WBIW
U.S. right / conservative
Background
WBIW first went on the air in 1948 as a full-service station serving Lawrence County and the surrounding counties of south-central Indiana, mixing music with local news and sports. Through the 1980s it shifted to a country music format, then moved to oldies in the mid-1990s. Around 1999–2000, as a sister station (WQRK) took over music programming, WBIW transitioned to all-talk, adopting syndicated conservative hosts such as Rush Limbaugh and Dr. Laura Schlessinger. The station has long been locally owned; a previous owner managed it for roughly four decades before Ad-Venture Media, Inc.—which also holds WQRK and WPHZ in the Bedford market—became the licensee. Today the station carries Fox News Radio for national news, Network Indiana for state news, and a roster of conservative syndicated programs including Sean Hannity, Hugh Hewitt, Joe Pags, and Dave Ramsey. WBIW also serves as a local sports voice, broadcasting Bedford North Lawrence high school games, Purdue Athletics, and Indianapolis Colts football. No notable editorial controversies have been widely reported, reflecting its profile as a small-market station with a conservative programming identity rather than a distinctive editorial voice of its own.
Sources
- WBIW — Wikipedia
- About | WBIW
- WBIW Celebrates Its Owner's Life, Legacy — Radio World
- AM Station WBIW — FCC Public Inspection Files
- Ad-Venture Media Inc WBIW, WQRK, WPHZ — Bedford Area Chamber of Commerce
- 1340 AM WBIW — EIN Presswire Indiana Media Directory
Profile compiled 2026-08-28; refreshed when ownership, funding, or the administration changes.