WEEU

WEEU is a news/talk station in Reading, Pennsylvania. The station broadcasts at 830 kHz on the AM band with 20,000 watts of power daytime and 6,000 watts of power during nighttime. The station uses six broadcast towers to create different directional signal patterns for daytime and nighttime. During the daytime, WEEU's signal is aimed toward the northwest and the southeast from its transmitter site near Shartlesville, northwest of Reading. During the evenings, WEEU's signal is directed toward the southeast to cover Reading.

WEEU
CityReading, Pennsylvania
Broadcast areaReading, Pennsylvania
BrandingThe Voice 830 AM WEEU
SloganThe Voice of Berks County
Frequency830 kHz
Repeater(s)WBYN
First air dateJanuary 4, 1932 (1932-01-04)
FormatNews/talk
Power20,000 watts daytime
6,000 watts nighttime
Transmitter coordinates40°30′54″N 76°07′24″W
AffiliationsABC News Radio
Premiere Networks
Westwood One
OwnerTwilight Broadcasting, Inc.
(Twilight Broadcasting, Inc.)
Sister stationsWKQW
WKQW-FM
WXMT
WebcastListen Live
Website830weeu.com

830 AM is a United States clear-channel frequency on which WCCO in Minneapolis, Minnesota is the dominant Class A station. WEEU reduces power and becomes more directional to the southeast during nighttime hours in order the protect the skywave signal of WCCO.

The station is also a part of the Philadelphia Phillies Radio Network, broadcasting Phillies games live.

History

WEEU began broadcasting January 4, 1932, on 830 kHz as a daytime-only station with 1 kW of power.[1] In 1941, WEEU's frequency was changed to 850 kHz as a result of NARBA, and in 1949 it added a directional nighttime signal. In 1999, WEEU moved back to 830 kHz with a more powerful 5 kW daytime and 6 kW nighttime signal from a new five-tower transmitter site just north of I-78 near Shartlesville, PA. In the early 2000s, WEEU added a sixth tower and upgraded its daytime signal to 20 kW.

As a result of the bankruptcy of the Reading Eagle Company and the May 2019 sale of most its assets to MediaNews Group, WEEU was put up for sale, with tentative plans to shut the station down at the completion of the sale of the newspaper, which was to take place at least 30 days after bankruptcy court approval and before July 31, 2019. Any potential buyer would be allowed to use the station's transmission facilities for up to five years, if not sold by MediaNews Group beforehand.[2] In June 2019, Twilight Broadcasting agreed to purchase WEEU, allowing the station to remain on the air with most of its existing programming; a local marketing agreement began on July 1, 2019, upon the completion of MediaNews Group's acquisition of The Reading Eagle.[3] The Rush Limbaugh Show was transferred from WEEU to WRAW that August.[4]

References
  1. "(untitled brief)" (PDF). Broadcasting. February 1, 1932. Retrieved 7 October 2014.
  2. Mekeel, David (May 22, 2019). "MediaNews Group bids $5 million for Reading Eagle Company assets, plans to silence WEEU". Reading Eagle. Retrieved May 22, 2019.
  3. "WEEU sale to Twilight Broadcasting is official". The Reading Eagle. June 29, 2019. Retrieved August 14, 2019.
  4. https://www.fybush.com/nerw-20190812/
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