WABE (FM)

{{short description|Public radio station in Atlanta}} {{Use American English|date=February 2025}} {{Use mdy dates|date=January 2025}} {{Infobox radio station | name = WABE | logo = 200px|class=skin-invert | image = WABE (FM) Building.jpg | caption = WABE (FM) Building (April 2025) | city = Atlanta, Georgia | country = US | area = Atlanta metropolitan area | branding = 90.1 FM WABE | frequency = {{frequency|90.1|MHz}} {{HD Radio}} | airdate = {{start date|1948|09|13}} | format = Public radio | subchannels = {{ubl|HD2: Classical|HD3: BBC World Service}} | erp = 100,000 watts | haat = {{convert|334.1|m|ft|sp=us}} | class = C0 | licensing_authority = FCC | facility_id = 3538 | coordinates = {{Coord|33|45|32|N|84|20|07|W|format=dms|type:landmark_region:US-GA}} | callsign_meaning = "Atlanta Board of Education"{{r|Atla471112}} | affiliations = {{hlist|National Public Radio|PRX|BBC|APM|}} | owner = Atlanta Public Schools | licensee = Board of Education, City of Atlanta Government | sister_stations = WABE-TV | webcast = {{listen live|https://wabe.org}} | website = {{URL|https://wabe.org}} }} '''WABE''' (90.1 FM) is a non-commercial educational radio station licensed to Atlanta, Georgia, United States, and serves the Atlanta metropolitan area as a members station of National Public Radio (NPR). Owned by Atlanta Public Schools and licensed to the Atlanta Board of Education, it is a sister outlet to PBS member station WABE-TV (channel 30) and local educational access cable service APS Cable Channel 22. The three outlets share studios on Bismark Road in the Morningside/Lenox Park section of Atlanta; WABE-TV's transmitter is located on New Street Northeast (south of DeKalb Avenue) in the city's Edgewood neighborhood.

WABE carries a general public radio schedule with local hosts Lois Reitzes, Rose Scott and H. Johnson and produces the Peabody Award-winning podcast ''Buried Truths'' with Hank Klibanoff.

In September 1994, a nonprofit corporation, the Atlanta Educational Telecommunications Collaborative, Inc., was founded to provide financial, promotional, and volunteer support for WABE (as well as WABE-TV channel 30 and Atlanta Public Schools cable channel 22). WABE's signal reaches practically all of the northwestern and north-central parts of the state. It is the dominant public radio station in metropolitan Atlanta, but starting on June 30, 2014, has been joined during the daytime by Georgia Public Broadcasting's Atlanta feed on 88.5 WRAS-FM. GPB provides public radio programming to most of the rest of the state.

== History == On October 16, 1947, the Atlanta Board of Education received a construction permit to build a new noncommercial educational radio station on 90.1 MHz in Atlanta.<ref name="hc">{{Cite web|url= https://cdbs.recnet.com/corres/?doc=69873 |title= History Cards for WABE|publisher=Federal Communications Commission}} (Guide to reading History Cards)</ref> The station took the call letters WABE, representing its owner.<ref name="Atla471112">{{Cite news|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/93038284/atlanta-schools-to-operate-wabe/|date=November 12, 1947|page=7|title=Atlanta Schools To Operate WABE|newspaper=The Atlanta Constitution|location=Atlanta, Georgia|via=Newspapers.com|access-date=January 20, 2022}}</ref> The facility was completed by May 1948, when on-air tests were run,<ref name="Atla480521">{{Cite news|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/93038360/your-city-hall-educational-broadcasts/|date=May 21, 1948|page=33|title=Your City Hall: Educational Broadcasts|newspaper=The Atlanta Constitution|location=Atlanta, Georgia|via=Newspapers.com|access-date=January 20, 2022}}</ref> but it would not be until the next school year when WABE entered into full-time service on September 13.<ref name="Atla480914">{{Cite news|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/93038529/wabe-begins-broadcasts/|date=September 14, 1948|page=20|title=WABE Begins Broadcasts|newspaper=The Atlanta Constitution|location=Atlanta, Georgia|via=Newspapers.com|access-date=January 20, 2022}}</ref> Initially, WABE ran exclusively instructional programming for students in Atlanta and Fulton County schools and was the first station of its kind in the Southeast.<ref name="Atla480907">{{Cite news|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/93038414/to-reach-90000-pupils-in-fulton-wabe-1/|date=September 7, 1948|page=14|title=To Reach 90,000 Pupils In Fulton: WABE 1st School Radio Station In South and 14th in America|newspaper=The Atlanta Constitution|location=Atlanta, Georgia|via=Newspapers.com|access-date=January 20, 2022}}</ref> The Rich's Foundation had donated equipment to run the station; at the time, Rich's produced educational radio programming that aired on a six-station network in Georgia, which included WABE when it signed on.<ref name="Atla481015">{{Cite news|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/93038867/richs-radio-school-engages-frances-adam/|date=October 15, 1948|page=25|title=Rich's Radio School Engages Frances Adams|newspaper=The Atlanta Constitution|location=Atlanta, Georgia|via=Newspapers.com|access-date=January 20, 2022}}</ref>

The first radio studios were in two rooms on the 14th floor of the Atlanta City Hall; the station moved to its present quarters on Bismark Road in 1957.<ref name="Atla571221">{{Cite news|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/93044571/city-hall-news-educational-tvs-debut-s/|date=December 21, 1957|page=3|first=Herman|last=Hancock|title=City Hall News: Educational TV's Debut Set Dec. 29|newspaper=The Atlanta Constitution|location=Atlanta, Georgia|via=Newspapers.com|access-date=January 20, 2022}}</ref> The former Rock Springs Elementary School would also house WETV, the first educational television station in Georgia, which began broadcasting in February 1958.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/85474027/educational-tv-setup-explained-as-atlant/|page=3|date=December 30, 1957|title=Educational TV Setup Explained As Atlanta's Station Is Dedicated|accessdate=September 16, 2021|work=The Atlanta Constitution|archive-date=January 20, 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220120164541/https://www.newspapers.com/clip/85474027/educational-tv-setup-explained-as/|url-status=live}}</ref>

It was not until the early 1970s that the station significantly broadened its output to include non-instructional programs. The station added more evening hours in 1971 and began regular weekend broadcasts for the first time.<ref name="Atla710430">{{Cite news|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/93045799/good-music-station-extending-its-air-t/|date=April 30, 1971|page=10-D|first=Paul|last=Jones|title='Good Music' Station Extending Its Air Time|newspaper=The Atlanta Constitution|location=Atlanta, Georgia|via=Newspapers.com|access-date=January 20, 2022}}</ref> In 1973, "Friends of WABE" was formed, giving the station its first community volunteer organization;<ref name="public25">{{cite news|pages=1F, [https://www.newspapers.com/clip/85474254/public-broadcasting-25-in-october/ 2F]|title=Happy Birthday, Public Broadcasting|work=The Atlanta Constitution|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/85474301/happy-birthday-public-broadcasting/|date=September 30, 1973|accessdate=September 16, 2021|archive-date=September 17, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210917065805/https://www.newspapers.com/clip/85474301/happy-birthday-public-broadcasting/|url-status=live}}</ref> broadcasting in stereo began in April 1974 after commercial radio station owner GCC Communications gave a grant for new equipment.<ref name="Atla740413">{{Cite news|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/93045613/radio-wabe-ups-power-adds-stereo/|date=April 13, 1974|page=25-T|first=Jean|last=Thwaite|title=Radio: WABE Ups Power, Adds Stereo|newspaper=The Atlanta Constitution|location=Atlanta, Georgia|via=Newspapers.com|access-date=January 20, 2022}}</ref> In 1979, WABE won its first George Foster Peabody Award for a two-part program, ''The Eyewitness Who Wasn't: The Matthews Murder Trials''.<ref name="Atla790506">{{Cite news|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/93046580/the-prestigious-peabody/|date=May 6, 1979|page=46, [https://www.newspapers.com/clip/93046728/ 47]|first=Jim|last=Dodson|title=The Prestigious Peabody|newspaper=The Atlanta Journal and Constitution Magazine|location=Atlanta, Georgia|via=Newspapers.com|access-date=January 20, 2022}}</ref>

The late 1970s and early 1980s also saw other changes, notably the formation of a Public Broadcasting Association to advise on the operations of WETV and WABE<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/85474444/pba-reaches-for-community-leaders/|accessdate=September 16, 2021|page=10D|date=December 27, 1979|title=PBA Reaches For Community Leaders|first=Donna|last=Williams|work=The Atlanta Constitution|archive-date=September 17, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210917110048/https://www.newspapers.com/clip/85474444/pba-reaches-for-community-leaders/|url-status=live}}</ref> and Fulton County's decision to stop funding WABE and WETV in 1982, which almost led the Atlanta school board to turn both over to GPB.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/85474505/|accessdate=September 16, 2021|title=Public Broadcasting Stations Get Breathing Room|first=Sharon J.|last=Salyer|work=The Atlanta Constitution|date=April 12, 1982|page=12-A|archive-date=January 20, 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220120164612/https://www.newspapers.com/clip/85474505/public-broadcasting-stations-get/|url-status=live}}</ref> Ultimately, the factor that dissuaded the Board of Education from handing over its broadcasting outlets was that it was a minority school system and had no interest in turning over the services to a predominantly White group.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/85474626/school-board-backs-down-on-stations-offe/|title=School board backs down on stations offer|first=Jane|last=Hansen|page=Intown Extra 1, [https://www.newspapers.com/clip/85474645/cover-story/ 4]|work=The Atlanta Constitution|date=October 7, 1982|accessdate=September 16, 2021}}</ref>

The early 1980s also brought major changes that cemented WABE's service to Atlanta. After nearly 35 years, instructional programming was distributed to schools directly beginning in the 1982–83 school year, freeing up daytime hours for public radio programming.<ref name="Atla820412">{{Cite news|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/85474505/public-broadcasting-stations-get-breathi/|date=April 12, 1982|page=12-A|first=Sharon J.|last=Salyer|title=Public Broadcasting Stations Get Breathing Space|newspaper=The Atlanta Constitution|location=Atlanta, Georgia|via=Newspapers.com|access-date=January 20, 2022}}</ref> The radio station then relocated to Stone Mountain in April 1983 at an increased power of 100,000 watts, greatly improving coverage.<ref name="Atla830428">{{Cite news|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/93045092/the-little-station-that-could-wabe-now/|date=April 28, 1983|page=D5|first=Sharon J.|last=Salyer|title=The little station that could: WABE now a big time station|newspaper=The Atlanta Constitution|location=Atlanta, Georgia|via=Newspapers.com|access-date=January 20, 2022}}</ref> It would remain on Stone Mountain until 2004, when technical considerations relating to the digital television transition displaced WPBA from the site.

A 1991 study suggested a move to a multicultural format for WABE, which drew the ire of public broadcasting supporters.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/85474920/2nd-wpba-wabe-study-set/|accessdate=September 17, 2021|first=Bernadette|last=Burden|work=The Atlanta Constitution|title=2nd WPBA-WABE study set|page=F4|date=October 28, 1991|archive-date=September 17, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210917143211/https://www.newspapers.com/clip/85474920/2nd-wpba-wabe-study-set/|url-status=live}}</ref> The advisory board campaigned in 1993 to take full control of the stations;<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/85474962/change-urged-for-wabe-wpba/|title=Change urged for WABE, WPBA|accessdate=September 17, 2021|first=Betsy|last=White|page=C1|date=October 23, 1993|work=The Atlanta Constitution|archive-date=September 17, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210917073504/https://www.newspapers.com/clip/85474962/change-urged-for-wabe-wpba/|url-status=live}}</ref> this led to its restructuring as the Atlanta Educational Telecommunications Collaborative in 1994.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/85474999/restructuring-at-wabe-fm-wpba-means-nin/|date=August 11, 1994|title=Restructuring at WABE-FM, WPBA means nine employees to lose jobs|accessdate=September 17, 2021|page=E11|first=Derrick|last=Henry|work=The Atlanta Constitution}}</ref> Later in the decade, the statewide network made another overture to take over WPBA and WABE, which the Atlanta Board of Education rebuffed, with the racial composition of channel 30's management compared to the state agency again being cited.<ref>{{cite news|work=The Wall Street Journal|url=https://www.wsj.com/articles/SB898623950561924500|date=June 24, 1998|page=S1|title=Atlanta's Small Public TV Station Struggles to Remain Independent|first=Motoko|last=Rich|accessdate=September 18, 2021|archive-date=September 18, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210918173707/https://www.wsj.com/articles/SB898623950561924500|url-status=live}}</ref>

Into the 2010s, WABE continued to broadcast classical music during daytime hours, even as most public radio stations in large markets were moving toward speech-based daytime schedules, in large part because of Reitzes, the longest-tenured air personality on Atlanta radio.<ref name="legendary">{{Cite news |last=Ho |first=Rodney |date=December 31, 2013 |title=Lois Reitzes, legendary voice of WABE-FM, celebrates 35 years on air in Atlanta |language=English |work=The Atlanta Journal-Constitution |url=https://www.ajc.com/blog/radiotvtalk/lois-reitzes-legend-entering-her-35th-year-radio-wabe/VMfvm67VxJUEV5M9pnamyN/ |access-date=2022-01-22}}</ref> As a result, many NPR programs that became mainstays after the network's rapid programming expansion in the 1990s, such as ''The Diane Rehm Show'', ''Talk of the Nation'', ''Here and Now'', ''On Point'', ''The Story with Dick Gordon'' and ''Newshour'' from the BBC World Service, were not heard until WABE added all-classical and all-news/talk HD Radio subchannels in 2006.<ref name="Atla061031">{{Cite news|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/93217190/pledge-drive-propels-wabes-future-fund/|date=October 31, 2006|page=E2|title=Pledge drive propels WABE's future fund-raising to record levels|newspaper=The Atlanta Constitution|location=Atlanta, Georgia|via=Newspapers.com|access-date=January 22, 2022}}</ref> In 2014, the station announced that, beginning in January 2015, the classical programming would move exclusively to the station's HD2 subchannel, to be replaced by new national and local programming (including a two-hour arts program hosted by Reitzes) alongside an addition of seven employees to the news staff.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Ho |first=Rodney |date=November 7, 2014 |title=WABE dropping daytime classical for news/talk |language=English |work=The Atlanta Journal-Constitution |url=https://www.ajc.com/entertainment/wabe-dropping-daytime-classical-for-news-talk/pBSMtygyxAnrMVUSVAI8vL/ |access-date=2022-01-22 |issn=1539-7459}}</ref> The substitution of more popular news programming for classical shows helped to fuel ratings growth at WABE, which increased its ratings by 45 percent from 2015 to 2019.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Ho |first=Rodney |date=February 11, 2019 |title=2018 Atlanta radio ratings: good years for V-103, Majic, River, B98.5, the Game, Rock 100.5, Joy 93.3 |language=English |work=The Atlanta Journal-Constitution |url=https://www.ajc.com/blog/radiotvtalk/2018-atlanta-radio-ratings-good-years-for-103-majic-river-the-game-rock-100-joy/38K0ARPfG2kjW1q48MEpuO/ |access-date=2022-01-22}}</ref> In 2019, ''Buried Truths'', a podcast from WABE hosted by Hank Klibanoff, won the station its second Peabody Award.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Ho |first=Rodney |date=April 26, 2019 |title=Award central: WABE's 'Buried Truths' podcast, Fox 5 take home Peabody's; Atlanta Press Club, regional Edward R. Murrow award winners |language=English |work=The Atlanta Journal-Constitution |url=https://www.ajc.com/blog/radiotvtalk/wabe-buried-truths-podcast-fox-take-home-peabody-atlanta-press-club-award-winners/eAePSm0s9VjrBK5c4lH4RI/ |access-date=2022-01-22}}</ref>

On January 19, 2022, Public Broadcasting Atlanta rebranded both WABE and WPBA-TV, along with their websites, podcasts and smartphone apps, as a single unified entity named WABE, with a new logo and slogan, "Amplifying Atlanta", and a call sign change for the television station.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Ho |first=Rodney |date=January 18, 2022 |title=WABE launches a major rebranding with new logo, music, slogan |language=English |work=The Atlanta Journal-Constitution |url=https://www.ajc.com/life/radiotvtalk-blog/wabe-launches-a-major-rebranding-with-new-logo-music-slogan/OIUVFRJDHRFERLPOWXLRGQPW54/ |access-date=January 20, 2022 |archive-date=January 20, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220120164604/https://www.ajc.com/life/radiotvtalk-blog/wabe-launches-a-major-rebranding-with-new-logo-music-slogan/OIUVFRJDHRFERLPOWXLRGQPW54/ |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|title=Public Broadcasting Atlanta Consolidates Under WABE Branding|url=https://radioinsight.com/headlines/218792/public-broadcasting-atlanta-consolidates-under-wabe-branding/|access-date=2022-01-20|website=RadioInsight|date=20 January 2022 |language=en-US}}</ref>

==Local programming and productions== During the day, WABE mixes public radio programs from NPR and other producers—including ''Morning Edition'', ''All Things Considered'', ''Here and Now'', ''Fresh Air'', and ''Marketplace''—with its own local shows, including ''City Lights with Lois Reitzes'', covering the arts; ''Closer Look with Rose Scott''. Weekends continue to feature musical programming, including broadcasts of the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra and two programs hosted by H. Johnson: ''Jazz Classics'' on Saturday nights and ''Blues Classics'' on Friday nights. On Sunday nights, ''The Atlanta Music Scene'' presents concerts from venues in the area.

===Notable hosts=== * Lois Reitzes, host of the arts program ''City Lights'' and with WABE since 1979{{r|legendary}} * H. Johnson, host of the Saturday night program ''Jazz Classics'' and Friday night program ''Blues Classics''

==References== {{Reflist}}

==External links== *{{official website|https://www.wabe.org/}} *{{FM station data|3538|WABE}}

Category:1948 establishments in Georgia (U.S. state) Category:NPR member stations Category:Radio stations established in 1948 ABE Category:Peabody Award winners