WBBR

WBBR
Company type	Radio station
Industry	Broadcasting
Founded	1934 (as WNEW)
Headquarters	New York City, United States
Area served	Eastern United States and Eastern Canada
Products	Radio broadcasting (general and financial news)
Owner	Bloomberg L.P.
Website	www.bloomberg.com/live/us

WBBR operates on the 1130 kHz frequency as a Class A clear-channel AM station licensed in New York, New York. It functions as the primary station for Bloomberg Radio, the radio division of Bloomberg L.P., delivering continuous general and financial news, local updates, and interviews featuring business leaders, economists, and sector experts.

Transmitting at the maximum permitted AM power of 50,000 watts, WBBR utilizes a four-tower antenna system located in Carlstadt, New Jersey. During daytime hours, transmission occurs via a single tower; however, at night all four towers operate directionally to avoid interference with KWKH in Shreveport, Louisiana, which is the other Class A broadcaster on 1130 AM. Despite these constraints, WBBR’s coverage extends across much of the Eastern United States and Eastern Canada, with its strongest signal concentrated in the Northeast. The station’s studios are situated at 731 Lexington Avenue ("Bloomberg Tower") in Midtown Manhattan.

Initial era as WNEW: 1930s–1940s

The creation of WNEW resulted from merging two New York-area stations sharing time on 1250 kHz: WAAM based in Newark and WODA from Paterson. WAAM received its license in April 1922 under the I. R. Nelson Company, while WODA began operations in April 1925 through James K O'Dea Radio and Victrola Shop.

WNEW launched on February 13, 1934, promoting itself as "New York's newest radio station," with call letters symbolizing NEWark, New Jersey. It controlled six-sevenths of the broadcast schedule, leaving one-seventh to WHBI. The station became known for its adult music lineup and popular personalities such as Martin Block, Dee Finch, and Gene Rayburn. It also innovated modern morning radio formats. Renowned for an award-winning news team, WNEW earned the nickname "The Voice of New York Sports," covering franchises including the New York Giants, New York Rangers, and New York Knicks.

In 1934, advertising executive Milton H. Biow and watchmaker Arde Bulova purchased WNEW through The Greater New York Broadcasting Company. They also secured Manhattan studios at 501 Madison Avenue. Bernice Judis was appointed as WNEW's inaugural general manager, standing out as a prominent female executive during radio’s "Golden Age." The call sign was retained to represent "the NEWest thing in radio." Following this acquisition, the community of license shifted from Newark to New York City.

Operating independently without network programming such as comedy or soap operas, Judis emphasized innovative content like Stan Shaw's Milkman's Matinee, the first all-night show, alongside popular morning hosts.

In 1935, WNEW became a pioneer of the disc jockey format when announcer Martin Block filled intervals during coverage of the Lindbergh kidnapping trial by playing records between news segments. This evolved into the experimental 15-minute program Make Believe Ballroom, which recreated live performances using recorded music. The show attracted up to a quarter of New York City’s audience and aired intermittently until 1992.

In 1936, WNEW won a significant legal battle against bandleaders Paul Whiteman, Sammy Kaye, and Fred Waring who argued that playing records violated exclusive contracts. The court decided that stations could freely broadcast purchased records, facilitating widespread use of recorded music on radio and influencing contemporary programming styles.

By January 1, 1940, WNEW held a license for broadcasting on 1250 kHz with power levels of 2,500 watts during daytime and 1,000 watts at night. Following the North American Regional Broadcasting Agreement (NARBA) on March 29, 1941, it transitioned to 1280 kHz with authorization to operate at 5,000 watts both day and night.

November 12, 1941, Call Sign Exchange Between WNEW and WOV

Toward the end of 1941, WNEW and WOV swapped their call signs and programming schedules: WOV transitioned from 1130 kHz to WNEW’s former frequency at 1280 kHz, while WNEW moved from 1280 kHz to 1130 kHz. The Federal Communications Commission authorized this modification on November 12, 1941, with the official transition completed by December 1. This exchange involved transferring transmission power, call letters, and technical equipment. Following the swap, WNEW broadcasted on 1130 kHz utilizing a full-time 10,000-watt signal.

In 1942, Judis launched a dedicated broadcast news desk at the New York Daily News, positioning WNEW among the pioneers in delivering hourly newscasts—a format that eventually became industry standard. The station parted ways with the Daily News affiliation in 1958 and subsequently established its own independent news division staffed by thirteen reporters and writers.

1950s

In March 1954, ownership of WNEW transferred to a consortium led by Richard D. Buckley, who would later found Buckley Broadcasting. By October 1955, control shifted again when Buckley joined forces with television producer and investor Jack Wrather and financier John L. Loeb. In March 1957, DuMont Broadcasting Corporation acquired WNEW, aligning it as a sister station to its former flagship TV outlet WABD (channel 5). The television station was rebranded as WNEW-TV in 1958; DuMont Broadcasting eventually evolved into Metromedia.

During the 1950s and into the ’60s, WNEW adopted a personality-driven programming style featuring trailblazing disc jockeys. Comedian Dee Finch co-hosted the popular morning show Anything Goes alongside Gene Rayburn and later Gene Klavan, blending humor with advertiser engagement.

As popular music fragmented into rock and roll and traditional standards, radio stations polarized between Top 40 formats—repeating current best-selling songs—and Middle of the Road (MOR) formats that emphasized adult standards and softer contemporary hits. DJs such as Ted Brown, Al "Jazzbo" Collins, and William B. Williams were instrumental in shaping WNEW’s MOR identity by delivering polished presentations of popular standards.

1960s

WNEW’s news division flourished through the late 1950s and early ’60s, earning a reputation as one of the premier independent radio news operations. The station dispatched correspondents across the globe, including coverage from Cuba featuring interviews with Fidel Castro and reporting from Africa on Albert Schweitzer. In 1960, WNEW received both a Peabody Award and an Associated Press Award recognizing its news excellence. Aerospace writer Martin Caidin anchored live broadcasts of early U.S. space missions from Cape Canaveral.

Following the departure of longtime general manager Bernice Judis in 1959, John Van Buren Sullivan assumed leadership and initiated WNEW’s partnership with the New York Giants in 1960. Due to television blackouts on home games, as much as 60% of New York’s radio audience depended on WNEW for play-by-play coverage. Over time, the station earned the nickname "The Voice of New York Sports," broadcasting Mets, Rangers, and Knicks games for more than thirty years.

By the mid-1960s, WNEW broadened its musical selection to incorporate contemporary performers such as Bobby Vinton, Connie Francis, Wayne Newton, Steve Lawrence, Andy Williams, and Dinah Washington. The playlist also featured softer rock tracks by Elvis Presley, The Beatles, The Association, The 5th Dimension, and Petula Clark while gradually decreasing airtime devoted to big band music and classic standards. From 1965 onward, there was an increasing emphasis on soft rock and Adult Contemporary chart-toppers.

1970s–1980s

During the 1970s, WNEW faced difficulties maintaining its adult pop standards listenership as musical preferences shifted toward younger audiences. To appeal to this demographic, the station began incorporating softer Top 40 selections, despite opposition from veteran DJs such as William B. Williams. In 1971, WNEW adopted a full-service adult contemporary format, cutting back on music during peak commuting hours and temporarily discontinuing the overnight program Milkman's Matinee. This period also saw personnel changes, including replacing longtime sportscaster Marty Glickman with Marv Albert.

The station's playlist combined soft to mid-tempo Top 40 tracks with a limited number of standards and big band tunes each hour. Industry sources classified WNEW as Adult Contemporary and Pop Adult, with its programming featuring moderate inclusions of 1950s and 1960s rock and Motown hits. The "Million Dollar Weekends" segment showcased vintage hits from the '50s and '60s alongside occasional standards.

As FM radio increasingly attracted younger listeners, WNEW reverted to its pop standards origins in 1976 by reinstating Milkman's Matinee during overnight hours and reintroducing Make Believe Ballroom in midday slots by October 1979. Throughout 1980, the station progressively reduced adult contemporary content, eventually transitioning to an all-big band and standards lineup except during morning and afternoon drive times. By January 1981, WNEW fully embraced a round-the-clock big band and standards format with an expanded repertoire.

In the early 1980s, programming emphasized album tracks by standards artists: mornings featured popular easy listening standards blended with big bands; middays highlighted music from the 1930s and 1940s; afternoons presented deep cuts from vocalists; late nights offered traditional jazz; and overnight hours included a jazz show launched in 1986 that combined traditional, modern, and smooth jazz styles.

WNEW parted ways with its television counterpart in March 1986 when Fox Broadcasting Company, led by Rupert Murdoch, acquired WNEW-TV. In 1988, Metromedia sold WNEW to Westwood One for $22 million; subsequently, Westwood One sold a half-interest to media entrepreneur Robert F. X. Sillerman for $11 million while maintaining operational control.

Despite introducing programs such as Larry King's overnight show, ratings declined. To attract potential buyers, Westwood One implemented cost-cutting measures and reduced staff. By 1988, the station emphasized more prominent hits from standards artists focusing on easy listening tracks from the '50s and '60s. In 1990, it incorporated soft hits by baby boomer pop performers like Neil Diamond, The Carpenters, The Righteous Brothers, Carole King, Barry Manilow, Lionel Richie, and Linda Ronstadt before returning to traditional standards by late 1991 while continuing staff reductions and scaling back local news coverage to maintain profitability.

Under Bloomberg

In August 1992, Bloomberg L.P. purchased WNEW for $13.5 million. Prior to changing formats, the station's on-air team hosted a farewell broadcast on December 10–11 to mark the conclusion of an era. The final program concluded at 8:15 p.m. on December 11 with Mark Simone’s sign-off, followed by Sinatra’s renditions of "Here's That Rainy Day" and "We'll Meet Again". Subsequently, WNEW affiliated with NBC Talknet and Larry King's show.

Beginning at 2:00 a.m. on December 12, WNEW simulcast WYNY for three days, pausing only for New York Giants football games, Talknet programming, and Larry King's show. The sale was finalized on December 15; the station continued simulcasting WYNY until 4:00 p.m., then aired the Perry Como Christmas Special, Talknet segments, and one hour of Larry King before signing off at 11:59 p.m. A prerecorded message from an engineering director announced the station's closure.

At the transmitter site, engineer Rene Tetro briefly switched off the transmitter to transition to Bloomberg’s feed. Broadcasting resumed at 12:01 a.m. under the callsign WBBR, simulcasting WQEW (1560 AM), then owned by The New York Times. WQEW had recently adopted a standards format and encouraged listeners to tune to 1560 AM. This simulcast ended at 5 a.m. on January 4, 1993, when WBBR launched its business news format.

In October 2000, WBBR shifted from business news to a general all-news radio format aiming to compete with WCBS (880 AM) and WINS (1010 AM); meanwhile WNNY (1380 AM) provided a Spanish-language all-news option. Prior to this changeover, WBBR introduced live programming from 6 a.m. to 6 p.m., recruiting former WCBS and WINS personnel including morning co-anchor Ben Farnsworth from WCBS. Bloomberg distributed approximately 1.2 million radios to promote the station.

Despite these initiatives, WBBR's audience share remained behind that of WINS and WCBS. In November 2001, Bloomberg announced a return to business news focus while denying any connection between this shift and Michael Bloomberg’s tenure as New York City mayor. By March 2002, programming outside peak hours featured talk shows hosted by Caroline Baum, Ellis Henican, Jim Cramer, and former mayor Ed Koch.

External links

Details the establishment of WNEW in 1934 through the merger of WODA and WAAM, initially broadcasting on AM 1280. On November 12, 1941, the WNEW call sign was transferred to AM 1130, while AM 1280 adopted the WOV designation. Later, on November 1, 1959, AM 1280 was renamed WADO.
Describes the creation of the new WOV station from WOV, WPG, and WBIL, assigned to AM 1130. On November 12, 1941, the WOV call letters were switched to AM 1280; concurrently, AM 1130 took on the WNEW callsign. In 1992, AM 1130 was rebranded as WBBR. (Guide to reading History Cards)