Jump to content

WDRV: Difference between revisions

Add links
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Browse history interactively
← Previous editNext edit →
Content deleted Content added
VisualWikitext
remove logo from '08 with newer, better image from station website
Rescuing 2 sources and tagging 0 as dead. #IABot (v1.5.1)
Line 33: Line 33:
The station was sold in 2000 to [[Bonneville International]]. The new owners changed the WNIB call sign to '''WDRV''' on March 15, 2001 with a format change to "rock and pop oldies".<ref>{{cite news |last=Kening |first=Dan |date=March 15, 2001 |title=Former Wnib Debuts Rock And Pop Oldies Format As 'The Drive' |url=http://articles.chicagotribune.com/2001-03-15/news/0103220407_1_classic-rock-radio-station-format-change |work=[[Chicago Tribune]] |location= |access-date=2017-07-09}}</ref> The format has slowly evolved into a broad-based classic rock format at the same time when former sister [[WLUP-FM]] was sold to Emmis<ref>{{cite news |author=<!--Staff writer(s); no by-line.--> |title=Emmis Begins Time Brokerage Agreement with Bonneville's WLUP |url=http://www.radioworld.com/business-and-law/0009/emmis-begins-time-brokerage-agreement-with-bonneville39s-wlup/308019 |work=RadioWorld |location= |date=December 1, 2004 |access-date=2017-07-09}}</ref> and changed to a [[mainstream rock]] format in 2005.
The station was sold in 2000 to [[Bonneville International]]. The new owners changed the WNIB call sign to '''WDRV''' on March 15, 2001 with a format change to "rock and pop oldies".<ref>{{cite news |last=Kening |first=Dan |date=March 15, 2001 |title=Former Wnib Debuts Rock And Pop Oldies Format As 'The Drive' |url=http://articles.chicagotribune.com/2001-03-15/news/0103220407_1_classic-rock-radio-station-format-change |work=[[Chicago Tribune]] |location= |access-date=2017-07-09}}</ref> The format has slowly evolved into a broad-based classic rock format at the same time when former sister [[WLUP-FM]] was sold to Emmis<ref>{{cite news |author=<!--Staff writer(s); no by-line.--> |title=Emmis Begins Time Brokerage Agreement with Bonneville's WLUP |url=http://www.radioworld.com/business-and-law/0009/emmis-begins-time-brokerage-agreement-with-bonneville39s-wlup/308019 |work=RadioWorld |location= |date=December 1, 2004 |access-date=2017-07-09}}</ref> and changed to a [[mainstream rock]] format in 2005.


Bonneville announced the sale of WDRV and 16 other stations, to [[Hubbard Broadcasting]] on January 19, 2011.<ref name=ri-saletohubbard>{{cite news|title=$505M sale: Bonneville sells Chicago, D.C., St. Louis and Cincinnati to Hubbard |url=http://www.radio-info.com/news/505m-sale-bonneville-sells-chicago-dc-st-louis-and-cincinnati-to-hubbard|accessdate=January 19, 2011|newspaper=Radio-Info.com|date=January 19, 2011}}{{dead link|date=July 2017}}</ref> The sale was completed on April 29, 2011.<ref name=ri-hubbardtakeover>{{cite news|title=Hubbard deal to purchase Bonneville stations closes|url=http://www.radioink.com/Article.asp?id=2174844&spid=24698|accessdate=May 2, 2011|newspaper=[[Radio Ink]]|date=May 2, 2011}}{{dead link|date=July 2017}}</ref>
Bonneville announced the sale of WDRV and 16 other stations, to [[Hubbard Broadcasting]] on January 19, 2011.<ref name=ri-saletohubbard>{{cite news|title=$505M sale: Bonneville sells Chicago, D.C., St. Louis and Cincinnati to Hubbard|url=http://www.radio-info.com/news/505m-sale-bonneville-sells-chicago-dc-st-louis-and-cincinnati-to-hubbard|accessdate=January 19, 2011|newspaper=Radio-Info.com|date=January 19, 2011|deadurl=yes|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20110121233505/http://www.radio-info.com/news/505m-sale-bonneville-sells-chicago-dc-st-louis-and-cincinnati-to-hubbard|archivedate=January 21, 2011|df=}}</ref> The sale was completed on April 29, 2011.<ref name=ri-hubbardtakeover>{{cite news|title=Hubbard deal to purchase Bonneville stations closes|url=http://www.radioink.com/Article.asp?id=2174844&spid=24698|accessdate=May 2, 2011|newspaper=[[Radio Ink]]|date=May 2, 2011|deadurl=yes|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20120312055419/http://www.radioink.com/Article.asp?id=2174844&spid=24698|archivedate=March 12, 2012|df=}}</ref>


On June 27, 2011, WDRV celebrated its 10th anniversary by organizing a free-entrance concert at the [[Rosemont Theatre]] by [[America (band)|America]] and headliner [[Jethro Tull (band)|Jethro Tull]].<ref>{{cite news |author=<!--Staff writer(s); no by-line.--> |title=The Drive Hosts Free 10th Anniversary Concert |url=http://chicagoradioandmedia.com/news/1626-the-drive-hosts-free-10th-anniversary-concert |work=Chicagoland Radio and Media |location= |date=May 12, 2011 |access-date=2017-07-09}}</ref>
On June 27, 2011, WDRV celebrated its 10th anniversary by organizing a free-entrance concert at the [[Rosemont Theatre]] by [[America (band)|America]] and headliner [[Jethro Tull (band)|Jethro Tull]].<ref>{{cite news |author=<!--Staff writer(s); no by-line.--> |title=The Drive Hosts Free 10th Anniversary Concert |url=http://chicagoradioandmedia.com/news/1626-the-drive-hosts-free-10th-anniversary-concert |work=Chicagoland Radio and Media |location= |date=May 12, 2011 |access-date=2017-07-09}}</ref>

Revision as of 21:22, 8 September 2017

WDRV
Broadcast areaChicago metropolitan area
Frequency97.1 MHz (HD Radio)
BrandingThe Drive
Programming
FormatAnalog/HD1: Classic rock
HD2: Classic rock ("Deep Tracks")
Ownership
OwnerHubbard Radio
WTMX, WSHE-FM, WWDV
History
First air date
1955 (1955) (as WNIB)
Former call signs
WNIB (1955 - March 15, 2001)[1]
Call sign meaning
Derived from "DRiVe"
Technical information
Facility ID49552
ClassB
ERP8,300 watts (analog)
297 watts (digital)[2]
HAAT363 meters (1,191 ft)
Repeater(s)See § WWDV Simulcast
Links
WebcastListen Live
Websitewdrv.com

WDRV (97.1 FM, "The Drive") is a commercial FM radio station licensed to serve Chicago, Illinois. The station is owned by Hubbard Radio and broadcasts a classic rock format. Its studios are located in the John Hancock Center[3] and its broadcast tower is located atop the Aon Center at (41°53′6.1″N 87°37′17.7″W / 41.885028°N 87.621583°W / 41.885028; -87.621583).[4] The station's programming is simulcast on sister station WWDV.

WDRV uses HD Radio and broadcasts a classic rock format branded as "Deep Tracks" on its HD2 subchannel.[5][6]

History

The station signed on for the first time in 1955 as WNIB. Owned by Northern Illinois Broadcasting (NIB), the station broadcast a classical music format.

The station was sold in 2000 to Bonneville International. The new owners changed the WNIB call sign to WDRV on March 15, 2001 with a format change to "rock and pop oldies".[7] The format has slowly evolved into a broad-based classic rock format at the same time when former sister WLUP-FM was sold to Emmis[8] and changed to a mainstream rock format in 2005.

Bonneville announced the sale of WDRV and 16 other stations, to Hubbard Broadcasting on January 19, 2011.[9] The sale was completed on April 29, 2011.[10]

On June 27, 2011, WDRV celebrated its 10th anniversary by organizing a free-entrance concert at the Rosemont Theatre by America and headliner Jethro Tull.[11]

Online streaming of the "Deep Tracks" programming broadcast on WDRV's HD2 subchannel was discontinued in October 2013, due to its popularity.[5] The high amount of traffic to the site made the stream too expensive to maintain considering the cost of the service, royalty payments and lack of commercials to offset costs.

The station celebrated its 15th anniversary on Friday, May 20, 2016 with a concert at the Rosemont Theater featuring Boston and Jefferson Starship.[12]

On June 9, 2016, John Gallagher, vice president and market manager of Hubbard Radio Chicago, announced that veteran Chicago sports radio host Dan McNeil would be leaving WDRV after 16 months at the station.[13]

Programs

WDRV airs locally originated programs including Rock 'n Roll Roots with Bob Stroud, a show with a 30-year history on Chicago radio,[14] supplemented by nationally syndicated shows, including The Deep End with Nick Michaels,[15] The Classics hosted by Steve Downes[16] and The Time Warp with Bill St. James.[17]

WWDV Simulcast

Main article: WWDV

In 1983, Northern Illinois Broadcasting purchased WKZN 96.9 FM in Zion, Illinois, changing the call sign to WNIZ and airing a simulcast of WNIB programming for communities north of Chicago. WNIZ programming became a simulcast of WDRV's sister station, WTMX, when WNIB changed call signs to WDRV in 2001. WNIZ's call sign was changed to WTNX at that time. This simulcast did very little for WTMX's ratings, and management decided to return the station's programming to a simulcast of 97.1, now WDRV. The change took effect on January 1, 2003, with a call sign change to WWDV.[18]

Signal note

WDRV is short-spaced to sister station WWDV (licensed to serve Zion, Illinois) as they operate on adjacent channels and the cities they are licensed to serve are only 40 miles apart.[19] The minimum distance between two Class B FM radio stations operating on adjacent channels according to current FCC rules is 105 miles.[20] Both stations use directional antennas to reduce their signals toward each other.[4][21]

See also

References

  1. ^ "Call Sign History (WDRV)". fcc.gov. Federal Communications Commission. Retrieved 2017-07-09.
  2. ^ "FCC 335-FM Digital Notification [WDRV]". fcc.gov. Federal Communications Commission. October 21, 2015. Retrieved 2017-07-08.
  3. ^ "Longtime Chicago Radio Engineer Keith Warner Passes Away". Chicagoland Radio and Media. May 25, 2016. Retrieved 2017-07-09.
  4. ^ a b "FM Query Results for WDRV". fcc.gov. Federal Communications Commission. Retrieved 2017-07-08.
  5. ^ a b "WDRV-FM's 'Decade Tracks' Stream Gets Deep Sixed". Chicagoland Radio and Media. October 16, 2013. Retrieved 2017-07-09.
  6. ^ <iframe name="HDRadioStations-chicago_illinois" scrolling="no" src="https://hdradio.com/station_guides/widget.php?latitude=41.8839927&longitude=-87.6197056
  7. ^ Kening, Dan (March 15, 2001). "Former Wnib Debuts Rock And Pop Oldies Format As 'The Drive'". Chicago Tribune. Retrieved 2017-07-09.
  8. ^ "Emmis Begins Time Brokerage Agreement with Bonneville's WLUP". RadioWorld. December 1, 2004. Retrieved 2017-07-09.
  9. ^ "$505M sale: Bonneville sells Chicago, D.C., St. Louis and Cincinnati to Hubbard". Radio-Info.com. January 19, 2011. Archived from the original on January 21, 2011. Retrieved January 19, 2011. {{cite news}}: Unknown parameter |deadurl= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help)
  10. ^ "Hubbard deal to purchase Bonneville stations closes". Radio Ink. May 2, 2011. Archived from the original on March 12, 2012. Retrieved May 2, 2011. {{cite news}}: Unknown parameter |deadurl= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help)
  11. ^ "The Drive Hosts Free 10th Anniversary Concert". Chicagoland Radio and Media. May 12, 2011. Retrieved 2017-07-09.
  12. ^ Argyrakis, Andy (May 20, 2016). "Legends Boston and Jefferson Starship, local favs Backdated rock The Drive's milestone bash". Chicago Concert Reviews. Retrieved 2017-07-09.
  13. ^ "Dan McNeil exits The Drive". robertfeder.com. June 9, 2016. Retrieved 2017-07-08.
  14. ^ "Rock 'N Roll Roots 97.1fm Chicago - The Drive - WDRV". wdrv.com. Retrieved 2017-07-09.
  15. ^ Michaels, Nick. "Radio Station Affiliates - Deep End Radio". thedeependwithnickmichaels.com. Retrieved 2017-07-09.
  16. ^ "The Classics 97.1fm Chicago - The Drive - WDRV". wdrv.com. Retrieved 2017-07-09.
  17. ^ "Time Warp - Saturdays 5am to 9am! 97.1fm Chicago - The Drive - WDRV". wdrv.com. Retrieved 2017-07-09.
  18. ^ "Call Sign History (WWDV)". fcc.gov. Federal Communications Commission. Retrieved 2017-07-09.
  19. ^ "How Far is it Between Zion, IL, United States and Chicago, IL, United States". Free Map Tools. Retrieved 2017-07-08.
  20. ^ "Minimum distance separation between stations. 47 CFR 73.207 (1)" (PDF). Retrieved 2017-07-08.
  21. ^ "FM Query Results for WWDV". fcc.gov. Federal Communications Commission. Retrieved 2017-07-08.

External links

Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=WDRV&oldid=799626525"