WBAA

WBAA
Broadcast areaLafayette metro area
Frequency920 kHz (HD Radio)
Programming
LanguageEnglish
FormatPublic radio
AffiliationsNPR
Ownership
OwnerMetropolitan Indianapolis Public Media, Inc.
WBAA-FM
History
Founded1919 as experimental station 9YB
First air date
April 4, 1922 (1922-04-04)
Call sign meaning
none, sequentially assigned
Technical information
Licensing authority
FCC
Facility ID53946
ClassB
Power
  • 5,000 watts (day)
  • 1,000 watts (night)
Transmitter coordinates
40°20′29″N 86°53′01″W / 40.34139°N 86.88361°W / 40.34139; -86.88361
Translator(s)105.9 W290CM (Lafayette)
Links
Public license information
WebcastListen live
Websitewww.wbaa.org
WBAA-FM
Broadcast areaLafayette metro area
Frequency101.3 MHz (HD Radio)
Programming
LanguageEnglish
FormatPublic radio/Classical
SubchannelsHD2: Jazz
AffiliationsNPR, Classical Music Indy
Ownership
OwnerMetropolitan Indianapolis Public Media, Inc.
WBAA (AM)
History
First air date
February 1, 1993 (1993-02-01)
Former call signs
WFUC (1991, CP)
Technical information
Licensing authority
FCC
Facility ID53947
ClassB1
ERP14,000 watts
HAAT120 meters (390 ft)
Transmitter coordinates
40°17′50″N 86°54′05″W / 40.29722°N 86.90139°W / 40.29722; -86.90139
Links
Public license information
WebcastListen live
Websitewww.wbaa.org

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".