WLBW
 | |
| Broadcast area | Ocean City, Maryland |
|---|---|
| Frequency | 92.1 MHz |
| Programming | |
| Format | Contemporary Christian |
| Network | K-Love |
| Ownership | |
| Owner | Educational Media Foundation |
| History | |
First air date | April 1, 1994[1] |
Call sign meaning | Former simulcaster of WLVW in Salisbury, Maryland |
| Technical information[2] | |
Licensing authority | FCC |
| Facility ID | 28170 |
| Class | A |
| ERP | 3 kW |
| HAAT | 143 m (469 ft) |
Transmitter coordinates | 38°25′20″N 75°8′23″W / 38.42222°N 75.13972°W / 38.42222; -75.13972 |
| Links | |
Public license information |
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WLBW is a radio station in the Fenwick Island / Ocean City area of Delaware and Maryland and broadcasting at 92.1 MHz. The station plays a contemporary Christian music format as part of the K-Love network. The station is owned by the Educational Media Foundation.
History
HVS Partners acquired the construction permit for WADD before it went to air, changed the call letters to WLBW, and signed the station on with an oldies format known as "The Wave" on April 1, 1994,[1] simulcasting WLVW-FM in Salisbury, Maryland.[3] The move allowed WLVW's oldies format to expand its reach.[4] HVS Partners sold its stations in the Ocean City-Salisbury market to Cumulus Broadcasting in 1997—including WLBW, three additional FM outlets and an AM station—in a $9.2 million transaction;[5] earlier in the year, Cumulus had entered into a local marketing agreement to run them.[6]
Clear Channel Communications acquired WLBW, WLVW-FM, and the other Cumulus Ocean City stations in 2000, amid financial problems at Cumulus.[7] Clear Channel would flip WLVW-FM to contemporary hit radio in 2004 as WDKZ, breaking the two-station simulcast, with WLBW retaining the oldies format. After a private equity buyout by Bain Capital in 2007, Clear Channel was required to spin off stations from a series of grandfathered clusters, including the Salisbury–Ocean City market, due to ownership limits;[8] it chose to place WLBW and WDKZ in the Aloha Station Trust. The trust sold both stations to EMF in November 2010 for $400,000.[8][9]
References
- ^ a b "WLBW(FM)" (PDF). Broadcasting & Cable Yearbook 1995. p. B-74 (234). Retrieved July 8, 2020.
- ^ "Facility Technical Data for WLBW". Licensing and Management System. Federal Communications Commission.
- ^ "Format Changes & Updates" (PDF). M Street Journal. April 20, 1994. p. 1 (17). Retrieved July 8, 2020.
- ^ "Airwaves attract trio of new radio stations". Baltimore Sun. April 10, 1997. p. 7. Retrieved July 8, 2020.
- ^ "Transactions" (PDF). Radio & Records. September 12, 1997. p. 6. Retrieved July 8, 2020.
- ^ "Format Changes & Updates" (PDF). M Street Journal. January 15, 1997. p. 2 (38). Retrieved July 8, 2020.
- ^ "Elsewhere" (PDF). M Street Journal. May 10, 2000. p. 8 (18). Retrieved July 8, 2020.
- ^ a b "Radio trading: Beachfront property scored by EMF". RBR. November 24, 2010. Retrieved July 8, 2020.
- ^ Venta, Lance (February 9, 2011). "Will Kiss Survive In Salisbury/Ocean City?". RadioInsight. Retrieved July 8, 2020.
External links
- WLBW in the FCC FM station database
- WLBW in Nielsen Audio's FM station database