WEBE

WEBE (107.9 FM) – branded as WEBE108 – is a commercial adult contemporary music radio station licensed to Westport, Connecticut. Owned by Connoisseur Media, the station serves the Greater New Haven and Fairfield County, Connecticut areas. The WEBE studios are located on Wheelers Farms Road in Milford with other Connoisseur radio stations, while the station's transmitter is located on the Hi-Ho Tower off Booth Hill Road in Trumbull (from the FCC website). Besides a standard analog transmission, WEBE broadcasts in HD and is available online.

WEBE
CityWestport, Connecticut
Broadcast area
Frequency107.9 MHz (HD Radio)
BrandingWEBE108
SloganConnecticut's Best Music Variety!
Programming
FormatAdult contemporary
Ownership
OwnerConnoisseur Media
(Connoisseur Media Licenses, LLC)
History
First air date
September 1, 1962 (1962-09-01)
Former call signs
  • WMMM-FM (1962–1970)
  • WDJF (1970–1984)
Call sign meaning
phonetically pronounced as "Wee-Bee"
Technical information
Licensing authority
FCC
Facility ID71389
ClassB
ERP20,500 watts
HAAT117 meters (384 ft)
Transmitter coordinates
41°16′45″N 73°11′5″W
Links
Public license information
Profile
LMS
WebcastListen live
Websitewebe108.com

History

The frequency of 107.9 MHz was originally assigned by the Federal Communications Commission to Westport, Connecticut, under its Table of Allocations. On September 1, 1962, WMMM-FM signed on the air as the FM counterpart to WMMM (now WSHU).[1] WMMM-AM-FM were owned by the Westport Broadcasting Company headed by Sydney J. Flamm. WMMM was a daytimer station. When it went off the air at sunset each evening, WMMM-FM allowed its programming to continue to be heard.

The stations broadcast out of offices and studios located above a deli at 163 Main Street in Westport. The broadcasting antenna for 107.9 FM was located in a residential neighborhood in Wilton, to the chagrin of neighbors. The power was 5,200 watts, a fraction of its current output, with an antenna height above average terrain (HAAT) of only 79 feet, so the broadcast radius of the station was quite limited.

In 1970, WMMM-FM got the new call sign WDJF.[2] The FM station continued to simulcast WMMM for a few more years, and would later switch to an automated adult contemporary format. The station's power was increased to 50,000 watts of power, and relocated to a taller tower.

Over the next two decades, the station's ownership changed several times. In 1984, the station was acquired by a company known as "The 108 Radio Company Ltd. Partnership", and would switch the call letters to WEBE. In addition, automation was ended and live DJs handled most air shifts. In 1987, the ownership changed to a company calling itself "WEBE Associates."[3] In 2000, ownership changed again, this time to Nassau Broadcasting LLC.[4] Cumulus Media acquired Nassau Broadcasting in March 2002.[5] Cumulus also owned WICC.

On April 15, 2019, Cumulus Media announced that WEBE and WICC would be swapped to Connoisseur Media, which began operating the stations under a local marketing agreement (LMA) on May 1, 2019.[6] The swap was consummated on June 26, 2019.

HD radio

Cumulus Broadcasting began upgrading its stations to HD Radio broadcasting in 2005. One of the first ten stations to get changed to HD transmission was WEBE.[7] WEBE's HD-2 subchannel carries the talk format heard on co-owned WICC.

References
  1. Broadcasting Yearbook 1964 page B-29
  2. Broadcasting Yearbook 1971 page B-37
  3. Broadcasting Yearbook 1990 page B-60
  4. Broadcasting & Cable Yearbook 2001 page D-82
  5. Broadcasting & Cable Yearbook 2003-2004 page D-86
  6. Cumulus Media Sells KLOS To Meruelo Media Swaps Bridgeport To Connoisseur For Allentown
  7. Harnett, Mary Beth (2006-04-24). "Harris Corporation Announces Multi-Deal Agreement as Exclusive HD Radio(TM) Supplier to Cumulus Broadcasting". EE Times.
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