WBJW-AM 1440
Winter Park

Original Call Letters: WABR 

Originally Licensed: Sep 1954 

Original City of License: Winter Park 

Original Frequency: 1440 

Origin of Call Letters: Co-owned with WBJW-FM 105.1

Original Power: 5,000 Watts-Daytime

Original Location: 222 Hazard St., Orlando 

Original Format: Oldies/Lite Rock


Network Affiliation(s):


ABC 

Mutual Broadcasting System 
CNN

Owner(s):

1954-Orange County Broadcasting
1959-Contemporary Broadcasting Co.
1966-Norfolk Broadcasting Corp.
1971-Rounsaville Broadcasting, Atlanta (Co-owned with WBJW-FM 105.1)
1977-WSEC, Inc.
1982-Nationwide Communications  ($6.5 million with WBJW-FM 105.1 & WLOF-AM 950
1986-Alleluia Broadcasting Corp  
1987-Metroplex Communications of Orlando Inc.
1993-Paxson Communications ($5.6 million with WMGF-FM 107.7)
1994-J & V Communications, Inc. ($300,000)

History Of Call Letters and Formats:

WABR-1954-Top 40 
WABR-1966-Country
WBJW-1971-Oldies/Lite Rock "The Entertainer"
WBJW-1975-Easy Listening
WNBE-1976-NBC 24 Hour News
WAJL-1977-Easy Listening
WAJL-1987-Christian Ministry (Station sold. WAJL moves to 1190)
WPRD-1987-Classics of the '40s, '50s and '60s  "Pride-1440"
WPRD-1990-Children "The Imagination Station"  

WPRD-1991-CNN Headline News/WESH TV News

WWZN-1993-Talk
WWZN-1993-Sports
WPRD-1994-Talk
WPRD-1995-Spanish


WBJW Personalities

Phil Hendrie-mid-1970s
Phil dropped out of Pasadena City College after two years, and moved with friends to Orlando, Florida to work as a construction laborer/cement finisher in the middle of the early seventies. The Central Florida building boom was on, and Phil contributed to building Walt Disney World. According to Mr. Hendrie, he "...still entertained ideas about being a writer but didn't really write anything." Realizing that he'd need a job to support himself if he was ever going to get down to the business of writing, he unwittingly chose his career... "I landed a gig as a disc jockey at WBJW 1440 AM in Winter Park Florida, a suburb of Orlando. I never really did start writing anything. And for that matter never did anything of note as a disc jockey for some 16 years, drifting from Orlando, to New Orleans to Miami and then home to Los Angeles, spinning records and hating it. Real waste of life..."



Bill Curry
(Michael Dwight Kirkland)-1971-1970-Norfolk Broadcasting Corp.  Biography



Steve Mitchell (Steve Schiffman)-1973-1974-Overnight News/On air for both WBJW-AM and WBJW-FM 105.1 



Buddy Pittman-1971   Biography 



Jerry Peterson-1971-Program Director/Promotions Manager/1973-3PM-6PM/Program Director/Music Director-Rounsaville of Tampa, Inc.

wbjw jerry peterson card.jpg (136811 bytes)

Bill Thompson-1971-News Director-Rounsaville of Tampa, Inc. In Memory



Clive Thomas (Clive Thomas Cuthbertson)-1973-Mornings-Rounsaville of Tampa, Inc.  Biography

Jim Boynton-1973-6-10AM/1974-Program Director-Rounsaville of Tampa, Inc.

Tony Bell-1973-10AM-3PM-Rounsaville of Tampa, Inc.

Jeff Whittaker--1973-6PM-Midnight-Rounsaville of Tampa, Inc.

Dutch Edwards-1973-Midnight-6AM-Rounsaville of Tampa, Inc.

Pat Flannagan-1974-News-Rounsaville of Tampa, Inc.
Ron Krochman-1975-Music Director-Rounsaville of Tampa, Inc.

Pam Gordon


Other Names In WBJW History

Ralph Johnson-1971-President-Rounsaville Broadcasting

Wm. Arthur Selley-1971-General Manager/Commercial Manager-Rounsaville Broadcasting

Lee Valentine-1971-Chief Engineer-Rounsaville Broadcasting

Dan Miller-1972-Production

Pierre Bejano-1974-General Manager-Rounsaville Of Tampa, Inc.
Don Anghn-1974-Chief Engineer-Rounsaville Of Tampa, Inc.

Jerry Norman-General Manager

Bill Fechter-Chief Engineer

Linda Cramley-Accounting


       WBJW Ad Rates-1974-John Gordon.jpg (89546 bytes)
    
WBJW Rate Card-courtesy of John Gordon
  click photo for full sized view

              
                  
WBJW studios 1975-courtesy of  Dave Edwards

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