WBAA
Encyclopedia
WBAA and WBAA-FM are the call signs
for two American radio station
s owned by Purdue University
in West Lafayette, Indiana
—an AM
station at 920 kHz and an FM
station at 101.3 MHz. Both broadcast from studios in the Edward C. Elliott Hall of Music
on the Purdue campus, and the transmitters are located in Lafayette, Indiana
.
, having been licensed on April 4, 1922. A fire in 1929
took WBAA off the air for several months. During the day, its 5,000-watt signal reaches a potential audience of 2.5 million people, including the fringes of the Indianapolis
area.
AM 920 WBAA airs a mixture of NPR
and local news/talk programming during the day. Evenings are set aside for music programming with adult album alternative music program, World Cafe
from 7-9pm, and traditional jazz
filling up the remainder of the overnight schedule. Weekends consist of similar programming plus ethnic and local music programming on Sunday nights.
"WBAA-FM" by the Federal Communications Commission
(FCC) on April 19, 1991
.
FM 101.3, WBAA-FM, simulcasts its AM sister station
in the morning and late afternoon to broadcast popular NPR
talk programs such as Morning Edition
, All Things Considered
, Weekend Edition
, and Marketplace
. Classical music can be heard at other times, as well as A Prairie Home Companion
Saturday evenings from 6 to 8, Car Talk
Saturday mornings at 10, and Hearts of Space
Sunday evenings from 9 to 11. WBAA-FM also has a strong local news initiative.
has a general staff of about 20 news reporters and on-air hosts, including many full-time professionals and multiple Purdue University
students.
Call Signs
Call Signs is the third studio album by Melbourne electronica band Black Cab, released in 2009.The album evokes the atmosphere of the former totalitarian state of East Germany, set to a soundtrack of post-punk and atmospheric electronics. In an interview, the band explained the album's sound was...
for two American radio station
Radio station
Radio broadcasting is a one-way wireless transmission over radio waves intended to reach a wide audience. Stations can be linked in radio networks to broadcast a common radio format, either in broadcast syndication or simulcast or both...
s owned by Purdue University
Purdue University
Purdue University, located in West Lafayette, Indiana, U.S., is the flagship university of the six-campus Purdue University system. Purdue was founded on May 6, 1869, as a land-grant university when the Indiana General Assembly, taking advantage of the Morrill Act, accepted a donation of land and...
in West Lafayette, Indiana
West Lafayette, Indiana
As of the census of 2010, there were 29,596 people, 12,591 households, and 3,588 families residing in the city. The population density was 5,381.1 people per square mile . The racial makeup of the city was 74.3% White, 17.3% Asian, 2.7% African American, 0.16% Native American, 0.03% Pacific...
—an AM
AM broadcasting
AM broadcasting is the process of radio broadcasting using amplitude modulation. AM was the first method of impressing sound on a radio signal and is still widely used today. Commercial and public AM broadcasting is carried out in the medium wave band world wide, and on long wave and short wave...
station at 920 kHz and an FM
FM broadcasting
FM broadcasting is a broadcasting technology pioneered by Edwin Howard Armstrong which uses frequency modulation to provide high-fidelity sound over broadcast radio. The term "FM band" describes the "frequency band in which FM is used for broadcasting"...
station at 101.3 MHz. Both broadcast from studios in the Edward C. Elliott Hall of Music
Edward C. Elliott Hall of Music
The Edward C. Elliott Hall of Music is located on the Purdue University campus in West Lafayette, Indiana, USA. With a seating capacity of 6,025, it is one of the largest proscenium theaters in the world, and is about 100 seats larger than Radio City Music Hall. The facility is named after Edward...
on the Purdue campus, and the transmitters are located in Lafayette, Indiana
Lafayette, Indiana
Lafayette is a city in and the county seat of Tippecanoe County, Indiana, United States, northwest of Indianapolis. As of the 2010 census, the city had a total population of 67,140. West Lafayette, on the other side of the Wabash River, is home to Purdue University, which has a large impact on...
.
AM 920
WBAA is the longest continuously-operating radio station in IndianaIndiana
Indiana is a US state, admitted to the United States as the 19th on December 11, 1816. It is located in the Midwestern United States and Great Lakes Region. With 6,483,802 residents, the state is ranked 15th in population and 16th in population density. Indiana is ranked 38th in land area and is...
, having been licensed on April 4, 1922. A fire in 1929
1929 in radio
The year 1929 in radio involved some significant events.-Events:*8 January: CBS purchases New York City radio station WABC from the Atlantic Broadcasting Company....
took WBAA off the air for several months. During the day, its 5,000-watt signal reaches a potential audience of 2.5 million people, including the fringes of the Indianapolis
Indianapolis
Indianapolis is the capital of the U.S. state of Indiana, and the county seat of Marion County, Indiana. As of the 2010 United States Census, the city's population is 839,489. It is by far Indiana's largest city and, as of the 2010 U.S...
area.
AM 920 WBAA airs a mixture of NPR
NPR
NPR, formerly National Public Radio, is a privately and publicly funded non-profit membership media organization that serves as a national syndicator to a network of 900 public radio stations in the United States. NPR was created in 1970, following congressional passage of the Public Broadcasting...
and local news/talk programming during the day. Evenings are set aside for music programming with adult album alternative music program, World Cafe
World Cafe
World Cafe is a two-hour long, nationally syndicated music radio program that originates from WXPN, a non-commercial station licensed to the University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States. The program began in 1991 and was originally distributed by Public Radio...
from 7-9pm, and traditional jazz
Jazz
Jazz is a musical style that originated at the beginning of the 20th century in African American communities in the Southern United States. It was born out of a mix of African and European music traditions. From its early development until the present, jazz has incorporated music from 19th and 20th...
filling up the remainder of the overnight schedule. Weekends consist of similar programming plus ethnic and local music programming on Sunday nights.
FM 101.3
WBAA-FM began broadcasting in 1993. It is one of the few NPR stations located on a commercial frequency. The station was assigned the call signCall sign
In broadcasting and radio communications, a call sign is a unique designation for a transmitting station. In North America they are used as names for broadcasting stations...
"WBAA-FM" by the Federal Communications Commission
Federal Communications Commission
The Federal Communications Commission is an independent agency of the United States government, created, Congressional statute , and with the majority of its commissioners appointed by the current President. The FCC works towards six goals in the areas of broadband, competition, the spectrum, the...
(FCC) on April 19, 1991
1991 in radio
The year 1991 in radio involved some significant events.-Events:* January 18 - Brian Beirne became one of the few celebrities from radio to get a "star" on the Hollywood Walk of Fame....
.
FM 101.3, WBAA-FM, simulcasts its AM sister station
Sister station
In broadcasting, sister stations or sister channels are radio and/or television stations operated by the same ownership....
in the morning and late afternoon to broadcast popular NPR
NPR
NPR, formerly National Public Radio, is a privately and publicly funded non-profit membership media organization that serves as a national syndicator to a network of 900 public radio stations in the United States. NPR was created in 1970, following congressional passage of the Public Broadcasting...
talk programs such as Morning Edition
Morning Edition
Morning Edition is an American radio news program produced and distributed by National Public Radio . It airs weekday mornings and runs for two hours, and many stations repeat one or both hours. The show feeds live from 05:00 to 09:00 ET, with feeds and updates as required until noon...
, All Things Considered
All Things Considered
All Things Considered is the flagship news program on the American network National Public Radio. It was the first news program on NPR, and is broadcast live worldwide through several outlets...
, Weekend Edition
Weekend Edition
Weekend Edition is the name given to a set of American radio news magazines produced and distributed by National Public Radio . It is the weekend counterpart to Morning Edition. It consists of Weekend Edition Saturday and Weekend Edition Sunday , each of which airs for two hours, from 8 a.m. to 10...
, and Marketplace
Marketplace (radio program)
Marketplace is a radio program that focuses on business, the economy, and events that influence them. Hosted by Kai Ryssdal, the show is produced and distributed by American Public Media, in association with the University of Southern California...
. Classical music can be heard at other times, as well as A Prairie Home Companion
A Prairie Home Companion
A Prairie Home Companion is a live radio variety show created and hosted by Garrison Keillor. The show runs on Saturdays from 5 to 7 p.m. Central Time, and usually originates from the Fitzgerald Theater in Saint Paul, Minnesota, although it is frequently taken on the road...
Saturday evenings from 6 to 8, Car Talk
Car Talk
Car Talk is a radio talk show broadcast weekly on National Public Radio stations throughout the United States and elsewhere. Its subjects are automobiles and repair, and it often takes humorous turns...
Saturday mornings at 10, and Hearts of Space
Hearts of Space
Hearts of Space is a United States weekly syndicated public radio show featuring music of a contemplative nature drawn largely from the ambient, New Age and electronic genres, while also including classical, world, Celtic, experimental, and other music selections...
Sunday evenings from 9 to 11. WBAA-FM also has a strong local news initiative.
Staff
WBAA and WBAA-FM employ Tim Singleton as general manager. The radio station duopolyDuopoly
A true duopoly is a specific type of oligopoly where only two producers exist in one market. In reality, this definition is generally used where only two firms have dominant control over a market...
has a general staff of about 20 news reporters and on-air hosts, including many full-time professionals and multiple Purdue University
Purdue University
Purdue University, located in West Lafayette, Indiana, U.S., is the flagship university of the six-campus Purdue University system. Purdue was founded on May 6, 1869, as a land-grant university when the Indiana General Assembly, taking advantage of the Morrill Act, accepted a donation of land and...
students.