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| Broadcast area | Research Triangle |
| Frequency | 100.7MHz (HD Radio) |
| Branding | 100.7 WRDU |
| Programming | |
| Format | Mainstream rock |
| Subchannels | HD2:Simulcast ofWRTP (Christian contemporary) |
| Ownership | |
| Owner |
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| WDCG,WNCB,WTKK,WDCG-HD2 | |
| History | |
First air date | 1947; 78 years ago (1947) (as WCEC-FM) |
Former call signs |
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Call sign meaning | Raleigh-Durham (airport code) |
| Technical information[1] | |
Licensing authority | FCC |
| Facility ID | 74125 |
| Class | C |
| ERP | 100,000watts |
| HAAT | 600 meters (2,000 ft) |
Transmitter coordinates | 35°49′53.6″N78°8′49″W / 35.831556°N 78.14694°W /35.831556; -78.14694 (WRDU) |
| Translator | HD2: SeeWRTP § Translators |
| Links | |
Public license information | |
| Webcast | Listen live (viaiHeartRadio) |
| Website | wrdu |
WRDU (100.7FM, "100.7 WRDU") is a commercialradio station licensed to serveWake Forest, North Carolina. The station is owned byiHeartMedia though licensee iHM Licenses, LLC and broadcasts amainstream rock format. Its broadcast tower is nearMiddlesex at (35°49′52.8″N78°08′42.8″W / 35.831333°N 78.145222°W /35.831333; -78.145222).[2] The station's service contour covers a large portion ofEastern North Carolina, including the cities ofRaleigh,Durham,Rocky Mount,Greenville, andRoanoke Rapids.[3]
WRDU usesHD Radio.
In 1947, Mel Warner and his father-in-law,Rocky Mount Evening Telegram founder Josh Horne, signed on WCEC 810 AM and WCEC-FM 100.7 FM in Rocky Mount. The stations hired legendary agricultural broadcaster Ray Wilkinson in 1948, and along with WRAL-FM Raleigh and WGBR Goldsboro, started the Tobacco Network. It was sold to WRAL-FM owner A. J. Fletcher, and has grown into what is now known as theNorth Carolina News Network. Two years after its first sign on, the WCEC-FM call sign was changed to WFMA.
WFMA had a country format when Ken Johnson'sMobile, Alabama-based Capital Broadcasting (no relation to Raleigh'sCapitol Broadcasting Company) bought it and moved its studios to Raleigh. The call sign was changed to WTRG around August 1986. (WCEC 810, now a stand-alone which was authorized for daytime operation only, went dark and its license was subsequently returned to the FCC.) Along with the studio move, WTRG was upgraded to a 100,000-watt signal using one of the tallest towers in North Carolina. The station, now with a 10,227-square-mile (26,490 km2) coverage area, claimed the 17th largest coverage area of any FM station in America. WTRG signed on with the fight songs from Duke, UNC, and NC State before debuting with anoldies format, only to quickly change to anadult contemporary format. They returned to oldies in 1989 as "Oldies 100.7".
Tom Joyner purchased WTRG in 1991 and built a community-minded station which took editorial stances: an example of this was the station's 1993 effort for increased rights of victims of violent crimes. With the relaxation of dual ownership rules, WTRG was sold in 1994 to Hicks Muse of Dallas, along with Carl Venters'WRDU, a move-in from nearby Wilson. That same year, WTRG picked upUNC Tar Heels radio broadcasts fromWZZU.
Through several mergers, WTRG, WRDU and three other local stations became part of Clear Channel Communications, which would itself becomeiHeartMedia in 2014. On November 8, 2004, WTRG axed its longtime oldies format and began stunting with simulcasts of Clear Channel sister stations WRSN (now WNCB), WDCG, WDUR and WRDU (now WTKK). At 5 p.m. on November 12, the station switched to country as "100.7 The Bull".[citation needed]
However, "The Bull" also turned out to be a stunt, as three days later, on November 15, at 5 p.m., the station becameadult album alternative-formatted "100.7 The River", with the new call sign WRVA-FM following shortly thereafter. Even though it shared the same call sign as fellowClear Channel stationWRVA, a 50,000-watt AM station licensed to serveRichmond, Virginia, the station was programmed independently. Per FCC requirements, the -FM suffix was attached to the call sign.
On September 25, 2006, The River shifted to a rock adult contemporary (Rock AC) format, albeit with the same branding and logo. In anticipation of sister station and heritage rocker WRDU's switch to acountry format, which took place on October 6 of that year, "The River" shifted toclassic hits.
In 2010, WRVA-FM changed its city of license from Rocky Mount to Wake Forest in part of a multi-station agreement that allowed Capitol Broadcasting sports outlet WCMC-FM 99.9 to increase its coverage.
During 2011, WRVA shifted toward more of a mainstream classic hits/Rock-leaning Gold AC format, including more 1960s rock music and non-disco pop music from the 1970s, while continuing to play 1980s music.
On November 11, 2011, at 6:00 p.m., after playing The Beatles' "Ticket to Ride" and going into Bobby Helms' "Jingle Bell Rock", WRVA-FM made the switch to all-Christmas music. It became the third station in the Clear Channel Raleigh cluster to make such a change. WRSN/WKSL made the holiday switch on an annual basis until 2007, and WRDU did likewise in 2009 when it switched from country music totalk radio (as that station lost the ratings and revenue battle toWQDR-FM). The switch led to rumors of a format change. On December 26, 2011, 100.7 The River returned with more of a mainstream classic hits format, including more 1960s and 1970s pop/R&B music, and less classic rock and 1980s music. This put the station in competition with Curtis Media'sWKIX-FM.
Another format change took effect on June 8, 2012, with the station this time going in a more generalclassic rock direction, with artists such asGuns N' Roses,Van Halen,Pink Floyd, andZZ Top. As of November 7, 2012, the River changed to a harder brand of classic rock, similar toWBBB, who switched formats toadult hits in November 2011, and longtime classic rocker106.1 RDU.
On March 27, 2013, WRVA-FM changed its call sign to WTKK.[4] On March 28, the station released morning host Kitty Kinnin. The next day, the station began running liners promoting that "The River has dried up" and a change would happen on April 1 at 9:00 AM. At that time, after a 3-hourstunt with a loop of "Back in Black" byAC/DC and audio of a scene fromSchool of Rock, the station relaunched as "Classic Rock, 100.7 WRDU", with actor/Tenacious D member Jack Black relaunching WRDU with the words "LET'S GET ROCKIN'!"[4] The first song after the relaunch was "Eruption" byVan Halen.[5] The WTKK call sign was moved to 106.1, which rebranded itself as "106.1 WTKK" with the slogan "More Stimulating Talk Radio", while the WRDU call sign was moved to 100.7.
On July 30, 2025, WRDU's format was slightly modified into amainstream rock format; while the station maintains a classic rock base for the format, it was significantly expanded to include moreactive rock andalternative rock from the 1990s onward under the new slogan "Everything Rock & Alternative".[6]
The WRDU call sign was once associated with Channel 28 (nowWRDC-TV) from 1968 to 1978 when it was an NBC affiliate. In addition, a radio station with the WRDU call sign was depicted as "The Voice of the Durham Bulls" in the 1988 filmBull Durham, for which the previous WRDU (now WTKK) helped recruit extras in crowd scenes.