 | |
| Broadcast area | Tampa Bay Area |
|---|---|
| Frequency | 620kHz |
| Branding | 95.3 WDAE & AM 620 |
| Programming | |
| Format | Sports |
| Network | Fox Sports Radio |
| Affiliations | Tampa Bay Rays Radio Network |
| Ownership | |
| Owner |
|
| WFLA,WFLZ-FM,WFUS,WHNZ,WMTX,WRUB,WXTB | |
| History | |
First air date | May 15, 1922 (102 years ago) (1922-05-15) |
Call sign meaning | None; assigned from a sequential list |
| Technical information[1] | |
Licensing authority | FCC |
| Facility ID | 74198 |
| Class | B |
| Power | 5,600watts day 5,500 watts night STA 11,280 watts day STA 11,000 watts night 250 watts translator |
| Translator(s) | 95.3 W237CW (Pinellas Park) |
| Repeater(s) | 95.7WRUB-HD3 (Clearwater) |
| Links | |
Public license information | |
| Webcast | Listen Live |
| Website | 953wdae.iheart.com |
WDAE (620AM) is acommercialradio stationlicensed toSt. Petersburg, Florida and serving theTampa Bay area. It is owned byiHeartMedia and airs asports radioformat. WDAE is one of the oldest radio stations inFlorida still broadcasting today, going on the air in 1922. Thestudios and offices are on Ulmerton Road in Clearwater, Pinellas County[2] Thetransmitter site is located near theGandy Bridge in St. Petersburg.[3]
WDAE is licensed to broadcast with 5,600watts by day and 5,500 watts at night. However, because the signal is subject to interference from high-poweredCuban stations, since 1983 theFederal Communications Commission (FCC) has given WDAE a series ofspecial temporary authority (STA) grants for higher powers of 11,280 watts daytime and 11,000 watts nighttime.[4] It uses adirectional antenna at night.
WDAE used to use theiBiquityHD radio system during daytime hours. Programming is also heard onFM translator W237CW at 95.3MHz and on the HD3digital subchannel of co-ownedWRUB (95.7 FM).
Two local shows are heard on weekdays on WDAE: Pat Donovan and Aaron Jacobson with "The Pat and Aaron Show" in mornings, and Tom Krasniqi during late afternoons.[5] In other parts of the day, WDAE airssyndicated programming fromFox Sports Radio.
Programming issimulcast onFMtranslator W237CW.
| Call sign | Frequency | City of license | FID | ERP (W) | HAAT | Class | FCC info |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| W237CW | 95.3 FM | Pinellas Park, Florida | 147104 | 250 | 161.1 m (529 ft) | D | LMS |
On December 1, 1921, the U.S. Department of Commerce, which regulated radio at this time, adopted the first regulations formally establishing a broadcasting station category, which set aside the wavelength of 360 meters (833 kHz) for entertainment broadcasts, and 485 meters (619 kHz) for market and weather reports.[6]
On May 15,1922, theTampa Times, an afternoon daily newspaper, was issued a license for operation on both the 365 and 485 meter wavelengths.[7] The call sign, WDAE, was randomly assigned from a sequential roster of available call letters. WDAE was the second Florida broadcasting station licensed under the new regulations, followingWCAN inJacksonville, which was authorized seven days earlier,[8] and, after a series of test transmissions, made its formal debut on May 17.[9] WCAN was deleted on October 26, 1922.[10] (Some sources have listedWQAM inMiami as Florida's oldest station, with varying claims of a history dating back to as early as 1920,[11] however FCC records report WQAM's "Date First Licensed" as January 23, 1923.)
WDAE, as most early radio stations, broadcast on several frequencies during its beginning years, settling onAM 1250 by 1941.[12] In 1947, still owned by the newspaper, it added an FM station, 105.7 WDAE-FM (nowWMTX100.7 FM).[13]
Through the 1940s and 50s, WDAE-AM-FM wereCBS Radio Network affiliates, carrying its dramas, comedies, news, sports,soap operas,game shows andbig band remotes during theGolden Age of Radio. In the late 1960s, WDAE-FM switched tobeautiful music, while the AM station was a popularTop 40 station.
WDAE aired the popular talk show "Desperate & Dateless" on Friday nights with host Rosemary Haddad and producer Sam Cardinale. In the 1980s, as Top 40 listening switched to FM, WDAE changed to anoldies format.[14] By the 1990s, it had moved toadult standards and later began simulcasting theadult contemporary music format of co-owned WUSA (100.7 FM, nowWMTX) in November 1990.[15]
In March 1994, WDAE switched toclassic country as "Country Gold Froggy 1250" with former WUSA personalities whose on-air names became I.B. Green, Jimmy Hoppa and Davey Croakett.[16]
In 1999, the station was acquired by Clear Channel Communications, the previous name of current owneriHeartMedia. Clear Channel switched WDAE to its current all-sports format as "The Sports Animal."
On November 1,1927,WSUN first signed on the air.[17] For most of its early history, it was owned by the City of St. Petersburg. WSUN used the first directional AM antenna system in the U.S., implemented in order to protectWTMJ inMilwaukee, Wisconsin, also on 620 kHz. In its early years, WSUN was anABC Radio affiliate, carrying the network's schedule until the 1960s, when it moved to afull servicemiddle of the road music format.[18]
Through the 1970s and 80s, WSUN airedcountry music.[19] It was owned by Plough Broadcasting, asubsidiary of the pharmaceutical firmSchering-Plough. In 1988,Cox Broadcasting acquired WSUN and switched it totalk and later to 1950s-basedadult standards.[20] In 1998, pending a sale, WSUN began simulcasting the audio from Time Warner (then Bright House Networks, now Spectrum) local cable TV news station "Bay News 9," changing the call letters of AM 620 toWSAA. Cox Broadcasting moved the WSUN call letters and its standards format over to its co-owned station onAM 910 in nearbyPlant City, Florida (nowWTWD).
On New Year's Day 2000, three Tampa Bay radio stations, including WDAE, were involved in a frequency swap. WSUN had previously vacated AM 620, moving to AM 910. WDAE and its sports format moved from 1250 to 620.[21] Business-formattedWHNZ, which Clear Channel had bought fromPaxson Communications in 1998, switched fromAM 570 to WDAE's previous home at 1250. In addition, Clear Channel put anews/talk format on AM 570, changing the call letters to WTBN, which stood forTampaBayNews.Salem Communications bought WTBN the following year, installing aChristian radio format.
In late 2012, WDAE became the Tampa Bay home ofESPN Radio, as rival sports stationWHBO (1040 AM) switched affiliation to theNBC Sports Radio Network. In 2024, ESPN programming left WDAE. It began carrying shows fromFox Sports Radio most hours, except for a local wake up show and afternoondrive time program.[22]WTMP 1150 picked up ESPN programming.
On November 28, 2018, WDAE rebranded as "95.3 WDAE", utilizing the FM translator in its branding.[23]
WDAE is theflagship station for theTampa Bay Raysbaseball team. It is also the Tampa Bay home ofSouth Florida Bulls football andFlorida Gators men's basketball games. Each year, WDAE carries theFirestone Grand Prix of St. Petersburg auto race.
The station had been the flagship station for theTampa Bay Buccaneersfootball. Beginning with the 2017 season, the team's broadcasts move to co-ownedactive rock station 97.9 FMWXTB. WDAE continues to air interviews with players and coaches during game weeks.[24]
WDAE had also been the flagship radio station for theTampa Bay Lightning of theNational Hockey League (which is now on WHPT). WDAE had also broadcast theTampa Bay Storm of theArena Football League (later heard on sister stationWHNZ).
(WDAE's logo using the primary 620 AM frequency branding)
| |
| Franchise | |
| History | |
| Personnel |
|
| Arenas | |
| Rivalries | |
| Affiliates | |
| Media | |
| Culture and lore | |
| International | |
|---|---|
| National | |
27°52′37″N82°35′26″W / 27.87694°N 82.59056°W /27.87694; -82.59056
