WMBM SYNOPSIS

AM1490 WMBM, New Birth Broadcasting Corporation, a media pillar in the community, has served South Florida and the world via the Internet with up-to-the-minute news, empowering talk shows, inspirational, edifying, and encouraging gospel music and so much more for more than 23 years.   Since the 1995 purchase of AM1490 WMBM by New Birth Broadcasting Corporation, (NBBC), under the leadership of Bishop Victor T. Curry, President, General Manager and CEO, the landscape of Gospel Radio have changed with local as well as national recognition for WMBM’s contributions to society.   WMBM has also made impressive contributions to the information network by empowering its listeners with late-breaking news and life-changing programming.

WMBM, the premier black-owned and operated station in South Florida, with a coverage map of over 1,500,000 homes and businesses and a FACEBOOK reach of over 2.082 million, is one of the first radio stations to stream its broadcast via the Internet and delivered a game-changer in 2014 through the launching of the FREE WMBM Apple and Google Play APP, providing crystal clear reception worldwide.  Further, as the recipient of the 2007 Stellar Award Radio Station of the Year in a Large Market, a Finalist for the 2012 Stellar Award Radio Station of the Year as well as a finalist for the 2017 Stellar Award Radio Station of the Year,  WMBM continues to provide cutting edge messages and impressions through radio communications, WMBM.com and Social Media!!!

WMBM HISTORY

While WMBM has been owned and operated by New Birth Broadcasting Corporation for the past 23 years, the station has been around for over 6 decades; with a varied and outstanding history.  WMBM, Miami Beach, began broadcasting October 27, 1947. The licensee was Biscayne Broadcasting Company. In 1957, the station transitioned to WAHR, and was the launching pad for the now world-renowned talk show host Larry King, as it was there that he actually began his career in broadcasting. The station was later renamed WMET and in the early 1960s became South Florida’s first full-time Spanish language radio station. Shortly thereafter, the WMET call letters and programming moved to another frequency and the station became WMBM and went on to develop a large and popular history as Miami’s premier AM station for Rhythm and Blues, Gospel, and programming targeted to an African-American audience, a format, which the station had into the 1980s. Seemingly a breeding ground for greatness, motivational speaker Les Brown was a disc jockey on the station, and so was a young Victor T. Curry; who interestingly, was fired for continually using the name of “Jesus”. The station briefly became WSBH on July 23, 1993, with a talk format. However in March of 1995 following the Vision of Senior Pastor Bishop Victor T. Curry, the station was purchased by New Birth Baptist Church.  Returning to the call letters of WMBM and to a Gospel format, operating as New Birth Broadcasting Corporation, the station aired its inaugural broadcast on March 8, 1995, and declared itself; “The Station that Puts Jesus Christ First!”

Since taking the airwaves for Christ in March of 1995, AM1490 WMBM has become the VOICE for South Florida’s African-American Communities. It has done so by infusing a mixture of contemporary and traditional gospel music with a variety of talk programs that focus on topical issues, health, finance, and most importantly Christian lifestyle matters.  Ever relevant and on the cutting edge of radio broadcasting, WMBM has many notable accomplishments; among which are, in 1998 becoming one of the first radio stations in South Florida, among all genres, to broadcast live 24 hours via the internet, being named the 2007 Stellar Awards “Radio Station of the Year”, and in 2014 launching the WMBM smartphone app, thereby enabling anyone with a smartphone to tune in to the station LIVE, anywhere in the world. Additionally, WMBM is the only African-American owned and operated radio station in South Florida. We, therefore, encourage you to tune in on your radio, via the internet at www.wmbm.com, or by downloading the free WMBM app in the google or apple app store.

Time does not permit our declaration of all that our radio station has accomplished over the years, however, as we continue to run with the vision, we give God praise for all that He has done, and look forward to His continued faithfulness in the future, upon the Station that puts Jesus Christ first! AM1490 WMBM!