radio format and is owned by Townsquare Media. The studios and offices are on Court Street in Binghamton. [1]

Contents

By day, WNBF is powered at 9,300 watts using a non-directional antenna. But at night, to protect other stations on AM 1290, it reduces power to 5,000 watts and switches to a three-tower array directional antenna. The transmitter is off Ingraham Hill Road in Binghamton, among the towers for other broadcast stations in the Binghamton area. [2]

Programming

Weekdays begin with two local shows, First News with Kathy Whyte and James Kelly followed by Binghamton Now with Bob Joseph. The rest of the weekday schedule is made up of nationally syndicated conservative talk shows: Brian Kilmeade, Sean Hannity, Mark Levin, John Batchelor and Red Eye Radio . [3]

Weekend programming includes shows on health, money, car repair, home improvement, a Saturday oldies show and a Sunday morning polka music show. [4] Syndicated weekend hosts include Kim Komando, Gary Sullivan, Mike Gallagher and Bill Cunningham. Most hours begin with world and national news from ABC News Radio.

History

WNBF is one of the Southern Tier's oldest radio stations. Although the station has traditionally traced its founding to 1928, [5] the year it moved to Binghamton, it was first licensed on February 7, 1927, to the Howitt-Wood Radio Company (Lyle E. Howitt and H. L. Wood) at 117 West Main Street in Endicott, New York, with 50 watts on 1460 kHz, [6] operating from the Elvin Theater. [7] The WNBF call letters were randomly assigned from a sequential roster of available call signs.

The station was moved to 1450 kHz on June 15, 1927. [8] On November 11, 1928, it was reassigned to 1500 kHz as a low-powered "local" station, [9] as part of a major reallocation implemented by the Federal Radio Commission's General Order 40. Later that month the studios moved to the Arlington Hotel in Binghamton. [10] [11]

In 1942 WNBF moved to 1290 kHz with 5,000 watts. Westinghouse radio transmitter advertisement featuring WNBF (1942).jpg
In 1942 WNBF moved to 1290 kHz with 5,000 watts.

In 1940, the Federal Communications Commission awarded the Howitt-Wood Radio Company one of first construction permits for a commercial FM station. Originally on 44.9 MHz [13] as W49BN, [14] it later became WNBF-FM on 100.5 MHz. [15] The license for this original WNBF-FM was cancelled on August 11, 1952. [16]

In early 1941 station ownership was transferred to the Wylie B. Jones Advertising Agency. On March 29, 1941, most of the stations on 1500 kHz, including WNBF, moved to 1490 kHz, with the implementation of the North American Regional Broadcasting Agreement. [17] In 1942, WNBF moved to 1290 kHz, with a power increase from 250 to 5,000 watts. In 1946, the station owners became Clark Associates, Inc. In 1949 a 384-foot (117 m) transmission tower was constructed for use by both the AM and FM radio stations, plus a newly authorized television station, WNBF-TV channel 12 (now WBNG-TV). [18]

In 1955, Triangle Publications purchased WNBF-AM-TV and the construction permit for a new WNBF-FM (now WHWK) on 98.1 MHz, which began broadcasting in 1956. Triangle also owned TV Guide magazine. In 1972, Stoner Broadcasting, based in Des Moines, bought WNBF-AM-FM, and Gateway Communications, publishers of The Record of Bergen County, New Jersey, bought WNBF-TV. Citadel Broadcasting acquired WNBF and its FM counterpart, WHWK, in 1999. [5]

Former logo before 92.1 translator sign on WNBF logo.png
Former logo before 92.1 translator sign on

Over its long history, WNBF has been home to some of the biggest names in area broadcasting, such as Bill Parker, John Leslie, Roger Neel and Bernard Fionte.

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">KTSA</span> Radio station in San Antonio, Texas

KTSA is a commercial radio station in San Antonio, Texas. KTSA is owned by Alpha Media and airs a talk radio format. The studios, offices and three-tower transmitter are on Eisenhauer Road in San Antonio.

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

WSAN is a commercial radio station licensed in Allentown, Pennsylvania. It is owned by iHeartMedia and serves the Lehigh Valley radio market. It broadcasts an oldies radio format, with its studios and offices in the iHeart Broadcasting Center in Whitehall Township. It is the oldest station in the Lehigh Valley.

KXLY is a commercial AM radio station in Spokane, Washington. It broadcasts a news/talk radio format with the branding "920 News Now". The station is owned by QueenB Radio, with its license held by Morgan Murphy Media.

WDAY is North Dakota's oldest radio station, having first signed on in 1922. WDAY is licensed to Fargo, North Dakota, owned by Forum Communications, and operated by Flag Family Media. The transmitter site is near 210th Street South in Barnesville, Minnesota, and studios are on 8th Street South in Fargo.

WHJJ is a commercial radio station in Providence, Rhode Island. It carries a talk radio format and is owned by iHeartMedia, Inc. The studios and offices are on Oxford Street in Providence.

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

WHWK is a commercial radio station in Binghamton, New York. It carries a country music radio format and is owned by Townsquare Media. Local disc jockeys are heard during the day on weekdays. Two syndicated shows are heard after 7 p.m.: Taste of Country Nights from Compass Media Networks, hosted by Evan Paul, and The Third Shift from Westwood One heard overnights. Current local staff include Glenn Pitcher, Traci Taylor, Jess Dallas and Buddy Logan. It is regularly the highest ranking station in the Nielson ratings in the Binghamton radio market.

<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">KTRH</span> News/talk radio station in Houston

KTRH is a commercial radio station licensed to Houston, Texas. It airs a talk radio format and is owned by iHeartMedia, Inc. Its studios are along the West Loop Freeway (I-610) in the city's Uptown district. The transmitter site, a four-tower array, is in unincorporated Liberty County, off Cox Road in Dayton. KTRH is one of the oldest radio stations in the United States, first licensed to Austin on April 22, 1922. Programming is also heard on co-owned KODA's HD 2 subchannel at 99.1MHz, and on the iHeartRadio platform. KTRH is the Southern Texas primary entry point station for the Emergency Alert System.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">WSYR (AM)</span> Radio station in Syracuse, New York

WSYR is a commercial AM radio station in Syracuse, New York and serving Central New York. Owned and operated by iHeartMedia, it broadcasts a news/talk format, calling itself "Newsradio 570 WSYR." The station has simulcast on WSYR-FM 106.9 MHz Solvay since January 2011. The studios and offices are on Plum Street in Syracuse.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">WHP (AM)</span> Radio station in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania

WHP is a commercial AM radio station licensed to Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, serving the Harrisburg–Carlisle region of South Central Pennsylvania. It broadcasts a talk radio format and is owned by iHeartMedia, Inc. The studios are on Corporate Circle in Harrisburg. Weekdays begin with a local talk show hosted by R.J. Harris followed by nationally syndicated conservative talk shows from Sean Hannity, Glenn Beck, Jesse Kelly, Clay Travis & Buck Sexton and "Coast to Coast AM with George Noory."

WFBG is a radio station broadcasting an adult top 40/CHR radio format in Altoona, Pennsylvania. It transmits with 5,000 watts daytime, and 1,000 watts at night.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">WMBD (AM)</span> Radio station in Peoria, Illinois

WMBD is a commercial AM radio station. It is the oldest station in the Peoria, Illinois, area. It broadcasts a news/talk format and is owned by Duke Wright with the license held by Midwest Communications, Inc. The radio studios and offices are on Fulton Street in Peoria. The WMBD transmitter site is located on County Road 2100 East in Groveland Township, Illinois. The station is powered at 5,000 watts, with a directional signal. By day, a two-tower array is used, switching to a four-tower array at night to avoid causing interference with other stations.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">WPTF</span> News/talk radio station in Raleigh, North Carolina, United States

WPTF is a commercial radio station broadcasting a news/talk radio format. Licensed to Raleigh, the station serves the Research Triangle area of North Carolina. It is owned by the Curtis Media Group, with studios located on Highwoods Boulevard in Raleigh. WPTF's transmitter site is a three-tower facility off East Chatham Street, near Maynard Road NE, in Cary, North Carolina.

KMJ is a commercial AM radio station in Fresno, California. It airs a Republican news/talk radio format, and simulcasts with sister station KMJ-FM. Owned by Cumulus Media, the studios and offices are located at the Radio City building on Shaw Avenue in North Fresno.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">WTAX (AM)</span> Radio station in Springfield, Illinois

WTAX is a commercial AM radio station in Springfield, Illinois. It is owned by Saga Communications, and operates as part of its Capitol Radio Group. WTAX simulcasts a news/talk radio format with 93.9 WTAX-FM. The radio studios and offices are on East Sangamon Avenue in Springfield.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">WHBY</span> News/talk radio station in Kimberly, Wisconsin, United States

WHBY is a commercial radio station licensed to Kimberly, Wisconsin, that serves the Green Bay and Appleton-Oshkosh areas. The station is owned by Woodward Communications and it airs a news/talk radio format. WHBY's studios and microwave transmitter are located on East College Avenue in Appleton.

KFIZ is a commercial AM radio station licensed to Fond du Lac, Wisconsin. The station is owned by Randy Hopper's Mountain Dog Media and the license is held by RBH Enterprises, Inc. KFIZ airs a news/talk radio format. The station's studios and offices are on the southeast corner of Main and Cotton Streets in downtown Fond du Lac. KFIZ is among Wisconsin's oldest commercial radio stations, beginning experimental broadcasts in 1922.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">WSOY (AM)</span> Radio station in Decatur, Illinois

WSOY is a commercial AM radio station broadcasting a Talk radio format. Licensed to Decatur, Illinois, the station is owned by Neuhoff Corp., through licensee Neuhoff Media Decatur, LLC. Neuhoff owns four other local radio stations, WCZQ, WDZ, WDZQ and WSOY-FM. Studios and offices are located on North Water Street and the transmitter site is near St. Louis Bridge Road, sharing the same tower as WDZ.

KRGE is a radio station in Weslaco, Texas. It is owned by Christian Ministries of the Valley and carries a Spanish Christian format known as Radio Vida.

WNBF-FM was an FM radio station in Binghamton, New York, that began broadcasting, as W49BN, in 1942. It was the first commercial FM station authorized in the Southern Tier region. WNBF-FM suspended operations and was deleted in 1952.

References

  1. "Contact information" (WNBF.com)
  2. "WNBF-AM 1290 kHz Binghamton, New York" (radio-Locator.com)
  3. "WNBF News Radio 1290".
  4. "WNBF shows" (Sunday)
  5. 1 2 "Stations in the United States: New York: Binghamton", Broadcasting & Cable Yearbook (2010 edition), page D-375.
  6. "New Stations", Radio Service Bulletin, February 28, 1927, page 3.
  7. "Endicott Gets Radio License", Binghamton Press, February 14, 1927, page 23.
  8. "Broadcasting Stations by Wavelengths" (effective June 15, 1927), Radio Service Bulletin, May 31, 1927, page 14.
  9. "Revised list of broadcasting stations, by frequencies, effective 3 a. m., November 11, 1928, eastern standard time", Second Annual Report of the Federal Radio Commission (June 30, 1928), page 213.
  10. "Claim Broadcasting from WNBF Successful First Night; Announce Program", Binghamton Press, December 1, 1928, page 10.
  11. "Alterations and corrections", Radio Service Bulletin, January 31, 1929, page 8.
  12. Westinghouse transmitter advertisement (featuring WNBF), Broadcasting, September 28, 1942, pages 32-33.
  13. "New FM Call Letters Proposed", Broadcasting, November 15, 1940, page 77.
  14. The initial call sign policy for commercial FM stations included an initial "W" for stations east of the Mississippi River, followed by the last two digits of a station's assigned frequency, "49" in the case of 44.9 MHz, and closing with a one or two letter city identifier, which for Binghamton was "BN".
  15. "Standard Broadcast Station Call Letters for All Outlets Starting Nov. 1, FCC Rule", The Billboard, September 4, 1943, page 7.
  16. "FCC Actions: August 11 Decisions", Broadcasting, August 18, 1952, page 98.
  17. "List of Radio Broadcast Stations, Alphabetically by Call Letters as of March 29, 1941", Federal Communications Commission, page 86.
  18. Ideco Transmission Towers (advertisement), Broadcasting, February 20, 1950.

42°03′29″N75°57′15″W / 42.05806°N 75.95417°W / 42.05806; -75.95417