WBBM (AM)

WBBM
Chicago, Illinois; United States;
Broadcast area	Chicago metropolitan area
Frequency	780 kHz
Branding	Newsradio 780 WBBM
Programming
Language(s)	English
Format	All-news radio
Affiliations	CBS News Radio; Bloomberg Radio; WBBM-TV;
Ownership
Owner	Audacy, Inc.; (Audacy License, LLC, as Debtor-in-Possession);
Sister stations	WBBM-FM, WBMX, WCFS-FM, WSCR, WUSN, WXRT
History
First air date	February 6, 1924
Call sign meaning	None (sequentially assigned), but founder Frank Atlass announced that they stood for "We Broadcast Better Music"
Technical information
Licensing authority	FCC
Facility ID	9631
Class	A
Power	35,000 watts day; 42,000 watts night;
Transmitter coordinates	41°56′3.11″N 88°4′22.25″W / 41.9341972°N 88.0728472°W (main); 41°56′18″N 87°45′5″W / 41.93833°N 87.75139°W (aux);
Repeater(s)	105.9 WCFS-FM (Elmwood Park)
Links
Public license information	Public file; LMS;
Webcast	Listen live (via Audacy)
Website	www.audacy.com/wbbm780

WBBM (780 kHz) – branded Newsradio 780 WBBM – is a commercial all-news AM radio station licensed to serve Chicago, Illinois. Owned by Audacy, Inc., its studios are located at Two Prudential Plaza in the Chicago Loop, while the station transmitter—diplexed with sister station WSCR—resides in the nearby suburb of Bloomingdale.

WBBM is a Class A station that broadcasts on a clear-channel AM frequency, powered with 35,000 watts by day and 42,000 watts at night, using a non-directional antenna. Its daytime signal provides at least grade B coverage to most of the northern two-thirds of Illinois (as far south as Springfield) as well as large portions of Wisconsin, Iowa, Michigan and Indiana. Its city-grade coverage reaches as far north as Milwaukee. At night, WBBM can be heard across much of North America under favorable conditions, but is strongest in the Midwest.

In addition to a standard analog transmission, WBBM broadcasts over HD Radio using the in-band on-channel standard,^[4] is simulcast over WCFS-FM (105.9),^[5] and is available online via Audacy.

^ Janowski, Thaddeus P. (September 29, 2010). "FCC 316: Application for Consent to Assign Broadcast Station Construction Permit or License or to Transfer Control of Entity Holding Broadcast Station Construction Permit or License (BTCH-20100930AFL)". Federal Communications Commission. Retrieved March 15, 2011.
^ ^a ^b Tubbs, William B. (Autumn 1996). "'We Broadcast Better Music': WBBM Goes on the Air in Lincoln, Illinois". Illinois Historical Journal. 89 (3): 161–174. Retrieved January 9, 2021.
^ "Facility Technical Data for WBBM". Licensing and Management System. Federal Communications Commission.
^ http://hdradio.com/station_guides/widget.php?id=4 Archived September 16, 2016, at the Wayback Machine HD Radio Guide for Chicago
^ Feder, Robert (July 15, 2011). "It's official: CBS to expand Newsradio brand with FM simulcast". Time Out Chicago. Retrieved July 15, 2011.

[1] Janowski, Thaddeus P. (September 29, 2010). "FCC 316: Application for Consent to Assign Broadcast Station Construction Permit or License or to Transfer Control of Entity Holding Broadcast Station Construction Permit or License (BTCH-20100930AFL)". Federal Communications Commission. Retrieved March 15, 2011.

[Tubbs-2] Tubbs, William B. (Autumn 1996). "'We Broadcast Better Music': WBBM Goes on the Air in Lincoln, Illinois". Illinois Historical Journal. 89 (3): 161–174. Retrieved January 9, 2021.

[3] "Facility Technical Data for WBBM". Licensing and Management System. Federal Communications Commission.

[4] ttp://hdradio.com/station_guides/widget.php?id=4 Archived September 16, 2016, at the Wayback Machine HD Radio Guide for Chicago

[auto-5] Feder, Robert (July 15, 2011). "It's official: CBS to expand Newsradio brand with FM simulcast". Time Out Chicago. Retrieved July 15, 2011.

[1]

[2]

[3]

[4]

[5]