WBWA (89.9 FM) is a radio station in Buffalo, New York, broadcasting contemporary worship music from the Air 1 network without local deviation outside of station identification. It is owned by the Educational Media Foundation.[2] Unlike most Buffalo stations, its signal is mostly audible only in the Southtowns, and has no over-the-air availability across Lake Ontario into the Greater Toronto Area; a weak signal and adjacent-channel interference from public radio stations WNJA and WPSX make the station inaudible in most of the western Southern Tier.

WBWA
Broadcast areaBuffalo
Frequency89.9 MHz
Programming
FormatContemporary worship music
AffiliationsAir1
Ownership
OwnerEducational Media Foundation
WBKV, WLKW
History
First air date
1989; 35 years ago (1989)
Former call signs
  • WBFR (1984–1985)
  • WFBF (1985–2019)
  • WBKV (2019–2023)
Technical information[1]
Licensing authority
FCC
Facility ID20725
ClassB1
ERP16,000 watts
HAAT90 meters (300 ft)
Transmitter coordinates
42°41′19″N 78°45′15″W / 42.68861°N 78.75417°W / 42.68861; -78.75417
Links
Public license information
WebsiteAir1.com

History

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The station signed on in 1989[3] as WFBF under the ownership of Family Stations, carrying its Family Radio network.[4] In September 2019, Family Stations came to terms with the Educational Media Foundation to sell four stations, including WFBF, to that organization. Upon the sale's closing on November 22, 2019, the station became the Buffalo market's K-Love affiliate,[5] and the station changed its call sign to WBKV.

In June 2023, EMF filed to move the WBKV call sign to WTSS (102.5 FM), which it was in the process of acquiring from Audacy, Inc.; the 89.9 facility was repurposed as Air1 station WBWA on June 16.[6]

References

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  1. ^ "Facility Technical Data for WBWA". Licensing and Management System. Federal Communications Commission.
  2. ^ "WBWA Facility Record". United States Federal Communications Commission, audio division.
  3. ^ Broadcasting & Cable Yearbook 2009 (PDF). 2009. p. D-373. Retrieved January 2, 2020.
  4. ^ The Broadcasting Yearbook 1990 (PDF). 1990. p. B-209. Retrieved January 2, 2020.
  5. ^ "Family Stations Sells 4 FMS, 1 Translator to EMF".
  6. ^ Venta, Lance (June 7, 2023). "Audacy Sets Sign-Off Time For FM 100 Memphis; Call Change Set For Buffalo". RadioInsight. Retrieved June 7, 2023.
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