WWDE-FM

WWDE-FM

City of license	Hampton, Virginia
Broadcast area	Hampton Roads
Branding	"101.3 2WD"
Slogan	"Continuous Soft Rock"
Frequency	101.3 MHz (also on HD Radio)
First air date	1962
Format	Light Adult Contemporary
ERP	50,000 Watts
HAAT	152 Meters
Class	B
Facility ID	40753
Transmitter coordinates	36°49′41.0″N 76°15′5.0″W
Owner	Entercom Communications (Entercom Norfolk License, LLC)
Sister stations	WNVZ, WPTE, WVKL
Webcast	WWDE-FM Webstream
Website	WWDE-FM Online

WWDE-FM is a Light Adult Contemporary formatted broadcast radio station licensed to Hampton, Virginia, serving Hampton Roads. WWDE-FM is owned and operated by Entercom Communications.

History

This radio combo were originally sister stations to WVEC-TV as WVEC AM and FM. The 101.3 frequency has a long history. In the 1960s and early '70s, the 101.3 MHz frequency was the FM side of WVEC. There was WVEC-AM 1490, and WVEC-FM 101.3. In the mid 1970s, the FM became WVHR, for the Voice of Hampton Roads. Both radio stations were sold in 1978.

WWDE was founded in 1978 by Dick Lamb and business partners Larry Saunders and Gene Loving as an Adult Contemporary station with new calls WWDE AM & FM.At first they ran separate Adult Contemporary formats as 2WD AM & 2WD FM The station was always successful with Lamb, from owning it, to being behind the "mike" in the mornings. The AM station was later sold and became WLRT. (On August 1, 2007, WLRT was sold again to sports broadcasters Red Zebra Communications and began a simulcast of their FM sports station, WXTG-FM.)

On January 28, 2005, Dick Lamb stepped aside from his self-titled morning show "Dick Lamb in the Breakfast Bunch". About a month afterward, Paul Richardson, another "Breakfast Buncher" also left the station. Now both can be heard on Max Media's WVBW 92.9 the Wave's "Dick Lamb and the Morning Wave". They were replaced on 2WD with Jennifer Pulley and Ted Alexander. In September 2006 The station became an affiliate of Whoopi Goldberg's nationally syndicated "Wake Up With Whoopi" morning show but dropped the Whoopi show on Dec. 3rd 2007. Shortly after Lamb's departure, long time afternoon host Jeff Moreau resigned from the station.

While 2WD's music format has changed slightly, the station's positioning statements have evolved over the years. In the '90s the station slogan was "Best Variety of the 70's, 80's, and 90's." Later, in the 2000s, it became "Best Variety of the 80's, 90's, and Today." Since late 2006 the station has positioned itself with "Continuous Soft Rock 101.3 2WD". The station is also the market affiliate for the highly successful nationally syndicated "Delilah After Dark" from 7 pm to midnight. Musically, the station continues to play pop/soft rock songs from the 1970s to present (and 1960s on seldom occasion).

After Lamb's morning show moved to WVBW, 2WD experienced a brief decline in listenership. However, rumours that had circulated within Norfolk media circles that current owner Entercom considered flipping the station to Country turned out to be unfounded. 2WD in fact managed to not only rebound from a slight ratings dip, but overtake Lamb's WVBW within many key demographics. In December 2007 the addition of a second Country music station by Sinclair Telecable threatened to further decrease Max Media's already steadily declining market share by dismantling their long standing Country format monopoly.

2WD started broadcasting a digital signal (HD Radio) the first week of November 2008 and at the same time debuted their HD2 stream on 101.3 doing "Deep Tracks."

References

• Hampton Roads Media Information
• Article about Dick Lamb in the Virginian Pilot

External links

• 101.3 2WD Online
• Query the FCC's FM station database for WWDE
• Radio-Locator information on WWDE
• Query Arbitron's FM station database for WWDE