WAEB (AM)

WAEB
Allentown, Pennsylvania;
Broadcast area	Lehigh Valley
Frequency	790 kHz
Branding	NewsRadio 790 WAEB
Programming
Language(s)	English
Format	Talk radio
Affiliations	Fox News Radio; Premiere Networks;
Ownership
Owner	iHeartMedia, Inc.; (iHM Licenses, LLC);
Sister stations	WAEB-FM; WSAN; WZZO;
History
First air date	1949; 75 years ago
Call sign meaning	Allentown–Easton–Bethlehem
Technical information
Licensing authority	FCC
Facility ID	14371
Class	B
Power	3,600 watts (day); 1,500 watts (night);
Transmitter coordinates	40°39′37″N 75°30′50″W / 40.66028°N 75.51389°W
Links
Public license information	Public file; LMS;
Webcast	Listen live (via iHeartRadio)
Website	790waeb.iheart.com

WAEB (790 kHz) is a news, talk, and sports AM radio station in Allentown, Pennsylvania, in the Lehigh Valley region of eastern Pennsylvania.

The station is owned by iHeartMedia.

History

20th century

WAEB began operations in 1949. The station was sold to Rust Broadcasting in 1957, adopting a Top 40 format and the slogan Music Radio 79 WAEB.

In 1983, the station began to evolve into more of a hot adult contemporary format, and by 1985, more of a straight adult contemporary format emphasizing oldies. In 1986, WAEB added evening syndicated talk shows, and overnight talk shows were added by 1989; but continued to air a mix of adult contemporary and oldies music during the day.

WAEB and WAEB-FM were sold to CRB Broadcasting in the late 1980s. In 1992, WAEB dropped its music formats and the station evolved into a News/Talk format. In 1995, WAEB and WAEB-FM were sold to Capstar along with WZZO and WKAP. The stations all went to AMFM Broadcasting as a result of the Chancellor/Capstar merger in 1999.

When AMFM merged with Clear Channel Communications, which owned WODE-FM and WEEX, the company would be forced to sell an AM and FM station to be under legal ownership limits. Clear Channel would give Nassau Broadcasting cash plus WODE-FM and WEEX in exchange for New Jersey stations WSUS, WNNJ, WNNJ-FM, WHCY, and local marketing agreements with WDLC, and WTSX. As a result, WAEB, WAEB-FM, WZZO and WKAP became Clear Channel stations.

21st century

In January 2007, after WKAP dropped the oldies format in favor of religious programming and changed its call letters to WYHM, WAEB launched an Internet radio station playing Oldies music on its Web site. Strong demand still exists for an AM or FM station dedicated to the Oldies format lost when WKAP changed its format.

On September 4, 2009, the northernmost tower mast of the station's five-tower antenna array located in Whitehall Township was toppled when a vandal or vandals cut the tower's guy-wires.^[2]

Programming

WAEB currently runs a standard slate of news talkers typical of Clear Channel Communications owned stations, including the Glenn Beck Program, The Clay Travis and Buck Sexton Show, The Sean Hannity Show, and Coast to Coast AM. The station also airs a local morning show hosted by Bobby Gunther Walsh.

References

^ "Facility Technical Data for WAEB". Licensing and Management System. Federal Communications Commission.
^ Warner, Frank (September 5, 2009). "WAEB radio tower toppled in Whitehall, FBI investigates". The Morning Call. Allentown, Pennsylvania. Archived from the original on September 7, 2009.

External links

Official website
Facility details for Facility ID 14371 (WAEB) in the FCC Licensing and Management System
WAEB in Nielsen Audio's AM station database
790 WAEB at Twitter

[1] "Facility Technical Data for WAEB". Licensing and Management System. Federal Communications Commission.

[2] Warner, Frank (September 5, 2009). "WAEB radio tower toppled in Whitehall, FBI investigates". The Morning Call. Allentown, Pennsylvania. Archived from the original on September 7, 2009.

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