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| Broadcast area | North Carolina and Virginia |
|---|---|
| Frequency | 88.5MHz (HD Radio) |
| Branding | 88.5 WFDD, Public Radio for thePiedmont |
| Programming | |
| Format | Public Radio -News - Talk |
| Subchannels |
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| Affiliations | |
| Ownership | |
| Owner | Wake Forest University |
| History | |
First air date | April 19, 1948; 77 years ago (1948-04-19) (Sign-on inWake Forest, moved to Winston-Salem in 1956.) |
Former call signs | WAKE (April 1948) |
Call sign meaning | Wake Forest Demon Deacons (nickname of Wake Forest University sports teams) |
| Technical information[1] | |
Licensing authority | FCC |
| Facility ID | 70708 |
| Class | C1 |
| ERP | 60,000watts |
| HAAT | 285 meters (935 ft) |
Transmitter coordinates | 35°55′2.00″N80°17′37.00″W / 35.9172222°N 80.2936111°W /35.9172222; -80.2936111 |
| Translator | 100.1 W261CK (Boone) |
| Links | |
Public license information | |
| Webcast | Listen Live (FM/HD1) Listen Live (HD2) Listen Live (HD3) |
| Website | wfdd.org |
WFDD (88.5MHz) is anon-commercial,public radiostationlicensed toWinston-Salem, North Carolina. It is theNational Public Radio (NPR)network affiliate for theGreensboro - Winston-Salem -High Pointmedia market, also called thePiedmont Triad. Owned byWake Forest University, WFDD serves 32 counties in CentralNorth Carolina and South-CentralVirginia. It holds periodicfundraisers on the air and accepts donations on its website.
WFDD is aClass C1 station. It has aneffective radiated power (ERP) of 60,000watts. Thetransmittertower is on Old Evans Farm Road inWelcome, North Carolina.[2] Programming is also heard on 10-wattFM translator,W261CK on 100.1 FM inBoone. WFDD broadcasts usingHD Radio technology. Its HD2digital subchannel playsclassical music and on HD3, theBBC World Service is heard.
On weekdays, WFDD carries news and talk programming from NPR and other public radio networks, with local news updates. The shows includeMorning Edition,All Things Considered,Fresh Air,1A,Here and Now,The World,On Point andMarketplace. Late nights, it carries theBBC World Service. WFDD produces a weekday one-hour news and interview program,Due South, airing live at 10 a.m. and repeated at 8 p.m.
On weekends, WFDD carries public radio specialty shows, includingThis American Life,The New Yorker Radio Hour,On The Media,The Splendid Table,The TED Radio Hour,The Moth Radio Hour,Travel with Rick Steves andWait, Wait, Don't Tell Me. Weekend music programs includeAmerican Routes andThe Thistle and Shamrock. Freddie Jenkins hostsBack Porch on Friday and Saturday evenings, WFDD'sfolk,blues,bluegrass and acoustic music show.
WFDD has its roots in a station operated by students at what was then Wake Forest College. It was set up in a rooming house in the town ofWake Forest beginning in the fall of 1946.[3] The experimental station was so popular students began asking for an official station. With the help of student fundraising, WAKE was fully licensed by 1948.[4] The station uses as its officialsign-on date April 19, 1948; 77 years ago (1948-04-19).
After discovering that the WAKE letters were already in use, the station changed itscall sign to WFDD, which stood for "Wake Forest Demon Deacons," the nickname of the university's sports teams. Since coverage of school sports was an important part of the station's programming, this seemed appropriate. Other programs included "Deaconlight Serenade",[5] a student music program which included the part of the name of aGlenn Miller hit. This program remained on the air as "Deaconlight" until 1981. The WAKE call letters returned in the 1980s on a student-run AM station, which later became available on the Internet.[4]
After Wake Forest College moved 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 theCorporation for Public Broadcasting began. WFDD became one of only 10 stations to have received federal funding from the new organization.[4] The signal boost resulted from efforts to raise funds afterWYFS stopped playingclassical music in May 1966.[6]
In 1958, Dr. Julian Burroughs, who had helped sign the station on and served as student station manager in the 1950-51 school year, became the station's first professional station manager, a post he held until 1981. His arrival began a transition to a more professional operation, culminating in 1961 when the station became a non-commercial educational radio station. On May 3, 1971, WFDD became a charter member of National Public Radio (NPR), the first affiliate of the network in the state. Burroughs added his knowledge to that of other station officials around the country to determine what NPR would become.[4]
OnMay 5, 1989, WFDD lost its tower along Business Route 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 inWelcome, North Carolina, which was shared withWWGL.[7] The tower was supposed to have taken 18 months to complete, buta station at 94.5 FM kept protesting that its signal would be affected. Once it was determined that would not be a problem, the tower was built and put into operation September 29, 1994.[8]
For two years in the 1990s, WFDD aired Wake Forest football and basketball games.[9] But some listeners complained about the interruption to the station's usual classical music and news programming.
For many years, WFDD, like many public FM radio stations, aired a mix of NPR programming and classical music. In 2005, WFDD began scheduling mostlynews and talk programming from NPR, with no classical music during the day on most weekdays.[10] With less classical music, many classical music listeners protested the change by ceasing their donations. At the same time, the station saw an influx of new donors who appreciated the news and discussion programming.[11] The station added a 24-hour classical music station on itsHD radio subcarrier.[12] Some listeners can also receive classical stations 89.9WDAV inDavidson or 89.7WCPE inRaleigh.
In 2009, WFDD began Radio Camp, a week-long experience for middle schoolers. Students learn the basics of conducting interviews, how to operate professional sound editing software, and create their own stories to be broadcast. The camp is held at the WFDD studio on Wake Forest University's campus.[13] For its officialsign-on date, WFDD uses {{start date and age|
Until 2019, WFDD produced the syndicated showAcross the Blue Ridge.[14] The program specialized inbluegrass andfolk music. WFDD currently airs that music on Friday and Saturday evenings, during a program calledBack Porch.
WFDD shares some of its coverage area with 91.5WUNC-FM inChapel Hill, a public radio station owned by theUniversity of North Carolina. WUNC-FM is the primary NPR member station for theResearch Triangle, includingRaleigh andDurham. Its transmitter inChatham County gives primary grade coverage to Greensboro and can also be heard in other parts of thePiedmont Triad.[15] Some of WFDD's signal also goes into WUNC-FM's territory.
Meanwhile, 90.7WFAE can be heard in the southern section of the Triad.[16] WFAE is an NPR member station based inCharlotte with its 100,000 watt transmitter inMecklenburg County. So WFAE and WFDD's signals overlap inSalisbury andKannapolis.