WBUR-FM

WBUR-FM
Boston, Massachusetts; United States;
Broadcast area	Greater Boston
Frequency	90.9 MHz (HD Radio)
Branding	90.9 WBUR
Programming
Format	News/talk
Affiliations	NPR; Public Radio Exchange;
Ownership
Owner	Boston University; (The Trustees of Boston University);
History
First air date	March 1, 1950
Former call signs	WBUR (1950–1997)
Call sign meaning	"Boston University Radio"
Technical information
Licensing authority	FCC
Facility ID	68241
Class	B
ERP	8,600 watts
HAAT	357.8 meters (1,174 feet)
Transmitter coordinates	42°18′37″N 71°14′12″W / 42.31028°N 71.23667°W
Repeater(s)	(see table)
Links
Public license information	Public file; LMS;
Webcast	Listen live; MP3; Ogg Vorbis; ;
Website	wbur.org

WBUR-FM (90.9 FM) is a public radio station located in Boston, Massachusetts, owned by Boston University. Its programming is also known as WBUR News. The station is the largest^[3] of three NPR member stations in Boston, along with WGBH and WUMB-FM and produces several nationally distributed programs, including On Point, Here and Now and Open Source. WBUR previously produced Car Talk, Only a Game, and The Connection (which was cancelled on August 5, 2005). RadioBoston, launched in 2007, is its only purely local show. WBUR's positioning statement is "Boston's NPR News Station".

WBUR also carries its programming on two other stations serving Cape Cod and the Islands: WBUH (89.1 FM) in Brewster,^[4] and WBUA (92.7 FM) in Tisbury. The latter station, located on Martha's Vineyard, uses the frequency formerly occupied by WMVY.^[5]^[6]^[7] In 1998, the station helped launch WRNI in Providence, Rhode Island—the first NPR station within that state's borders. It has since sold the station to a local group.

According to Ken Mills, a Minneapolis broadcast consultant and Nielsen data, the number of WBUR listeners has grown since 2012, increasing from 409,000 to 534,400. In 2017, WBUR was named the sixth-most popular NPR news station in the United States.^[8]

^ "The Boston Radio Dial: WBUR-FM". The Archives @ BostonRadio.org. Retrieved January 15, 2012.
^ "Facility Technical Data for WBUR-FM". Licensing and Management System. Federal Communications Commission.
^ "Performance of Public Radio News Stations" (PDF). Retrieved December 30, 2015.
^ Lantz, Brian (May 23, 2014). "WBUR debuts on new Cape frequency". Cape Cod Times. Retrieved May 23, 2014.
^ "WBUR Buys Martha’s Vineyard Station 92.7-FM", WBUR website
^ Wells, Julia. "Radio Station WMVY Will be Sold to WBUR". Vineyard Gazette. Retrieved November 27, 2012.
^ "Call Sign Changes" (PDF). Federal Communications Commission. Retrieved December 15, 2012.^{[permanent dead link]}
^ Arsenault, Mark (June 4, 2017). "In well-mannered public radio, an airwaves war". The Boston Globe. Retrieved June 4, 2017.

[bostonradio-fmstart-1] "The Boston Radio Dial: WBUR-FM". The Archives @ BostonRadio.org. Retrieved January 15, 2012.

[2] "Facility Technical Data for WBUR-FM". Licensing and Management System. Federal Communications Commission.

[Station_Resource_Group-3] "Performance of Public Radio News Stations" (PDF). Retrieved December 30, 2015.

[cct-wbuhstart-4] Lantz, Brian (May 23, 2014). "WBUR debuts on new Cape frequency". Cape Cod Times. Retrieved May 23, 2014.

[wbur.org-5] "WBUR Buys Martha’s Vineyard Station 92.7-FM", WBUR website

[6] Wells, Julia. "Radio Station WMVY Will be Sold to WBUR". Vineyard Gazette. Retrieved November 27, 2012.

[fcc-wmvytowbua-7] "Call Sign Changes" (PDF). Federal Communications Commission. Retrieved December 15, 2012.^{[permanent dead link]}

[8] Arsenault, Mark (June 4, 2017). "In well-mannered public radio, an airwaves war". The Boston Globe. Retrieved June 4, 2017.

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