WBAX
Encyclopedia
WBAX is a radio station located in Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania
; located on the AM dial at 1240 kHz. It simulcasts the sports radio format of WEJL
in Scranton, filling in the gaps in WEJL's signal outside Lackawanna County. It is owned by Times-Shamrock Communications
of Scranton.
/Wilkes-Barre
area, originally starting on April 29, 1922 by John H. Stenger Jr. As the first commercial radio station in northeastern Pennsylvania, WBAX is one of the 100 oldest radio stations in the entire U.S.
WBAX has been on the air continuously, with the same original call letters, for almost 90 years. It originally broadcast on a frequency of 833 kHz, the common local broadcast frequency used in 1922. By 1925, the station changed frequency to 1170 kHz. In 1928, WBAX changed frequencies to 1200 kHz which it time shared with the other AM broadcasting
station located in Wilkes-Barre
at the time WBRE. The time sharing arrangement between WBAX and WBRE ceased by 1930 when WBAX moved to 1210 kHz and WBRE moved to 1310 kHz. WBAX stayed at 1210 kHz until the great nationwide frequency reassignment mandated by the Federal government took place in 1941 moving the station to its current dial position of 1240 kHz. WBAX was an affiliate of the Mutual
radio network during its early history and for a period of time in the 1970s and 1980s was owned by Merv Griffin Group Radio.
In 1994, the Lynett family of Scranton, publishers of The Scranton Times (now The Times-Tribune), bought WBAX and turned it into a full simulcast of WEJL. Although WEJL's daytime signal decently covers Wilkes-Barre, much of the southern part of the market (for instance, Hazleton
) gets only a grade B signal due to the area's rugged terrain. At night, WEJL must power down to 32 watts, effectively limiting its nighttime coverage to Lackawanna County.
Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania
Wilkes-Barre is a city in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania, the county seat of Luzerne County. It is at the center of the Wyoming Valley area and is one of the principal cities in the Scranton/Wilkes-Barre metropolitan area, which had a population of 563,631 as of the 2010 Census...
; located on the AM dial at 1240 kHz. It simulcasts the sports radio format of WEJL
WEJL
WEJL is a radio station broadcasting in Scranton, Pennsylvania on the AM dial at 630 kHz. Its programming is simulcast on WBAX in Wilkes-Barre, at 1240 kHz and WQFM in Forest City at 100.1 MHz. The two stations, known on-air as ESPN Radio 630-1240, broadcast sports talk programming from...
in Scranton, filling in the gaps in WEJL's signal outside Lackawanna County. It is owned by Times-Shamrock Communications
Times-Shamrock Communications
Times-Shamrock Communications is an American media company based in Scranton, Pennsylvania. The company, owned by the Lynett and Haggerty families of Scranton, lists among its assets seven daily newspapers, over 20 weekly newspapers, and 12 radio stations...
of Scranton.
History
WBAX is the oldest station broadcasting in the ScrantonScranton, Pennsylvania
Scranton is a city in the northeastern part of Pennsylvania, United States. It is the county seat of Lackawanna County and the largest principal city in the Scranton/Wilkes-Barre metropolitan area. Scranton had a population of 76,089 in 2010, according to the U.S...
/Wilkes-Barre
Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania
Wilkes-Barre is a city in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania, the county seat of Luzerne County. It is at the center of the Wyoming Valley area and is one of the principal cities in the Scranton/Wilkes-Barre metropolitan area, which had a population of 563,631 as of the 2010 Census...
area, originally starting on April 29, 1922 by John H. Stenger Jr. As the first commercial radio station in northeastern Pennsylvania, WBAX is one of the 100 oldest radio stations in the entire U.S.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
WBAX has been on the air continuously, with the same original call letters, for almost 90 years. It originally broadcast on a frequency of 833 kHz, the common local broadcast frequency used in 1922. By 1925, the station changed frequency to 1170 kHz. In 1928, WBAX changed frequencies to 1200 kHz which it time shared with the other AM broadcasting
AM broadcasting
AM broadcasting is the process of radio broadcasting using amplitude modulation. AM was the first method of impressing sound on a radio signal and is still widely used today. Commercial and public AM broadcasting is carried out in the medium wave band world wide, and on long wave and short wave...
station located in Wilkes-Barre
Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania
Wilkes-Barre is a city in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania, the county seat of Luzerne County. It is at the center of the Wyoming Valley area and is one of the principal cities in the Scranton/Wilkes-Barre metropolitan area, which had a population of 563,631 as of the 2010 Census...
at the time WBRE. The time sharing arrangement between WBAX and WBRE ceased by 1930 when WBAX moved to 1210 kHz and WBRE moved to 1310 kHz. WBAX stayed at 1210 kHz until the great nationwide frequency reassignment mandated by the Federal government took place in 1941 moving the station to its current dial position of 1240 kHz. WBAX was an affiliate of the Mutual
Mutual Broadcasting System
The Mutual Broadcasting System was an American radio network, in operation from 1934 to 1999. In the golden age of U.S. radio drama, MBS was best known as the original network home of The Lone Ranger and The Adventures of Superman and as the long-time radio residence of The Shadow...
radio network during its early history and for a period of time in the 1970s and 1980s was owned by Merv Griffin Group Radio.
In 1994, the Lynett family of Scranton, publishers of The Scranton Times (now The Times-Tribune), bought WBAX and turned it into a full simulcast of WEJL. Although WEJL's daytime signal decently covers Wilkes-Barre, much of the southern part of the market (for instance, Hazleton
Hazleton, Pennsylvania
Hazleton is a city in Luzerne County, Pennsylvania, United States. The population was 25,340 at the 2010 census, an increase of 8.6% from the 2000 census count .-Greater Hazleton:...
) gets only a grade B signal due to the area's rugged terrain. At night, WEJL must power down to 32 watts, effectively limiting its nighttime coverage to Lackawanna County.