WFDD

Last updated
WFDD
WFDD logo (2019).svg
Broadcast areaNorth Carolina and Virginia
Frequency 88.5 MHz (HD Radio)
Branding88.5 WFDD, Public Radio for the Piedmont
Programming
Format News/talk/classical music
Subchannels
Affiliations
Ownership
Owner Wake Forest University
History
First air date
April 19, 1948 (1948-04-19) (in Wake Forest, moved to Winston-Salem in 1956)
Former call signs
WAKE (April 1948)
Call sign meaning
 Wake Forest Demon Deacons (nickname of Wake Forest University sports teams)
Technical information
Facility ID 70708
Class C1
ERP 60,000 watts
HAAT 285 meters (935 ft)
Transmitter coordinates
 35°55′2.00″N80°17′37.00″W / 35.9172222°N 80.2936111°W / 35.9172222; -80.2936111
Translator(s) 100.1 W261CK (Boone)
Links
Webcast Listen Live (FM/HD1)
Listen Live (HD2)
Listen Live (HD3)
Website wfdd.org
Photo of WFDD building at Wake Forest University WFDD Wake Forest University.jpg
Photo of WFDD building at Wake Forest University

WFDD (88.5 MHz) is an FM public radio station licensed to Winston-Salem, North Carolina. It is the National Public Radio (NPR) affiliate for the Greensboro/Winston-Salem/High Point media market, also called the Piedmont Triad. Owned by Wake Forest University, WFDD serves 32 counties in Central North Carolina and South-Central Virginia. It also operates a translator, W261CK on 100.1 FM in Boone.

Contents

The station airs news and talk shows from NPR during the day, with local news updates. From 8 p.m. to 4 a.m., the station turns to classical music programming. It produced the syndicated show Across the Blue Ridge. [1]

History

WFDD logo used until mid-November 2019 WFDD radio logo.svg
WFDD logo used until mid-November 2019

WFDD has its roots in a station operated by students at what was then Wake Forest College from a rooming house in the town of Wake Forest beginning in the fall of 1946. [2] The station was so popular students began asking for an official station. With the help of student fundraising, WAKE was fully licensed by 1948. [3]

After discovering that the WAKE letters were already in use, the station changed its letters to WFDD, which stood for "Wake Forest Demon Deacons". Since the schools' sports teams were an important part of the station's programming, this seemed appropriate. Other programs included "Deaconlight Serenade", a student music program which included the part of the name of a Glenn Miller hit. This program remained on the air as "Deaconlight" until 1981. The WAKE letters returned in the 1980s on a student-run AM station, which later became available on the Internet. [3]

After Wake Forest College moved to Winston-Salem, WFDD returned to the air with a 10-watt signal in 1961. The signal increased to 36,000 watts in 1967, the year the Corporation for Public Broadcasting began. WFDD became one of only 10 stations to have received federal funding from the new organization. [3] The signal boost resulted from efforts to raise funds after WYFS stopped playing classical music in May 1966. [4]

In 1958, Dr. Julian Burroughs, who had helped sign the station on and served as student station manager in the 1950-51 school year, became the station's first professional station manager, a post he held until 1981. His arrival began a transition to a more professional operation, culminating in 1961 when the station became a non-commercial educational radio station. On May 3, 1971, WFDD became a charter member of National Public Radio (NPR), the first affiliate of the network in the state. Burroughs added his knowledge to that of other station officials around the country to determine what NPR would become. [3]

On May 5, 1989, WFDD lost its tower along Business 40 in Winston-Salem when severe storms struck the area. The station returned to the air with reduced power, but did not fully cover the market until a new tower was completed north of Lexington, which would be shared with WWGL. [5] The tower was supposed to have taken 18 months to complete, but a station at 94.5 FM kept protesting that its signal would be affected. Once it was determined that would not be a problem, the tower was built and put into operation September 29, 1994. [6]

For two years in the 1990s, WFDD aired Wake Forest football and basketball games, but many listeners complained. [7]

For many years, WFDD's format was a mix of NPR programming and classical music. In 2005, WFDD began airing more talk programming from NPR, with no classical music during the day on most weekdays. [8] With less classical music, many classical music listeners protested the change by ceasing their donations; at the same time, the station saw an influx of new donors who appreciated the news and discussion programming. [9] The station added a 24-hour classical music station on its HD radio subcarrier. [10]

In 2009, WFDD began Radio Camp, a week-long experience for middle schoolers, where students learn the basics of conducting interviews, how to operate professional sound editing software, and create their own stories to be broadcast. The camp is held at the WFDD studio on Wake Forest University's campus. [11]

WFDD competes in much of its coverage area with WUNC-FM in Chapel Hill, the main NPR member for the Triangle. WUNC has long claimed the eastern Triad, including Greensboro, as part of its primary coverage area; its transmitter in Chatham County is roughly halfway between Greensboro and the core of the Triangle.

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Piedmont Triad</span> Region in North Carolina

The Piedmont Triad is a metropolitan region in the north-central part of the U.S. state of North Carolina anchored by three cities: Greensboro, Winston-Salem, and High Point. This close group of cities lies in the Piedmont geographical region of the United States and forms the basis of the Greensboro–Winston-Salem–High Point, NC Combined Statistical Area. As of 2012, the Piedmont Triad has an estimated population of 1,611,243 making it the 33rd largest combined statistical area in the United States.

WUNC is a listener-supported public radio station, serving the Research Triangle area of North Carolina. It is licensed to Chapel Hill and is operated by the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. On weekdays, WUNC carries National Public Radio, American Public Media, Public Radio Exchange, and BBC programming in an "all-news-and-information" format, including shows such as All Things Considered, Morning Edition and Fresh Air. On weekends, in addition to NPR weekend shows, WUNC broadcasts locally produced folk music programming. The longest-running continuously produced program offered by the station is Back Porch Music, a weekly folk and traditional music program. WUNC holds periodic on-air fundraisers seeking listener contributions.

WXII-TV is a television station licensed to Winston-Salem, North Carolina, United States, serving the Piedmont Triad region as an affiliate of NBC. It is owned by Hearst Television alongside Lexington-licensed CW affiliate WCWG. WXII-TV and WCWG share studios on Coliseum Drive in Winston-Salem; through a channel sharing agreement, the stations transmit using WXII-TV's spectrum from an antenna on Sauratown Mountain in Stokes County.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">WPTI</span> Radio station in Eden, North Carolina

WPTI is a commercial radio station, owned by iHeartMedia, licensed to Eden, North Carolina, and serving the Piedmont Triad, including the Greensboro–Winston-Salem–High Point media market. The station broadcasts a talk radio format; its studios and offices are located on Pai Park near Interstate 40 in Greensboro.

WTOB is an AM radio station licensed to Winston-Salem, North Carolina, United States, which serves the Piedmont Triad area. The station is currently owned by Richard Miller and Robert Scarborough, Ken Hauser and Richard Parker through licensee Southern Broadcast Media LLC. and airs a classic hits format.

WQMG is an urban adult contemporary station licensed to Greensboro, North Carolina and serves the Piedmont Triad region, which also includes High Point and Winston-Salem. The Audacy, Inc. outlet broadcasts with an ERP of 100 kW. The station's studios are located near the Piedmont Triad International Airport, and a transmitter site is in unincorporated south Guilford County.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">WTQR</span> Radio station in Winston-Salem, North Carolina

WTQR is a country music station licensed to Winston-Salem, North Carolina and serves the Piedmont Triad region, including Greensboro and High Point. Owned and operated by iHeartMedia, the station broadcasts at 104.1 MHz with an ERP of 100 kW. It has studio facilities and offices located on Pai Park in Greensboro, and a transmitter site is located atop Sauratown Mountain near Pinnacle, North Carolina. They are one of three country music outlets in the market; WPAW and WBRF are the others.

WPAW is a country music radio station licensed to Winston-Salem, North Carolina, and serving the Piedmont Triad region, which includes Greensboro and High Point. The Audacy, Inc. with an ERP of 100 kW. The station's studios are located near the Piedmont Triad International Airport, and a transmitter site is near Stokesdale, North Carolina.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">WYMY</span> Radio station in Burlington, North Carolina

WYMY is a Regional Mexican radio station in Burlington, North Carolina, United States. It serves the Triad and Triangle areas, which includes cities such as Greensboro, Winston-Salem, Raleigh and Durham. In addition the signal goes well north of Danville, Virginia. The outlet, which is owned by Curtis Media Group, claims to have the largest FM radio signal in all of North Carolina, operating with an ERP of 100 kW. The reason for that FM radio signal claim comes from Curtis Media, due to the population covered by the station's signal. The transmitter is located on Bass Mountain in the Cane Creek Mountains in Alamance County, and studios are in Burlington.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">WFAE</span> Radio station in Charlotte, North Carolina

WFAE is a non-commercial public radio station in Charlotte, North Carolina. It is the main NPR news and information member in the Charlotte region. The station's main studios and offices are at One University Place in the University City neighborhood of northeast Charlotte. A satellite studio is at Spirit Square on North College Street in downtown Charlotte.

WMFR is a radio station airing a country music format. Licensed to High Point, North Carolina, United States, the station serves the Piedmont Triad area. The station is currently owned by Triad Media Partners.

WSJS is a commercial radio station licensed to Winston-Salem, North Carolina, and broadcasting to the Greensboro/Winston-Salem/High Point media market. It airs a talk and sports radio format. WSJS is owned by the Truth Broadcasting Corporation, with studios and offices in The Factory Building on North Main Street in Kernersville.

WVBZ is a mainstream rock radio station serving the Piedmont Triad region. The station is a part of iHeartMedia, Inc.'s cluster in the Greensboro/Winston-Salem market and is licensed to Clemmons, North Carolina. It has studio facilities and offices located on Pai Park in Greensboro, and a transmitter site is located atop Sauratown Mountain near Pinnacle, North Carolina.

WDAV is a non-commercial public radio station licensed to Davidson, North Carolina and serving the Charlotte metropolitan area. The station, licensed to the Board of Trustees of Davidson College, airs classical music and fine arts programming 24 hours a day. WDAV is an National Public Radio (NPR) member-station.

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WWLV is a radio station licensed to Lexington, North Carolina, and serving the Piedmont Triad metropolitan area. The station is an affiliate of K-LOVE.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">WWNT</span> Radio station in Winston-Salem, North Carolina

WWNT is a Spanish language formatted broadcast radio station licensed to Winston-Salem, North Carolina, United States, serving Winston-Salem and Forsyth County, North Carolina. WWNT is owned by Mahan Janbakhsh's TBLC Holdings, LLC, through licensee TBLC Greensboro Stations, LLC. As of August 1, 2018, WWNT is silent.

WPOL is a commercial radio station broadcasting a Gospel music radio format. Licensed to Winston-Salem, North Carolina, the station is owned by Truth Broadcasting Corporation. In Winston-Salem and nearby communities, WPOL can also be heard on an FM translator at 103.5 MHz, for listeners who prefer FM radio. It is also simulcast on sister station 1400 kHz WKEW in Greensboro, North Carolina. WPOL competes its triad coverage in High Point, North Carolina on 102.5 MHz.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">WKZL</span> Radio station in Winston-Salem, North Carolina

WKZL is a Top 40 (CHR) station licensed to Winston-Salem, North Carolina and serves the Piedmont Triad area, which also includes Greensboro and High Point. The outlet, which is owned by Dick Broadcasting, operates at 107.5 MHz with an ERP of 100 kW. It has studio facilities and offices in downtown Greensboro alongside its sister station WKRR, and a transmitter site is near Stokesdale, North Carolina.

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References

  1. ↑ Correspondent, Eddie Huffman Special. "Brown's 'Across the Blue Ridge' to end Dec. 29; show was in second incarnation after 17 year break". Winston-Salem Journal. Retrieved 2019-03-04.
  2. ↑ Glasgow, Jesse (1948). "Station W-A-K-E". The Wake Forest Student. 61.
  3. 1 2 3 4 "WAKE, WFDD, Wake Radio: 'The Radio Voice of Wake Forest University'" . Retrieved July 16, 2017.
  4. ↑ "Classical Music Fund Under Way". Winston-Salem Journal. June 10, 1966.
  5. ↑ Susan Ladd, "WFDD Tower Extends Public Radio Station's Range," Greensboro News & Record, September 13, 1994.
  6. ↑ Sprouse, Catherine (October 10, 1994). "WFDD Vying To Win Back Guilford Listeners". Triad Business News. p. 7.
  7. ↑ William L. Holmes, "WFDD Kicks Out Sports Broadcasts Wake Forest Games Didn't Mesh Well with Music Shows," Winston-Salem Journal, January 20, 1998.
  8. ↑ Tim Clodfelter, "More News: WFDD Has Shifted Format Away from Classical Music," Winston-Salem Journal, February 3, 2005.
  9. ↑ Tim Clodfelter, "WFDD's Pledge Drive Falls 21 Percent Short of Its Goal," Winston-Salem Journal, April 7, 2007.
  10. ↑ Tim Clodfelter, "Clearly Different - As Broadcasters Go HD They're Hoping Radio Listeners Will Jump on the Trend," Winston-Salem Journal, December 3, 2007.
  11. ↑ "Radio Camp 2019". 88.5 WFDD. January 2, 2018. Retrieved March 26, 2019.
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