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WBER is a listener and
school district A school district is a special-purpose district that operates local public primary and secondary schools in various nations. North America United States In the U.S, most K–12 public schools function as units of local school districts, wh ...
supported
community radio Community radio is a radio service offering a third model of radio broadcasting in addition to commercial and public broadcasting. Community stations serve geographic communities and communities of interest. They broadcast content that is popula ...
station in
Rochester, New York Rochester () is a city in the U.S. state of New York, the seat of Monroe County, and the fourth-most populous in the state after New York City, Buffalo, and Yonkers, with a population of 211,328 at the 2020 United States census. Located in W ...
, United States, owned and operated by the BOCES, Monroe #1. The station was founded in 1985. The call letters correspond to BOCES Educational Radio, with the pre-1985 call letters (WRHR) corresponding to Rush Henrietta Radio, the original licensee of the station (the Rush-Henrietta Central School District). The station's playlist is Alternative radio, with some new titles added to the regular rotation via a "test track," listener-reporting mechanism. WBER also presents local concerts by popular performers. __TOC__


Pre-WBER history

As WRHR, the station was a student-run club operated out of the Rush Henrietta School District. The station was granted a low-power Class D license (10 watts) in 1975. The
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 was compelle ...
was at first Top-40, and eventually included "alternative" music by bands such as
the B-52's The B-52's, also styled as The B-52s, are an American new wave band formed in Athens, Georgia, in 1976. The original lineup consisted of Fred Schneider (vocals, percussion), Kate Pierson (vocals, keyboards, synth bass), Cindy Wilson (vocals, ...
and
Talking Heads Talking Heads were an American rock band formed in 1975 in New York City and active until 1991.Talki ...
. School board meetings were also broadcast on a tape-delayed basis. The school district provided support for students who broadcast live play-by-play basketball from schools within the local Section V scholastic athletic conference. In the first year of operation the Station Manager was Brad Landon, a High School Senior afflicted with muscular dystrophy, and Landon had the first show that was broadcast.


Partnership with Monroe BOCES

In 1985 WRHR was acquired by the Monroe BOCES #1 Technology Department, renamed WBER (effective March 2, 1987), and upgraded to 2,500 watts. Since that time WBER has been serving the
Rochester, NY Rochester () is a city in the U.S. state of New York, the seat of Monroe County, and the fourth-most populous in the state after New York City, Buffalo, and Yonkers, with a population of 211,328 at the 2020 United States census. Located in Wes ...
and Western New York area as a training ground for students and other members of the community interested in learning about radio broadcasting. Through the BOCES partnership, WBER programming originates in part from area school districts, including Fairport, Webster, and Brighton.


Notable shows

''New Wave Wednesday'', formerly hosted by Jennifer V (former program director at the now defunct WMAX-Rochester), airs Wednesday mornings. It features
New wave music New wave is a loosely defined music genre that encompasses pop-oriented styles from the late 1970s and the 1980s. It was originally used as a catch-all for the various styles of music that emerged after punk rock, including punk itself. La ...
, giveaways, and occasional guests. Jennifer V has won the City Paper's "Best Radio Personality" award, and has been highlighted in the Rochester Democrat and Chronicle. Jennifer V's last show as host of New Wave Wednesday was June 19, 2019.


See also

*
List of community radio stations in the United States This is a list of FCC-licensed community radio stations in the United States. See also List of Pacifica Radio stations and affiliates This article provides a list of Pacifica Radio owned and operated stations, associated stations, and affili ...


References


External links


''WBER'' official website
{{coord, 43.033, N, 77.419, W, type:landmark_region:US_source:FCC, display=title Community radio stations in the United States Radio stations established in 1985 BER 1985 establishments in New York (state)