WRNB
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Ownership | |
Owner |
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WPPZ-FM | |
History | |
First air date | 1982 |
Former call signs |
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Call sign meaning | "Rhythm and blues" |
Technical information[1] | |
Licensing authority | FCC |
Facility ID | 25079 |
Class | B |
ERP |
|
HAAT | 259 meters (850 ft) |
Transmitter coordinates | 40°2′36.4″N 75°14′31.6″W / 40.043444°N 75.242111°W |
Translator(s) | 100.7 W264BH (Mount Holly, New Jersey) |
Links | |
Public license information | |
Webcast | |
Website | (HD3) |
WRNB (100.3
WRNB has an
History
1942-1973: Early years
In 1942, a station broadcasting on 100.3 FM first
In 1962, WXUR-FM began broadcasting, licensed to the suburban community of Media.[5] Its effective radiated power was 4,200 watts, simulcasting the Christian programming of its AM sister station 690 WXUR (now WPHE in Phoenixville, Pennsylvania). WXUR-AM-FM were owned by Carl McIntire, a Bible Presbyterian minister.
1973-1981: Silent
In 1973, the
1981-1993: Adult contemporary
In 1981, after a seven-year
In the early 1990s, however, the battle for AC listeners heated up, with WEAZ (now WBEB) becoming the dominant station for soft music in Philadelphia. WKSZ lost ground in the ratings, falling to 17th place in 1992. To improve ratings, WKSZ tried to combine AC and oldies with what the station called the "50/50 Mix"; however, this failed to turn ratings around, and in 1993, WKSZ returned to a playlist of AC love songs.
1993-2005: Alternative rock
On March 15, 1993, at 6 a.m., with the station still struggling, WKSZ became "Z100", switching to a
The station initially had a slight
In 2000, the station was bought by
Y100 is fondly remembered by its many fans, for its numerous memorable events. The y100 Fez-dival and Feast-ival, were annual events. Every evening they would do the top 7 at 8 with DJ Ben Harvey, who also did an event known as the 'bedroom broadcast' where they broadcast from a fans home.
2005-2011: Urban contemporary
On February 24,
, which had been Philadelphia's long-time Urban Contemporary leader.In fall 2005, former rival personality Colby Colb was hired as the Program Director and afternoon host. For the next few years, 100.3 The Beat enjoyed high ratings, helped by Miss Jones in the morning and Colby Colb in the afternoon. Monie Love and Pooch took over mornings in 2005, with other
2011-2013: R&B
On August 27,
WRNB was simulcast on both 100.3 and 107.9 until September 2, when the WPHI call sign moved to 107.9, adopted the former "Beat" format and rebranded as "Hot 107.9."2013-2016: Classic R&B
On March 29, 2013, WRNB went jockless and began promoting a "big announcement" at 5 p.m. on April 1. At that time, after playing "
The format played
In November 2014, sister station
2016-2020: R&B
On October 6, 2016, WRNB returned to urban adult contemporary music, once more calling itself "100.3 WRNB," and dropping the "Old School" branding.[16]
2020-2022: Urban contemporary
On November 16, 2020, at 10 a.m., WRNB absorbed sister station WPHI's urban contemporary format into its own and was rebranded as "100.3 R&B & Hip Hop" (subsequently, WRNB's urban adult contemporary format would move full-time to its HD2 sub-channel). This was a result of Urban One selling said station to Entercom; the two stations simulcasted for a week, as it had been previously announced that WPHI would begin simulcasting KYW ahead of the sale's closure, on November 23.[17]
2022-present: R&B
With the combined R&B/hip hop format failing to catch on in the market - bottoming out with a 1.0 share in the July 2022 Nielsen Audio ratings (well behind WUSL’s 3.6 share), the station ultimately reverted to its previous urban AC format and "100.3 RNB" branding on August 25, 2022. With the shift, Program Director/afternoon host Paris Nicole exited the station after twelve years; Nicole previously served in the same position at WPHI and moved over at WRNB with the previous format shift.[18]
Signal note
WRNB is short-spaced to two other co-channel Class B stations: WHTZ Z100 (licensed to serve Newark, New Jersey) and WBIG-FM Big 100 (licensed to serve Washington, D.C.). The cities WRNB and WHTZ are licensed to serve are only 86 miles apart,[19] while the cities WRNB and WBIG-FM are licensed to serve are only 112 miles apart.[20] The minimum distance between two Class B stations operating on the same channel according to current FCC rules is 150 miles.[21]
History of WRNB call sign
Beginning in the 1950s, the call sign WRNB was licensed to
References
- ^ "Facility Technical Data for WRNB". Licensing and Management System. Federal Communications Commission.
- ^ "FCC 335-FM Digital Notification [WRNB]". fcc.gov. Federal Communications Commission. February 18, 2011. Retrieved 2018-05-10.
- ^ "FM Query Results for WRNB". fcc.gov. Federal Communications Commission. Retrieved 2018-05-10.
- ^ Information from the Broadcasting Yearbook 1950 page 260
- ^ Broadcasting Yearbook 1968 page B-140
- ^ Broadcasting Yearbook 1983 page B-208
- ^ Broadcasting & Cable Yearbook 1996 page B-359
- ^ Broadcasting & Cable Yearbook page D-385
- ^ Y100 Announces Format Change
- ^ Y100 100.3 WPLY Signs-Off
- ^ "Buried Alive".
- ^ 107.9 WRNB Philadelphia To Move To 100.3 On September 1
- ^ 100.3 The Beat Becomes WRNB
- ^ WRNB Philadelphia Goes Old School
- ^ WRNB Goes Old School
- ^ WRNB Drops Old School 100.3 Branding Radioinsight - October 6, 2016
- ^ Hip Hop 103.9 Philadelphia Moves To 100.3 Ahead Of Sale Radioinsight - November 16, 2020
- ^ WRNB Returns to Adult R&B
- ^ "How Far is it Between Media, PA, USA and Newark, NJ, USA". Free Map Tools. Retrieved 2018-05-10.
- ^ "How Far is it Between Media, PA, USA and Washington, DC, USA". Free Map Tools. Retrieved 2018-05-10.
- ^ "Minimum distance separation between stations. 47 CFR § 73.207 (b)(1)" (PDF). Retrieved 2018-05-10.
External links
- Official website of 100.3 WRNB
- WRNB in the FCC FM station database
- WRNB in Nielsen Audio's FM station database
- Official website 100.3 The Beat (2006 archive)
- Official website of Y100 (2005 archive)