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| Broadcast area | Lehigh Valley |
| Frequency | 104.1MHz (HD Radio) |
| Branding | B104 |
| Programming | |
| Format | Contemporary hit radio |
| Subchannels | HD3:Spanish CHR "Latina FM" |
| Affiliations | Premiere Networks |
| Ownership | |
| Owner |
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| History | |
First air date | June 30, 1961; 64 years ago (1961-06-30) |
Former call signs |
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Call sign meaning | Allentown-Easton-Bethlehem |
| Technical information[1] | |
Licensing authority | FCC |
| Facility ID | 14372 |
| Class | B |
| ERP | 50,000 watts |
| HAAT | 152 meters (499 ft) |
Transmitter coordinates | 40°43′13.3″N75°35′42.6″W / 40.720361°N 75.595167°W /40.720361; -75.595167 |
| Translator | See § Translators |
| Links | |
Public license information | |
| Webcast |
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| Website | |
WAEB-FM (104.1MHz, "B104") is acommercial radio stationlicensed toAllentown, Pennsylvania, and serving theLehigh Valley. The station airs acontemporary hit radio format and is owned byiHeartMedia, Inc. The station's studios and offices are on Alta Drive inWhitehall.
WAEB-FM has aneffective radiated power (ERP) of 50,000 watts, the maximum for most Pennsylvania stations. Itstransmitter is on Tower Road inWalnutport, about 20 miles (32 km) northwest of Allentown. WAEB-FM broadcasts usingHD Radio technology. Its HD3subchannel, "Latina FM", playsSpanish CHR and feedsFM translators in Allentown,Reading andHazleton.
WAEB-FMsigned on the air on June 30, 1961.[2] It debuted as thesister station ofWAEB (790 AM),simulcasting its Top 40 format in its first few years. In the late 1960s, WAEB-FM separated its programming from WAEB and aired an automatedbeautiful music format, playing quarter-hour sweeps of soft instrumental music. It went through several more formats before eventually becoming acountry music station in 1970 with thecall sign WXKW.
In April 1985, it returned to the WAEB-FM call letters and switched to asoft adult contemporary format, initially playing a fewmiddle of the road (MOR) artists as well as some new songs. The station was known as "Light 104 WAEB-FM".
By the early part of 1986, WAEB FM had evolved to more of a mainstream AC format, but by the late part of 1986, the station was phasing out the "Light" name. It became "104 WAEB-FM" with the music mix changing to adayparted AC/CHR mix without the hype, more adult by day, more youthful at night.
January 26, 1987, was the day when "the records went away". WAEB-FM switched to a CHR-Top 40 format, becoming "The world's first ever laser hit-music radio station, The New Laser 104.1 WAEB-FM". This marked when WAEB-FM began playing 90% percent of its music from compact discs or CDs.
In 1991, the station gradually replaced the "Laser 104.1" branding by simply calling the station "104.1 WAEB-FM".
The station began calling itself "The New B104 FM" in 1992. By late 1992, WAEB-FM started to play down the fact that the station was "new" and began positioning itself as playing "10 songs in a row".
By spring 1996, B104 began moving softer. By 1997, B104 began playing softer songs during the day. In late 1998, B104 began using a new jingle package and streaming on the web.
In the 1990s, B104 served as Allentown's de facto adult contemporary station as it eliminated rap andhard rock during the day. Through the 2000s, B104 had "whatever weekends", moving the station closer toadult hits and away from playing the week's top hits frequently.
In 2000, WAEB-FM and WAEB became part of AMFM Broadcasting.[3]
In 2006, B104 was re-imaged again, as WAEB-FM began to resemble other CHR-Top 40 stations owned by Clear Channel. Today, B104 is a mainstream CHR that no longer dayparts its music. B104 relies on syndicated shows from co-ownedPremiere Networks andvoicetracked DJs from other iHeart stations most of the day.
WAEB-FM is short-spaced toWNNK-FMWink 104 inHarrisburg, Pennsylvania, owned byCumulus Media. Both stations operate on the same 104.1 MHz channel even though the distance between the stations' transmitters is only 76 miles (122 km).[4]
The minimum distance between twoClass B stations operating on the same channel according to currentFederal Communications Commission (FCC) rules should be 150 miles (240 km).[5] Both stations aregrandfathered because they went on the air before the FCC rules were established.
WAEB-FM broadcasts usingHD Radio technology.
WAEB-FM-HD3, "Latina FM", playsSpanish CHR and feedsFM translators in Allentown,Reading andHazleton.
| Call sign | Frequency | City of license | FID | ERP (W) | HAAT | Class | Transmitter coordinates | FCC info |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| W293BW | 106.5FM | Allentown, Pennsylvania | 157515 | 250 | 0 m (0 ft) | D | 40°39′30.3″N75°25′10.7″W / 40.658417°N 75.419639°W /40.658417; -75.419639 (W293BW) | LMS |
| W296CL | 107.1FM | Reading, Pennsylvania | 151079 | 10 | 240 m (787 ft) | D | 40°21′15.3″N75°53′53.7″W / 40.354250°N 75.898250°W /40.354250; -75.898250 (W296CL) | LMS |
| W300BT | 107.9FM | Hazleton, Pennsylvania | 156246 | 18.6 | 174 m (571 ft) | D | 40°58′9.3″N75°57′26.7″W / 40.969250°N 75.957417°W /40.969250; -75.957417 (W300BT) | LMS |
W221CU 106.5 in Allentown and W296CL 107.5 in Reading have been airing a Spanish CHR format since May 2017.[6]