First air date 1949 Branding News Talk AM 790 WAEB | Facility ID 14371 Frequency 790 kHz (A.M.) Owner iHeartMedia Inc | |
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Power 3,600 Watts daytime,1,500 Watts nighttime Callsign meaning AllentownEastonBethlehem Slogan Lehigh Valley's Talk Station! | ||
WAEB is a news, talk and sports radio station in Allentown, Pennsylvania, in the Lehigh Valley region of Pennsylvania, in the United States. WAEB broadcasts at 790 kHz AM.
Contents
The station is owned by iHeartMedia, Inc..
History
WAEB began operations in 1949. The station was sold to Rust Broadcasting in 1957, adopting a Top 40 format and the slogan Music Radio 79 WAEB.
In 1983, the station began to evolve into more of a Hot Adult Contemporary format, and by 1985, more of a straight Adult Contemporary format beginning to emphasise Oldies. In 1986 WAEB added evening syndicated Talk shows. Overnight talk was added by 1989 and the station was playing oldies during the day at that point.
WAEB and WAEB-FM were sold to CRB Broadcasting in the late 1980s. In 1993 WAEB evolved into a Talk Format, and in 1995 the station along with WAEB were sold to Capstar along with WZZO and WKAP. The stations all went to AM/FM Broadcasting as a result of the Chancellor/Capstar merger in 1999.
When AM/FM merged with Clear Channel (which owned WODE and WEEX), the company would be forced to sell an AM and FM station to be under legal ownership limits. Clear Channel would give Nassau cash plus WODE and WEEX in exchange for New Jersey stations WSUS, WNNJ, WNNJ-FM, WHCY, WDLC LMA, and WTSX LMA. As a result WAEB, WAEB FM, WZZO and WKAP were now Clear Channel Stations.
In January 2007, after WKAP dropped the Oldies format in favor of religious programming (also changing its call letters to WYHM), WAEB launched an Internet radio station playing Oldies music on its Web site. Strong demand still exists for an AM or FM station dedicated to the Oldies format lost when WKAP changed its format.
On September 4, 2009, the northern-most tower mast of the station's five-tower antenna array located in Whitehall Township was toppled when a vandal or vandals cut the tower's guy wires.
Programming
WAEB currently runs a standard slate of news talkers typical of Clear Channel Communications owned stations. This includes Glenn Beck Program, The Rush Limbaugh Show, The Sean Hannity Show, The Savage Nation, and Coast to Coast AM. In addition, the station also airs a local morning show hosted by Bobby Gunther Walsh.
Coast to Coast AM preempted
WAEB 790 AM preempts "Coast to Coast AM" On Christmas Eve and New Year's Eve.
"Coast to Coast AM" does live shows on Christmas Eve and New Year's Eve. WAEB preempted this show in 2006 and 2007. They said they will do the same for 2008.