 | This articleneeds additional citations forverification. Please helpimprove this article byadding citations to reliable sources in this article. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. Find sources: "WAOB-FM" – news ·newspapers ·books ·scholar ·JSTOR(December 2007) (Learn how and when to remove this message) |
 | |
| Broadcast area | Pittsburgh metropolitan area |
|---|---|
| Frequency | 106.7MHz (HD Radio) |
| Branding | 106.7 WAOB |
| Programming | |
| Format | Religious (Catholic) |
| Ownership | |
| Owner | St. Joseph Missions |
| WAOB,WPGR | |
| History | |
First air date | May 1960; 65 years ago (1960-05) (as WWKS) |
Former call signs | WWKS (1960–1995) WXDX (1995–1996) WAMO-FM (1996–2009) |
Call sign meaning | WeAreOneBody |
| Technical information[1] | |
Licensing authority | FCC |
| Facility ID | 52747 |
| Class | B |
| ERP | 37,000watts |
| HAAT | 169meters (554 ft) |
| Links | |
Public license information | |
| Webcast | Listen Live |
| Website | waob.org |
WAOB-FM (106.7MHz) is anon-commercialradio stationlicensed toBeaver Falls, Pennsylvania. Serving thePittsburgh metropolitan area, as well as parts of EasternOhio and thenorthern panhandle of West Virginia, it is owned by St. Joseph Missions and itsimulcasts aCatholicradio format withsister stationsWAOB860 AM andWPGR1510 AM.
WAOB-FM has aneffective radiated power (ERP) of 37,000watts. Itstransmitter is on VIP Drive nearInterstate 79 inWexford, Pennsylvania.[2] Theradio studios and offices are located inLatrobe, Pennsylvania.
Previously, 1996 to 2009, 106.7 FM was legendaryUrban Contemporary/R&B station WAMO-FM.[3]
106.7 FM signed on in May 1960; 65 years ago (1960-05). Its originalcall sign wasWWKS. For much of the 1960s and 1970s, it was anautomatedbeautiful music andeasy listening station known as "Kiss FM."
During the 1980s, as easy listening music saw its audience aging, management decided to go in another direction. The station flipped toclassic rock. By November 1993, 106.7 FM was known as "The Force" with analbum rock format.[4]
The Force touted itself with the motto "The Best of Rock." The station flipped tomodern rock in 1995 as "106-7 The X",WXDX. The station became the Pittsburgh affiliate forHoward Stern, beginning that November.
On April 10, 1996, at 3 p.m., WXDX swapped frequencies withWAMO-FM, anurban contemporary radio station. That resulted in WAMO-FM moving from the 105.9 frequency. This came afterClear Channel Communications, the owner of WXDX, paid Sheridan Broadcasting (WAMO's owners), to swap frequencies, wanting better full-market coverage. Sheridan was also running into financial difficulties during this time, agreeing to the frequency swap to keep the station in the black.
The swap resulted in WAMO-FM moving to the 106.7 frequency, with limited coverage in Pittsburgh's southern suburbs. To make up for the loss of coverage, WAMO-FM was also simulcast with WSSZ to cover part of the metropolitan area, beginning that same year. In 2004, WAMO-FM relocated its transmitter, resulting in better coverage. At the same time, WSSZ broke from the simulcast and shifted toUrban Adult Contemporary and becameWJJJ-FM, "Majic 107.1." In 2004, the station changed its longtime on-air brand fromHot 106, WAMO to106.7 WAMO, Pittsburgh's #1 for Hip Hop & R&B.
On May 15, 2009, Sheridan announced that it had sold WAMO, WAMO-FM and WPGR AM to St. Joseph Missions for $8.9 million. The deal was approved by theFederal Communications Commission, and the stations were to change to a Catholic religious format by February 2010. All 35 WAMO employees were laid off or fired after the sale closed, leaving Pittsburgh without an Urban formatted outlet. The callsign was changed to WAOB upon the transfer of ownership.[5][6]
The news of this sale attracted a lot of attention,[7] and the reaction from listeners.[8][9] African-American radio listeners were left with no options in the Pittsburghradio market;[10][11] however, due to the high ratings WAMO-FM had with its Urban format, it was assumed another station in Pittsburgh would switch to Urban Contemporary to take advantage of the newly available audience. Some had hoped thatWOGI would pick up the Urban format. Instead, Keymarket sold the station toEducational Media Foundation, which replaced WOGI'sCountry music format with its "K-LOVE"Christian contemporary network.
At 6:07 p.m. on September 8, 2009, WAMO-FM discontinued broadcasting. Its last song wasBoyz II Men'sIt's So Hard to Say Goodbye to Yesterday, which was followed bysilence. Since then, other outlets began adding some form of Urban or R&B programming, as AC outletWLTJ launched a nighttime Adult R&B program called "Q after Dark" aimed at a 25-54 audience in the same month.
In addition, theHip Hop music and R&B titles playlist was increased onClear Channel Communications'sWKST-FM (96.1 Kiss FM), aTop 40 station.
In October 2009, Eddie Edwards, the one-time owner of then independent television outletWPTT, announced that he was acquiring AM outletWPYT, a station with good daytime coverage but not so good coverage at night. Edwards hoped that he could fill the Urban void with this new outlet (in actuality the format would be Urban Talk, targeting African-Americans aged 25 to 54 in the Pittsburgh metro), which pending FCC approval, would have started in February 2010. On November 3, 2009, however, it was announced that those plans had fallen through after his son, Eddie Edwards Jr., confirmed that the senior Edwards withdrew the application due to health problems.
On May 22, 2011, Martz Communications debuted the new WAMO on660 AM and 100.1 FM, which is a translator with the callsign W261AX. It is licensed to Wilkinsburg, Pennsylvania.[12]
106.7 FM returned to the air on February 15, 2010, with a live broadcast of aCatholic Mass. After its conclusion, the station announced that WAOB would begin regular programming on March 19, with only Mass broadcasts being carried in the interim.
In March 2010, under new ownership, WAOB radio became known as WAOB "We Are One Body" FM Radio. It now operates as an official Catholic media outlet from its headquarters inLatrobe, Pennsylvania. According to its website waob.org:[13]
"We Are One Body (WAOB) produces catechetical and contemplative programming. The programming is intended to present the life of the Church in a way that makes the Mystical Body of Christ more apparent: the Pope and bishops united with their priests, in their role as head, working together with the laity in their role as members. The catechetical programming consists of magisterial teaching from the Pope and bishops followed by conversations between priests who explain and elaborate on the magisterial teaching. The We Are One Body programming also contains broadcasts of lectio divina, led by priests, on Scripture, the writings of the saints, and the Catechism of the Catholic Church; leading listeners to interior silence and contemplation through meditation and prayer. The programming described above is supported by broadcasts of prayer from parishes, families and religious orders, including the Holy Mass and the Liturgy of the Hours, and devotions such as the Rosary and Divine Mercy Chaplet."
40°37′11″N80°05′35″W / 40.6198°N 80.0931°W /40.6198; -80.0931
