Radio WJBR-FM (99 Extra Variety)

WJBR-FM (99.5 FM) is a Wilmington, Delaware-based Adult Contemporary music formatted radio station. Although the station is broadcast from Wilmington, the signal is strong enough to be a competitive station in the Philadelphia radio market as it is Philadelphia's only radio station to have a similar format to rival WBEB.

WJBR-FM signed on the air in 1956, broadcasting a classical & light music format. The phrase "Just Beautiful Radio" was used on the air. The format eventually evolved into 24 hours of beautiful music and the station used as a nickname "JBR 100"....also announced frequency as "99 and a half". WJBR-FM 99.5 was founded by a father and son team of John B. Reynolds, Sr. and John B. Reynolds, Jr. John, Sr. was co-owner of a local service station. It was John, Jr. who had the history in broadcasting and music; he hosted a local TV dance program (before American Bandstand), and was a recording pianist in the late 1940s. John Sr. began the radio station because John Jr. was a strong believer in the future of FM.

The station operated with only five employees for the first few years. John Sr. did some selling while Jr. operated as General Manager and announcer, Program Director and voiced many of the commercials. The other employees were booth announcers (Del Parks, Ed Hunt, Al Barclay [Bressler] et al. who also played the music.

The first offices, studios, and transmitter site for WJBR-FM were on Ebright Road in North Wilmington. The tower is located at the highest elevation in the state, approximately 400 feet above sea level. The tower itself rises 317 feet further. Offices and studio were moved to Philadelphia Pike in Claymont, in 1993, although the transmitter and tower remained at Ebright Road. In 2000, the studio and offices simply moved further along Philadelphia Pike and now reside in Bellfonte.

By 1985 Beautiful Music was a fading format and new owners, CRB Broadcasting, believed the Adult Contemporary format would produce the audience makeup needed to maximize profit potential. They created "Bright 99.5", which was renamed "Mix 99.5" approximately three years later. The "Mix" handle was phased out in 1993 and the station went back to identifying itself simply by the call letters. Currently the station uses the slogan "Better Music. Fewer Interruptions" to identify its format. Many listeners also know WJBR-FM as the station that plays "The Most Music While You Work".

WJBR-FM has also been a pioneer technically, recognized as one of the first to broadcast a 24-hour stereo format in the late 1950s, and the first station to broadcast an all Compact Disc format in the late 1980s.[citation needed]

The official mascot for the station is J. Bear.

For many years Michael Waite, who serves as VP/Operations Manager and program director, has hosted the morning show, which has ranked consistently as the most listened-to morning show in the northern portion of Delaware.