WBNR is the

callsign 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 ...

of an AM

radio Radio is the technology of signaling and communicating using radio waves. Radio waves are electromagnetic waves of frequency between 30 hertz (Hz) and 300 gigahertz (GHz). They are generated by an electronic device called a transmit ...

station licensed to

Beacon, New York Beacon is a city located in Dutchess County, New York, United States. The 2020 census placed the city total population at 13,769. Beacon is part of the Poughkeepsie– Newburgh– Middletown, New York Metropolitan Statistical Area as we ...

, and serving the

Hudson Valley The Hudson Valley (also known as the Hudson River Valley) comprises the valley of the Hudson River and its adjacent communities in the U.S. state of New York. The region stretches from the Capital District including Albany and Troy south to ...

. The station is owned by

Pamal Broadcasting Pamal Broadcasting, Ltd. is a family-owned radio group with twenty-three stations in medium-to-small markets in the Northeast. Based in the Albany suburb of Latham, New York, Pamal Broadcasting was founded in 1987 as Albany Broadcasting Company, w ...

and broadcasts on 1260 kHz at 1,000 watts daytime and 400 watts nighttime, both directional, from a two tower array at 475 South Avenue in the city of Beacon, and its studios are also located in Beacon. Its programming can also be heard on FM translator W243EM, 96.5 MHz.

History

WBNR signed on in 1959 as a 1,000 watt

directional antenna A directional antenna or beam antenna is an antenna which radiates or receives greater power in specific directions allowing increased performance and reduced interference from unwanted sources. Directional antennas provide increased performance ...

daytime only station built, engineered, owned and operated by Robert Gessner and brothers Sy and Al Dresner The original studio location is in close proximity to Denning's Point, a location on the Hudson River that has an archaeological record going back 5,000 years. Many staffers and former staffers felt that this explained a usually high reported incidence of

paranormal Paranormal events are purported phenomena described in popular culture, folk, and other non-scientific bodies of knowledge, whose existence within these contexts is described as being beyond the scope of normal scientific understanding. Nota ...

activity in the studio building. It was not until 1987 that WBNR was licensed for 480 watts night time operation with a DA2 antenna pattern. For many years it was owned by brothers Robert and Al Lessnor of

Candid Camera ''Candid Camera'' is a popular and long-running American hidden camera reality television series. Versions of the show appeared on television from 1948 until 2014. Originally created and produced by Allen Funt, it often featured practical jokes ...

fame. The station served the community with Middle of the Road (MOR) music format, local news and sports. It was heavily involved with Beacon community events and was the flagship station for

Army Football The Army Black Knights football team, previously known as the Army Cadets, represents the United States Military Academy in college football. Army is a Division I Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) member of the NCAA. The Black Knights play home g ...

until 2003. In 1970, Lance (later Beacon) Broadcasting, then owners of WBNR, acquired

WSPK WSPK (104.7 FM, "K-104") is a contemporary hit radio (CHR) station licensed to Poughkeepsie, New York. Its studios are located on NY 52 Business in the town of Fishkill (with a Beacon address). It is owned by Pamal Broadcasting and transmits fr ...

from Poughkeepsie, New York based Olympian broadcasting, owners of

WKIP WKIP (1450 AM) is a commercial radio station licensed to Poughkeepsie, New York. The station is owned by iHeartMedia and broadcasts at 1,000 watts from a two-tower array adjacent to its radio studios in the Arlington section of the Town of Pou ...

, along with the mountain top transmitter site located on North Mount Beacon. The station began to suffer a long steady decline through the 1980s and 1990s as many

AM radio AM broadcasting is radio broadcasting using amplitude modulation (AM) transmissions. It was the first method developed for making audio radio transmissions, and is still used worldwide, primarily for medium wave (also known as "AM band") transm ...

stations did. In 1994, WBNR, along with its sister station WSPK was sold to Enterprise Media of Binghamton, New York. Both stations were subsequently sold to Pamal Broadcasting in October 1997. The studios moved from their original 1959 location at 475 South Avenue, Beacon to the newly reconstructed "Broadcast Center" at 715 Fishkill Avenue ( NY Rte 52), in

Fishkill, New York Fishkill is a village within the town of Fishkill in Dutchess County, New York, United States. The village is in the eastern part of the town of Fishkill on U.S. Route 9. It is north of Interstate 84. NY 52 is the main street. It is part of the ...

. On Monday, March 24, 2014 WBNR and WLNA introduced the "Real Country" music format. On December 3, 2019, WBNR added translator W243EM (96.5 MHz). On March 15, 2021, WBNR changed their format from classic

country A country is a distinct part of the world, such as a state, nation, or other political entity. It may be a sovereign state or make up one part of a larger state. For example, the country of Japan is an independent, sovereign state, while the ...

to a simulcast of classic hits-formatted

WBPM WBPM (92.9 FM) is a classic hits radio station licensed to Saugerties, New York, serving the Mid-Hudson Valley and Catskills. The station is owned by Pamal Broadcasting and broadcasts at 6,000 watts ERP from a tower in the Town of Kingston, N ...

92.9 FM Saugerties.Magic Comes To The Hudson Valley
Radioinsight - March 14, 2021

References

External links

* * {{Pamal Broadcasting Dutchess County, New York BNR Radio stations established in 1959 1959 establishments in New York (state) Pamal Broadcasting Classic hits radio stations in the United States