WBYR (98.9 FM), branded as 98.9 The Bear, is a radio station licensed to Woodburn, Indiana with studios in Fort Wayne, Indiana. The station broadcasts an active rock format. WBYR is owned by Federated Media.
 | |
| Broadcast area | Fort Wayne, Indiana |
|---|---|
| Frequency | 98.9 MHz |
| Branding | 98.9 The Bear |
| Programming | |
| Format | Active rock |
| Affiliations | United Stations Radio Networks |
| Ownership | |
| Owner |
|
| WOWO (AM), WFWI, WKJG, WMEE, WQHK-FM | |
| History | |
First air date | 1962 |
Former call signs |
|
Call sign meaning | "Bear" |
| Technical information[1] | |
Licensing authority | FCC |
| Facility ID | 55659 |
| Class | B |
| ERP | 50,000 watts |
| HAAT | 138 meters (453 ft) |
Transmitter coordinates | 40°57′14.00″N 84°53′7.00″W / 40.9538889°N 84.8852778°W |
| Links | |
Public license information | |
| Webcast | Listen live |
| Website | 989thebear.com |
History
editWBYR was the former WERT-FM and WKSD in Van Wert, Ohio, owned by Ray Livesay. WERT-FM was first licensed on November 16, 1962;[2] throughout the 1960s and 1970s, it simulcast WERT (1220 AM). When the FCC gave the ultimatum for Class B FM stations to increase power to maximum levels or be downgraded, WERT-FM increased power to 50,000 watts and introduced a beautiful music format. Once the station was sold to Atlantic Resources, the call letters were changed to WKSD ("Kiss 99") with a satellite-delivered adult contemporary format.
In January 1989, the station began stunting with comedy clips (including Looney Tunes clips), construction sound effects and a vague but brief announcement repeatedly for about a week, "9890 songs in a row on Fort Wayne's new 98.9". A classic hits format debuted on January 11 at noon, with the first song being "Old Time Rock and Roll" by Bob Seger.[3][4] Meanwhile, the WKSD calls resurfaced at 99.7 FM licensed to Paulding, Ohio; WKSD 99.7 FM now features oldies and sports talk as a sister station to WERT.
References
edit- ^ "Facility Technical Data for WBYR". Licensing and Management System. Federal Communications Commission.
- ^ "WERT-FM (WBYR) history cards" (PDF). CDBS Public Access. FCC. Retrieved January 2, 2024.
- ^ WBYR Signs-On
- ^ "WBYR Call Sign History". United States Federal Communications Commission, audio division.
External links
edit- Facility details for Facility ID 55659 (WBYR) in the FCC Licensing and Management System
- WBYR in Nielsen Audio's FM station database