WISR
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| Broadcast area | Butler, Pennsylvania |
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| Branding | "Your Hometown Station" |
| Frequency | 680 (kHz) |
| First air date | September 26, 1941 |
| Format | News, talk, sports, nostalgia |
| Power | 250 watts (Daytime); 50 watts (Night) |
| Class | D |
| Callsign meaning | Isaac Samuel Rosenblum |
| Owner | Butler County Radio Network |
| Website | http://www.wisr680.com/ |
WISR is a commercial AM radio station licensed to Butler, Pennsylvania. The station was the first to go on the air in Butler County, doing so on September 26, 1941. The station was the very last to be granted a broadcast license before the FCC halted the licensing of any additional stations until after World War II. It has always broadcast on AM 680 with a maximum power output of 250 Watts, non-directional. The station had operated as a daytime-only station until it was granted limited nighttime power in the late 1980s.
WISR was the brainchild of local businessman David Rosenblum, who felt that the community could use a local radio station to promote its community and events. Naming the station after his father, Isaac Samuel Rosenblum, David Rosenblum managed the station and sold airtime, with his wife Georgia keeping the books. The couple continued to operate the radio station until their deaths in the early 1950s. It was at that time that the Rosenblums' son Joel, assumed the operations of WISR. Joel Rosenblum's brother Raymond later owned and managed a station of his own some 25 miles to the east, known as AM 1380 WACB (now WTYM) Kittanning.
WISR, like most other small-town stations of its ilk, was a mixture of both programs and music. A popular program was a buy-sell-trade program called 'The Phone Party', hosted by advertising sales representative Guy Travaglio, who left the station in the 1990s to pursue a career in politics. Midday on-air personality Pat Parker took over the show, which continued until late 2008.
Another popular program was 'The Larry Berg Show', hosted by another advertising sales rep, Larry Berg, who joined WISR after completing a 14-year tenure as owner of then-competitor present-affiliate stations WBUT and WLER-FM. Berg's show continued until his retirement on February 1, 2001. The show was renamed "It's Your Turn" and today is hosted by morning show host Dave Malarkey.
Most low-powered daytime-only radio stations were granted permission by the FCC to begin limited nighttime power operations in 1988. WISR was one of these stations, and prior to the nighttime authorization, had never used satellite technology on the air, relying on world and national news via UPI wire service. After nighttime power was granted, WISR signed an affiliation agreement with CBS news, introducing satellite technology to its listeners.
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