WBEB (101.1 FM) is a commercial radio station licensed to serve Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Owned by Audacy, Inc., the station broadcasts an adult contemporary format, switching to Christmas music for part of November and December. The broadcast tower used by the station is in the Roxborough section of Philadelphia at (), The radio studios are co-located within Audacy's corporate headquarters in Center City, Philadelphia. In addition to a standard analog transmission, WBEB broadcasts over two HD Radio channels, and is available online via Audacy. Prior to 2018, WBEB was co-founded and owned by broadcaster Jerry Lee, and was recognized as one of the last independently owned and operated major market FM stations remaining in the United States. WBEB has been a top-ranking station in the Philadelphia Nielsen Audio ratings since the early 1990s; this dominance has been further demonstrated during the holiday season, where WBEB has historically seen the largest ratings gains among U.S. radio stations that switch to Christmas music. History On May 13, 1963, the station first signed on using the call sign WDVR, which stood for Delaware Valley Radio. The station was launched with David Kurtz as owner, Jerry Lee as sales manager, and Marlin Taylor as station manager and program director. Taylor developed a custom programming format that called for instrumental versions of popular songs and would come to be known as beautiful music. It was one of several Philadelphia stations airing a beautiful music format, including WPBS (98.9 FM) and WWSH (106.1 FM). In 1981, it switched call signs to WEAZ, which stood for easy listening. It began using the slogan EAZY 101 with actor Patrick O'Neal and later with actor Robert Urich as its TV commercial spokesperson. By 1984, EAZY 101 had become the number one rated station in Philadelphia. The station was known for playing pop tunes reworked in the form of instrumentals. At first, it played two vocalists per hour, although over time, more vocals were added. The instrumental music was based on the works of such artists as Frank Sinatra, Tony Bennett, Nat King Cole, Neil Diamond, The Carpenters as well as songs from movies and Broadway. By the 1980s, the station increased the number of vocals to four per hour, either from the middle of the road format or from the soft adult contemporary format. In 1988, the station completed a transition from instrumental-based easy listening to an all-vocal soft adult