WKBO

WKBO
City Harrisburg, Pennsylvania
Broadcast area Harrisburg, Pennsylvania
Branding Fortress 1230 AM
Frequency 1230 (kHz)
First air date 1925
Format Christian contemporary
Power 480 watts (ND)
Class C
Facility ID 15323
Transmitter coordinates 40°15′52.5″N 76°52′3.9″W / 40.264583°N 76.867750°W / 40.264583; -76.867750
Callsign meaning W Keystone Boadcasting Organisation (owner in 1933)
Former callsigns WPRC (1925-1929)
WCOD (1929-1933)
Former frequencies 1200 kHz (prior to NARBA of 1941)
Owner One Heart Ministries, Inc.
Website Official site

WKBO (1230 kHz, Fortress1230AM) is the callsign of an AM radio station licensed to serve Harrisburg, Pennsylvania. The station is owned by One Heart Ministries, Inc. and broadcasts a Christian contemporary format. Studios are located at Warm Hearts Cafe in Mechanicsburg, Pennsylvania and the station's tower is located at the Harrisburg Water plant.[1]

History

WKBO began as WPRC in October 1925. It was owned by the Wilson Printing and Radio Company of Harrisburg, PA.[2] WPRC became WCOD in 1929 when it was purchased by local businessman Norman R. Hoffman.[3] WCOD was later purchased by the Keystone Broadcasting Corporation in 1930.[4] The station eventually changed call signs to WKBO in the early 1930s to reflect the change of ownership.[5] WKBO was part of a chain of stations owned by the Mason-Dixon Radio Group of Lancaster, PA from the 1930s to the 1970s. It was co-owned with WGAL of Lancaster, PA and WORK of York, PA. The Mason-Dixon organization was owned by the Steinman family of Lancaster, PA, publisher of several local newspapers.

WPRC was Harrisburg's fourth licensed broadcasting station. It was preceded by WBAK in 1922,[6] WABB in 1923,[7] and WHBG in early 1925.[8]

During its Mason-Dixon years, WKBO broadcast from the Penn Harris Hotel at Walnut and North 3rd Street in downtown Harrisburg (40°15′40.1472″N 76°52′50.844″W / 40.261152000°N 76.88079000°W / 40.261152000; -76.88079000). The antenna tower was located on the roof of the hotel building with a shortened counterpoise radial system that only extended to the edge of the building's roof.[9]

Some earlier attempts to document WKBO's history erroneously stated that WKBO began as WABB. Federal records do not support this. However, records do show a clear lineage between WKBO and WPRC. Further complicating the WKBO/WABB theory is that WABB and WPRC were licensed concurrently during 1925 and 1926, eliminating any chance that WABB and WPRC shared a common history. In all likelihood, WABB simply ceased broadcasting, which was a common occurrence in the early days of radio. The unusual lack of press in the local newspapers about WABB compared to the other three Harrisburg stations - WBAK, WHBG and WPRC - tends to suggest that WABB had very little programming and was simply unable to continue operating. WABB changed ownership several times during the mid-1920s and made its final appearance in federal publications in December 1926, a full fourteen months after WPRC first appeared.[10]

During the 1920s up to the 1940s, radio stations such as WKBO often sponsored live broadcasts from local ballrooms. WKBO's location in the Penn Harris Hotel was ideal for this. Local ensembles frequently performed in WKBO's studios as well. When tastes shifted and recorded music became more popular in the 1950s, WKBO broadcast a full service/Middle of the road format featuring adult standards.

1970s

In 1971, it was purchased by Harrea Broadcasting and it began its period of market dominance as a Rock and roll then a Top 40 station.

In 1973, it moved its transmitter to City Island (40°15′13.06″N 76°53′9.981″W / 40.2536278°N 76.88610583°W / 40.2536278; -76.88610583) and greatly improved its coverage. The station continued with the Top 40 format until the late 1970s by which time AM radio had already begun its long, steady decline.

On March 28, 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."[11] 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.[12]

1980s

In early 1985, WKBO was replaced by Wink 104 in the ratings. During the rest of the 1980s, the station had an AC format. Becoming a CNN radio affiliate, it then changed to news radio by 1989.

1990s-2000s

In 1996, WKBO switched to Adult standards, 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, which 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,[13] the original City Island transmitter site is now a parking lot.

2000s

In 2010, Clear Channel sold WKBO outright to One Heart Ministries, Inc., which moved its studios to Warm Hearts Cafe in Mechanicsburg, PA.

References

  1. "WKBO Facility Record". United States Federal Communications Commission, audio division.
  2. Template:U.S. Department of Commerce Radio Service Bulletin, October 1, 1925, page 3
  3. Template:Federal Radio Commission Radio Service Bulletin, May 31, 1929, page 12
  4. Template:Federal Radio Commission Radio Service Bulletin, December 31, 1930, page 9
  5. Template:Harrisburg Telegraph, Harrisburg, PA, November 8, 1933, page 6
  6. Template:U.S. Department of Commerce Radio Service Bulletin, May 1, 1922, page 3
  7. Template:U.S. Department of Commerce Radio Service Bulletin, May 1, 1923, page 3
  8. Template:U.S. Department of Commerce Radio Service Bulletin, March 2, 1925, page 3
  9. "WKBO History". Roteman, Jeff (2004) WKBO History.
  10. Template:US Department of Commerce Radio Service Bulletin, December 31, 1926, page 13
  11. Gray, Mike; Rosen, Ira The Warning W. W. Norton & Company, New York 2003 ISBN 0-393-32469-9
  12. Gray, Mike; Rosen, Ira The Warning W. W. Norton & Company, New York 2003 ISBN 0-393-32469-9
  13. The Patriot-News Project failure can't be blamed on Wormleysburg March 23, 1999 p. A11
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