WLBL (930 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 radi ...

licensed to

Auburndale, Wisconsin Auburndale is a village in Wood County, Wisconsin, United States. The population was 703 at the 2010 census. History Auburndale was established in 1872 by John Connor and his brother Robert Connor, father of William D. Connor, the Lieutenant ...

, serving

Stevens Point Stevens Point is the county seat of Portage County, Wisconsin, United States. The city was incorporated in 1858. Its 2020 population of 25,666 makes it the largest city in the county. Stevens Point forms the core of the United States Census Bur ...

and

Wisconsin Rapids Wisconsin Rapids is a city in and the county seat of Wood County, Wisconsin. The population was 18,877 at the 2020 census. The city also forms one of the core areas of the United States Census Bureau's Marshfield-Wisconsin Rapids Micropolit ...

. The station is part of

Wisconsin Public Radio Wisconsin Public Radio (WPR) is a network of 34 public radio stations in the state of Wisconsin. WPR's network is divided into two distinct analog services, the ''Ideas Network'' and the '' NPR News & Music Network,'' as well as the ''All Classic ...

(WPR), and airs WPR's "Ideas Network", consisting of news and talk programming. WLBL is the second-oldest station in the Wisconsin Public Radio network. It traces its history to WPAH in Waupaca, which was licensed to the Wisconsin Department of Markets, and began broadcasting on February 5, 1923. The Department later moved its operations to Stevens Point and changed the calls to WLBL in May 1924. In 1932, it began sharing programs with

Madison Madison may refer to: People * Madison (name), a given name and a surname * James Madison (1751–1836), fourth president of the United States Place names * Madison, Wisconsin, the state capital of Wisconsin and the largest city known by this ...

's WHA—the ancestor of today's Wisconsin Public Radio network. Owned for many years by the state Commerce Department, it is now owned by the

Wisconsin Educational Communications Board The Wisconsin Educational Communications Board (ECB) is a Wisconsin state agency that plans, develops, constructs and operates statewide public radio, public television, public safety, and educational telecommunication systems and programs,

. WLBL must power down to 70 watts at sunset, resulting in spotty coverage even in Wisconsin Rapids and missing Stevens Point altogether. During the fall, winter, early spring, and late summer, it is allowed to boost its power to 500 watts at 06:00, then go to full power at sunrise.WLBL operating hours
/ref> Because of this, the full Ideas Network schedule is heard on two FM translators, 100.9 Marshfield and 99.1 Stevens Point, and on the third HD subchannel of Wausau's WHRM-FM (90.9), a sister station to WLBL which carries WPR's NPR News and Classical service. *''See also

References

External links

Wisconsin Public Radio
* * {{coord, 44, 36, 48, N, 90, 02, 14, W, type:landmark_region:US_source:FCC, display=title LBL Wisconsin Public Radio NPR member stations