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WHBO (1040 AM broadcasting) is a commercial radio radio station licensed to Pinellas Park, Florida, and serving the Tampa Bay area. The station is currently owned by Genesis Communications and it airs a talk radio radio format, branded as "News Talk 1040". Much of the programming comes from Westwood One and Fox News Radio.
WHBO is powered at 3,600 non-directional by day. But because AM 1040 is a clear channel frequency reserved for WHO Des Moines, WHBO must reduce power at night and switch to a directional antenna. Its nighttime power is currently 420 watts but it has a Federal Communications Commission (FCC) construction permit to increase nighttime power to 700 watts. Programming is also heard on FM translator W233CV at 94.5 Hertz in Gulfport.
In the 1960s and 70s, WHBO aired a country music format. In the 1980s and 90s, WHBO was an oldies station, playing hits of the 1950s, ‘60s and ‘70s. WHBO also switched frequency to 1040 kHz in the mid-1980s.
On September 29, 2008, WWBA moved its programming from 1040 AM to the more powerful 820 AM, which took the call letters WWBA. Listeners to the 1040 AM frequency heard a recorded message every 15 seconds that advised them of the station's frequency move. At 50,000 daytime watts, the 820 AM frequency is one of the state's most powerful radio signals that serves listeners on Florida's entire west coast. On that date, Genesis Communications announced that it reached an agreement to purchase the license from Mega Communications of Tampa, which aired a Spanish-language music format on 820 AM.
Genesis Communications announced on June 22, 2012, that WHBO would drop ESPN on October 1, 2012, in favor of NBC Sports Radio. AM 620 WDAE became the new ESPN affiliate in Tampa. Some WHBO shows were also simulcast in Greater Orlando on sister station WHOO 1080 AM. In August 2018, WHOO was sold to Catholic broadcasters, with the simulcast ended.
WHBO was the Tampa Bay affiliate of the Florida State University college football and men's basketball radio networks. The station also aired University of Miami football games when FSU is not playing. WHBO is an affiliate of the Performance Racing Network, airing the Coca-Cola 600 and other car races during the year.
During the 2006 NFL season, the station aired the "Monday Morning Quarterback" show on Mondays from 8:00 AM to 9:00 AM with John Kaleo, which focused on the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, college football around the state of Florida, and local high school football games of interest. WHBO had been an affiliate of NBC Sports Radio. But at the end of 2018, NBC Sports Radio greatly reduced its schedule of shows. WHBO added shows from Fox Sports Radio and CBS Sports Radio to its line-up.
On May 26, 2020, WHBO changed its format from sports to conservative talk, branded as "Talk 1040". WWBA/WHBO Tampa Complete Programming Revamps Radioinsight - May 27, 2020 It added talk shows from the Westwood One and Fox News Talk networks.
The center tower (tower #2) collapsed. WHBO only used two of the three original towers, and built a new third tower.
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