View source for WCBE

{{Use American English|date=February 2025}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=November 2024}} 
{{Infobox radio station
| name             = WCBE
| logo             = File:WCBE Logo.png
| city             = [[Columbus, Ohio]]
| country          = US
| area             = [[Columbus metropolitan area, Ohio|Columbus metropolitan area]]
| branding         = 90.5 WCBE
| frequency        = 90.5 ([[Megahertz|MHz]])
| format           = [[NPR]], [[Public broadcasting|public radio]]
| airdate          = {{start date|1956|9|26}}
| callsign_meaning = Columbus Board of Education
| owner            = [[Columbus City Schools]]
| licensee         = Board of Education, City School District, Columbus
| erp              = 12,000 [[watt]]s
| haat             = {{convert|300|m|ft|sp=us}}
| class            = B
| webcast          = 
| website          = {{URL|http://www.wcbe.org}}
| licensing_authority= [[Federal Communications Commission|FCC]]
}}

'''WCBE''' (90.5 [[FM band|FM]]) is a [[public broadcasting|public]] [[radio station]] in [[Columbus, Ohio]] that began broadcasting in 1956.<ref>[https://cdbs.recnet.com/corres/?doc=69946 History Cards for WCBE], fcc.gov. Retrieved June 10, 2018.</ref>  The WCBE [[call sign]] represents the station's licensee, the Columbus Board of Education ([[Columbus City Schools]]).

The station was originally housed in the Columbus Normal School building, but moved to the Columbus Public Schools headquarters at 270 E. State Street in downtown Columbus, and then relocated to the historic [[Fort Hayes]] educational campus in 1992.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.teachingcolumbus.org/a-history-of-columbus-schools-1812-1912.html|title=A History of Columbus Schools: 1812-1912|website=TEACHING COLUMBUS}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.columbuscityadventures.com/history-and-haunts-of-ft-hayes/|title=History and Haunts of Fort Hayes &#124; Columbus City Adventures|website=Columbus City Adventures }}</ref>  The station's tower is located on top of [[LeVeque Tower]] in downtown Columbus and is [[simulcast]] on 13 watt [[FM translator]] '''W292EA''' at 106.3&nbsp;MHz in [[Newark, Ohio]].<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://radio-locator.com/info/W292EA-FX|title=W292EA-FM 106.3 MHz - Newark, OH|website=radio-locator.com|accessdate=August 13, 2023}}</ref>
[[File:LeVeque Tower, Columbus, OH, US crop.jpg|thumb|LeVeque Tower, Columbus, Ohio]]

== Early years ==
The station went on-air in 1956 under the direction of General Manager John Sittig.<ref>{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=W69LDQAAQBAJ&q=wcbe+john+sittig&pg=PA110|title=Columbus Radio|first=Mike|last=Adams|date=October 12, 2016|publisher=Arcadia Publishing|isbn=9781467124409|via=Google Books}}</ref>  Initially, the station carried only locally produced education programs designed to connect remote learners to classrooms and only with limited broadcast hours.  In 1968, station management was approached by the Good Music Advisory Society to expand broadcast hours, launch classical music programming, and increase station power from 3000 to 10,000 watts.<ref name="auto">{{Cite web|url=https://vimeo.com/45815566|title=This is WCBE FINAL|first=Grey Lodge|last=Productions|date=July 16, 2012|via=Vimeo}}</ref>  WCBE was the first station in Columbus to affiliate with [[National Public Radio]] and began carrying NPR programs with their first broadcast on May 3, 1971, with ''[[All Things Considered]]''.  Of note, [[Michael Feinstein]], archivist and vocal interpreter of the [[Great American Songbook]], interned at WCBE while he was a high school student in Columbus Public Schools in the mid-70s.<ref>{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=W69LDQAAQBAJ&q=michael+feinstein+wcbe&pg=PA112|title=Columbus Radio|first=Mike|last=Adams|date=October 12, 2016|publisher=Arcadia Publishing|isbn=9781467124409|via=Google Books}}</ref>

== Your True Alternative ==
[[WOSU-FM]] broadcast an exclusive classical music service, and in 1990, to avoid duplication in the market, especially on the FM band, WCBE, now led by General Manager and longtime staffer Sharon Miller, switched musical formats to music classified as [[adult album alternative]] (AAA or Triple-A), rebranding the station as "Your True Alternative".  Program Directors David Gordon and Norm Beeker managed the on-air programming during this period of unprecedented growth, revamping weekend programming, moving to a 24-hour broadcast with the [[BBC World Service]] and launching new local music and news programs.<ref name="auto"/>  Programming received several awards during this era, including the eclectic music program ''Radio Free Columbus'', hosted by Jon Peterson, honored as the 1993 Ohio Educational Broadcasting Program of the Year (OEBie Award), and ''Kids Sundae'', a live children's variety show co-hosted by Dan Mushalko, recipient of the 1994 OEBie Program of the Year.  ''Kids Sundae'' featured live performances, and had children serve as reporters, producers, and co-hosts, one of whom was [[WCMH]] news anchor Kerry Charles.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.dispatch.com/story/entertainment/local-celebrity/2020/11/25/kerry-charles-linden-native-channel-4-anchor-eager-make-difference-columbus-ohio/6269093002/|title=WCMH-TV anchor and Linden native Kerry Charles determined to tell stories, be a role model|first=Ken|last=Gordon|website=The Columbus Dispatch}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.facebook.com/login/|title=Log in or sign up to view|website=www.facebook.com}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/89400506/|title = Clipped from the Newark Advocate|newspaper = The Newark Advocate|date = September 30, 1993|page = 3}}</ref>

In addition, ''Evening Journal'', a half-hour daily local news broadcast, was honored as the 1992, 1993, and 1994 Best News Program by the Public Radio News Directors (PRNDI).<ref name="auto"/>  The station also syndicated ''Toss the Feathers Christmas'', an annual [[Celtic music]] Christmas program, hosted by Doug Dickson, between 1994 and 2004 across the globe through [[Public Radio International]] (PRI).<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.columbusunderground.com/forums/topic/doug-dickson-host-of-wcbe-s-toss-the-feathers-dead-at-54/|title = Doug Dickson, host of WCBE's Toss the Feathers, dead at 54|date = September 19, 2007}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.dispatch.com/article/20070918/LIFESTYLE/309189908|title = Radio host promoted Celtic tunes}}</ref>

== Financial scandal and aftermath ==
The major public radio programs had also historically been broadcast on the WOSU (820 AM) signal, but a series of changes in 2010 allowed [[Ohio State University]] to move the classical broadcast to [[WOSA]] (101.1 FM), their AM news service to the [[WOSU-FM]] (89.7 FM) signal, and [[WKVR (FM)|WCVZ]] (102.5 FM) became the new home for the former CD101 alternative rock station in a financial deal worth $4.8 million.<ref>{{cite web| url = https://www.dispatch.com/live/content/business/stories/2010/06/30/wosu-buying-station.html?sid=101 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101223202830/http://www.dispatch.com/live/content/business/stories/2010/06/30/wosu-buying-station.html?sid=101 |archive-date=December 23, 2010 |title=WOSU stations in deal with WWCD {{!}} The Columbus Dispatch}}</ref>  Ohio State would then sell the 820 AM station to St. Gabriel Radio in a $2 million transaction.  That station now broadcasts as [[WVSG (AM)|WVSG]].<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://wosu.org/off-air/sale-of-am820-is-bittersweet/|title=Sale of AM820 is Bittersweet &#124; WOSU Public Media|accessdate=August 13, 2023}}</ref>

This competition created financial pressures for WCBE and General Manager Dan Mushalko was let go in 2019 having been convicted of telecommunications fraud for altering invoices to hide station debt from Columbus City Schools leadership.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.dispatch.com/news/20191023/former-manager-of-wcbe-radio-gets-probation-for-altering-invoices|title=Former manager of WCBE radio gets probation for altering invoices|first=John|last=Futty|website=The Columbus Dispatch}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=https://cpb.org/files/reports/WCBE-FM-Columbus%20-Determination-Letter.pdf|title=WCBE FM Columbus Determination Letter
|website=cpb.org|date=August 31, 2020|access-date=August 13, 2023}}</ref> Ohio State University and WOSU hired former Columbus Mayor [[Michael B. Coleman]] to negotiate with a private group called WCBE Ohio to take over station operations, but did not negotiate with the district.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.dispatch.com/news/20190311/ex-mayor-michael-coleman-involved-in-proposal-to-have-wosu-take-over-wcbe-documents-show|title = Ex-mayor Michael Coleman involved in proposal to have WOSU take over WCBE, documents show}}</ref>  The district paid off station debt with public funds and elected to retain the license.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.dispatch.com/story/news/education/2021/08/15/columbus-city-schools-sell-its-npr-station-wcbe/5537967001/|title = Will Columbus City Schools sell NPR station WCBE? It's still unclear, 2 1/2 years after financial scandal}}</ref>

In October 2022, acknowledging the financial pressures on the station, General Manager Greg Moebius announced programming changes, including elimination of programs duplicated by WOSU-FM, dropping programs such as ''[[Morning Edition]]'', ''All Things Considered'', ''[[Fresh Air]]'', and ''[[Marketplace (radio program)|Marketplace]]''.  The station would instead focus on a near exclusive AAA music format and increasing involvement by Columbus City Schools students, modeling the format on [[WAPS (FM)]] in Akron, Ohio.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.dispatch.com/story/news/education/2022/10/27/columbus-city-schools-wcbe-now-offering-less-npr-more-local-programs/69595950007/|title=Columbus City Schools launches new WCBE format with fewer NPR shows and more local music|website=The Columbus Dispatch}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.wcbe.org/a-note-from-the-general-manager|title=A Note from the General Manager|website=WCBE 90.5 FM}}</ref>

== Current programs ==
[[File:WCBE Promotional CD.jpg|thumb|left|1994 WCBE Promotional CD]]
''Global Village'', a daily music program, has been on-air since 1990, with only three hosts in that history, having been started by Bill Munger, hosted for many years by Maxx Faulkner, and now hosted by Maggie Brennan, who began as a college intern at the station.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.thisweeknews.com/news/20181126/community-support-spins-both-ways-for-npr-station|title = Community support spins both ways for NPR station}}</ref>  WCBE broadcasts national music programs including ''[[World Cafe (radio program)|The World Cafe]]'', ''[[Afropop Worldwide]]'',  and ''[[Echoes (radio program)|Echoes]]'' as well as several locally produced specialty music programs.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.wcbe.org/|title=WCBE 90.5 FM &#124; Central Ohio's NPR Station - Innovative, Provocative, Real|website=www.wcbe.org}}</ref>  The station carries the [[BBC World Service]] overnight and, since 1980, WCBE has carried Ohio news from the Statehouse News Bureau, now led by Bureau Chief and former WCBE News Director Karen Kasler.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.statenews.org/about|title = About}}</ref>

With the move to the Fort Hayes studios in 1992, the station began a series of live in-studio concerts, Live from Studio A, and recordings have been featured on promotional tapes and CDs.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.wcbe.org/topic/studio-sessions|title=Coming Live To Studio A|website=www.wcbe.org}}</ref>  It's Movie Time is a regular feature on WCBE, hosted by John DeSando, and has won awards from the Los Angeles Press Club (2010, best radio feature), the Hermes Award (2010, Gold Award), and the Marcom Awards (2010, Gold Award).<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.wcbe.org/programs/its-movie-time|title = It's Movie Time}}</ref>

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
*[http://www.wcbe.org/ WCBE website]
* {{FM station data|4325|WCBE}}

{{Columbus FM}}
{{NPR Ohio}}
{{Authority control}}

{{Coord|39.9634|N|83.0046|W|type:landmark_region:US_source:FCC|display=title}}

[[Category:Radio stations in Columbus, Ohio|CBE]]
[[Category:NPR member stations]]
[[Category:Radio stations established in 1956]]
[[Category:1956 establishments in Ohio]]