WBNR
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| City of license | Beacon, New York |
|---|---|
| Broadcast area | Hudson Valley |
| Branding | Hudson Valley Talk Radio |
| Slogan | Your Local News and Weather Authority |
| Frequency | 1260 kHz |
| First air date | December 17, 1959 |
| Format | News Talk |
| Power |
1,000 watts daytime 400 watts nighttime |
| Class | B |
| Facility ID | 19629 |
| Transmitter coordinates | 41°29′31.164″N 73°58′38.5458″W / 41.49199000°N 73.977373833°W |
| Callsign meaning | W Beacon Newburgh Radio |
| Affiliations | Premiere Radio Networks, Fox Sports Radio, CNN Radio |
| Owner |
Pamal Broadcasting (6 Johnson Road Licenses, Inc.) |
| Sister stations | WBPM, WGHQ, WHUD, WLNA, WSPK, WXPK |
| Webcast | Listen Live |
| Website | Hudson Valley Radio Network |
WBNR is the callsign of an AM radio station licensed to Beacon, New York and serving the Hudson Valley. The station is owned by Pamal Broadcasting and broadcasts on 1260 kHz at 1,000 watts daytime and 400 watts nighttime, both directional, from a two tower array at 475 South Avenue in the of city of Beacon.[1]
History
WBNR signed on in 1959 as a 1,000 watt directional antenna daytime only station.[2] The original studio location is in close proximity to Denning's Point, a location on the Hudson River that has an archaeological record going back 5,000 years.[3] Many staffers and former staffers felt that this explained a usually high reported incidence of paranormal activity in the studio building.
It was not until 1987 that WBNR was licensed for 480 watts night time operation with a DA2 antenna pattern. For many years it was owned by brothers Robert and Al Lessnor of Candid Camera fame. The station served the community with Middle of the Road (MOR) music format, local news and sports. It was heavily involved with Beacon community events and was the flagship station for Army Football until 2003.
In 1970, Lance (later Beacon) Broadcasting, then owners of WBNR, acquired WSPK from Poughkeepsie, New York based Olympian broadcasting, owners of WKIP, along with the mountain top transmitter site located on North Mount Beacon.[4]
The station began to suffer a long steady decline through the 1980s and 1990s as many AM radio stations did.
In 1994, WBNR, along with its sister station WSPK was sold to Enterprise Media of Binghamton, New York. Both stations were subsequently sold to Pamal Broadcasting in October 1997. The studios moved from their original 1959 location at 475 South Avenue, Beacon to the newly reconstructed "Broadcast Center" at 715 Fishkill Avenue (NY Rte 52), in Fishkill, New York, where Hudson Valley Talk Radio Network programming originates.
Programming
Currently, the station's format is News Talk and is simulcast with WLNA and WGHQ as the Hudson Valley Talk Radio Network. WBNR features a local news magazine program called "Good Morning Hudson Valley" each morning followed by syndicated talk shows Dr. Joy Browne, and Dave Ramsey. In addition WBNR features syndicated Fox Sports Radio at night and also broadcasts single A baseball from the Hudson Valley Renegades, Notre Dame Football, and Mount Saint Mary College basketball.
References
- ↑ "WBNR Facility Record". United States Federal Communications Commission, audio division.
- ↑ "1970 Broadcasting Yearbook page C-145". Broadcasting Publications, Inc.
- ↑ "Denning's Point, A Hudson River History". Heron, Jim (2006) Black Dome Press Corp.
- ↑ "1971 Broadcasting Yearbook page C-145". Broadcasting Publications, Inc.
External links
- Query the FCC's AM station database for WBNR
- Radio-Locator Information on WBNR
- Query Nielsen Audio's AM station database for WBNR
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