WBEN-FM (95.7 MHz, "95-7 Ben FM") is a commercial radio station licensed to Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The station is owned by Beasley Broadcast Group and broadcasts an adult hits radio format. The studios and offices are in Bala Cynwyd and the broadcast tower is on Wigard Avenue in the Roxborough section of Philadelphia at ().
The station plays a mix of 1970s, 1980s and 1990s hits, with some current hot adult contemporary singles. Named after Benjamin Franklin, BEN-FM's slogan is "Playing Anything We Feel Like." The formula originated in Canada as Jack FM. Unlike many adult hits stations, WBEN-FM uses DJs. The station imaging is handled by Howard Cogan, the former voice of Jack FM. Actor John O'Hurley of the TV show Seinfeld previously did the station imaging.
History
1949-1997: Classical
The station signed on the air in March 1949 as WFLN, which was started by civic leaders as a "classical music and fine arts" station. It was owned by the Franklin Broadcasting Company and had studios at 8200 Ridge Avenue. The call sign, then as now, referred to Benjamin Franklin, an eighteenth century civic leader in Philadelphia and one of the founding fathers of the United States.
In 1956, the station added an -FM suffix when an AM simulcast was launched on 900 kHz. WFLN-AM-FM was sold in 1988 to Marlin Broadcasting, which added more news, sports and traffic reports to the station. From 1995 to 1997, WFLN was bought and sold five more times. With each purchase, budget cutbacks were instituted and, while maintaining the classical format, the station adopted a more commercial sound with shorter familiar selections heard in most dayparts, in an effort to attract casual fans of classical music.
Finally, the news came at 6 p.m. on September 5, 1997, that Greater Media, which had recently acquired the station, announced it was ending WFLN's classical programming. During a farewell speech for WFLN, Tom Milewski, the chief operating officer for Greater Media, said that the audience interested in classical music had aged and most advertisers were seeking a younger audience; Milewski added that classical music would be best preserved as a non-commercial format. To continue serving Philadelphia's classical audience, WFLN's recordings were donated to WRTI, Temple University's non-commercial radio station. Greater Media would also provide financial support to Temple as WRTI adopted the WFLN classical format during the day. (Three of the WFLN program hosts would join WRTI in their usual time slots, and WRTI continued to program its usual jazz format at night.) The company's support of WRTI also served to deflect criticism that the company was taking away Philadelphia's only classical radio station.
1997-1999: Modern AC
After the classical format ended, 95.7 then became WXXM, Max 95.7, adopting a modern AC format. It was similar to, but more pop-leaning than, alternative rock station Y100. The first song played under the new format was Sheryl Crow's "A Change Would Do You Good." The station reported to radio trade publications as a hot adult contemporary station. WXXM was jockless for the first six months as "Max", and its ratings plummeted with the station's new format. Although ratings improved after WXXM added well-known Philadelphia DJ Paul Barsky to mornings in February 1999, it wasn't enough to rationalize keeping the format.
1999-2001: Rhythmic oldies
At noon on May 13, 1999, in the middle of Sarah McLachlan's "Building a Mystery", the station flipped to rhythmic oldies, playing a blend of urban oldies from the 1960s to the 1980s, disco, classic dance tunes, and some 1970s pop hits, branded as Jammin' Gold. The first song under the new format was "Back Stabbers" by The O'Jays. On August 30, the station changed its call sign to WEJM. Given Philadelphia's history with the R&B genre, and being the city that started the "Philadelphia Soul" sound, "Jammin' Gold" was initially well received in the market. However, by 2001, the station's ratings began to slip.
2001-2005: Hot AC
On June 15, 2001, WEJM became Mix 95-7, another incarnation of hot AC. On July 17, WEJM changed call signs to WMWX. The station initially leaned toward modern AC, before moving to a more traditional hot AC approach. The station continued to be plagued by mediocre ratings.