WAEB (AM)

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WAEB
City of license Allentown, Pennsylvania
Broadcast area Allentown/Bethlehem/Easton
Branding News Talk AM 790 WAEB
Frequency 790 kHz (analog)
First air date 1949
Format News/Talk/Sports
Power 3,600 Watts daytime,
1,500 Watts nighttime
Callsign meaning Allentown
Easton
Bethlehem
Owner Clear Channel Communications
Website WAEB-AM Official Web Site

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.

The station is owned by Clear Channel Communications.

[edit] History

WAEB began operations in 1949. They were sold to Rust Broadcasting in 1957, employed a Top 40 format, and was known as 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.

[edit] 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 and airs the regionally syndicated The War Room with Quinn and Rose in the evening hours, on delay.

[edit] External links