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WDCB

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Coordinates:41°50′36.1″N88°5′0.2″W/ 41.843361°N 88.083389°W/41.843361; -88.083389
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For the Aboriginal Australian cultural grouping, seeWestern Desert cultural bloc.
WDCB
Broadcast areaChicago metropolitan area
Frequency90.9MHz(HD Radio)
Programming
FormatPublic radio,jazz
Affiliations
Ownership
Owner
History
First air date
July 5, 1977;47 years ago(1977-07-05)[1]
Call signmeaning
"DuPage Community Broadcasting"[2]
Technical information[3]
Licensing authority
FCC
Facility ID12281
ClassA
ERP5,000watts
HAAT91 meters (299 ft)
Transmitter coordinates
41°50′36.1″N88°5′0.2″W/ 41.843361°N 88.083389°W/41.843361; -88.083389
Repeater(s)90.7WRTE(Chicago)
Links
Public license information
WebcastListen live
Websitewdcb.org

WDCB(90.9MHzis anon-commercialpublicFMradio stationlicensedtoGlen Ellyn, Illinois,and serving theChicago metropolitan area.It largely airsjazzprogramming and is owned by theCollege of DuPage.Most shows are locally-hosted but some select programs come fromNational Public Radio(NPR) and thePublic Radio Exchange(PRX).[4]WDCB is listener-supported and seeks donations on the air and on its website. Funding also comes from grants and corporate sponsorships. Thestudiosare on Fawell Boulevard on the DuPage campus.

WDCB has aneffective radiated power(ERP) of 5,000watts.Thetransmitteris off Fawell Boulevard at Briarcliff Boulevard inWheaton.[5]Programming can be heard onCAN TVchannel 42 in Chicago.[6]It is alsosimulcastonWRTE90.7 FM onChicago's west side.

History

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Early years

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WDCB began broadcasting July 5, 1977.[1]It was originally a part-time station, sharing time on the frequency withWEPS.[1][7][2][8]The station'scall signstood for "DuPage Community Broadcasting".[2]

In its early years, the station airedclassical music,jazzandfolk music,College of DuPage educational courses, community affairs, and entertainment programming.[7][2][9][10][8]The station began full-time operations in October 1987, after an agreement was reached for WEPS to move to a new frequency.[1][8]Throughout the 1980s, WDCB was also used on the Cablevision of Downers Grove's Local/Public Access Channel.

Jazz music

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By the late 1980s, jazz had become the station's primary format.[1][10]While jazz remains its focus, WDCB plays a diverse variety of musical genres, includingblues,roots rock,bluegrass,Celtic,folk,big band,Afro-Cuban jazz,andworld music,along withold-time radioshows.[11][12]

Educational courses continued to air on the station until 2001.[11]Classical Confabaired Sundays until late 2005.[11][13][14]

WDCB is also the home ofThose Were The Days,the long-running old-time radio program that had originally been hosted byChuck Schaden.[12][14]In 2009, Steve Darnall took over as the second host of the show.[15]The show was co-hosted from February 2001 to October 2022 by Ken Alexander, who died on November 2, 2022.[16]

As the result of a 2016 agreement with Chicago Public Media, WDCB's programming is now also heard onWRTE90.7 FM, from a low power 6-watt signal located on Chicago's near-west side.[17]While WDCB's primary 90.9 FM signal does reach all of Chicago, the 90.7 FM signal offers better reception for many WDCB listeners on the west side of Chicago, as well as Chicago's near-north and near-south side neighborhoods.

Programming

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WDCB broadcasts more than 130 hours of jazz every week. From 2000 to 2022, John Russell Ghrist hosted the Saturday afternoon big band programMidwest Ballroom.[18][19]Steve Darnall hosts the long running old-time radio programThose Were The Days,which airs Saturday afternoons.[20]WDCB's extensive blues lineup includes a 10-hour block of blues every Saturday night, led off by popular Chicago blues radio veteran Tom Marker ( who began hosting on WDCB in 2015),[12][21]and ending with Steve Cushing's historical, early-blues programBlues Before Sunrise.In 2015, WDCB became the new broadcast home of former XM host Michelle Sammartino's program,Jammin' Jazz: Jazz for the New Generation.[22][23]Local celebrityWayne Messmeralso hosts a vocal jazz show on Sunday nights.[24]In 2017, WDCB added prominent Chicago jazz singerDee Alexanderto its on-air lineup.[25]

In addition to its predominantly live and locally hosted programming, WDCB also airs a number of nationally syndicated music programs, including NPR's "Jazz Night in America" as well as independent programs including "American Routes," "Night Lights," "Blues From the Red Rooster Lounge," and "TheGrateful DeadRadio Hour. "[12]WDCB was also home toThe Folk Sampleruntil it ended its run in Summer 2018.[26]

Staff

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The station manager of WDCB is Dan Bindert.[27]The music director is Paul Abella.[27]WDCB is not student-operated, though COD students work at the station.[11]

WDCB's stable of on-air personalities includes Bruce Oscar, Paul Abella,Orbert Davis,Dee Alexander,Bill O'Connell, and Marshall Vente, all of whom are prominent Chicago-based jazz musicians, along with longtime hosts Leslie Keros, Jay Greene, Matthew Hermes, Jeanne Franks, Bob Signorelli, Dona Mullen, Al Carter-Bey, and Andy Schultz. The daily lineup of Abella (mornings), Keros (middays), and Oscar (afternoons) has been intact since late 2019, after the retirement of long-time jazz personality Barry Winograd (who still hosts his early-jazz showWhen Jazz Was Kingon Saturday mornings). Oscar has been with WDCB since 1992.

See also

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References

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  1. ^abcdeWilhelmson, Brenda. "Radio In Du Page",Chicago Tribune.February 25, 1990. Retrieved February 10, 2019.
  2. ^abcd"WDCB on the air",La Grange Suburban Life.November 2, 1977. pt. 2, p. 11. Retrieved February 10, 2019.
  3. ^"Facility Technical Data for WDCB".Licensing and Management System.Federal Communications Commission.
  4. ^"WDCB Facility Record".United StatesFederal Communications Commission,audio division.
  5. ^Radio-Locator.com/WDCB
  6. ^"WDCB-FM Partners With Chicago's CAN TV",Chicagoland Radio and Media.June 11, 2014. Retrieved August 3, 2020.
  7. ^abBroadcasting Yearbook 1980,Broadcasting.1980. p. C-68. Retrieved February 10, 2019.
  8. ^abcBagnato, Andrew. "College Station Clears the Air Over Frequency",Chicago Tribune.September 2, 1986. Retrieved February 11, 2019.
  9. ^Danna, Sammy R. (1981)Educational and Industrial Television.C. S. Tepfer Publishing Company. Vol. 13. p. 86.
  10. ^abSpencer, LeAnn. "Tiny WDCB-FM Makes Big Plans to Jazz Up Its Image",Chicago Tribune.August 23, 2000. Retrieved February 10, 2019.
  11. ^abcdWDCB History",WDCB. Retrieved February 10, 2019.
  12. ^abcd"WDCB Program Grid",WDCB. Retrieved February 10, 2019.
  13. ^"WDCB Programs".WDCB. Archived fromthe originalon February 12, 2002.RetrievedFebruary 11,2019.
  14. ^ab"WDCB Program Schedule".WDCB. Archived fromthe originalon April 4, 2005.RetrievedFebruary 10,2019.
  15. ^Slowik, Ted. "Slowik: Nostalgia Digest celebrates golden age of radio entertainment",Daily Southtown.August 29, 2017. Retrieved February 10, 2019.
  16. ^Radio, WDCB Public (21 August 1929)."Ken Alexander Tribute".90.9fm WDCB.Retrieved4 November2023.
  17. ^Feder, Robert."Public radio rivals team up to boost WDCB, Vocalo",RobertFeder.com. May 4, 2016. Retrieved February 10, 2019.
  18. ^"Midwest Ballroom",WDCB. Retrieved February 10, 2019.
  19. ^Constable, Burt. "DJ carves niche swinging to beat of different ballroom",Daily Herald.January 23, 2010. Retrieved February 10, 2019.
  20. ^"Those Were the Days",WDCB. Retrieved February 10, 2019.
  21. ^"Tom Marker",WDCB. Retrieved February 10, 2019.
  22. ^"WDCB to add former XM host's 'Jammin' Jazz' show to weekly lineup!",WDCB. December 16, 2014. Retrieved February 11, 2019.
  23. ^"Michelle Sammartino",WDCB. Retrieved February 11, 2019.
  24. ^"The Wayne Messmer Radio Show",WDCB. Retrieved February 11, 2019.
  25. ^"We're adding a new program 'Sunday Jazz with Dee Alexander'!",WDCB. April 25, 2017. Retrieved February 11, 2019.
  26. ^"Folk Sampler Station Guide".The Folk Sampler. Archived fromthe originalon December 9, 2016.RetrievedFebruary 10,2019.
  27. ^ab"WDCB Staff",WDCB. Retrieved February 10, 2019.
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