WTBR-FM
WTBR-FM (89.7 MHz, "Pittsfield Community Radio") is a non-commercial educational station broadcasting a community radio and classic rock music format. Licensed to Pittsfield, Massachusetts, United States, the station serves the Pittsfield area from a studio located at 4 Federico Drive. The station is currently owned by and licensed to the Pittsfield Public School Committee, and managed and programmed by Pittsfield Community Cable Broadcasting, Inc. through a time-brokerage agreement. History From 1974 until June 25, 2018, the station's studio, transmitter and antenna were located at Taconic High School on Valentine Road in PIttsfield. The station was first licensed as WTBR-FM on June 27, 1978. In the 1970s under the leadership of station director, Bob Cooper, the station flourished with a wide range of student programming and an organization that continued to build the impressive archive of vinyl records. The station's collection contains an estimated 10,000 records from the late 1960s into the early 1990s. Over the years, the station continued to serve as a significant outlet for the school and community. However, in the several years prior to 2006, the station had become devoid of programming as student turnover left WTBR with dead-air for a vast majority of the time. Return to air In 2006, a group of radio veterans, led by longtime WUPE-FM news director Larry Kratka, lit a new spark for the station. Kratka brought in several radio veterans, such as Tom Harrison, Joe Mindlin and Brad Lorenz, all of whom were on-air personalities and producers for WUPE-FM; John Krol, who is the former morning news anchor and opinion show host for WNAW and WMNB in North Adams and former Berkshire Bureau Chief for WAMC-Northeast Public Radio. Krol's "Good Morning Pittsfield" served as the anchor morning program with news from the Berkshire Eagle and featured interviews with local public officials, business leaders, journalists and other community leaders. The station also featured unique specialty music programs including the only underground music program in the Berkshires; Mike's Amazing Oldies featuring long lost resurrected music from the vault of host Mike Pezzo; the hard rocking metallic edge of Wounded Radio hosted by Tom Harrison; classic 1980s rock and dance of Classic TBR with Brad Lorenz and Joe Mindlin; and the longest-running Polish polka show in the area, Polka Express. Larry Kratka was appointed Student Advisor and was also active in upgrading the technology at the station, including new equipment, upgrading to stereo, and allowing WTBR to transmit its full power allowed by its license. In June 2010, WTBR became the first station in Western Massachusetts to take part in the American Cancer Society's 'Relay for Life' in Berkshire County Central/South AND move to a different site and broadcast the event in stereo for 26 hours. The next year in 2011, they followed suit and became the official radio station for the Relay for Life in Berkshire County Central/South. In 2011 and 2012, WTBR broadcast 26 hours for Special Olympics COP ON TOP fundraiser and received and award for its hard work. In