WKBE

WKBE

City of license	Warrensburg, New York
Broadcast area	Adirondack Region, Capital District
Branding	100.3 The Point
Slogan	Today's Modern Mix
Frequency	100.3 MHz
First air date	November 1, 1990
Format	Modern Adult Contemporary
ERP	25,000 Watts
Class	B1
Facility ID	33396
Transmitter coordinates	43°25′12.00″N 73°45′39.00″W
Callsign meaning	W Karamatt Broadcasting Enterprises (original owner)
Former frequencies	100.5 MHz (1990–1995)
Owner	Pamal Broadcasting (6 Johnson Road Licenses, Inc.)
Sister stations	WMML, WENU, WNYQ, WFFG
Webcast	Listen Live
Website	http://www.thepointontheweb.com/

WKBE (100.3 FM), known as 100.3 The Point, is a modern adult contemporary radio station in the United States, licensed to Warrensburg, New York, and owned by Pamal Broadcasting. The station broadcasts 24 hours a day on 100.3 MHz at 1.45 kW from a transmitter located on Prospect Mountain in Lake George, New York (shared with WCKM-FM, WCQL and the former location of WNYQ, now WQSH in the Albany market), and serves the Adirondack Region and the Capital District of New York.

WKBE's signal can be heard as far south as southern Albany and Rensselaer counties, and as far north as Schroon Lake and Elizabethtown.

Programming

Although a modern adult contemporary station, the station has a slight to moderate adult album alternative and active rock lean. On the musical spectrum, the station is somewhat between WEXT, WQBK-FM and WEQX. The station primarily plays alternative artists from the 1980s to the present, such as Depeche Mode, Evanescence, U2, No Doubt, Green Day, and Alanis Morissette.

The station is also known for broadcasting Point Punchlines every half-hour during the day, featuring comedic messages and quotes. The Point also has an A-List Rewards program, where listeners can earn points for solving contests on the station, and use the points to earn prizes.

As of June 2011, the station's DJ lineup is: Ken Edwards (6am-10am weekdays), Justin (2pm–7pm weekdays, noon–6pm Sundays), Sarah (7pm-midnight weekdays), Jackie (10am-2pm weekdays, noon–6pm Saturdays), and Nikki (6pm–midnight weekends). Sunday mornings feature the Sundays Over EZ featuring live and acoustic performances by WKBE artists from 7:00 to 10:00 am.

History

WKBE signed on November 1, 1990 on 100.5 MHz with 6 kilowatts ERP as adult contemporary KB-100. Locally owned by Karamatt Broadcasting, LLC, KB-100 aired mostly local programming with some off-peak timeslots carrying syndicated programs and also aired local programs such as high school sporting events. These events, however, were soon taken by WCKM-FM when that station signed on.

In 1994, Karamatt filed an application to upgrade for a 6 kilowatt Class A station to a 25 kilowatt Class B1 station as a response to the then-new application of the similarly powered WNYQ with the station moving down to 100.3 MHz in the process. The move took place in summer 1995; however, the increased value of the station led to its sale to Paul Bendat, owner of WABY/WABY-FM/WKLI in Albany in March 1996 after two months running WKLI's K-lite format under an LMA. With WKLI's adult contemporary format on the decline, Bendat saw an opportunity and both WKLI and WKBE flipped to CHR K-100 with the closing of the purchase of WKBE.

Though the initial year of WKBE's new format did well in the ratings, outlasting upstart WHTR, the station soon began to enter a period of decline and in February 1999 Bendat sold his stations to Tele-Media, Inc. After a three-month stunting period, the stations relaunched as modern adult contemporary The Point that May (with WKLI taking the WCPT calls in the process). After two years of struggling against a relaunched WNYQ in Glens Falls as well as WFLY and WRVE in Albany, Tele-Media sold WCPT and WKBE in August 2001 to Pamal Broadcasting with the sale closing that October.

Former WKBE logo, 2002–2006

While WCPT (which reverted to WKLI) took a new format, WKBE instead retained the Point format though now programming was based out of Glens Falls. This format has evolved over the last decade from the modern adult contemporary approach in place at the outset to a variation more similar to contemporary hit radio and eventually to a modern rock-leaning format.

From November 22, 2006 to December 25, 2006, the station stunted with a temporary Christmas music format, and after the month-long stint of Christmas music, WKBE began its lean towards a modern rock-oriented format on December 26, by introducing a new logo and slogan (Today's Modern Mix).

After the relaunch in 2006, the station's playlist includes mainly modern and active rock artists, such as Alanis Morissette, Evanescence, No Doubt, Red Hot Chili Peppers, and Green Day, as well as pop rock acts such as Kelly Clarkson, Christina Perri, Paramore, Neon Trees, and Avril Lavigne. In the late 2000s, soul music artists such as Adele, Duffy, and KT Tunstall began to be added to the playlist; however, by 2010, the station has become closer to a true modern rock format, although the station still plays some modern AC and AAA artists which are not found on most modern rock stations. As of early 2011, Arbitron, Mediabase and Nielsen BDS report the station under the hot adult contemporary format.

External links

• 100.3 The Point's website
• Query the FCC's FM station database for WKBE
• Radio-Locator information on WKBE
• Query Arbitron's FM station database for WKBE