WBJW-AM 1440Winter Park
Original Call Letters: WABR
Originally Licensed: Sep 1954
Original City of License: Winter Park
Original Frequency: 1440
Origin of Call Letters:
Original Power: 5,000 watts-Daytime
Original Location: 222 Hazard St., Orlando
Original Format: Oldies/Lite Rock
Network Affiliation(s): ABC Entertainment
Owner(s): 1954-
1975-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-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
WBJW Personalities
Phil Hendrie-mid-1970s Phil dropped out of Pasadena City College after two years, and moved with friends to Orlando, Florida to work as a construction laborer/cement finisher in the middle of the early seventies Central Florida building boom, and contributed to building Walt Disney World as well. According to Mr. Hendrie, he "...still entertained ideas about being a writer but didn't really write anything." Realizing that he'd need a job to support himself if he was ever going to get down to the business of writing, he unwittingly chose his career... "I landed a gig as a disc jockey at WBJW 1440 AM in Winter Park Fla, a suburb of Orlando. I never really did start writing anything. And for that matter never did anything of note as a disc jockey for some 16 years, drifting from Orlando, to New Orleans to Miami and then home to Los Angeles, spinning records and hating it. Real waste of life..."
