WDBO (AM)

Last updated
WDBO
WDBO AM Jun 2020.jpeg
Broadcast area Greater Orlando
Frequency 580 kHz
BrandingWDBO
Programming
Format News/talk
Network ABC News Radio
Affiliations
Ownership
Owner
WCFB, WOEX, WMMO, WWKA
part of Cox cluster with TV station WFTV
History
First air date
May 24, 1924;99 years ago (1924-05-24)
Former frequencies
  • 1250 kHz (1927)
  • 1040 kHz (1927–1928)
  • 620 kHz (1928–1929)
  • 1120 kHz (1929–1932)
Call sign meaning
 Daytona Beach and Orlando
Technical information [1]
Licensing authority
 FCC
Facility ID 48726
Class B
Power 5,000 watts
Transmitter coordinates
 28°37′11.00″N81°24′35.00″W / 28.6197222°N 81.4097222°W / 28.6197222; -81.4097222
Translator(s) 107.3 W297BB (Orlando)
Repeater(s) 96.5  WOEX-HD2 (Orlando)
Links
Public license information
Webcast Listen Live
Listen Live (via TuneIn)
Website www.wdbo.com

WDBO (580 AM) is a commercial radio station broadcasting a news/talk radio format. Licensed to Orlando, Florida, the station is owned by Cox Media Group. The studios and offices are located on North John Young Parkway in Orlando.

Contents

WDBO’s transmitter power is 5,000 watts. At night, it uses a directional antenna to protect other stations on AM 580. The transmitter tower is off West Kennedy Boulevard in Maitland. [2] Programming is also heard on FM translator W297BB at 107.3 MHz. [3]

History

Former logo used from 1997 through December 2001. Stylized similarly to the current logo for one-time sister station KFI in Los Angeles. WDBO (AM) former logo (1997-December 2001).png
Former logo used from 1997 through December 2001. Stylized similarly to the current logo for one-time sister station KFI in Los Angeles.
Former logo used until 2012. WDBO (AM) former logo (until 2012).png
Former logo used until 2012.
Former Logo from 2012 to June 2020 WDBO (AM) logo.png
Former Logo from 2012 to June 2020

Early years

WDBO is Orlando's oldest radio station, signing on the air on May 24, 1924. It was first licensed to Rollins College in Winter Park. In its early years, it used a number of frequencies, but by 1933, it settled on 580 kHz. [4] In 1935, it got a boost in power from 250 watts to 1,000 watts. It was owned by the Orlando Broadcasting Company, and was a network affiliate of CBS Radio. WDBO carried the CBS line up of dramas, comedies, news, sports, soap operas, game shows and big band broadcasts during the "Golden Age of Radio".

In 1949, WDBO-FM (92.3 FM) was put on the air as a simulcast of WDBO. Five years later, WDBO-TV came on the air, the first television station in Central Florida, matching its radio cousin as a primary CBS television affiliate. In 1982, the firm that owned WDBO-AM-FM-TV, The Outlet Company, sold the radio stations to Katz Broadcasting. (The TV station later became WCPX in 1982, and has been WKMG-TV since 1998.) When the stations were sold, WDBO-FM was re-formatted as a country music station, "K92FM", with the call sign WWKA.

Middle of the road to adult contemporary to talk

As network programming moved from radio to television in the 1950s, WDBO switched to a full-service middle of the road format of popular adult music, news, and sports. The station also joined the ABC News Radio Network and slowly added more talk radio programs. By the 1980s, "58 WDBO" began to scale back on MOR music, and in 1984, the station dropped MOR entirely switching to adult contemporary, also along with news, music, and sports. The change in music came shortly after Leesburg's WHLY switched from its adult contemporary format to Top 40.

When the 1990s began rolling along, WDBO was airing a mix of news/talk and adult contemporary. But in March 1991, the station dropped music entirely and it became "NewsTalk 580 WDBO", which for years had been Greater Orlando's highest-rated AM news/talk station. In 1997, WDBO and WWKA were acquired by Cox Radio. [5] In August 2011, Cox ended the classic rock format on WHTQ (96.5 FM), and gave it the call sign WDBO-FM, becoming a simulcast of WDBO. (WDBO has initially heard on that station's HD-2 subchannel beginning in late February 2008.) The news/talk station eventually re-branded, using the FM frequency exclusively as "NewsTalk 96-5 WDBO".

Switch to sports

On November 12, 2012, the simulcast ended when WDBO re-launched as a sports radio station affiliated with ESPN Radio, while WDBO-FM continued the news/talk programming on its own. The ESPN Radio Network had been dropped previously by WHOO (1080 AM), which switched its affiliation to NBC Sports Radio. WDBO carried the full ESPN Radio schedule, except for a local program on weekday afternoons hosted by Scott Anez. [6]

WDBO remained the flagship radio station of the Orlando Magic basketball team until iHeartMedia's WYGM (740 AM) became the home of the Magic at the start of the 2018–2019 season.

Return to talk

On June 24, 2020, Cox Radio announced that WDBO would drop its sports programming to return to news/talk. In addition, WDBO-FM flipped to a Spanish-language contemporary hits format as WOEX, "Exitos 96.5". To give listeners in Orlando and its adjacent communities the option to hear WDBO programming on FM, Cox added a simulcast via FM translator W297BB (107.3 FM) on June 29. [7] With the addition of the translator, the station rebranded as "WDBO 107.3 FM and 580 AM".

In September 2021, Cox Media announced reductions of the WDBO staff; morning anchor Ray Caputo, evening anchor Tony Marino and late morning talk host Darrell Moody were released. The noon news hour was also replaced with talk programming. [8]

Programming

Weekdays begin with Orlando's Morning News anchored by Scott Anez. There's also an 2-hour-long local newsblock at 5 p.m. A local conservative talk show is heard in middays, hosted by Erick Erickson. A local sports show aired in the evening until 2022, "Live, Local and Loud" with Nick Gryniewicz and Jerry Daniels. The rest of the weekday schedule is made up of nationally syndicated talk shows from Sean Hannity, Brian Kilmeade, Dana Loesch, and Markley, Van Camp & Robbins.

Weekends include shows on money, health, law, real estate, home improvement, gardening and cars. A technology show with Kim Komando is heard Sunday evenings. Some weekend hours are paid brokered programming. Most hours begin with world and national news from ABC News Radio.

Related Research Articles

WWL-FM is a commercial radio station, licensed to Kenner, Louisiana, and serving the New Orleans metropolitan area. It is owned by Audacy, Inc. and airs a news/talk radio format, simulcast with WWL. The station's studios and offices are located at the 400 Poydras Tower in New Orleans' downtown district.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">WCFB</span> Radio station in Daytona Beach, Florida

WCFB is a commercial FM radio station licensed to Daytona Beach, Florida, serving the Greater Orlando area. The station is owned by Cox Media Group, and airs an urban adult contemporary radio format. Its studios and offices are located on North John Young Parkway in Orlando. On weekdays, WCFB carries the syndicated Rickey Smiley Morning Show, as well as an hour of urban contemporary gospel music at 5 a.m., and a Quiet Storm program at night.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">WDAE</span> Sports radio station in St. Petersburg, Florida, United States

WDAE is a commercial radio station licensed to St. Petersburg, Florida and serving the Tampa Bay area. It is owned by iHeartMedia and airs a sports radio format. WDAE is one of the oldest radio stations in Florida still broadcasting today, going on the air in 1922. The studios and offices are on West Gandy Boulevard in South Tampa. The transmitter site is located near the Gandy Bridge in St. Petersburg.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">WYGM</span> Sports radio station in Orlando, Florida

WYGM is a commercial radio station in Orlando, Florida, United States. It is owned by iHeartMedia and airs a sports radio format. Programming is simulcast on FM translator station W245CL at 96.9 MHz in nearby Deltona, Florida, and uses its FM dial position in its moniker, "96.9 The Game." It is also heard on the HD2 channel of co-owned WJRR 101.1.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">KJCE</span> Radio station in Rollingwood, Texas

KJCE is a commercial radio station licensed to Rollingwood, Texas, and serving the Greater Austin radio market. The station airs a talk radio format and is owned by Audacy, Inc. The radio studios and offices are on Westbank Drive, off Loop 360, near Westlake High School. The transmitter is off Johnny Morris Road, near Loyola Lane.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">WTKS (AM)</span> Radio station in Savannah, Georgia

WTKS is a radio station licensed to Savannah, Georgia. The station is owned by iHeartMedia, Inc., with iHM Licenses, LLC holding the license. WTKS airs a news/talk format. Its transmitter is located behind WTKS's studios on Alfred Street in Garden City, Georgia, with a Savannah address.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">WFLF (AM)</span> Radio station in Pine Hills, Florida

WFLF is a commercial AM radio station licensed to Pine Hills, Florida, and serving Greater Orlando. It is owned by iHeartMedia and airs a news/talk format. The studios and offices are in the iHeart Orlando complex in Maitland.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">WJRR</span> Active rock radio station in Cocoa Beach–Orlando, Florida

WJRR is a commercial radio station licensed to Cocoa Beach, Florida, serving Greater Orlando. Owned by iHeartMedia, WJRR airs an active rock radio format. It is the Orlando affiliate for the syndicated rock series Skratch 'N Sniff. WJRR studios and offices are located on Maitland Center Parkway in the Orlando suburb of Maitland. The station transmitter is off Fort Christmas Road in Christmas, Florida.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">WWKA</span> Radio station in Orlando, Florida

WWKA is a commercial FM radio station in Orlando, Florida. It is owned by Cox Media Group and broadcasts a country music radio format. The studios and offices are located in Orlando on North John Young Parkway.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">WOEX</span> Spanish contemporary radio station in Orlando, Florida

WOEX is a commercial radio station in Orlando, Florida. It is owned by Cox Media Group and airs a Spanish-language Contemporary Hits radio format. WOEX's studios and offices are located in Orlando on North John Young Parkway.

WHNZ is a commercial radio station licensed to Tampa, Florida. The station's broadcast license is held by iHM Licenses, LLC, a subsidiary of iHeartMedia. The station airs a talk/business format. WHNZ is one of the eight stations in the Tampa Bay radio market owned by iHeartMedia. The station's studios are located on West Gandy Boulevard in South Tampa.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">WMGF</span> Radio station in Mount Dora–Orlando, Florida

WMGF is a commercial radio station licensed to Mount Dora, and serving Orlando and Central Florida. It is owned by iHeartMedia and airs an adult contemporary radio format, switching to a Christmas music for much of November and December. Its offices and studios are on Maitland Center Parkway in Maitland.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">WPOP</span> News/talk radio station in Hartford, Connecticut

WPOP is a commercial radio station in Hartford, Connecticut, broadcasting a news–talk–sports radio format. The station is owned by iHeartMedia, Inc. The studios and offices are located on Columbus Boulevard in Hartford.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">KALZ</span> Radio station in Fowler, California

KALZ is a commercial radio station licensed to Fowler, California, and serving the Fresno metropolitan area. It airs a talk radio format and is owned by iHeartMedia, Inc. The studios and offices are located on Shaw Avenue in North Fresno. Programming is simulcast on sister station KRZR 1400 AM in Visalia.

WHBO is a commercial radio station licensed to Pinellas Park, Florida, and serving the Tampa Bay area. The station is currently owned by Genesis Communications and it airs a conservative talk radio format, branded as "News Talk 1040". Much of the programming comes from Westwood One and Fox News Radio.

WBCN, branded as "ESPN Southwest Florida", is a commercial AM radio station broadcasting a sports radio format. Licensed to North Fort Myers, Florida, the station is owned by Beasley Broadcast Group, Inc., through licensee Beasley Media Group, LLC.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">WFEA</span> Radio station in New Hampshire, United States

WFEA is a commercial AM radio station in Manchester, New Hampshire, airing a talk radio format. It is owned and operated by Saga Communications of New England LLC, which also owns 95.7 WZID and 96.5 WMLL. WFEA's studios and offices are on North Commercial Street in Manchester.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">KFH (AM)</span> Sports radio station in Wichita, Kansas

KFH is a commercial AM radio station in Wichita, Kansas. The station is owned by Audacy, Inc. It airs a sports radio format. The station's studios and offices are located on East Douglas Avenue.

KRDO is a commercial radio station in Colorado Springs, Colorado. The station is owned and operated by the News-Press & Gazette Company of St. Joseph, Missouri and it airs a news/talk radio format, simulcast with KRDO-FM. Both stations are aided by the news department of co-owned KRDO-TV, with some TV newscasts also heard on the radio stations.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">KERN</span> Radio station in Wasco-Greenacres, California

KERN is a commercial radio station licensed to Wasco-Greenacres, California, and serving the Bakersfield metropolitan area. The station is owned by American General Media. The radio studios and offices are in the American General Media complex at 1400 Easton Drive, STE 134 in Bakersfield.

References

  1. ↑ "Facility Technical Data for WDBO". Licensing and Management System. Federal Communications Commission.
  2. ↑ Radio-Locator.com/WDBO
  3. ↑ Radio-Locator.com/W297BB
  4. ↑ Broadcasting Yearbook 1935 page 28.
  5. ↑ Broadcasting & Cable 2000 page D-98
  6. ↑ "ESPN Radio Returns to Orlando Debuts Nov. 12 | Cox Media Group". www.coxmediagroup.com. Archived from the original on 2012-10-19.
  7. ↑ "Cox Media To Launch Exitos 96.5 Orlando While WDBO Moves". RadioInsight. 24 June 2020.
  8. ↑ InsideRadio.com "CMB Downsizes Staff at Orlando's WDBO" Sept. 21, 2021
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.