WSBT first signed on the air on July 3, 1922 as WGAZ. It is one of Indiana's oldest radio stations. The call sign stood for "World's Greatest Automotive Zone," which was a nod to Studebaker Automobiles, headquartered and manufactured in South Bend. On September 9, 1925, the call letters became WSBT. This call sign stands for the South Bend Tribune, a daily newspaper that once owned the radio station. In the 1930s, WSBT was broadcasting on 1350 kilocycles, powered at 500 watts. It was a CBS Radio Network affiliate, carrying its dramas, comedies, news, sports, soap operas, game shows and big band broadcasts during the "Golden Age of Radio." After the passage of the North American Regional Broadcasting Agreement in 1941, WSBT changed frequencies to its current 960 kHz. The move was coupled with a power boost to 1,000 watts. In the 1950s, WSBT increased its power to the current 5,000-watt output.
In 1952, WSBT-TV first signed on. Because WSBT 960 was a CBS Radio affiliate, Channel 22 was affiliated with CBS Television. As network programming moved to TV, WSBT 960 switched to a full servicemiddle of the road format of popular music, news and sports. 101.5 WSBT-FM was added in 1962. At first it simulcast WSBT 960. In the late 1960s, WSBT-FM began separate programming, airing beautiful music. In 1984, the station switched to locally programmed AC music, with the call letters becoming WNSN, as "Sunny 101.5."
Talk and Sports
As music listening switched from AM to FM, 960 WSBT began adding more talk programming and reducing music. By the 1990s, the station was all talk, sports and news. Then as the station moved through the 2010s, WSBT shifted to more sports programming, with the talk shows reduced. Currently, only one non-sports talk show is carried, the syndicated Dave Ramsey Show in late afternoons. Schurz Communications announced on September 14, 2015 that it would exit broadcasting and sell its television and radio stations, including WSBT, to Gray Television for $442.5 million. The sale, which ended 93 years of ownership by the company, separated WSBT radio from both the station's longtime sister newspaper, the South Bend Tribune, and WSBT-TV. Though Gray initially intended to keep Schurz' radio stations, on November 2, it announced that Mid-West Family Broadcasting would acquire WSBT and Schurz' other South Bend radio stations for $5.5 million. The sale to Mid-West was consummated on February 16, 2016.
Translator 96.1 FM
On March 30, 2012, WSBT began broadcasting on an FM translator at 96.1 MHz in South Bend. The translator had previously been owned and operated by Friends of Christian Radio, Inc. and repeated the Christian Contemporary programming of 104.7 WFRN-FM in Elkhart. It serves mainly to fill in the gaps in WSBT's nighttime signal. WSBT changes its directional antenna after sunset, resulting in marginal nighttime coverage outside St. Joseph County. WSBT now emphasizes 96.1 in its branding, even though 960 is the main signal. WSBT is not licensed to broadcast a digital HD signal.
Past & present personalities
Eric Hansen
John Hoffman
Darin Pritchett
Sean Stires
Past local personalities have included:
Jon Thompson was the longtime morning host. His last broadcast was on March 2, 2018
Denis Prior and Shelli Harmon hosts of the "Noon News".
WSBT Salute to Summer Broadcasts: Station personalities would broadcast live from sponsor locations and community events, often serving hot dogs and other snacks courtesy of Martin's Supermarkets.
Wizzbit: This was a phrase used for various contests.
Here's the Recipe for a Great Radio Station...: A marketing slogan used in claymation television commercials to promote WSBT's programming and personalities. A claymation chef would stand in front of a large mixing bowl, and add various "ingredients" to create WSBT.
