WLBE (790 AM) is a radio station broadcasting a Regional Mexican format. Licensed to Leesburg-Eustis, Florida, United States, it serves the Lake County area and reaches into parts of nearby Marion County as well. The station is currently owned by Q-Broadcasting Corporation.
| Simulcasts WAMA Tampa | |
|---|---|
| Broadcast area | Lake County, Florida |
| Frequency | 790 kHz |
| Branding | La Ley 107.7FM Y 1550AM |
| Programming | |
| Format | Regional Mexican |
| Ownership | |
| Owner |
|
| WAMA, WONQ, WTIS, WVVO | |
| History | |
First air date | 1947 |
Former call signs | WEUS |
Call sign meaning | W Leesburg-Eustis [1] |
| Technical information[2] | |
Licensing authority | FCC |
| Facility ID | 73202 |
| Class | B |
| Power | 5,000 watts day 1,000 watts night |
Transmitter coordinates | 28°49′42.00″N 81°47′10.00″W / 28.8283333°N 81.7861111°W |
| Links | |
Public license information | |
| Webcast | Listen Live |
| Website | laleyradio.com |
The station originally signed on in 1947 using the call letters WEUS, but changed to WLBE effective October 19, 1948.
The move from Floradel Avenue to Radio Road took place in 1950, the same year Paul Husebo bought it. Wendell Husebo sold the station in 1962 after spending 37 hours on the air in 1960 during Hurricane Donna. With all the changes over the years, WLBE aired Leesburg High School sports. Bob Andrews worked in radio for 60 years, starting when WLBE signed on, and returning after an absence in 1980 to host "The Breakfast Club".[3]
Harry Reiner Revocable Trust owned the station starting in 1983.[4][3] In 2013, the primary format, starting each afternoon, was oldies from the 50s, 60 and 70s, targeting senior citizens, with talk shows providing information four hours each day, a sports show on weekends, religious programming including gospel music on Sunday, and the "Lake County Auction Show". One of the shows included a "swap shop".[4]
Before signing off, it was "Real Country AM 790" with "Today's Stars and Legends". As of June 22, 2019, the station was off the air.[3]
It has since returned to the air.[5]
References
edit- ^ "WEUS-AM 790 Eustis".
- ^ "Facility Technical Data for WLBE". Licensing and Management System. Federal Communications Commission.
- ^ a b c Stanfield, Frank (July 1, 2019). "The sound of silence". Daily Commercial. Retrieved October 8, 2024.
- ^ a b "Leesburg radio station WLBE makes 'great strides' with oldies format, GM says". Orlando Sentinel. November 3, 2021. Retrieved October 8, 2024.
- ^ "Re: Q-Broadcasting Corporation, Inc. (QBC) WLBE(AM), Leesburg-Eustis, FL Special Temporary Authority". Federal Communications Commission. June 30, 2021. Retrieved October 8, 2024.
External links
edit- WLBE page on cflradio.net
- Facility details for Facility ID 73202 (WLBE) in the FCC Licensing and Management System
- WLBE in Nielsen Audio's AM station database
  | This article about a radio station in Florida is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it. |