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| Broadcast area | Milwaukee-Racine |
| Frequency | 104.7MHz (HD Radio) |
| Branding | La Gran D 104.7 |
| Programming | |
| Format | Traditional regional Mexican music |
| Subchannels | HD2:Regional Mexican "La Z 93.7" |
| Ownership | |
| Owner |
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| History | |
First air date | June 18, 1993; 31 years ago (1993-06-18) (as WZXA) |
Former call signs |
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| Technical information[1] | |
Licensing authority | FCC |
| Facility ID | 53506 |
| Class | A |
| ERP | 4,200watts |
| HAAT | 103 meters (338 ft) |
Transmitter coordinates | 42°51′22″N87°50′42″W / 42.856°N 87.845°W /42.856; -87.845 |
| Translator(s) | HD2: 93.7 W229CQ (Milwaukee) |
| Links | |
Public license information | |
| Website | laradiodemilwaukee |
WDDW (104.7MHz) is aSpanish-languageFMradio stationlicensed toSturtevant, Wisconsin, and servingMilwaukee andRacine. It is owned byBustos Media, with studios on South 108th Street inWest Allis. WDDW is known as "La Gran D" (sounded out as "La Grande", using the Spanish pronunciation of the letter "D"), and plays traditionalRegionalMexican music.
WDDW is aClass A station with aneffective radiated power (ERP) of 4,200watts. Itstransmitter is atop the formerWMLW-TVtower northwest of theOak Creek Power Plant inOak Creek.[2] WDDW broadcasts usingHD Radio technology. Its HD2digital subchannel carries a mix ofRegional Mexican music with some current and recent hits, as "La Z 93.7". It feeds 250-wattFM translatorW229CQ on 93.7 MHz. Its tower is atop theHilton Milwaukee City Center.[3] Both signals target Milwaukee's south side Hispanic neighborhoods.
Thefrequency was granted aconstruction permit on September 26, 1989, using thecall sign WZXA. Itsigned on the air on June 18, 1993. The station aired a mixture of satellite and localhot adult contemporary music as "Sunny 104". It targeted Racine and Kenosha with its transmitter site inFranksville, Wisconsin. The station was owned by Pride Communications.
In the spring of 1997, WZXA flipped tocountry music as WEXT "Extreme Country 104.7". Pride Communications was sold toNextMedia Group in 2000, though no major format changes were made.
In February 2004, NextMedia turned on a new Oak Creek transmitter, which gave the station an improved signal into the Milwaukee area. The format was tweaked on March 6, 2004, when it evolved into a mixture of current andclassic country as "104-7 The Wolf". Instead of a jingle, The Wolf would usually play a wolf howling between songs.
On October 13, 2005,Bustos Media agreed to purchase the station from NextMedia Group for $10.2 million. Bustos specializes in formats targetingHispanics and it planned to make 104.7 a Spanish-language station. On September 15, 2005, prior to Bustos taking over the station, WEXT dropped its country format and began redirecting listeners to Milwaukee country stationWMIL-FM. To advertise the end that morning, The Wolf replaced the wolf-howling sound effect with the sound of a dying wolf. WEXTsigned off with Blackhawk's "Goodbye Says It All". The station then began simulcasting co-ownedWIIL inKenosha.
The station switched its call sign to WDDW and launched the next day after a promotional loop aired for approximately 24 hours. It became the Milwaukee area's first full-time Spanish language FM station. At 11:50 that morning, the Milwaukee Hispanic Chamber Of Commerce officially launched the station with the song "El Aretito" byLos Morros del Norte. The initial broadcast came a couple hours later than the intended 10:00 a.m. launch to set up a new temporary studio in Kenosha.
In September 2010, Bustos transferred most of its licenses to Adelante Media Group as part of a settlement with its lenders.[4] Bustos Media bought WDDW back from Adelante for $1 million on July 31, 2015.[5][6]
In July 2016, WDDW launched anHD2digital subchannel carrying older music. An earlier upgrade to the transmitter allowed WDDW to begin HD radio operations. That subchannel in turn feedsFM translator W229CQ 93.7 from downtown Milwaukee.
The signal and subchannel signed on in mid-July with a loop of "Macarena" byLos Del Río before "La 93.7" launched at 5:42 PM on July 21.[7] The signal isdirected southward to prevent interference withSheboygan'sWBFM andGrand Rapids'WBCT on the same frequency.[8]
| Call sign | Frequency | City of license | FID | ERP (W) | Class | Transmitter coordinates | FCC info |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| W229CQ | 93.7 FM | Milwaukee, Wisconsin | 146071 | 250 | D | 43°2′18″N87°54′7″W / 43.03833°N 87.90194°W /43.03833; -87.90194 (W229CQ) | LMS |