Our History

Eastern Shore Radio, Inc. is a locally owned media company serving Accomack and Northampton counties and listeners throughout Southern Delmarva and the Lower Chesapeake Bay region. Since 1958, we have worked to keep the people of the Eastern Shore informed, entertained and connected through local radio, digital news and community programming.

Listeners can hear Eastern Shore Radio on 103.3 The Shore, 105.7 FM Coastal Country and WESR 1330 AM. Our programming is also available through the Eastern Shore Radio app for iPhone and Android devices. ShoreDailyNews.com provides local news, weather, sports, public-safety information, community announcements and coverage of the issues affecting the Eastern Shore.

Our team of local broadcasters, journalists, production professionals and advertising representatives works each day to provide information that reflects the character and needs of the communities we serve. Eastern Shore Radio is led by Charles F. Russell II, the third generation of the Russell family to guide the station.

Local service is at the heart of everything we do. We cover county governments, town councils, school boards, high school sports, elections, severe weather, emergencies, community events, nonprofit organizations and the people whose work makes the Eastern Shore a special place to live. We also provide public-service announcements and help local organizations share information about fundraisers, festivals and other community activities.

Eastern Shore Radio also helps local businesses connect with customers across multiple platforms. Advertisers can reach listeners through radio, ShoreDailyNews.com and the Eastern Shore Radio app. By advertising with Eastern Shore Radio, businesses are not only promoting their products and services but also supporting local journalism, emergency information, sports coverage and community programming produced specifically for the Eastern Shore.

The story of Eastern Shore Radio began over breakfast at the former Whispering Pines Motel in Tasley. Charles F. Russell I, who owned the motel, struck up a conversation in its diner with Vernon Baker, a Virginia Tech professor who was starting radio stations across Virginia. Russell owned farmland across the highway and offered the property and a building for a new station. Baker acquired the license for WESR-AM 1330, and Russell’s youngest son, Brooks Russell, was selected to run the operation.

WESR made its first broadcast on Jan. 23, 1958, operating on 1330 AM with a 5,000-watt signal.

WESR’s studios in a 1958 snow storm

Ten years later, WESR expanded to the still-developing FM band. In 1968, the station began simulcasting on 103.3 FM with a 50,000-watt signal, significantly expanding its reach throughout the region.

Charles F. Russell II, grandson of Charles F. Russell I and nephew of Brooks Russell, purchased the station from Brooks Russell and Vernon Baker in 1987. He acquired full ownership in 2006 and continued the company’s growth into new radio and digital platforms.

In 2016, Eastern Shore Radio added an FM translator, bringing Coastal Country programming to 105.7 FM while continuing to broadcast WESR on 1330 AM. The company later expanded its online presence through ShoreDailyNews.com and introduced the Eastern Shore Radio app, giving listeners one convenient place to hear the stations and follow local news.

Today, Eastern Shore Radio continues the mission that began in Tasley more than six decades ago: to provide dependable local information, quality entertainment and a strong voice for the communities of the Eastern Shore.

Our Mission

“It is the mission of the management and staff of WESR AM-FM to consistently produce quality radio programming that informs and entertains our listeners and advertisers, responds to their needs and reflects the character of the communities we serve.”

Technical Facilities

WESR is a commercial Class B AM-FM broadcasting facility, operating at 103.3 MHz (channel 277) with 50,000 watts of power. WESR AM operates at 1330 KHz with 5,000 watts of power. Both signals have a transmitter output power rating of 9.3 kW and serve the broadcasting market of Southern Delmarva and the Lower Chesapeake Bay region.

Transmitter and Antenna Specifications 

Our transmitter site is located near U.S. 13, one mile northeast of Tasley, Virginia at Geographical Coordinates N 37 43′ 02″ and W 75 41′ 01″. The transmitter is a CCA Electronics FM A-6811 broadcasting antenna which is mounted 343 feet above ground level (98 m) and 386 feet above mean sea level (107 m). The AM transmitter is a BC-5-P2 broadcasting antenna mounted at the same elevation as the FM transmitter.