| WBYR | |
| City: | Woodburn, Indiana |
| Area: | Fort Wayne, Indiana |
| Branding: | 98.9 The Bear |
| Frequency: | 98.9 MHz |
| Format: | Active rock |
| Erp: | 50,000 watts |
| Class: | B |
| Facility Id: | 55659 |
| Licensing Authority: | FCC |
| Coordinates: | 40.9539°N -84.8853°W |
| Callsign Meaning: | "Bear" |
| Affiliations: | United Stations Radio Networks |
| Owner: | Federated Media |
| Licensee: | Pathfinder Communications Corporation |
| Sister Stations: | WOWO (AM), WFWI, WKJG, WMEE, WQHK-FM |
| Website: | 989thebear.com |
WBYR (98.9 FM), branded as 98.9 The Bear, is a radio station licensed to Woodburn, Indiana with studios in Fort Wayne, Indiana. The station broadcasts an active rock format. WBYR is owned by Federated Media.
WBYR was the former WERT-FM and WKSD in Van Wert, Ohio, owned by Ray Livesay. WERT-FM was first licensed on November 16, 1962;[1] throughout the 1960s and 1970s, it simulcast WERT (1220 AM). When the FCC gave the ultimatum for Class B FM stations to increase power to maximum levels or be downgraded, WERT-FM increased power to 50,000 watts and introduced a beautiful music format. Once the station was sold to Atlantic Resources, the call letters were changed to WKSD ("Kiss 99") with a satellite-delivered adult contemporary format.
In January 1989, the station began stunting with comedy clips (including Looney Tunes clips), construction sound effects and a vague but brief announcement repeatedly for about a week, "9890 songs in a row on Fort Wayne's new 98.9". A classic hits format debuted on January 11 at noon, with the first song being "Old Time Rock and Roll" by Bob Seger.[2] [3] Meanwhile, the WKSD calls resurfaced at 99.7 FM licensed to Paulding, Ohio; WKSD 99.7 FM now features oldies and sports talk as a sister station to WERT.