WJBR-FM

WJBR-FM

City	Wilmington, Delaware
Broadcast area	Wilmington, Delaware Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Branding	99.5 WJBR
Slogan	The 80s, 90s and Today
Frequency	99.5 MHz (also on HD Radio) 99.5 HD-2: Radio Disney
First air date	1956
Format	Adult Contemporary (Christmas music Nov-Dec)
ERP	50,000 watts
HAAT	152 meters
Class	B
Facility ID	14374
Callsign meaning	' John B R'eynolds (founder)
Owner	Beasley Broadcast Group, Inc. (Beasley Media Group, LLC)
Webcast	Listen Live
Website	wjbr.com

WJBR-FM (99.5 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 80s, 90s and Today. 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.

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 music 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 Reynolds, Sr. and John B Reynolds Jr. It was John, Jr. who had the history in broadcasting, music; he hosted a local TV dance program (before American Bandstand), 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 Bellefonte.

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.

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.

Delaware's Christmas Music Station

For many years WJBR has been known as "Delaware's Christmas Station". The station switches to an all-Christmas format generally around Thanksgiving.

On November 19, 2012 at 10:00AM WJBR switched over to its all Christmas format. The radio station started the Christmas season with "Do They Know It's Christmas" by Band Aid. Usually WJBR and 101.1 More FM (Philadelphia's WBEB) switch on the same day. There has always been a clear competition between the two rival stations.

WJBR announced on November 21, 2013 that their all Christmas format will begin on November 22, 2013 at noon. The radio station started the 2013 Christmas season with "It's Beginning to Look a Lot Like Christmas" by Bing Crosby. WBEB started their Christmas music November 21, 2013 at 3pm and WJBR made this announced on their Facebook right after.

On November 20, 2014 at 9am WJBR switched to all Christmas. WJBR switched back to their regular format at Midnight on December 29.

On November 19, 2015 at 2pm WJBR switched to all Christmas once again. The switch was at the same time as rival station WBEB's switch to all Christmas. WJBR switched back to their regular format on Monday, December 28 at midnight.

Radio hosts

The main radio hosts of 99.5 WJBR currently are: John Hanson, Charlie Maxx, Catey Hill,and Chris Duff. The Syndicated host is Delilah

Weekend air talent include: Jim Stoddard, Donna Cavender, Chris Leonard, Randy Kotz,and Michele Polenza

Former air staff: Brian Demay, Lisa Norris, Dave Cruise, Jill Quale, Paul Lewis, Michael Waite, Ken Pauli, Greg Purcell, Doug Weldon, Allan Michaels, Drewe Phinny, Dave Banks, Joe Bonadonna, Bob Carmen(Charger), Joe Robinson, Ann Cates, Yolanda Santiago, Steve Rakoczy, Bill Kaye, Howard Gessner, Joe Cutter, Tony Reynolds.

Former news staff: Ted Boyda, Valerie Mack, Clint Dantinne

External links

WJBR official website

Query the FCC's FM station database for WJBR

Radio-Locator information on WJBR

Query Nielsen Audio's FM station database for WJBR

Radio stations in the Wilmington, Delaware market

By AM frequency	1150 1290 1380 1450 1510

By FM frequency	89.1 91.3 91.7 93.7 99.5 101.7 103.7 107.7

By callsign	WDEL WDEL-FM WFAI WILM WJBR-FM WMPH WRTI WSTW WTMC WVUD WWTX WXCY WXHL-FM

Defunct	WNWK/1260

Philadelphia Metro Markets Allentown Monmouth-Ocean Reading Trenton Wilmington Delaware radio markets Wilmington Salisbury-Ocean City, MD Other Delaware radio regions Dover See also List of radio stations in Delaware

Radio stations in the Philadelphia market

By AM frequency	560 610 640 690² 740 800 860² 900 950 990 1060¹ 1110 1180 1210¹ 1310² 1340² 1360 1370 1420 1440 1460 1480 1490 1520 1540 1590 1640 1680² ¹ Clear-channel stations with extended nighttime coverage ²Broadcast in Spanish

By FM frequency	88.1 88.1 88.5 88.7 88.9 88.9 89.1 89.1 89.3 (Warminster) 89.3 (Coatesville) 89.5 89.5 89.7 90.1 90.5 90.9 91.5 91.5 91.7 91.7 91.7 92.5 93.3 93.7 94.1 94.5 94.9 95.7 96.5 97.3 97.5 98.1 98.5 98.9 99.5 99.9 100.3 101.1 102.1 102.9 103.9 104.5 105.3 106.1 106.5 106.9 107.9

NOAA Weather Radio frequency	162.425 162.475

Digital broadcast radio stations	610 950 1060 1210 1480 88.5-1 88.5-2 90.9-1 90.9-2 92.5-1 92.5-2 92.5-3 93.3-1 93.3-2 94.1-1 94.1-2 94.1-3 94.1-4 95.7-1 95.7-2 96.5-1 96.5-2 97.5-1 97.5-2 97.5-3 98.1-1 98.1-2 98.1-3 98.1-4 98.9-1 98.9-2 100.3-1 101.1-1 101.1-2 102.1-1 102.1-2 102.9-1 102.9-2 104.5-1 104.5-2 105.3-1 105.3-2 106.1-1 106.1-2 107.9-1

By callsign	KIH28 KYW¹ WBCB WBBO WBEB WBEN-FM WBMR WBYO WCHE WCHR WCOJ WCUR WDAS WDAS-FM WDNR WEMG² WEXP WFIL WFYL WHAT WHHS WHYY WIFI WIOQ WIP-FM WISX WJBR WKDN WKDU WKVP WMGK WMMR WNAP WNG704 WNJC WNJS-FM WNPV WNTP WNWR WOGL WPAZ WPEB WPEN WPHE² WPHI-FM WPHT¹ WPNX700 WPPZ-FM WPST WPWA WQHS WRDV WRFF WRNB WRSD WRTI WRTJ WSRN-FM WSTW WTEL WTHJ WTMR WTTM² WURD WUSL WVCH WWDB² WWJZ WWLU WWTX WXPN WXTU WXVU WYBF WYPA WZMP WZZE

Defunct stations	WCAU (AM) WCAU-FM WDRE WDVR WEGK WLCE WQHS WSNI WTHK WYXR

Pennsylvania radio markets Allentown–Bethlehem Altoona Bradford–Coudersport Chambersburg–Waynesboro Erie Harrisburg–Lebanon–Carlisle Lancaster Montrose New Castle Philadelphia Pittsburgh Reading Sayre–Towanda–Mansfield–Wellsboro Wilkes-Barre–Scranton Williamsport York Other Pennsylvania radio regions Bedford Indiana Johnstown Lewistown–Mifflintown Meadville–Franklin Punxsutawney–DuBois St. Marys–Emporium–Kane State College Stroudsburg Sunbury–Selinsgrove–Lewisburg Warren Philadelphia Metro Markets Allentown Monmouth-Ocean Reading Trenton Wilmington See also List of radio stations in Pennsylvania Mass media in the Philadelphia Area Radio stations TV stations Newspapers

Beasley Broadcast Group

Delaware	WJBR-FM

Florida	WBRN-FM WHFS WHSR WJBX WJPT WLLD WQYK-FM WRBQ-FM WRXK-FM WSBR WWCN WWNN WXKB WYUU

Georgia	WAEC WCHZ-FM WDRR WGAC WGAC-FM WGUS-FM WHHD WKXC-FM WRDW WWWE

Massachusetts	WRCA

New Jersey	WTMR

Nevada	KCYE KDWN KKLZ KOAS KVGS

North Carolina	WAZZ WBAV-FM WBCN WFLB WFNZ WIKS WKML WKQC WMGV WNCT WNCT-FM WNKS WPEG WSFL-FM WSOC-FM WUKS WXNR WZFX

Pennsylvania	WTEL WWDB

Coordinates: 39°50′02″N 75°31′26″W / 39.8340°N 75.5238°W / 39.8340; -75.5238

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