From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

WJBR-FM, is a Wilmington, DE Adult Contemporary radio station. Although the station is broadcast from Wilmington, DE, the signal is strong enough to be a competitive station in the Philadelphia radio market. That is, if you consider 300,500 listeners competitive. (For comparison purposes, B101--the other Adult Contemporary station "competing" in Philadelphia--has nearly six times that many listeners!)

WJBR plays a variety of Today's Hits and Yesterday's Favorites. In February 2007, Beasley Broadcast Group completed its acquisition of the station from NextMedia for a reported $42 million. Its transmitter is located in Wilmington, very close to the Pennsylvania state line.

WJBR-FM signed on the air in 1956, broadcasting a classical & light music format. The phrase "Just Beautiful Radio" was used on the air. The format eventually evolved into 24 hours of beautiful music and the station used as a nickname "JBR 100". WJBR-FM 99.5 was founded by a father and son team of John B. Reynolds, Sr. and John B. Reynolds, Jr. John, Sr. was co-owner of a local service station. It was John, Jr. who had the history in broadcasting and music; he hosted a local TV dance program (before American Bandstand), and was a recording pianist in the late 1940s. John Sr. began the radio station because John Jr. was a strong believer in the future of FM.

The station operated with only five employees for the first few years. John Sr. did some selling while Jr. operated as General Manager, Program Director and voiced many of the commercials. The other employees were booth announcers who also played the music.

The first offices, studios, and transmitter site for WJBR-FM were on Ebright Road in North Wilmington. The tower is located at the highest elevation in the state, approximately 400 feet above sea level. The tower itself rises 317 feet further. Offices and studio were moved to Philadelphia Pike in Claymont, in 1993, although the transmitter and tower remained at Ebright Road. In 2000, the studio and offices simply moved further along Philadelphia Pike and now reside in Bellfonte.

By 1985 Beautiful Music was a fading format and new owners, CRB Broadcasting, believed the Adult Contemporary format would produce the audience makeup needed to maximize profit potential. They created "Bright 99.5", which was renamed "Mix 99.5" approximately three years later. The "Mix" handle was phased out in 1993 and the station went back to identifying itself simply by the call letters. Currently the station uses the slogan "Today's Hits and Yesterday's Favorites" to identify its format. Many listeners also know WJBR-FM as the station that plays "The Most Music While You Work".

WJBR-FM has also been a pioneer technically, recognized as one of the first to broadcast a 24-hour stereo format in the late 1950s, and the first station to broadcast an all Compact Disc format in the late 1980s.

The official mascot for the station is J. Bear.

For many years Michael Waite, who serves as VP/Operations Manager and program director, has hosted the morning show, which has ranked constistently as the most listened-to morning show in the northern portion of Delaware (the second-smallest state in the country).

In 2006 99.5 WJBR started playing all holiday music for Christmas.

• 5AM to 10AM - The Michael Waite Morning Show
• 10AM to 2PM - Catey Hill
• 2PM to 7PM - Steve West
• 7PM to 12AM - Delilah
• 12AM to 5AM - John Tesh

• Various Shifts - Rachael Samuels
• Various Shifts - Jim Stoddard
• Various Shifts - Joe Vietri
• Various Shifts - Casey Kasem

• WJBR Website
• Query the FCC's FM station database for WJBR
• Radio Locator information on WJBR
• Query Arbitron's FM station database for WJBR