WSBB-AM 1230
New Smyrna Beach

Original Call Letters: WSBB 

Originally Licensed: 1950 

Original City of License: New Smyrna Beach 

Original Frequency: 1230 

Origin of Call Letters: "World's Safest Bathing Beach" 

Original Power: 1,000 watts days/250 night

Original Location: Indian River Inn and Conference Center on South Riverside Drive 

Original Format: Big Bands


Network Affiliation(s):
Mutual Broadcasting System
United Press International
CNN
Florida News Network

Owner(s):
1951-Beach Broadcasting Company
1954-Broadcasters, Inc.
1986-George Mizelle
1991-T K Radio, Inc. ($50,000)
2006-Gore-Overgaard Broadcasting, Inc.   ($450,000)
2008-Diegel Communications, LLC  ($125,000)

History Of Call Letters and Formats:
WNSA-1950-Construction Permit
WSBB-1950-Big Bands
WSBB-1954-Easy Listening 
WSBB-1991-Adult Standards (Westwood One Network)
WSBB-2006-Oldies (Westwood One Network)
WSBB-2008-Adult Standards


                       
         Original location of WSBB studios                                         WSBB studios on the Causeway in New Smyrna Beach

WSBB History
The original WSBB studios were on the ground floor of the Indian River Inn and Conference Center on South Riverside Drive. The first tower was where the Smyrna Yacht Club's tennis courts are now situated. When Tolby, a New Smyrna Beach resident, acquired the station, it had moved to the North Causeway site. 
Mr. Brian Tolby was kind enough to furnish more information about WSBB. Here is some of that email. "...Now to New Smyrna Beach and WSBB. I bought it in l99l from the Tidmore's who owned it since l95l. Some other guy put it on the air but don't remember the name. He didn't own it for long..."
2006 Brian Tolby sold WSBB to Gore-Overgaard Broadcasting.  Gore-Overgaard also owns WROD-AM 1340 in Daytona Beach. 
2007 Gore-Overgaard Broadcasting sold WSBB to Skip Diegel former General Manager of  WVLG-AM 640.
2008-WSBB is broadcasting from new studios on Canal Street in the Historic Downtown District of New Smyrna Beach.

WSBB Personalities
Murray Pendleton-1954-Program Director-Broadcasters, Inc
Chuck Johnson-1966-Chuck sends along a photo of the WSBB studio.
"It was the original Collins board that had been moved from the original Indian River Lodge studio in the 50s to the North Causeway studio/office/transmitter facility. I believe WSBB's power was increased at the time of the move and the Tidmore purchase from 250 watts to 1,000 day/250 night. Our old stand-by transmitter was the original Collins and it was 250/100 watts,  the newer RCA was 1kw/250. When I first went to work there in 1966 we were still using Crown reel-to-reel tape recorders for commercials, etc. The carts were added in early 1967. At that time we carried Mutual news on the hour and half, Florida Gator and Notre Dame football, Atlanta Braves Baseball, and all (home and away) New Smyrna High School Barracuda football and basketball games. There wasn't a hard and fast play list and so each DJ had a slightly personal sound, however most of us used the Billboard Easy Listening Top 40 and other album cuts. Our DJs at the time included Murray Pendleton, Dave Roberts (Ross) Sim Egglesson, Jr., (son of the chief engineer) and me. I was attending DBCC at the time and also did several programs for the college including "Education Beat" that was broadcast on other area stations in Daytona, Deland and Sanford. It was fun and WSBB under Al (Aubrey Lee) Pruitt's management certainly served the community well."
Dave Roberts (Dave Ross)
Sim Egglesson, Jr.


Brent Alberts-1966 Biography


Jim "Biff" Burns-1979-80/1986-Nights/News Director Biography  
Ray Simms-1979-(Former NBC Announcer)-General Manager/Morning Host
Gerry Bell-1979-Mid-days 
Tom Smithers-1979-Nights/General Manager, now at WDSC-TV, Daytona Beach
George Mizelle-1986-Owner/Mornings In Memory
Bob Krauser-1986-mid-days
Bob Knight


Kris Earl Phillips-2006-2007-Mornings/Program Director Biography
Rick Martorano-2006-"Art, Entertainment and Lifestyles"
John Davidson-New Smyrna Beach High School Morning Sports Report
Cadillac Jack (John Wilcha)-2007-2008


Rick Brady-1988-1991-Program Director/2PM-6PM Biography
Donald Schulz-2007-Saturdays
Skip Diegel-2008-President/Mornings-Diegel Communications, LLC

Other Names In WSBB History
Walter Slattery-1951-Partner/General Manager/Commercial Manager-Beach Broadcasting Company
James King, Jr.-1951-Partner/Program Director/Sports Director-Beach Broadcasting Company
Roland Jordan, Jr.-1951-Partner/Chief Engineer-Beach Broadcasting Company
A.V. Tidmore-1954-Owner/President-Broadcasters, Inc
A. L. Pruitt-1954-General Manager/Commercial Manager/Program Manager-Broadcasters, Inc
Lucille Irick-1954-News Director-Broadcasters, Inc
Sim Egglesson, Sr.-1954-Chief Engineer-Broadcasters, Inc
Helen Cibu-Traffic-From Chuck Johnson; "...She was our traffic person, not on-air traffic reports, but doing our program logs and advertisers affidavits, etc. In the pre-computer days our logs were mimeographed and Helen had to smell those fumes daily and have purple fingers..."
Brian Tolby-1991-2006-President/Station Manager-T K Radio, Inc.
Al "Pappy" Pruitt-Manager
Harold Gore-2006-CEO/Treasurer-Gore-Overgaard Broadcasting, Inc.
George Winslow-2007-General Manager
Scott Maman-Production Coordinator
Jim Vandergrifft (New Smyrna Beach Mayor)-2007-Community Information
Sanoma Robertson In Memory
Virginia Roche 
Eva DeBerry


Christopher M. Gore-2007-Sales Manager
Skip Diegel-2008-President-Diegel Communications, LLC


Other Programs in WSBB History

Atlanta Braves Baseball

Canada Calling-1948

Florida Gators

                                     


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