WBMD (750 AM) is a

radio station Radio broadcasting is transmission of audio (sound), sometimes with related metadata, by radio waves to radio receivers belonging to a public audience. In terrestrial radio broadcasting the radio waves are broadcast by a land-based radio ...

broadcasting a

religious Religion is usually defined as a social system, social-cultural system of designated religious behaviour, behaviors and practices, morality, morals, beliefs, worldviews, religious text, texts, sacred site, sanctified places, prophecy, prophecie ...

format. Licensed to

Baltimore, Maryland Baltimore ( , locally: or ) is the List of municipalities in Maryland, most populous city in the U.S. state of Maryland, fourth most populous city in the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic, and List of United States cities by popula ...

, United States, the station is Baltimore's outlet for the

Catholic The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.3 billion baptized Catholics worldwide . It is among the world's oldest and largest international institutions, and has played a ...

-oriented

Relevant Radio Relevant Radio (corporate name Relevant Radio, Inc.) is a radio network in the United States, mainly broadcasting talk radio and religious programming involving the Catholic Church. It is the largest Catholic radio network by owned station base. R ...

network. Because it shares the same frequency as " clear channel" station WSB in

Atlanta, Georgia Atlanta ( ) is the capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Georgia. It is the seat of Fulton County, the most populous county in Georgia, but its territory falls in both Fulton and DeKalb counties. With a population of 498,715 ...

; WBMD broadcasts only during the daytime hours.

History

WBMD began broadcasting November 27, 1947, on 750 kHz with 1 kW power (daytime only). The station was licensed to Key Broadcasting Corporation, with studios at 2 West Eager Street in Baltimore. In the 1950s-1960s, the station aired daily religious programs by a number of local ministers, who bought airtime in 15- or 30-minute blocks. Sunday afternoons in the 1960s featured ethnic programs, such as Greek and German language shows. In the 1990s, WBMD's schedule continued its focus on religious programming. In 1994, WBMD's ownership, Sconnix Broadcasting, sold the station, along with FM sister station WQSR (105.7), to

American Radio Systems American Radio Systems Corporation was a radio company that existed from 1993 until 1998. Its predecessor, Atlantic Ventures, was founded by Steven B. Dodge, Eric Schultz, Joseph Winn, and Michael Milsom. American Radio Systems was formed from ...

(ARS).Chen, Howard Henry
Boston group purchases oldies WQSR and AM sister
''

Baltimore Sun ''The Baltimore Sun'' is the largest general-circulation daily newspaper based in the U.S. state of Maryland and provides coverage of local and regional news, events, issues, people, and industries. Founded in 1837, it is currently owned by Tr ...

'' (July 8, 1994). Retrieved June 7, 2018. In 2005, to comply with

Federal Communications Commission The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) is an independent agency of the United States federal government that regulates communications by radio, television, wire, satellite, and cable across the United States. The FCC maintains jurisdiction ...

(FCC) ownership restrictions,

Infinity Radio Infinity Broadcasting Corporation was a radio company that existed from 1972 until 2005. It was founded by Michael A. Wiener and Gerald Carrus. It became associated with popular radio personalities like Howard Stern, Opie and Anthony, Don Imus an ...

sold WBMD and WBGR—among the few religious-oriented stations in the group—to

Family Stations Family (from la, familia) is a group of people related either by consanguinity (by recognized birth) or affinity (by marriage or other relationship). The purpose of the family is to maintain the well-being of its members and of society. Ideall ...

; Family already owned WFSI (107.9 FM) in nearby

Annapolis Annapolis ( ) is the capital city of the U.S. state of Maryland and the county seat of, and only incorporated city in, Anne Arundel County. Situated on the Chesapeake Bay at the mouth of the Severn River, south of Baltimore and about east o ...

. In 2021, Family Stations swapped WBMD to Relevant Radio in exchange for

WAMT WAMT (1190 AM) is an American radio station airing a Christian radio format. Licensed to Pine Castle– Sky Lake, Florida, United States, it serves the Orlando area. The station is an owned and operated affiliate of Family Radio. From 2018 ...

in the

Orlando, Florida Orlando () is a city in the U.S. state of Florida and is the county seat of Orange County, Florida, Orange County. In Central Florida, it is the center of the Greater Orlando, Orlando metropolitan area, which had a population of 2,509,831, acco ...

, area. The swap, which left WFSI (860 AM) as Family's only Baltimore station, allowed Family to enter the Orlando market (where Relevant Radio also owned

WHOO WHOO (1080 AM) is a non-commercial listener-supported Catholic talk radio station licensed to Winter Park, Florida, and serving Greater Orlando. It is an owned and operated network affiliate of Relevant Radio. By day, WHOO is powered at 6, ...

) and Relevant Radio to enter Baltimore.

References

External links

FCC History Cards for WBMD
BMD BMD Relevant Radio stations BMD Radio stations established in 1947 1947 establishments in Maryland {{Maryland-radio-station-stub