WBEN-FM

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Coordinates: 40°02′20″N 75°14′13″W / 40.03889°N 75.23694°W / 40.03889; -75.23694
Source: Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.
This article is about the Philadelphia radio station. For the former WBEN-FM of Buffalo, New York, see WBKV. For the former FM simulcast of WBEN (AM), see WLKK.
WBEN-FM
Adult contemporary)
Ownership
Owner
WMGK, WMMR, WPEN, WTEL, WTMR, WWDB, WXTU
History
First air date
March 14, 1949; 75 years ago (1949-03-14) (as WFLN)
Former call signs
  • WFLN (1949-1956)
  • WFLN-FM (1956-1997)
  • WXXM (1997-1999)
  • WEJM (1999-2001)
  • WMWX (2001-2005)
Call sign meaning
Benjamin Franklin
Technical information[1]
Licensing authority
FCC
Facility ID22308
ClassB
ERP
  • 8,900 watts (analog)
  • 175 watts (digital)
[2]
HAAT350 meters (1,150 ft)
Transmitter coordinates
40°02′20″N 75°14′13″W / 40.03889°N 75.23694°W / 40.03889; -75.23694
Links
Public license information
Webcast
Website957benfm.com
wjbr.com (HD2)

WBEN-FM (95.7

Roxborough section of Philadelphia at (40°2′19.7″N 75°14′12.8″W / 40.038806°N 75.236889°W / 40.038806; -75.236889).[3]

The station plays a mix of 1970s, 1980s and 1990s hits, with some current

hot adult contemporary singles. Named after Benjamin Franklin, BEN-FM's slogan is "Playing Anything We Feel Like." The formula originated in Canada as Jack FM. Unlike many adult hits stations, WBEN-FM uses DJs. The station imaging is handled by Howard Cogan, the former voice of Jack FM. Actor John O'Hurley of the TV show Seinfeld
previously did the station imaging.

History

1949-1997: Classical

The station

signed on the air in March 1949 as WFLN, which was started by civic leaders as a "classical music and fine arts" station.[4] It was owned by the Franklin Broadcasting Company and had studios at 8200 Ridge Avenue. The call sign, then as now, referred to Benjamin Franklin, an eighteenth century civic leader in Philadelphia and one of the founding fathers of the United States.[citation needed
]

In 1956, the station added an -FM suffix when an AM simulcast was launched on 900 kHz. WFLN-AM-FM was sold in 1988 to Marlin Broadcasting, which added more news, sports and traffic reports to the station. From 1995 to 1997, WFLN was bought and sold five more times. With each purchase, budget cutbacks were instituted and, while maintaining the classical format, the station adopted a more commercial sound with shorter familiar selections heard in most dayparts, in an effort to attract casual fans of classical music.[citation needed]

Finally, the news came at 6 p.m. on September 5, 1997, that Greater Media, which had recently acquired the station, announced it was ending WFLN's classical programming. During a farewell speech for WFLN, Tom Milewski, the chief operating officer for Greater Media, said that the audience interested in classical music had aged and most advertisers were seeking a younger audience; Milewski added that classical music would be best preserved as a non-commercial format. To continue serving Philadelphia's classical audience, WFLN's recordings were donated to WRTI, Temple University's non-commercial radio station. Greater Media would also provide financial support to Temple as WRTI adopted the WFLN classical format during the day. (Three of the WFLN program hosts would join WRTI in their usual time slots, and WRTI continued to program its usual jazz format at night.) The company's support of WRTI also served to deflect criticism that the company was taking away Philadelphia's only classical radio station.[citation needed]

1997-1999: Modern AC

After the classical format ended, 95.7 then became WXXM, Max 95.7, adopting a

hot adult contemporary
station. WXXM was jockless for the first six months as "Max", and its ratings plummeted with the station's new format. Although ratings improved after WXXM added well-known Philadelphia DJ Paul Barsky to mornings in February 1999, it wasn't enough to rationalize keeping the format.

1999-2001: Rhythmic oldies

At noon on May 13,

R&B genre, and being the city that started the "Philadelphia Soul
" sound, "Jammin' Gold" was initially well received in the market. However, by 2001, the station's ratings began to slip.

2001-2005: Hot AC

On June 15, 2001, WEJM became Mix 95.7, another incarnation of hot AC.[8] On July 17, WEJM changed call signs to WMWX. The station initially leaned toward modern AC, before moving to a more traditional hot AC approach. The station continued to be plagued by mediocre ratings.

2005-present: Adult hits

Meanwhile, Infinity/CBS Radio was in the process of switching some of its FM stations to

WJMK in Chicago, were popular oldies
stations whose audiences had grown older and not as attractive to advertisers.

With rumors were circulating that CBS was planning to do the same in Philadelphia, by switching

demographics
. WBEN-FM began using the slogan "Playing anything we feel like." WBEN-FM has tweaked its format in recent years to add more classic alternative tracks from the 1980s, 1990s and 2000s.

On July 19, 2016, Beasley Media Group announced it would acquire Greater Media and its 21 stations (including WBEN-FM) for $240 million.[10] The FCC approved the sale on October 6, and the sale closed on November 1.[11]

On February 28, 2019, for one week, Ben FM rebranded as "95.7 Bryce FM" to celebrate the signing of

April Fools Day
joke.

WBEN-FM HD2

WBEN-FM broadcasts using an

classic dance format under the name "Club Ben." The format consisted of a mix of 1970s funk and R&B, and ’80s and ‘90s pop/dance music. This format was similar to the former "Jammin' Gold" format and the rhythmic AC format formerly aired on WISX.[12]

The "Club Ben" format signed off on October 3, and was replaced with WJBR-FM's previous adult contemporary format (branded as WJBR.com), as the original station "WJBR-FM" was sold to VCY America.[13]

References

  1. ^ "Facility Technical Data for WBEN-FM". Licensing and Management System. Federal Communications Commission.
  2. ^ "FCC 335-FM Digital Notification [WBEN-FM]". fcc.gov. Federal Communications Commission. September 19, 2013. Retrieved 2018-04-17.
  3. ^ "FM Query Results for WBEN-FM". fcc.gov. Federal Communications Commission. Retrieved 2016-12-18.
  4. ^ "Broadcasting Yearbook 1950" (PDF). worldradiohistory.com.
  5. ^ "RR-1997-09-12" (PDF). americanradiohistory.com.
  6. ^ "WFLN becomes Modern AC "Max 95.7"". formatchange.com. 5 September 1997.
  7. ^ "RR-1999-05-21" (PDF). americanradiohistory.com.
  8. ^ "RR-2001-06-22" (PDF). americanradiohistory.com.
  9. ^ "RR-2005-03-25" (PDF). americanradiohistory.com.
  10. ^ "Beasly Acquires Greater Media". radioinsight.com.
  11. ^ "BEASLEY CLOSES ON GREATER MEDIA PURCHASE; MAKES MULTIPLE STAFF MOVES". radioinsight.com. November 1, 2016. Retrieved February 1, 2024.
  12. ^ Tucker, Ken (January 19, 2006). "Greater Media, Emmis Unveil HD2 Strategies". Billboard. Retrieved January 19, 2016.
  13. ^ Williams, Jennifer (2023-10-06). "Mix 99.5 WJBR Wilmington Delaware is moving to 95.7 HD2". BBGI.COM. Retrieved 2023-11-26.

External links

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