WJBR-FM
Encyclopedia
WJBR-FM is a Wilmington, Delaware
-based Adult Contemporary music formatted radio station
. Although the station is broadcast from Wilmington, the signal is strong enough to be a competitive station in the Philadelphia radio market as it is Philadelphia's only radio station to have a similar format to rival WBEB
.
WJBR plays a variety of Today's Hits and Yesterday's Favorites. In February 2007, Beasley Broadcast Group
completed its acquisition of the station from NextMedia
for a reported $42 million. Its transmitter is located in Wilmington
, very close to the Pennsylvania
state line.
and the station used as a nickname "JBR 100"....also announced frequency as "99 and a half".
WJBR-FM 99.5 was founded by a father and son team of John B. Rendfrey, Sr. and John B. Rendfrey, Jr. After leaving the seminary and teaching at a Catholic high school for several years, John, Sr. became co-owner of a local service station. It was John, Jr. who had the history in broadcasting and music; he hosted a local TV dance program (before American Bandstand), and was a recording pianist in the late 1940s. John Sr. began the radio station because John Jr. was a strong believer in the future of FM.
The station operated with only five employees for the first few years. John Sr. did some selling while Jr. operated as General Manager and announcer, Program Director and voiced many of the commercials. The other employees were booth announcers (Del Parks, Ed Hunt, Al Barclay [Bressler] et al. who also played the music.
The first offices, studios, and transmitter site for WJBR-FM were on Ebright Road in North Wilmington. The tower is located at the highest elevation in the state, approximately 400 feet above sea level. The tower itself rises 317 feet further. Offices and studio were moved to Philadelphia Pike in Claymont, in 1993, although the transmitter and tower remained at Ebright Road. In 2000, the studio and offices simply moved further along Philadelphia Pike and now reside in Bellfonte.
By 1985 Beautiful Music was a fading format and new owners, CRB Broadcasting, believed the Adult Contemporary format would produce the audience makeup needed to maximize profit potential. They created "Bright 99.5", which was renamed "Mix 99.5" approximately three years later. The "Mix" handle was phased out in 1993 and the station went back to identifying itself simply by the call letters. Currently the station uses the slogan "Better Music. Fewer Interruptions" to identify its format. Many listeners also know WJBR-FM as the station that plays "The Most Music While You Work".
WJBR-FM has also been a pioneer technically, recognized as one of the first to broadcast a 24-hour stereo format in the late 1950s, and the first station to broadcast an all Compact Disc
format in the late 1980s.
The official mascot for the station is J. Bear.
Weekends include:
Jim Stoddard, Scott Arnold, Joe Vietri, Joe Bonadonna
Former Airstaff:
Dave Banks
Doug Weldon
Paul Lewis
Michael Waite
Wilmington, Delaware
Wilmington is the largest city in the state of Delaware, United States, and is located at the confluence of the Christina River and Brandywine Creek, near where the Christina flows into the Delaware River. It is the county seat of New Castle County and one of the major cities in the Delaware Valley...
-based Adult Contemporary music formatted 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...
. Although the station is broadcast from Wilmington, the signal is strong enough to be a competitive station in the Philadelphia radio market as it is Philadelphia's only radio station to have a similar format to rival WBEB
WBEB
WBEB is a radio station broadcasting a Soft Rock/Adult Contemporary format. Licensed to Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, it serves the Greater Philadelphia metropolitan area. It first began broadcasting in 1963 under the call sign WDVR. The station is currently owned by Jerry Lee...
.
WJBR plays a variety of Today's Hits and Yesterday's Favorites. In February 2007, Beasley Broadcast Group
Beasley Broadcast Group
Beasley Broadcast Group, Inc. , based in Naples, Florida, is an owner/operator of radio stations in the United States. As of January 2011, the company owned 17 AM stations and 28 FM stations. -History:...
completed its acquisition of the station from NextMedia
NextMedia Group
NextMedia Group is an out-of-home media company headquartered in Greenwood Village, Colorado. NextMedia owns and operates 33 AM and FM stations , 5,700 outdoor advertising display across several regions and markets , as well as an interactive division ....
for a reported $42 million. Its transmitter is located in Wilmington
Wilmington, Delaware
Wilmington is the largest city in the state of Delaware, United States, and is located at the confluence of the Christina River and Brandywine Creek, near where the Christina flows into the Delaware River. It is the county seat of New Castle County and one of the major cities in the Delaware Valley...
, very close to the Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania
The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania is a U.S. state that is located in the Northeastern and Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States. The state borders Delaware and Maryland to the south, West Virginia to the southwest, Ohio to the west, New York and Ontario, Canada, to the north, and New Jersey to...
state line.
History
WJBR-FM signed on the air in 1956, broadcasting a classical & light music format. The phrase "Just Beautiful Radio" was used on the air. The format eventually evolved into 24 hours of beautiful musicBeautiful music
Beautiful music is a mostly instrumental music format that was prominent in American radio from the 1960s through the 1980s...
and the station used as a nickname "JBR 100"....also announced frequency as "99 and a half".
WJBR-FM 99.5 was founded by a father and son team of John B. Rendfrey, Sr. and John B. Rendfrey, Jr. After leaving the seminary and teaching at a Catholic high school for several years, John, Sr. became co-owner of a local service station. It was John, Jr. who had the history in broadcasting and music; he hosted a local TV dance program (before American Bandstand), and was a recording pianist in the late 1940s. John Sr. began the radio station because John Jr. was a strong believer in the future of FM.
The station operated with only five employees for the first few years. John Sr. did some selling while Jr. operated as General Manager and announcer, Program Director and voiced many of the commercials. The other employees were booth announcers (Del Parks, Ed Hunt, Al Barclay [Bressler] et al. who also played the music.
The first offices, studios, and transmitter site for WJBR-FM were on Ebright Road in North Wilmington. The tower is located at the highest elevation in the state, approximately 400 feet above sea level. The tower itself rises 317 feet further. Offices and studio were moved to Philadelphia Pike in Claymont, in 1993, although the transmitter and tower remained at Ebright Road. In 2000, the studio and offices simply moved further along Philadelphia Pike and now reside in Bellfonte.
By 1985 Beautiful Music was a fading format and new owners, CRB Broadcasting, believed the Adult Contemporary format would produce the audience makeup needed to maximize profit potential. They created "Bright 99.5", which was renamed "Mix 99.5" approximately three years later. The "Mix" handle was phased out in 1993 and the station went back to identifying itself simply by the call letters. Currently the station uses the slogan "Better Music. Fewer Interruptions" to identify its format. Many listeners also know WJBR-FM as the station that plays "The Most Music While You Work".
WJBR-FM has also been a pioneer technically, recognized as one of the first to broadcast a 24-hour stereo format in the late 1950s, and the first station to broadcast an all Compact Disc
Compact Disc
The Compact Disc is an optical disc used to store digital data. It was originally developed to store and playback sound recordings exclusively, but later expanded to encompass data storage , write-once audio and data storage , rewritable media , Video Compact Discs , Super Video Compact Discs ,...
format in the late 1980s.
The official mascot for the station is J. Bear.
Delaware's Christmas Music Station
For many years WJBR has been known as "Delaware's Home for the Holidays". The station switches to an all Christmas format generally around the week before or the week of Thanksgiving. On November 14, 2011 at 3:00PM WJBR switched over to it's all Christmas format. The radio station started the Christmas season with "A Holly Jolly Christmas" by Burl Ives. New jingles and WJBR slogans were added to their Christmas format and now the station is going as "Delaware's Christmas Station". This is the earliest WJBR has switched to it's all Christmas format. Usually the WJBR and B101 (Philadelphia's Christmas Station) switch on the same day. There has always been a clear competition between the two rivaling stations and WJBR made the Christmas switch first for the 2011 season.Radio Hosts
The main radio hosts of 99.5 WJBR are Dave Cruise, Jill Quale, Catey Hill, Brian Demay, Delilah, and John Tesh overnightsWeekends include:
Jim Stoddard, Scott Arnold, Joe Vietri, Joe Bonadonna
Former Airstaff:
Dave Banks
Doug Weldon
Paul Lewis
Michael Waite