WBAA (920 AM) and WBAA-FM (101.3 FM) are jointly operated non-commercial educational radio stations licensed to West Lafayette, Indiana, United States, both serving the Lafayette metro area and the Indianapolis area with public radio formats. The stations were founded by Purdue University, but in 2022, 100 years after WBAA's start, ownership was transferred to Metropolitan Indianapolis Public Media, Inc. (MIPM), which also owns WFYI radio and television in Indianapolis. Both stations originate from studios in the Edward C. Elliott Hall of Music on the Purdue campus, with transmitter sites south of Lafayette at the Throckmorton Purdue Agricultural Center.
WBAA, branded as "WBAA News", broadcasts a news-oriented format, with programming from National Public Radio (NPR). WBAA is the oldest operating radio station in Indiana, beginning in 1922 and with several antecedents on the Purdue campus. Originally a service noted for its limited agricultural extension and educational programming as well as Purdue sports broadcasts, it gradually improved its facilities and expanded its output over its first 20 years on air. The station was one of NPR's charter members in 1971.
WBAA-FM, branded as "WBAA Classical", features a mixture of NPR news and classical music. WBAA-FM began broadcasting in 1993. The station also transmits an HD2 digital subchannel, which is branded as "WBAA Jazz".
Programming
920 AM/105.9 FM
WBAA on AM carries a service of news and talk programs, with such key shows as Morning Edition, All Things Considered, and Marketplace, as well as the BBC World Service in overnight hours. Each Thursday, the local program Ask the Mayor features the leader of a community in west central Indiana.
101.3 FM
WBAA-FM offers a service of classical music with two locally hosted blocks; Classical Music Indy from Indianapolis in overnights; and Performance Today and other music shows. Morning Edition, All Things Considered, and Marketplace are also simulcast on FM.
WBAA-FM's HD2 subchannel airs jazz music from the PubJazz service as well as a Saturday night block of several specialty shows.
History
Pre-broadcast radio at Purdue
Experimentation in radio—then commonly known as "wireless telegraphy"—at Purdue University dated back to at least 1910, but initial attempts to construct a transmitter capable of communicating with other stations had limited success. A more ambitious effort in 1916, based at the Electrical laboratory, had to be suspended in early 1917, when, with the entry of the United States into World War I, most civilian stations were ordered to shut down. During the war, Purdue conducted radio instruction for students and military personnel.
After the end of the war, civilian radio stations were again permitted. In 1919, the university was issued a temporary authorization, followed by a "Technical and Training School" license which was originally given the call sign of 9YA, which was changed the next year to 9YB. 9YB's primary transmitter was a 2-kilowatt spark set, which transmitted on wavelengths of 200 meters (1500 kHz) and 375 meters (800 kHz) and could only send the dots-and-dashes of Morse code. It was employed to send and receive messages between Purdue and other stations around the Midwest. The Purdue Exponent newspaper used 9YB as part of a news service among Western Conference schools. For audio transmissions, the station added a small transmitter that had been constructed as a thesis assignment by R. H. Vehling, class of 1921.
Early years of WBAA
Effective December 1, 1921, the United States Department of Commerce, which regulated radio at this time, adopted regulations requiring that stations broadcasting to the general public had to have a Limited Commercial license. Two wavelengths were designated for use by broadcasting stations: 360 meters (833 kHz) for "entertainment" programs and 485 meters (619 kHz) for "market and weather" reports. In order to conform with the new regulations, the university applied for a broadcasting station license, which was issued on April 5, 1922, with the call letters WBAA, for operation on the 360-meter "entertainment" wavelength. 9YB continued in use for experimental and amateur transmissions. Although not the first Indiana station to receive a broadcasting license, WBAA is the oldest surviving one. (Another contender, WSBT in South Bend, was not licensed until late June 1922.)