| Broadcast area | New Hanover County,Brunswick County andPender County |
|---|---|
| Frequency | 630kHz |
| Branding | ESPN Wilmington |
| Programming | |
| Format | Sports |
| Affiliations | ESPN Radio Charlotte Hornets North Carolina Tar Heels UNC Wilmington Seahawks Sports USA Radio Network Westwood One |
| Ownership | |
| Owner | Capitol Broadcasting Company |
| WAZO,WILT,WKXB,WRMR | |
| History | |
First air date | September 15, 1935; 90 years ago (1935-09-15) |
Former frequencies | 1370 kHz (1935–1941) 1400 kHz (1941–1949) |
| Technical information[1] | |
Licensing authority | FCC |
| Facility ID | 61701 |
| Class | B |
| Power | 800watts day 1,000 watts night |
Transmitter coordinates | 34°16′19″N77°58′28″W / 34.27194°N 77.97444°W /34.27194; -77.97444 |
| Translator | 101.7 W269DF (Wilmington) |
| Repeater | 99.9WKXB-HD3 (Boiling Spring Lakes) |
| Links | |
Public license information | |
| Webcast | Listen Live |
| Website | espnwilmington.com |
WMFD (630kHz) is acommercialAMradio station inWilmington, North Carolina. It is owned by theCapitol Broadcasting Company and broadcasts asportsformat, primarily fromESPN Radio. Theradio studios and offices are on North Kerr Avenue in Wilmington.[2]
By day, WMFD’s power is 800watts; at night it slightly increases its power to 1,000 watts. Adirectional antenna with a two-tower array is used during the day and three-tower array at night to protect other stations on630 AM from interference. Thetransmitter is off Sampson Street inNavassa, North Carolina.[3] Programming issimulcast on 250-wattFM translatorW269DF at 101.7MHz.[4] WMFD is also heard on theHD Radiodigital subchannel of co-owned 99.9WKXB-HD3.
WMFDsigned on the air on September 15, 1935; 90 years ago (1935-09-15). It is Wilmington's oldest, though not its first, radio station. It has retained its originalcall sign throughout its history.[5]
In 1954, the station launched WMFD-TV Channel 6, Wilmington's first TV station, nowWECT.
In May 1996, Community Broadcasting sold radio stations WMFD,WUOY, andWBMS to a new company called Ocean Broadcasting. As a talk station, WMFD addedDr. Laura Schlessinger andThe Fabulous Sports Babe, as well asCNN Headline News part of the time.[6] In 1999, WMFD was airingDon Imus' morning show fromNew York City.[7]
In 2000, WMFD changed tosports radio and added theminor-league baseball teamWilmington Waves.[8]
In July 2004,NextMedia Group purchased WRQR,WAZO, and WMFD from Ocean Broadcasting, and WKXB and WSFM from Sea-Comm Inc.[9]
In July 2008,Capitol Broadcasting announced its purchase of NextMedia's Wilmington stations.[10]
In addition to the main station, WMFD is relayed byFM translatorW269DF 101.7 to widen its broadcast area. This station rebroadcastWLTT prior to 2014.
| Call sign | Frequency | City of license | FID | ERP (W) | Class | FCC info |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| W269DF | 101.7 FM | Wilmington, North Carolina | 144958 | 250 | D | LMS |