Delilah | |
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Born | North Bend, Oregon, U.S. | February 15, 1960
Nationality | American |
Other names | Delilah Rene |
Occupations |
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Years active | 1983-present |
Known for | Radio |
Signature | |
Delilah Rene [1] (born February 15, 1960, in North Bend, Oregon) is an American radio personality, author, and songwriter, best known as the host of a nationally syndicated nightly U.S. radio song request and dedication program, with an estimated 8 million listeners. [2] She first aired in the Seattle market as Delilah Rene, though she is now known simply as Delilah.
In 1969, Delilah's family moved from Coos Bay, Oregon, to neighboring Reedsport, where she attended school. At age 13, she secured her first radio job after winning a school speech contest judged by owners of KDUN, a local radio station. [3] After graduating from high school in 1978, she worked at numerous stations in Oregon and Seattle before creating the format she became known for at KLSY in 1984. [1]
The show, known simply as Delilah, [4] begins at 7 p.m. and ends around midnight local time. She takes calls, emails, and letters sent in through her radio station’s website from her listeners. She encourages and supports her listeners and receives musical dedication requests. It is based in the Pacific Northwest.
One of the cornerstones of the show is its use of callers. Most of the time the caller tells Delilah their situation or story and then Delilah chooses the song that she feels best matches the caller's situation. Callers are recorded during the show and replayed later, sometimes within the hour. Delilah also plays songs by direct request.
Originally heard only on weeknights, stations that carry the show have the option of carrying it six or even seven nights a week, with most stations airing at least one night of the weekend (usually Sunday) in addition to a weeknight show.
The show includes "Friday Night Girls", where she honors groups of her regular female listeners with prizes. She occasionally also calls "Friday Night Girls" chapters and speaks with them live on the air.
She also airs a "Delilah Dilemma" each evening in the first and third hours of the broadcast, where she reads a dilemma submitted by a listener and offers advice on their situation.
The program debuted on four stations at the beginning of 1996 and finished the year on a dozen stations. In 1997, Broadcast Programming started to distribute the program, which was later bought by Jones Radio Networks. Delilah moved to Premiere Radio Networks in 2004, where she remains to this day. There are nearly 170 radio stations, and the Armed Forces Radio Network, airing the program. Jane Bulman has been the executive producer of the show since its inception.
Many of the stations carrying the show are owned by Premiere parent iHeartMedia. In November 2006, WLTW in New York began carrying her. The version of the show that runs on WLTW is a separate, specially tailored version of the show produced just for that station, with music programmed by local WLTW Programming. In 2007, KODA Houston began carrying her show. In March 2012, she went on the air in Los Angeles on KFSH-FM, a Salem Broadcasting owned station playing Christian music. This addition debuted the Christian Music formatted version of the program. Delilah is also on the air in the evenings at WYJB (B95.5FM), a radio station in Albany, New York. iHeartRadio has an online Delilah stream where listeners can hear the show all the time.
In October 2017, Delilah temporarily went on hiatus after the suicide of one of her children. [5] [6]
On January 26, 2018, Seattle soft AC station KSWD announced that Delilah would host middays on the station beginning January 29. The station also picked up her syndicated show for Friday, Saturday, and Sunday nights. [7]
In 2021, Delilah purchased KDUN in her hometown of Reedsport, Oregon, which carries her syndicated show. [8]
The show is popular among women between the ages of 25 and 54. As of 2016, eight million people listen to the program at least once a week.
According to a Bloomberg interview, Delilah has seen her reported audience numbers plummet in cities where Nielsen Audio has adopted the Portable People Meter for tracking listenership. [1]
The show plays a role in the Hallmark Channel television series Cedar Cove , which is based on writer Debbie Macomber's book series and set in a fictional Pacific coast town in Washington state. Quotes and other inspirational pieces voiced by Delilah, especially for the series set up some of the plot devices that occur in the course of each episode.
The show can be heard in the 2018 film I Can Only Imagine , the biographical story of MercyMe lead singer Bart Millard.
Delilah has been married four times and divorced three times. [2] In October 2012, she married Paul Warner. [9] [10]
Delilah has 15 children, 11 of whom were adopted. [11] Her 16-year-old son, Sammy Young Dzolali Rene, died on March 12, 2012, from complications from sickle-cell anemia. [12] On October 3, 2017, her 18-year-old biological son Zachariah died by suicide. [13] Her stepson Ryan died in December 2019. [14]
She lives near Port Orchard, Washington. [11]
Year | Name | Notes | Ref |
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2007 | Syndicated Personality/Show of the Year award by Radio & Records magazine | Nominated | [15] |
2012 | Gracie Award for Outstanding Host - Entertainment/Information in Radio. | Winner | [16] |
2016 | Inducted into the National Radio Hall of Fame | ||
2016 | National Association of Broadcasters (NAB) Marconi Award for Network/Syndicated Personality of the Year | Winner. Also nominated in 2008, 2013 and 2018. | [17] |
2017 | Inducted into the NAB Broadcasting Hall of Fame | [18] |
Year | Name |
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2002 | Love Someone Today: Encouragement and Inspiration for the Times of Our Lives |
2008 | Love Matters |
2012 | Arms Full of Love: Inspiring True Stories that Celebrate the Gift of Family |
2018 | One Heart at a Time: The Inspiring Journey of the Most Listened-To Woman on the Radio |
KBIG is a commercial radio station that is licensed to Los Angeles, California and serves the Greater Los Angeles area. The station is owned by iHeartMedia and broadcasts a hot adult contemporary format heavy on music from the 1990s to the present day. KBIG has studios located in Burbank, California and its primary transmitter is based on Mount Wilson.
WYJB is a commercial radio station licensed to Albany, New York, and serving the Capital District, including Schenectady and Troy. The station is owned by Pamal Broadcasting and broadcasts an adult contemporary radio format, switching to Christmas music for much of November and December. On weekday evenings, WYJB carries the nationally syndicated call-in and dedications show hosted by Delilah. The station's radio studios and offices are on Johnson Road in Latham.
WWPR-FM is an urban contemporary music radio station licensed to New York City. WWPR-FM is owned by iHeartMedia and broadcasts from studios in the former AT&T Building in the Tribeca neighborhood of Manhattan; its transmitter is located at the Empire State Building. The station is the flagship station of the nationally syndicated morning show, The Breakfast Club.
WLTW is an adult contemporary radio station licensed to New York City and serving the New York metropolitan area. WLTW is owned by iHeartMedia and broadcasts from studios in the former AT&T Building in the Tribeca neighborhood of Manhattan; its transmitter is located at the Empire State Building, and the station broadcasts in the HD Radio format.
WLIT-FM is a radio station in Chicago, Illinois. Owned by iHeartMedia, it broadcasts a soft adult contemporary format. Its studios are located at the Illinois Center complex in the Chicago Loop, while the station transmitter is on top of the Willis Tower.
WSNE-FM is a commercial radio station, licensed to Taunton, Massachusetts, and serving Southeastern Massachusetts and the Providence, Rhode Island, area. It broadcasts a hot adult contemporary radio format branded as Now 93.3, and is owned by iHeartMedia, Inc. The radio studios and offices are on Oxford Street in Providence. The station carries the syndicated On Air with Ryan Seacrest in afternoons. Several of the other shifts are voicetracked by DJs working at other iHeart stations.
WMAG is a commercial radio station licensed to High Point, North Carolina, and serving the Piedmont Triad, including Greensboro and Winston-Salem. It is owned by iHeartMedia and it broadcasts an adult contemporary radio format, switching to Christmas music for much of November and December. In the evening, WMAG carries the nationally syndicated Delilah call-in and dedication show. The studios and offices are on Pai Park in Greensboro.
WRVF is a commercial radio station in Toledo, Ohio, owned by iHeartMedia, Inc. It broadcasts an adult contemporary radio format, switching to all-Christmas music for much of November and December. WRVF carries the syndicated Delilah music and call-in show in the evening. The radio studios and offices are at Superior and Lafayette in Downtown Toledo.
WRNQ is a commercial radio station licensed to Poughkeepsie, New York and serving the Mid-Hudson Valley of New York state. The station is owned by iHeartMedia, Inc. and broadcasts an adult contemporary radio format, switching to Christmas music for much of November and December.
KQXT-FM is a commercial radio station in San Antonio, Texas. The station is owned by iHeartMedia, airing an adult contemporary radio format, switching to Christmas music for much of November and December. On weekdays, it carries the syndicated Kidd Kradick Morning Show from co-owned KHKS Dallas as well as Ellen K on Saturday mornings. KQXT's studios are in Stone Oak.
WYYY is a commercial radio station licensed to Syracuse and serving Central New York. It broadcasts an adult contemporary radio format, switching to all Christmas music for much of November and December. It is owned by iHeartMedia and has its radio studios and offices on Plum Street in Syracuse along with sister stations WBBS, WHEN, WSYR, WSYR-FM and WWHT. Evenings, WYYY carries Delilah, a call-in and dedications show, syndicated from co-owned Premiere Networks. The station also carries the weekly syndicated Ellen K show on Saturday mornings.
KSOF is a commercial radio station licensed to Dinuba, California, and serving Fresno and Tulare counties. It is owned by iHeartMedia, Inc. KSOF carries an adult contemporary radio format, switching to Christmas music for much of November and December. Most of the programming is syndicated: "Valentine in the Morning" comes from co-owned KBIG Los Angeles, afternoon drive time is from John Tesh's "Intelligence for Your Life", and evenings feature the call-in and dedication show "Delilah." KSOF's studios and offices are located on Shaw Avenue in North Fresno.
WYDB is a commercial radio station broadcasting a conservative talk radio format. Licensed to Englewood, Ohio, the station serves the Dayton metropolitan area. It is owned and operated by the Delmarva Educational Association, with studios and offices on North High Street in Columbus, Ohio.
WMUS is a radio station broadcasting a country music format in Muskegon, Michigan. The station is owned by iHeartMedia, Inc.
WPEZ is a commercial radio station that is licensed to Jeffersonville, Georgia and serves the Macon, Georgia area. The station is owned by Cumulus Media and broadcasts an adult contemporary music format.
KDUN is a radio station in Reedsport, Oregon. Owned by Big Shoes Productions, a company owned by nationally-syndicated radio host Delilah, the station carries an adult contemporary format serving Reedsport and its surrounding communities.
KKLI, also known as Sunny 106.3, is a commercial radio station licensed to Widefield, Colorado, and serving the Colorado Springs-Pueblo metropolitan area. The station is owned by iHeartMedia and broadcasts an adult contemporary radio format, switching to Christmas music for much of November and December.
WMXY is a commercial radio station in Youngstown, Ohio. It broadcasts a mainstream adult contemporary radio format and switches to all-Christmas music for much of November and December. WMXY is owned by iHeartMedia, Inc. It is the Youngstown network affiliate for the Delilah syndicated music and call-in show in the evening, and carries the Ellen K Weekend Show Saturdays and Casey Kasem's classic American Top 40 on Sundays.
Full service is a type of radio format; the format is characterized by a mix of music programming and a large amount of locally-produced and hyperlocal programming, such as news and discussion focusing on local issues, sports coverage, and other forms of paid religious and brokered content.
Adult contemporary music (AC) is a form of radio-played popular music, ranging from 1960s vocal and 1970s soft rock music to predominantly ballad-heavy music of the 1980s to the present day, with varying degrees of easy listening, pop, soul, R&B, quiet storm and rock influence. Adult contemporary is generally a continuation of the easy listening and soft rock style that became popular in the 1960s and 1970s with some adjustments that reflect the evolution of pop/rock music.
It's destroying radio in general, and especially shows that don't play for the meter.