| Broadcast area | Wisconsin Dells;Madison |
|---|---|
| Frequency | 1350kHz |
| Branding | WAUNa Rock |
| Programming | |
| Format | Mainstream rock |
| Affiliations | Premiere Networks |
| Ownership | |
| Owner |
|
| WDDC,WNFM,WRDB,WNNO-FM,WDLS,WBOO | |
| History | |
First air date | July 31, 1952 (1952-7-31) (as WPDR) |
Former call signs |
|
Call sign meaning | Sounds like "Wau-nah", as in "Wanna Rock?" |
| Technical information[1] | |
Licensing authority | FCC |
| Facility ID | 35516 |
| Class | D |
| Power |
|
Transmitter coordinates | 43°31′42.00″N89°26′1.00″W / 43.5283333°N 89.4336111°W /43.5283333; -89.4336111 |
| Translator(s) | 96.9 W245DQ (Waunakee) 102.1 W271DQ (Baraboo) |
| Links | |
Public license information | |
| Webcast | Listen live |
| Website | rockwaun.com |
WAUN (1350kHz) is anAMradio station broadcasting amainstream rock format. Known as WPDR for nearly 70 years, the station previously held anews/talk format. Before that, WPDR playedoldies and also playedcountry music for many years. Licensed toPortage, Wisconsin, United States, the station is currently owned by Magnum Broadcasting.[2] Co-ownedWDDC, formerly WPDR-FM, is located at 100.1 MHz. WAUN is simulcast on FM via two translator stations, 102.1 inBaraboo which covers the majority of the Dells/Baraboo and Portage areas from a transmitter on theBaraboo Range as well as 96.9 inDeForest which covers the northernMadison area.
On March 8, 1951, the Portage Broadcasting Company, associated with thePortage Daily Register, applied for a new radio station in Portage, to broadcast during daylight hours with 1,000 watts on 1350 kHz.[3] After merging with a competing applicant, theFederal Communications Commission (FCC) granted the application on February 13, 1952,[3] and the new station took the call letters WPDR, for the newspaper.[4] Ground was broken on the station's facilities south of town that May,[5] and the first broadcast went out on the morning of July 31, 1952.[6]
Comstock Publishing—which sold off theRegister in 1957—owned WPDR for the first 22 years of its existence and also grew it during that time. In 1962, the FCC approved an increase in power to 5,000 watts.[3] An FM companion station,WPDR-FM 100.1, was authorized in 1966.[7] Comstock ownership ended with the sale of WPDR/WPDR-FM in 1974 to Edward Kramer ofWaupaca.[8] Several programming changes followed, including the addition of a localtradio show, an hour-long farm program, andABC Entertainment news.[9] In 1977, the FM station becameWDDC and adopted a separate format.[10]
Kramer ownership of WPDR and WDDC lasted nearly 29 years; when he opted to retire in 2004 after nearly 50 years in radio, he sold the pair to Zoe Communications ofShell Lake in 2003.[11] Zoe then sold both properties to Magnum in 2010.[12]
On October 10, 2022, WEZY replaced itsoldies programming with amainstream rock format, branded "WAUNa Rock" (pronounced "Wau-nah", as in "Wanna Rock"). The station announced its intention to take on the WAUN call sign, withWEZY being transferred toChippewa Falls station WCFW;[13] the call changes took place on November 9.[14] This new format pairs withFort Atkinson licensedWFAW, an identically programmed and branded AM station that also has two FM translators that target the southern portion of the Madison market as well as theJanesville-Beloit submarket effectively giving Magnum full Madison market coverage with its new rock format. This is an arrangement similar to Magnum's country strategy in the neighboringMilwaukee market with itsWMBZ andWVTY pairing.