...from the Broadcast Capital of the World	Thursday, November 21, 2024

Station Information for WBAI-FM
FM Frequency	99.5
Station Address	388 Atlantic Avenue Brooklyn, NY 11217
Classification and Power	B, 4300W
Transmitter Location	Empire State Building
Contact	347-903-2986
Website	http://www.wbai.org
Station Staff	General Manager - Berthold Reimers
Format	Variety
Owner	Pacifica Foundation
History	The origin of this frequency can be traced back to W75NY, which was granted a construction permit in 1941 and began broadcasting on 11/16/42 on a frequency of 47.5MHz; its owner was the Metropolitan Television Inc., which was owned jointly by Abraham & Straus and Bloomingdales. The call letters were changed to WABF in 1944, and in 1946 the station was purchased by Ira A. Hirschmann. It moved to 98.5 on the new FM dial in 1946, moving again to 99.5 in 1947. WABF featured classical music until it went off the air in July, 1953. The frequency was revived in June, 1955 when WBAI signed on as a music station; owners Lewis and William Schweitzer of Broadcast Associates, Inc. donated the station to the Pacifica Foundation in November, 1959.