WRBS-FM (95.1

MHz The hertz (symbol: Hz) is the unit of frequency in the International System of Units (SI), equivalent to one event (or cycle) per second. The hertz is an SI derived unit whose expression in terms of SI base units is s−1, meaning that one he ...

, "BRIGHT-FM") 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 ...

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 ...

, serving the

Baltimore metropolitan area The Baltimore–Columbia–Towson Metropolitan Statistical Area, also known as Central Maryland, is a Metropolitan Statistical Area (MSA) in Maryland as defined by the United States Office of Management and Budget (OMB). As of the 2010 Census, t ...

. The station broadcasts a

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radio format A radio format or programming format (not to be confused with broadcast programming) describes the overall content broadcast on a radio station. The radio format emerged mainly in the United States in the 1950s, at a time when Radio broadcasting, ...

and is owned by Peter & John Radio Fellowship, Inc. WRBS-FM has an

effective radiated power Effective radiated power (ERP), synonymous with equivalent radiated power, is an IEEE standardized definition of directional radio frequency (RF) power, such as that emitted by a radio transmitter. It is the total power in watts that would hav ...

(ERP) of 50,000

watt The watt (symbol: W) is the unit of power or radiant flux in the International System of Units (SI), equal to 1 joule per second or 1 kg⋅m2⋅s−3. It is used to quantify the rate of energy transfer. The watt is named after James Wa ...

s, the maximum permitted for non-

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FM stations in this region. Its

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s and

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are co-located off Commerce Drive near

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Halethorpe, Maryland Halethorpe is an unincorporated community in Baltimore County, Maryland, United States. The community is considered to be a sub-section of Arbutus by the United States Census Bureau. It is bordered by the main portion of Arbutus to the north, Balt ...

, using a Baltimore address. WRBS-FM broadcasts using

HD Radio HD Radio (HDR) is a trademark for an in-band on-channel (IBOC) digital radio broadcast technology. It generally simulcasts an existing analog radio station in digital format with less noise and with additional text information. HD Radio is used ...

technology. The HD2

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carries an alternate Christian Contemporary format known as "Positive Hits." The HD3 subchannel rebroadcasts the Christian talk and teaching programs heard on co-owned WRBS (1230 AM).

History

Peter & John Fellowship

In 1948, three young ministers Peter and John Bisset, and Paul Plack, created "The Peter, Paul and John Broadcast" to reach non-church goers during the week on WFBR (1300 AM), then one of Baltimore's most popular radio stations. The Bisset's were the youngest of five brothers whose family had emigrated from Scotland. Paul Plack was a singer who had met the brothers during his evangelistic tours. Paul left the broadcast in 1952, and the program was renamed "The Peter and John Broadcast." The brothers continued to host the show until Peter's sudden death of a heart attack in 1995.

WRBS early years

On June 30, 1960, the station first

signed on Signing may refer to: * Using sign language * Signature A signature (; from la, signare, "to sign") is a handwritten (and often stylized) depiction of someone's name, nickname, or even a simple "X" or other mark that a person writes on do ...

the air. It was owned by John B. Reynolds, who served as the general manager and commercial manager. The

call sign In broadcasting and radio communications, a call sign (also known as a call name or call letters—and historically as a call signal—or abbreviated as a call) is a unique identifier for a transmitter station. A call sign can be formally assigne ...

WRBS was chosen to represent Reynolds Broadcasting Service. At the time, it carried a

classical music Classical music generally refers to the art music of the Western world, considered to be distinct from Western folk music or popular music traditions. It is sometimes distinguished as Western classical music, as the term "classical music" also ...

format, when few people owned FM receivers. It didn't have an FM

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because Reynolds did not own an AM

sister station In broadcasting, sister stations or sister channels are radio or television stations operated by the same company, either by direct ownership or through a management agreement. Radio sister stations will often have different formats, and somet ...

. The FM station stood alone.

Christian radio

In 1964, Peter & John Radio Fellowship acquired WRBS. The brothers upgraded WRBS's facilities in 1972. The station increased power to 50,000 watts, from 20,000 watts. It began broadcasting 24 hours daily coupled with a move from East Cold Spring Lane in Baltimore to its present site at 3500 Commerce Drive. In 2006, Peter and John Radio Fellowship, Inc., acquired a Baltimore AM radio station, the former WITH (1230 AM) and changed its

to WRBS. The FM station is now licensed under the call letters WRBS-FM, using the FM suffix to distinguish it from WRBS 1230 AM. In August 2009, WRBS-FM was re-branded to feature contemporary Christian music, and began calling itself "95.1 Shine FM." On May 2, 2022, WRBS-FM rebranded as "BRIGHT-FM".WRBS-FM Shines Brighter
Radioinsight - May 2, 2022

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References

External links

* {{Religious Radio Stations in Maryland RBS-FM Contemporary Christian radio stations in the United States RBS-FM Moody Radio affiliate stations Radio stations established in 1960 1960 establishments in Maryland