WFDD

Infobox Radio station
name = WFDD


city = Winston-Salem, North Carolina
area = Piedmont Triad
branding =
slogan =
airdate =
frequency = 88.5 MHz
format = News Talk Information
power =
erp = 60,000 watts
haat = 60.0 meters
class = C1
facility_id = 70708
coordinates = coord|35|55|2.00|N| 80|17|37.00|W|region:GB_type:city
callsign_meaning = Wake Forest Demon Deacons
former_callsigns =
owner = Wake Forest University
licensee =
sister_stations =
webcast =
website = [http://www.wfdd.org wfdd.org]
affiliations = National Public Radio, Public Radio International

WFDD (88.5 FM) is a public radio station located in Winston-Salem, North Carolina and serves the Piedmont Triad region. It is the broadcast service of Wake Forest University and its coverage area includes 32 counties in North Carolina and Virginia. It is heard on 104.7 FM in Greensboro, North Carolina.

History

WFDD has its roots in a five watt broadcasting station (WAKE) operated illegally [http://www.wfdd.org/about.php, Retrieved on 2008/02/22.] by Wake Forest students from a rooming house beginning in the fall of 1946. When students began asking for better broadcast range, Wake Forest president Dr. Thurman D. Kitchin took steps to help making the station official. With the help of student fundraising, the station was fully licensed by 1948.

After the discovery 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.

After Wake Forest College moved from Wake Forest 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 received federal funding from the new organization.

On May 3, 1971, WFDD became a charter member of National Public Radio (NPR), the first affiliate of the network in the state. Dr. Julian Burroughs, who had helped put the station on the air, added his knowledge to that of other station officials around the country to determine what NPR would become. [http://wakeforestradio.com, Retrieved on 2008/02/21.]

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. [Susan Ladd, "WFDD Tower Extends Public Radio Station's Range,"Greensboro News & Record", September 13, 1994.]

For two years in the 1990s, WFDD aired Wake Forest football and basketball games, but many listeners complained. [William L. Holmes, "WFDD Kicks Out Sports Broadcasts Wake Forest Games Didn't Mesh Well with Music Shows," "Winston-Salem Journal", January 20, 1998.]

In 2005, WFDD began airing more talk programming, with no classical music during the day on most weekdays. [Tim Clodfelter, "More News: WFDD Has Shifted Format Away from Classical Music," "Winston-Salem Journal", February 3, 2005.] With less classical music, donations dropped. [Tim Clodfelter, "WFDD's Pledge Drive Falls 21 Percent Short of Its Goal," "Winston-Salem Journal", April 7, 2007.] The station added a classical music service on HD radio. [Tim Clodfelter, "Clearly Different - As Broadcasters Go HD They're Hoping Radio Listeners Will Jump on the Trend," "Winston-Salem Journal", December 3, 2007.]

References