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WERO

Washington, North Carolina United States
Broadcast area	New Bern, North Carolina Greenville, North Carolina Jacksonville, North Carolina Kinston, North Carolina
Frequency	93.3 MHz
Branding	Bob 93-3
Programming
Format	Contemporary hit radio
Affiliations	Compass Media Networks Premiere Networks
Ownership
Owner	Dick Broadcasting (Dick Broadcasting Company, Inc. of Tennessee)
Sister stations	WQSL, WQZL, WXQR-FM, WRNS, WRNS-FM
History
First air date	1962 (1962)
Former call signs	WITN-FM (1962–1985) WDLX (1985–1996) WERO (1996–2004) WBOB-FM (April 2004)
Technical information
Licensing authority	FCC
Facility ID	64609
Class	C
ERP	100,000 watts
HAAT	543 meters (1,781 ft)
Links
Public license information	Public file LMS
Webcast	Listen Live
Website	bob933.com

WERO (93.3 FM, "Bob 93-3") is a contemporary hit radio music formatted radio station for Eastern North Carolina licensed to Washington, North Carolina, US, targeting the Greenville, North Carolina, and Eastern North Carolina areas.

History

The station began as WITN-FM, and by the late 1970s was a Top 40 station known as Rock 93, airing TM's automated "Stereo Rock" format. The station was owned by William Riley "Bill" Roberson Jr. and operated along with sister station WITN (930 AM) as the Tar Heel Broadcasting System. Roberson also owned the local TV station, WITN-TV (channel 7) and numerous other local properties such as the Dr. Pepper bottling plant, and Washington Square Mall. Around 1984, Roberson retired and began divesting these properties, selling some but leaving his son in law, Charles Zoph Potts and William Riley Roberson III in charge of WITN and WITN-FM. Potts and Roberson took the FM station to a live format in 1985, and changed to the 93DLX moniker, also known as the Hot FM. In 1991 the station went to a soft AC format. On February 19, 1996, the calls became WERO. and went to Classic Hits format as Arrow 93.3.

Also in 1996, major changes took place as Potts and Roberson sold their interest in the station to Pinnacle Broadcasting, which in 1999 became NextMedia Group.

In 1998, it dropped the Arrow and became known as WERO a 50/50 mix of the 1980s and 1990s, mixing in more of an adult album alternative format, all during this time it had some association with WITN-TV. The following year in 1999, it changed its branding to Bob 93.3 and flipped back to Top 40 music.

In 2004, NextMedia consolidated its radio operations to one central location in New Bern, North Carolina, as this station left behind the building just south of Washington where it had broadcast from since the 1950s.

In 2010, WERO operated on reduced power for a while as the station replaced an antenna that was 30 years old, an action which would increase the station's signal range.

NextMedia sold WERO and their 32 other radio stations to Digity, LLC for $85 million; the transaction was consummated on February 10, 2014.

Effective February 25, 2016, Digity and its 124 radio stations were acquired by Alpha Media for $264 million.

Some of the disc jockeys/on air personalities over the course of the stations history have been Gary Jackson, Sam Reynolds, Jack Boston, Alan Handelman, Shel Bynum, Bob Brannigan, George Micheals, Doug Moreland, Gary Lee, Charlie Byrd, Colleen Jackson, Tom the Jazz Man, Gina Gray, Todd Mitchell, Chris "Hollywood" Mann, Gare "The Spyder" Stevens, Doc Brown, J. Slater, Beth McCall, Brian Lane, Jay Stevens, Chris Kellogg, JJ, Gary O'Neal, Crystal Legends, Big Tom Lawler, Beaver (Chris Michaels Smith), Jojo, Jamie, Bill O'Brien, Penny, Flave, Jagger, Helen Harvey, Harry Palm, "Swingin" Dick Richards, Austin (Moore) at Night.

In September 2017, Dick Broadcasting announced the purchase of Alpha Media stations in three markets — 18 stations and two translators in total, at a purchase price of $19.5 million. The acquisition of WERO by Dick Broadcasting was consummated on December 20, 2017.

References

1. ^ "Call Sign History (WERO)". Retrieved April 27, 2010.
2. "Facility Technical Data for WERO". Licensing and Management System. Federal Communications Commission.
3. "Raleigh-Durham FM Dial". Archived from the original on February 1, 2003. Retrieved April 27, 2010.
4. "Bob's Getting Bigger". bob933.com. Retrieved February 18, 2010.
5. Venta, Lance (September 5, 2017). "Dick Broadcasting Acquires Three Markets From Alpha Media". radioinsight. Retrieved September 6, 2017.

External links

• Official website
• Facility details for Facility ID 64609 (WERO) in the FCC Licensing and Management System
• WERO in Nielsen Audio's FM station database

35°21′56″N 77°23′35″W / 35.3656°N 77.3930°W / 35.3656; -77.3930

• Radio stations in North Carolina
• Bob FM stations
• Contemporary hit radio stations in the United States
• Beaufort County, North Carolina
• Radio stations established in 1962
• 1962 establishments in North Carolina