WKBO
Encyclopedia
WKBO is the callsign of an AM
radio
station licensed to Harrisburg, Pennsylvania
. The station is owned by One Heart Ministries and broadcasts on 1230 kHz at 480 watts full time, non-directional, from a tower located at the Harrisburg Water plant. It operates from studios in the Warm Hearts Cafe in Mechanicsburg
.
During its early days, it broadcast a Full Service
/Middle of the Road format.
then a Top 40
station.
In 1973, it moved its transmitter to City Island
(40°15′13.0638"N 76°53′9.981"W) and greatly improved its coverage. The station continued with the Top 40 format until the late '70s by which time AM radio had already began its long, steady decline.
On March 28th, 1979, traffic reporter Dave Edwards noticed something unusual at the Three Mile Island Nuclear Power plant. The plant appeared to be non-operational because there was no steam coming from the cooling towers. There was also a large contingent of emergency vehicles in and around the plant. Upon learning this, the WKBO news director, Mike Pintek, called the plant, he was told "I can't talk right now, we've got a problem." This prompted Pintek to make several follow up calls to the plant's owner, Metropolitan Edison, developing the breaking news story. WKBO was the first media outlet to report the story at 8:25am, almost four and a half hours after the partial meltdown
began. By 9am, the AP
picked up the story and it was broadcast nationally.
in the ratings. During the rest of the '80s the station had an AC
format. Becoming a CNN
radio affiliate, it then changed to news radio
by 1989.
, broadcasting the satellite syndicated Music of Your Life
format from Jones Radio. That format lasted until 2000, when Clear Channel leased its entire broadcast day to One Heart Ministries, who turned it into a contemporary Christian station.
In 1998, the City of Harrisburg decided to end the transmitter site lease at city island in order to develop the site as a recreational use, planning a restaurant complex called Kahunaville. The transmitter was moved to the Harrisburg Water plant. This installation is one of the few where a Wireless Mobile
transmitting tower is successfully combined with an AM broadcasting
tower. Kahunaville remains un-built, the original City Island transmitter site is now a parking lot.
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...
radio
Radio
Radio is the transmission of signals through free space by modulation of electromagnetic waves with frequencies below those of visible light. Electromagnetic radiation travels by means of oscillating electromagnetic fields that pass through the air and the vacuum of space...
station licensed to Harrisburg, Pennsylvania
Harrisburg, Pennsylvania
Harrisburg is the capital of Pennsylvania. As of the 2010 census, the city had a population of 49,528, making it the ninth largest city in Pennsylvania...
. The station is owned by One Heart Ministries and broadcasts on 1230 kHz at 480 watts full time, non-directional, from a tower located at the Harrisburg Water plant. It operates from studios in the Warm Hearts Cafe in Mechanicsburg
Mechanicsburg, Pennsylvania
Mechanicsburg is a borough in Cumberland County, Pennsylvania, USA, eight miles west of Harrisburg. It is part of the Harrisburg–Carlisle Metropolitan Statistical Area. Mechanicsburg was settled in 1806 and incorporated as a borough on April 12, 1828...
.
History
WKBO is one of the more storied radio stations in the Harrisburg radio market. It began broadcasting in 1922 from the Penn Harris Hotel on Walnut and North 3rd Street in downtown Harrisburg (40°15′40.1472"N 76°52′50.844"W). The antenna tower was located on the roof of the building with a shortened counterpoise radial system that only extended to the edge of the building's roof.During its early days, it broadcast a Full Service
Full service
Full service is a term that has many different uses. In general the term implies that the customer will receive as much service as is reasonably possible.-Gas station:...
/Middle of the Road format.
1970s
In 1971, it was purchased by Harrea Broadcasting and it began its period of market dominance as a Rock and rollRock and roll
Rock and roll is a genre of popular music that originated and evolved in the United States during the late 1940s and early 1950s, primarily from a combination of African American blues, country, jazz, and gospel music...
then a Top 40
Contemporary hit radio
Contemporary hit radio is a radio format that is common in the United States, United Kingdom, Canada and Australia that focuses on playing current and recurrent popular music as determined by the Top 40 music charts...
station.
In 1973, it moved its transmitter to City Island
City Island (Pennsylvania)
City Island is a mile-long island in the Susquehanna River between Harrisburg and Wormleysburg, Pennsylvania in the United States. It is used mainly for leisure and sports activities...
(40°15′13.0638"N 76°53′9.981"W) and greatly improved its coverage. The station continued with the Top 40 format until the late '70s by which time AM radio had already began its long, steady decline.
On March 28th, 1979, traffic reporter Dave Edwards noticed something unusual at the Three Mile Island Nuclear Power plant. The plant appeared to be non-operational because there was no steam coming from the cooling towers. There was also a large contingent of emergency vehicles in and around the plant. Upon learning this, the WKBO news director, Mike Pintek, called the plant, he was told "I can't talk right now, we've got a problem." This prompted Pintek to make several follow up calls to the plant's owner, Metropolitan Edison, developing the breaking news story. WKBO was the first media outlet to report the story at 8:25am, almost four and a half hours after the partial meltdown
Three Mile Island accident
The Three Mile Island accident was a core meltdown in Unit 2 of the Three Mile Island Nuclear Generating Station in Dauphin County, Pennsylvania near Harrisburg, United States in 1979....
began. By 9am, the AP
Associated Press
The Associated Press is an American news agency. The AP is a cooperative owned by its contributing newspapers, radio and television stations in the United States, which both contribute stories to the AP and use material written by its staff journalists...
picked up the story and it was broadcast nationally.
1980s
In early 1985, WKBO was replaced by Wink 104WNNK
WNNK-FM is a hot adult contemporary music formatted radio station serving the Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, area. Its studio is located in Linglestown, Pennsylvania and its transmitter is located on an Antenna farm alongside WHTM-TV in Enola, Pennsylvania.-History:Wink 104 actually began life with the...
in the ratings. During the rest of the '80s the station had an AC
Adult contemporary music
Adult contemporary music is a broad style of popular music that ranges from lush 1950s and 1960s vocal music to predominantly ballad-heavy music with varying degrees of rock influence, as well as a radio format that plays such music....
format. Becoming a CNN
CNN
Cable News Network is a U.S. cable news channel founded in 1980 by Ted Turner. Upon its launch, CNN was the first channel to provide 24-hour television news coverage, and the first all-news television channel in the United States...
radio affiliate, it then changed to news radio
News Radio
News Radio can refer to:* NewsRadio, the NBC sitcom which aired from 1995–1999.* News radio, the all-news or news/talk radio format....
by 1989.
1990s-2000s
In 1996, WKBO switched to Adult standardsAdult standards
Adult standards is a North American radio format heard primarily on AM or class A FM stations.Adult standards is aimed at "mature" adults, meaning mainly those persons over 50 years of age, but it is mostly targeted for senior citizens...
, broadcasting the satellite syndicated Music of Your Life
Music of Your Life
Music of Your Life is a satellite-delivered radio network featuring the Adult Standards music format. Created by record executive and jingle writer Al Ham, and now under the direction of Marc Angell, Music of Your Life has more than 50 AM, FM and HD-2 radio station affiliates, and has been in...
format from Jones Radio. That format lasted until 2000, when Clear Channel leased its entire broadcast day to One Heart Ministries, who turned it into a contemporary Christian station.
In 1998, the City of Harrisburg decided to end the transmitter site lease at city island in order to develop the site as a recreational use, planning a restaurant complex called Kahunaville. The transmitter was moved to the Harrisburg Water plant. This installation is one of the few where a Wireless Mobile
Cell site
A cell site is a term used to describe a site where antennas and electronic communications equipment are placed, usually on a radio mast, tower or other high place, to create a cell in a cellular network...
transmitting tower is successfully combined with an 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...
tower. Kahunaville remains un-built, the original City Island transmitter site is now a parking lot.