| City of license | Pittsfield, Massachusetts |
|---|---|
| Branding | 89.7 the Brave FM |
| Frequency | 89.7 MHz |
| Format | Active Rock |
| ERP | 380 watts, Stereo |
| HAAT | -35.0 meters |
| Class | A |
| Facility ID | 52749 |
| Callsign meaning | Taconic Brave Radio |
| Owner | Pittsfield Public School Committee |
| Webcast | [1] |
| Website | wtbrfm.com |
WTBR-FM (89.7 FM, "89.7 the Brave FM") is a high school radio station broadcasting an Active Rock music format. Licensed to Pittsfield, Massachusetts, USA, the station serves the Pittsfield area from Taconic High School. The station is currently owned by Pittsfield Public School Committee.
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Over the past four decades, the station has helped jump-start the budding careers of many future radio professionals in the Berkshires and beyond. In particular, in the 1970s under the leadership of station director, Bob Cooper, the station flourished with a wide range of student programming and an organization that continued to build the impressive archive of vinyl records. With more than an estimated 10,000 records from the late 1960s into the 1980s, WTBR is truly a priceless gem. Over the years, the station continued to serve as a significant outlet for the school and community. Of note, NASA astronaut, Stephanie D. Wilson, was a member of the radio club and she hosted her own program on WTBR. A 1984 graduate of Taconic High School, Wilson would go on to become the second African-American woman in space, taking part in two successful NASA Discovery missions in 2006 and in 2007.
However, in the several years prior to 2006, the station had again become devoid of programming as student turnover had left WTBR with dead-air for a vast majority of the time.
But, in 2006, a group of radio veterans, led by longtime WUPE-FM News Director Larry Kratka, lit a new spark for the station. Kratka brought in several radio veterans, such as Tom Harrison, Joe Mindlin and Brad Lorenz, all of whom were DJs for WUPE-FM; Chuck Wright, who has nearly two decades of broadcast experience in radio and community television; and John Krol, who is the former morning news anchor and Opinion show host for WNAW/WMNB-North Adams and Berkshire Bureau Chief for WAMC-Northeast Public Radio. Krol's "Good Morning Pittsfield" serves as the anchor morning program with news from the Berkshire Eagle and two full intelligent interviews with local public officials, business leaders, journalists and other community leaders. Tyler Lavigne, DJ operator for "The T-Man Show", has been involved with WTBR since 2001 when he was attending Taconic High School. The station also features unique specialty music programs including the only underground music program in the Berkshires, Rebel Sound Radio hosted by Andy Poncherello, Mike's Amazing Oldies featuring long lost resurrected music from the vault of host Mike Pezzo, the hard rocking metallic edge of Wounded Radio hosted by Tom Harrison, classic '80s rock and dance of Classic TBR with Brad Lorenz and Joe Mindlin and the longest-running Polish polka show in the area, Polka Express, and last but certainly not least, the Berkshire famous, "The T-Man Show", plays a wide variety of HARD rock and some DJ mixing of rock songs into techno. Kratka has also been active in upgrading the technology at the station, including new equipment, upgrading to stereo, and allowing WTBR to transmit its full power allowed by FCC license. In addition, many students from Taconic and Pittsfield High School have created new programs with a mix of eclectic music and talk, including Alex Conklin with sports talk and Sean Mochon (a.k.a. DJ Wheels), who in spite of his physical limitations, has created a popular heavy metal show with the help of special equipment outfitted with the help of UCP. The station continues to move forward with more upgrades, including computer technology to allow more hours of local, original programming for the Pittsfield and greater Berkshire community.
In June 2010, WTBR became the first station in Western Massachusetts to take part in the American Cancer Society's 'Relay for Life' in Berkshire County Central/South AND move to a different site and broadcast the event in stereo for 26 hours.
SENIORS
TOTAL:6
JUNIORS
TOTAL: 17
SOPHOMORES
TOTAL:3
FRESHMEN
TOTAL:1
TOTAL STUDENTS: 27
SENIORS
TOTAL: 8
JUNIORS
TOTAL: 17
SOPHOMORES
TOTAL: 4
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