WABR-AM 1440
Winter Park

Original Call Letters: WABR 

Originally Licensed: Sep 1954 

Original City of License: Winter Park 

Original Frequency: 1600 

Origin of Call Letters: 

Original Power: 5,000 watts-Daytime

Original Location: 13 S. Ridgewood  

Original Format: Country


Network Affiliation(s):


ABC 

Mutual Broadcasting System

Owner(s):

1954-
Orange County Broadcasters
1959-Contemporary Broadcasting Co.
1966-Norfolk Broadcasting Corp.
1971-Rounsaville Broadcasting, Atlanta (Co-owned with WBJW-FM 105.1)
1982-Nationwide Communications  (Purchase price for WBJW-FM 105.1 and WLOF-AM 950, $6.5 million)
1986-Alleluia Broadcasting Corp  
1987-Metroplex Communications of Orlando Inc.
1993-Paxson Communications ($5.6 million with WMGF-FM 107.7)
1994-J & V Communications, Inc.($300,000)

History Of Call Letters and Formats:

WABR-1954-Country
WBJW-1973-Oldies/Lite Rock "The Entertainer"
WNBE-1976-NBC 24 Hour News
WAJL-1987-Christian ministry (Station sold. WAJL moves to 1190)
WPRD-1987-Classics of the '40s, '50s and '60s  "Pride-1440"
WAJL-1987-Religion
WPRD-1990-Children "The Imagination Station"  (Kids' Choice Broadcasting Network)
WPRD-1991-CNN Headline News
WWZN-1993-Talk
WWZN-1993-Sports
WPRD-1994-Talk
WPRD-1995-Spanish


History of WABR 
Steve Schiffman helps fill in the history of WABR From an email from Steve; "...WABR (Top Gun, Orlando, bang bang, W-ABR!)...WABR...was sold and call letters and format changed by 1973 (...I was working for them on air at the time; I did overnights, Jim Boynton was the PD, and Clive Thomas (who I knew from his days in Indianapolis and WFBM-AM) was doing morning drive...We aired the CBS Mystery Theatre, nightly at 10pm, although we were an ABC affiliate!  
WDBO(-AM 580)
chose not to take it at the time.

     WABR sweepstakes 1967.jpg (434378 bytes)                                                                          
                                              


Steve Kennedy has supplied some great stuff.

Here's more; 
Here's a sweepstakes booklet from 1967
that was mailed out to area residents.

            
Click the photos for a full view

     WABR "Top 40 Tunes" sheetWABR 1-18-58.jpg (433657 bytes)
                 courtesy of Dick
Camnitz


WABR Personalities      




From Dennis Snyder; "In 1968 I visited the WABR country music station in the middle of Dubsdread Country Club.  Pictured is Jim Jereau, a US Navy recruiter during the week and a weekend DJ"
Courtesy of Dennis Snyder

                                         


Our frequent contributor Dave Edwards tells us;                                         "...Bob Andrews was a friend and mentor to many, including Frank Reed who worked at WABR and would go on to become  "Captain" Frank Reed  at WNBC in New York City.

 

                               Here's Bob Andrews "at the controls" of WFIV-AM in 1972  
                                                   
Thanks to Gabe Burton or the photo of Bob
 

                                                                   
 
                                                



 Gabe Burton at WABR in 1970
Photo courtesy of Gabe Burton
  
From Dave Edwards; "...Gabe has many fond memories of Bob (Andrews), both at (WABR) and WVGT(AM 1580)
"The Voice of the Golden Triangle"
, 1580 in Mount Dora
      

Rick Taylor WABR 1970.jpg (95761 bytes)From Dick Camnitz; "Another of the WABR staff in 1970, during my short stay as Dick Shannon, was Rick Taylor. Rick was a super nice guy. I was saddened to hear recently from Bob Andrews that Rick passed away.
                          

Pauline Fellows-1954-Women's Director-Orange County Broadcasting
Richard C. Fellows-1954-Program Director/Promotions Manager/Chief Engineer/Sports Director-Orange County Broadcasters
Richard Fellows-1954-Program Director/Promotions Manager/Chief Engineer/Sports Director-Orange County Broadcasters
Tom Sawyer-1955-Vice President/Commercial Manager/Program Director/Promotions Manager-Orange County Broadcasters

Dick Webb-1955-News Director/Sports Director-Orange County Broadcasters

Gwen Barnwell-1955-Women's Director/1958-Promotions Director/Women's Director-Orange County Broadcasters
Andy Wilson-1955-Farm Director-Orange County Broadcasting/1966-"The Ray and Andy Show"-6AM-9AM/-Norfolk Broadcasting Corp./1968-General Manager-Norfolk Broadcasting Corp.
Shirley Tucker-1957-Women's Director-Orange County Broadcasters
Tom Doyle-1958-Program Director-Orange County Broadcasters
Dean Kendall-1958-News Director-Orange County Broadcasters
Jackie Sawyer-1958-Farm Director-Orange County Broadcasters
Bob Norris-1959-Program Director-Contemporary Broadcasting Co.
Kent Courtright-1959-News Director-Contemporary Broadcasting Co.
Robert Farrington-1960-Program Director-Contemporary Broadcasting Co.
Alan White-1960-News Director-Contemporary Broadcasting Co.
Ray Beale-1966-Program Director/" The Ray and Andy Show"-6AM-9AM/1969-Station Manager-Norfolk Broadcasting Corp.
Pete Lazar (Pete Forgione)-1966-News Director-Norfolk Broadcasting Corp. Biography
Art Spector-1966-Mornigs/General Manager/Commercial Manager-Norfolk Broadcasting Corp. Biography
Greg Galloway-1966-1968 Biography
Dick Shannon (Dick Camnitz)-1970
Rick Taylor-1971-Music Director-Norfolk Broadcasting Corp.


Bob Andrews
-1971-Operations Director/Chief Engineer-Norfolk Broadcasting Corp. Biography
Dutch Edwards-1971 
Clive Thomas-1973-Morning Drive  Biography
Jim Boynton-1973-Program director  (pictured right)



Frank Reed
-
Biography

Steve Rutledge-6PM-12M Weekends/fill ins Biography
Dave Edwards Biography
Jim Jereau
Gabe Burton Biography
Tom Haley-Biography
Steve Schiffman Biography


Other Names In WABR History 

Charles Wolf-1954-President/General Manager/Commercial Manager-Orange County Broadcasters

Ray Herbert Gunkle, Jr.-1955-President/General Manager-Orange County Broadcasters
Jim Macri-1955-Chief Engineer-Orange County Broadcasters
James Sawyer-1956-Commercial Manager/1958-President/General Manager-Orange County Broadcasters
James Waldrop-1958-Commercial Manager-Orange County Broadcasters
Gerald Eggshart-1958-Chief Engineer-Orange County Broadcasters
Edward Edwards-1959-President/General Manager-Contemporary Broadcasting Co.
Dean Wilson-1959-Commercial Manager-Contemporary Broadcasting Co.
Bob Farington-1959-Promotion Director-Contemporary Broadcasting Co.
James Thomas-1959-Chief Engineer-Contemporary Broadcasting Co.
Richard Williams-1960-Promotion Manager-Contemporary Broadcasting Co.
Robert Allen-1960-Chief Engineer-Contemporary Broadcasting Co.
Louis Peterson-1966-President-Norfolk Broadcasting Corp.
Paul Downs-1971-Vice President/General Manager-Norfolk Broadcasting Corp.


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