WDEL

Infobox Radio station
name = WDEL


city = Wilmington, Delaware
area =
branding =
slogan = "News Talk Radio"
airdate = 1922
frequency = 1150 kHz
format = News/Talk
power = 5000 watts
class = B
facility_id =
coordinates = coord|39|48|54|N|75|31|47|W
callsign_meaning =
former_callsigns =
owner = Delmarva Broadcasting Company
licensee =
sister_stations =
webcast =
website = http://www.wdel.com/
affiliations =

WDEL (1150 AM) is a news/talk radio station in Wilmington, Delaware. WDEL first signed on in 1922 and is one of the first 100 broadcast radio stations licensed in the US. WDEL is a class B (regional) station, currently operating at 5,000 watts.

For much of its history, WDEL was an NBC affiliate. Prior to 1942, WDEL was co-owned with WILM-AM with WDEL taking programs primarily from NBC's Red Network and WILM taking programs mostly from NBC's Blue Network. With the demise of old time network radio in the 1950s, WDEL adopted a full service format combining news, sports and Middle of the road music. In the mid-1990s, WDEL moved to a news/talk format broadcasting local news and a local call-in show in the morning, plus various nationally-syndicated programs including Dr. Laura, Rush Limbaugh, Mitch Albom and Sean Hannity. In 2006, WDEL lost most of its national programs to former sister station, WILM, and adopted a schedule of mostly "local-live" news and talk. Since losing most of its syndicated programs (i.e., Limbaugh and Hannity) WDEL has seen a steep decline in audience share in the local Arbitron ratings.

WDEL also produces a local evening Sports Talk program and continues to air Philadelphia Phillies baseball, Philadelphia Eagles football, plus other local and national sports events.

WDEL is owned and operated by Delmarva Broadcasting Company, which owns 11 stations in the region including Wilmington's WSTW, the former WDEL-FM. Delmarva is a subsidiary of Steinman Enterprises, a Lancaster, Pennsylvania newspaper and mining company.

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