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"WTGB" redirects here. For "WTGB" as a classification of vessels in the United States Coast Guard, seeUSCG Katmai Bay class icebreaking tug.
WIAD
Broadcast areaWashington metropolitan area
Frequency94.7MHz(HD Radio)
Branding94.7 The Drive
Programming
Language(s)English
FormatClassic hits
SubchannelsHD2:Channel Q
Ownership
Owner
History
First air date
1948(76 years ago)(1948)
Former call signs
  • WBCG-FM (1948–1951)
  • WUST-FM (1951–1960)
  • WJMD (1960–1982)
  • WLTT (1982–1993)
  • WARW (1993–2007)
  • WTGB-FM (2007–2009)
Former frequencies
  • 103.1 MHz (1948–1950)
  • 106.3 MHz (1950–1960)
Call signmeaning
theairport codeforWashington Dulles International Airport
Technical information[2]
Licensing authority
FCC
Facility ID9619
ClassB
ERP20,500watts(analog)
979 watts(digital)[3]
HAAT235 meters (771 ft)
Transmitter coordinates
38°57′49.3″N77°06′16.9″W/ 38.963694°N 77.104694°W/38.963694; -77.104694(WIAD)
Links
Public license information
WebcastListen live(viaAudacy)
Websitewww.audacy.com/947thedrive

WIAD(94.7FM,"94.7 The Drive" ) is acommercialradio stationlicensed toBethesda, Maryland,and serving theWashington metropolitan area.[1]The station is owned byAudacy, Inc.,through licensee Audacy License, LLC, and broadcasts aclassic hitsradio format,branded as "94.7 The Drive". Thestudiosand offices are on Half Street SE near theNavy YardinSoutheast Washington.

WIAD has aneffective radiated power(ERP) of 20,500watts.Thetransmitteris off River Road in Bethesda.[4][5]WIAD broadcasts usingHD Radiotechnology, using its HD2digital subchannelto carry "Channel Q",Audacy'stalkandCHR/Danceservice for theLGBTQ community.

History

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On July 6, 1948, theFederal Communications Commission(FCC) granted Broadcast Management, Inc., aconstruction permitfor a new FM station on 103.1 MHz with WBCG-FM as itscall sign.On October 18, 1950, the FCC reassigned the station to 106.3 MHz, modifying the construction permit. The FCC granted the station its first license on June 29, 1951.[6]

On September 28, 1951, the station's call sign was changed to WUST-FM. The station's license was voluntarily transferred to WUST, Inc., on September 10, 1958, with an effective date of October 17, 1958.[6]

On January 28, 1959, the FCC granted WUST, Inc., a construction permit to change the station's frequency to 94.7 MHz. The permit allowed the station to increase itseffective radiated power(ERP) to 20,000 watts while decreasing theheight above average terrain(HAAT) to 245 feet. The station's call sign was changed on April 5, 1960, to WJMD. The FCC granted a new license with the updated facilities on October 1, 1960. The station's license was modified by the FCC on November 30, 1960, to reflect a change in the owner's name to Atlantic Broadcasting Company.[6]

The station aired abeautiful musicformat. The WJMDcall signwas formed from the initials of the previous owners, the Diener brothers (Walter, Jack, Mickey, and Dan).[citation needed]

The FCC granted Atlantic Broadcasting Company a construction permit on November 25, 1968, allowing an increase in ERP to 50,000 watts and an increase in HAAT to 301 feet (later modified to 309 feet). On January 4, 1970, the FCC granted a voluntary reassignment of the station's license to San Juan Racing Association, Inc. The FCC granted the new owners a new license for the station with the upgraded facilities on August 13, 1970, followed by another voluntary reassignment of the license to SJR Communications, Inc., effective December 31, 1970.[6]

During the 1970s, SJR Communications changed the station's ERP and HAAT several times. On August 16, 1973, SJR Communications filed a construction permit with the FCC to decrease the station's ERP to 24,000 watts while increasing the station's HAAT to 670 feet. The permit was modified on May 24, 1974, to 17,000 watts ERP and 776 feet HAAT. The FCC then granted a new license with these facilities on June 18, 1975. SJR Communications was granted another construction permit on November 18, 1976, to increase the station's ERP to 21,000 watts and its HAAT to 780 feet. The FCC then granted a new license following these changes on March 15, 1978.[6]

WJMD evolved into asoft adult contemporarymusic format with a change of call sign to WLTT in March 1982. Under this format, the station was branded as "W-Lite". The format would last for the next 11 years.[7]

WLTT dropped thesoft adult contemporarymusic format on November 19, 1993, in favor of aclassic rockmusic format branded as "The Arrow".[8]A change ofcall signfollowed to WARW to complement the change in branding to "The Arrow". WARW was also billed on-air as "We Always Rock Washington".

94.7 The Globe/Classic Rock 94.7

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On February 2, 2007, anadult album alternative(also known as "triple A" ) music format was adopted with the branding "The Globe".[9][10]The new "Globe" format also featured "green" segments between songs or before and after commercials with environmental information. These segments were called "The Green Scene". The station's call sign changed to WTGB on February 15. The airstaff remained the same as WARW's, but some spots were flipped. Weasel moved from nights to mornings, displacing the Stevens & Medley morning team. Mark Stevens, who was part of Stevens & Medley, moved to nights and was eventually replaced by Albie Dee, who would later move to mornings, replacing Weasel, in November 2008, two months after WTGB flipped back to their prior classic rock format. Jerry Hoyt would then take over evenings. The February 2007 shift to AAA left rivalclassic hitsstationWBIG-FMas the capital's only analog station broadcasting some form of classic rock. The Globe's HD2 subchannel, then known as "The Jam", began broadcasting a mixture of classic rock.

The call sign appeared similar toGeorgetown University's radio station,WGTB.Long time Washington radio listeners remember that station from the 1970s as a champion of thealternative rockof its time. WTGB's former DJs, Don "Cerphe" Colwell and Jonathan "Weasel" Gilbert (he left the station in October 2008), have each been involved with Washington radio for nearly 40 years, including stints for both atWHFS.When the station flipped formats, Cerphe left the air in April 2009.[11]

On August 10, 2008, WTGB dropped the triple A format and began returning to a classic rock format.[12]Three weeks after the change, music director and midday personality Schelby Sweeney quit the station, and was replaced by Marci Wiser, formerly ofNew York Citysister stationWXRK.[13]The "Globe" name (but not the "World Class Rock" slogan) stayed, and WTGB-HD2 flipped to a AAA format. The format change was likely because of low ratings; the station stayed in the bottom seven for its entire life as a AAA outlet.[14][15]On September 1, 2008, WTGB began using the branding 'Classic Rock 94.7 The Globe' on air. On February 14, 2009, however, the station's name would change to simply 'Classic Rock 94.7', like it was for some time while the station was still WARW.[16]A new logo and website followed on March 9, 2009.

94.7 Fresh FM

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First logo of "Fresh FM", 2009-2014
Second and final logo of Fresh FM, 2014-2018

CBS Radioannounced on March 30, 2009, that 94.7 FM would be switching to anadult contemporaryformat at noon on April 6,2009,as "94.7 Fresh FM".[17][18][19]It was said to have the same branding as sister stationsWWFSin New York andWCFS-FMin Chicago. CBS aimed to have the new station compete withClear Channel'sAdult ContemporaryWASH-FM,as well asCitadel'sHot Adult ContemporaryWRQX(which has since been sold toCumulus Mediaand shifted toTop 40,but would shift back to Hot AC in November 2015, and became a member station ofK-Lovein May 2019).[citation needed]The rivalry with WASH-FM was hinted at in various promotion spots using thetagline"None of that WASHed up old stuff, just Fresh new music."The last song on Classic Rock 94.7 was"Last Goodbye"byJeff Buckley,and the first song on "Fresh" was "Get the Party Started"byP!nk.

On December 16,2009,WTGB became WIAD, becoming the only Fresh FM station not using "FS" in its call sign.KEZK-FMinSt. Louis, Missouri,followed suit thefollowing year.

In September 2010, Zapoleon Media Strategies consultant Steve Davis was hired as Program Director. Davis eliminated the voice tracking of talent from outside the market and brought in a staff of live talent that included Tommy McFly from competitor WRQX. The original live lineup included Davis in mornings, market veteran Kristie McIntyre in midday and McFly in afternoons. This lineup remained in place for six months until McFly moved to mornings to create "The Tommy Show" with noted DC blogger Kelly Collis and former WMAL morning producer Jen Richer. Darik Kristofer fromWSTRinAtlantawas brought in to replace McFly in afternoons and Taylor Shay came on board fromWIHTto do nights, and was switched to the weekday midday shift (she has since left the station).

Musically, the station evolved intoHot ACand was, at one time, considered one of the best in the country in the format.[citation needed]Ratings significantly improved with "Fresh" having the highest ratings in the frequency's history. WIAD quickly became consistently within the Top 5 in the station's target demos.

On February 2, 2017, CBS Radio announced it would merge withEntercom.[20]The merger was approved on November 9, 2017, and the merger was consummated on November 17.[21][22]

94.7 The Drive

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On October 2, 2018, Entercom released the station's entire airstaff except for afternoon drive host Darik Kristofer.[23][24]The following day, Entercom announced via a webinar that the station would flip toclassic hitsas "94.7 The Drive, DC's Greatest Hits".[25]The change took place at 5 p.m. that day. The format focuses on rock, pop, and R&B hits from the 1980s, while also extending into the 1970s and 1990s. The last song on Fresh FM was "Bitter Sweet Symphony"byThe Verve,and the first song on "The Drive" was "Let's Go Crazy"byPrince.[26]In a press release, Entercom said that the Washington metropolitan area was the only major market without a classic hits radio station, and Entercom wanted to capitalize on that opportunity.[27]

HD Radio

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On June 10, 2009, the station switched the format on its HD2 subchannel fromadult album alternativetoprogressive rock,branded as "HFS2".WHFSwas a rock station that broadcast from November 11, 1961, to January 12, 2005, on various frequencies in the Washington area.

On August 1, 2011, "HFS2" was dropped from WIAD-HD2 and moved toWWMX-HD2. However, the next day, "HFS2" was switched back to WIAD-HD2. "HFS2" was dropped again on December 30, 2011, and replaced with a simulcast ofWNEW-FM.After WNEW-FM changed formats in December 2015, WIAD-HD2 flipped to aclassic hitsformat as "Classic 94.7". In June 2019, WIAD-HD2 flipped to "Channel Q", anLGBTQ-orientedtalk/dance musicformat based inLos Angeles.

References

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  1. ^ab"WIAD: FM Broadcast Station Authorization"(PDF).Federal Communications Commission.March 27, 2013.RetrievedJanuary 28,2024.
  2. ^"Facility Technical Data for WIAD".Licensing and Management System.Federal Communications Commission.
  3. ^"FCC 335-FM Digital Notification [WIAD]".fcc.gov.Federal Communications Commission.March 5, 2013.Retrieved2019-07-03.
  4. ^"Contact Us".
  5. ^"FCCdata.org - powered by REC".fccdata.org.Retrieved2024-01-28.
  6. ^abcde"History Cards for WIAD".fcc.gov.Federal Communications Commission.Retrieved2020-05-13.
  7. ^Trescott, Jacqueline (May 3, 1985)."WLTT-FM in the News"– via www.washingtonpost.com.
  8. ^"R and R"(PDF).www.americanradiohistory.com. 1993.Retrieved2020-03-25.
  9. ^Ahrens, Frank (February 12, 2007)."Radio Station Hopes Green Becomes Gold"– via www.washingtonpost.com.
  10. ^"First Listen: 94.7 The Globe".February 5, 2007.
  11. ^Farhi, Paul (April 4, 2009)."Legendary Classic Rock DJ Cerphe Signs Off as WTGB Switches Formats".The Washington Post.
  12. ^"Archived copy".Archived fromthe originalon 2016-04-03.Retrieved2016-04-06.{{cite web}}:CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  13. ^"'Globe' Gets Wiser for MD/Middays: CBS Radio classic rock WTGB (the Globe 94.7)/Washington has recruited Marci Wiser as MD/middays ".radioandrecords.com.August 29, 2008.RetrievedJanuary 28,2024.
  14. ^"Washington DC Radio ratings".fmqb.com.
  15. ^"Radio & Records: Washington DC Radio ratings".radioandrecords.com.RetrievedJanuary 28,2024.
  16. ^"94.7 Changes Format; Fights Climate Change".The DCist. February 5, 2007.Archivedfrom the original on August 8, 2008.Retrieved2008-09-01.
  17. ^"94.7 Fresh FM Washington, D.C. Debuts".April 6, 2009.
  18. ^"ViacomCBS".Cbscorporation.com.Retrieved2020-03-25.
  19. ^"94.7 The Globe Becomes Fresh-FM".April 6, 2009.
  20. ^"CBS Radio To Merge With Entercom".February 2, 2017.
  21. ^"Entercom Receives FCC Approval for Merger with CBS Radio".Entercom.November 9, 2017.RetrievedNovember 17,2017.
  22. ^Venta, Lance (November 17, 2017)."Entercom Completes CBS Radio Merger".Radio Insight.RetrievedNovember 17,2017.
  23. ^Beaujon, Andrew (October 2, 2018). "The" Tommy Show "Is Over at 94.7 Fresh FM".Washingtonian.
  24. ^"94.7 The Drive To Drive Into Washington - RadioInsight".RadioInsight.2018-10-03.Retrieved2018-10-03.
  25. ^"Entercom to Launch 94.7 The Drive in Washington D.C. - Entercom Communications".Entercom Communications.2018-10-03.Retrieved2018-10-03.
  26. ^Ink, Radio (2018-10-03)."Classic Hits In DC".Radio Ink.Retrieved2024-01-28.
  27. ^"Entercom to Launch 94.7 The Drive in Washington D.C." (press release).Entercom Communications. October 4, 2018.
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