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WDAS (AM)

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Coordinates:39°59′53″N75°12′43″W/ 39.99806°N 75.21194°W/39.99806; -75.21194
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(Redirected fromW273DO)
WDAS
Frequency1480kHz
BrandingFox Sports The Gambler
Programming
Language(s)English
FormatSports
Affiliations
Ownership
Owner
WDAS-FM,WIOQ,WRFF,WUMR,WUSL
History
First air date
July1922(as WIAD)
Former call signs
  • WIAD (1922–1929)
  • WELK (1929–1934)
  • WDAS (1934–2007)
  • WUBA (2007–2011)
Former frequencies
  • 833 kHz (1922–1923)
  • 1180 kHz (1923–1925)
  • 1200 kHz (1925–1927)
  • 1280 kHz (1927)
  • 1360 kHz (1927)
  • 1040 kHz (1927–1928)
  • 1370 kHz (1928–1941)
  • 1400 kHz (1941–1956)
Call signmeaning
Dannenbaum & Steppacher, former owners (1934–1950)
Technical information[1]
Licensing authority
FCC
Facility ID71315
ClassB
Power
  • 5,000 watts (day)
  • 1,000 watts (night)
Translator(s)See § Translators
Repeater(s)104.5WRFF-HD2(Philadelphia)
Links
Public license information
WebcastListen live(viaiHeartRadio)
Websitefoxphlgambler.iheart

WDAS(1480kHz) is anAMradio station inPhiladelphia, Pennsylvania.Owned and operated byiHeartMedia,the station airs asportsformat as an affiliate ofFox Sports Radio.WDAS's studios and offices are located inBala Cynwyd.

WDAS'stransmitteris located nearFairmount Park,off West Ford Road.[2]By day, the station’s power is 5,000 watts; to avoid interfering with other stations on1480 AM,it reduces power to 1,000 watts at night and uses adirectional antennaat all times. WDAS programming is also heard on anFM translatorstation, 102.5W273DOin Philadelphia.

History

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Early years

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The station was first licensed to the Ocean City Yacht Club as WIAD inOcean City, New Jersey,[3]andsigned onthe air in July 1922. The station was originally assigned to the "entertainment wavelength" of 360 meters (833 kHz), and call letters were randomly assigned from a sequential roster of available call signs. In 1923, ownership was transferred to Howard R. Miller,[4]who moved the station to Philadelphia.[5]

Following the establishment of theFederal Radio Commission(FRC), stations were initially issued a series of temporary authorizations starting on May 3, 1927.[6]In addition, they were informed that if they wanted to continue operating, they needed to file a formal license application by January 15, 1928, as the first step in determining whether they met the new "public interest, convenience, or necessity" standard.[7]On May 25, 1928, the FRC issuedGeneral Order 32,which notified 164 stations, including WIAD, that "From an examination of your application for future license it does not find that public interest, convenience, or necessity would be served by granting it."[8]However, the station successfully convinced the commission that it should remain licensed.

On November 11, 1928, the FRC made a major reallocation of station transmitting frequencies, as part of a reorganization resulting from its implementation ofGeneral Order 40.WIAD was assigned to 1370 kHz.

In 1929, the station's studio and transmitter were moved to theElks Clubat Broad and Vine Streets and thecall signchanged to WELK.[9]

In 1934, Miller sold the station, and the new owners, silk manufacturers Dannenbaum & Steppacher, adopted the WDAS call sign, with the letters spelling out the company's initials. A.W. Dannenbaum served as the station president. The studios were located at 1211 Chestnut Street.[10]

WDAS broadcast ethnic programming in languages such as Italian,YiddishandPolish.In 1941, WDAS moved to 1400 AM, then about 15 years later to its current frequency of 1480 AM.

In 1950, candy manufacturerMax Leonpurchased the station for $495,000 from William Goldman, a theater chain owner. The programming at the time consisted ofbig band music,ethnicand cultural shows. Leon, the founder and conductor of the original PhillyPops Orchestra,added an all-night classical music show.

Switch to R&B

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In 1951, Leon promoted his son-in-law, Bob Klein, to general manager. Klein saw an opportunity in the marketplace and adopted programming geared toward the local African-American community. The music consisted ofrhythm & bluesandjazz.WDAS added a number of young personalities, includingGeorgie Woods,Jimmy Bishop, Carl Helm, Butterball Tamburro,Jocko HendersonandHy Lit.The station also added black-oriented public affairs and news programs, and provided coverage of the unfoldingcivil rights movement,with journalists Joe Rainey and Jim Klash, along with Walt Sanders, Carl Stubbs, Bill Adams, Dave Colman, Jimmy Carter and reporterEd Bradley(later ofCBS's60 Minutes).

The station employed many black professionals, in on-air, office and management positions. The station also took on an activist role. WDAS was commended by many in the industry and in the civil rights movement. In 1959, Leon and Klein signed on an FM sister station,WDAS-FM.By the early 1970s, the FM station would launch a groundbreaking and influentialurban adult contemporaryformat still heard today.

WDAS (AM) retained its R&B format throughout the 1960s and 70s, while addinggospelmusic with Louise Williams on Sunday mornings. Many people involved in the civil rights movement, includingMartin Luther King Jr.andMalcolm X,visited and were heard on the station. Following hisreturn from Mecca,Malcolm X visited the station on December 29, 1964. He was interviewed by Rainey under heavy armed police guard due to assassination threats.[11]

Klein filed a class action lawsuit against theArbitronrating service in 1972, on behalf of all black radio stations, protesting that black radio listenership was undercounted. Arbitron settled the suit after four days of testimony and amended its methodologies and policies to make a better effort to survey African-American listeners and other minorities.

Ownership changes

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Leon sold the station in November 1979 to the minority-owned Unity Broadcasting Network. In the 1980s, WDAS added theNational Black Network(NBN) for hourly newscasts, and tried a news format in the mornings, anchored locally by Karen Warrington, E. Steven Collins andWynne Alexander) and afternoons via the NBN feed. With music listening shifting to FM, WDAS wanted to compete withall-newsKYW.This was unsuccessful, and the station returned with a mix of gospel, R&B and talk shows. In 1988, as more listeners were choosing FM urban contemporary stations, WDAS switched to a full-time gospel music and religious format.

Beasley Broadcastingpurchased WDAS and WDAS-FM in 1994. Two years later, the stations were sold toEvergreen Media,which soon merged with Chancellor Broadcasting, which later became AMFM Inc. In August 2000, after a series of mergers, the two stations would become properties ofClear Channel Communications.Clear Channel changed its name toiHeartMediaafter its successfuliHeartRadiointernet platform in 2014.

Format changes

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On May 16, 2007, WDAS flipped toSpanish TropicalasRumba 1480,a format and branding displaced byWRFF's flip tomodern rockasRadio 104.5.The station's former WUBA calls were also adopted by WDAS.[12]WUBA served as the Spanish languageflagship radio stationof thePhiladelphia Phillies.

On November 22, 2011, the station began redirecting existing listeners toWHAT,after Clear Channel announced that theRumbaformat would be replaced by a newurban oldiesformat the next day asWDAS, The Soul of Philadelphia.The station soft launched with R&BChristmas musicfor the holiday season, before officially launching its new format on December 27.[13][14]

Smooth Jazz JJZ

[edit]
Logo asSmooth Jazz JJZ.

On June 10, 2013, at 12:00 p.m., the station flipped tosmooth jazzasSmooth Jazz JJZ,reviving a heritage branding that had historically been used by the currentWISXfrom 1993 to 2006, and from November 17, 2006 to September 5, 2008 by the currentWPEN-FM.Despite the use of the JJZ brand, the station retained the WDAS calls.[15]

From September 19–27, 2015, the station temporarily branded asPope Info Radio —a "pop-up station" coveringPope Francis'sfirst visit to the United States,which concluded in Philadelphia. The station interspersed its smooth jazz programming with live coverage of five masses and speeches throughout the visit, and rolling news, traffic, and weather updates relevant to the events.[16][17][18]

Breakthrough Radio

[edit]
Logo asBreakthrough Radio.

On September 11, 2017, at 12:00 p.m., the station rebranded asBreakthrough Radio.The format was a partnership between iHeartMedia and theChildren's Hospital of Philadelphia(CHoP), featuring a format of uptempo pop hits interspersed with health-related features andpublic service announcementsproduced by the hospital. TheJJZformat moved toWISX-HD2.[19][20][21]

Fox Sports The Gambler

[edit]

On August 23, 2019, it was announced that WDAS would flip to asports talkformat as part of theFox Sports Radionetwork the following Monday, asFox Sports The Gambler.The new format launched on August 26, 2019, after the station temporarilystuntedwith a loop of theNFL on Foxtheme music over the weekend. Translator W281BI inTrentonwas not included in the flip because of its proximity to existing Fox Sports affiliateWNJE.[22]

The station carries local programs geared towardssports betting(taking advantage of the repeal of theProfessional and Amateur Sports Protection Act of 1992,which had effectively banned sports betting outside of Nevada);[22]it launched withThe Daily Tickets—an afternoon drive program hosted by formerWPENpersonality Sean Brace. He describedThe Gambleras the "future" of sports radio, arguing that the betting-oriented positioning of the station would help distinguish itself from WPEN and the market-leadingWIP-FM,and promised that the station would feature "no callers" and "just guests that will bring the best information on the games we love to watch".[22]WDAS otherwise carries the full Fox Sports Radio national lineup, including its own betting-related showStraight Outta Vegas.[23]

More local programs were added to its schedule later on; in October 2019, the station added a new evening program hosted by Eytan Shander,What Are The Odds?—which airs on Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday evenings.[24]In June 2020, the station added a weeklyesportsprogram,Cheesesteaks and Controllers,hosted by Jason Fanelli.[25]In July 2020, WDAS became the flagship radio station of thePhiladelphia UnionofMajor League Soccer.[26]

HD Radio

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WDAS formerly broadcast inHDIBOCformat. The HD transmission was turned off when WDAS flipped to urban oldies at the end of 2011. As the launch of "The Gambler", the station initiallysimulcaston WDAS-FM105.3-HD 2.[27][28] On August 31, 2020, the simulcast shifted toWRFF-HD 2.

Translators

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WDAS (AM) programming is broadcast on the followingtranslators:

Call sign Frequency City of license FID ERP(W) HAAT Class Transmitter coordinates FCC info
W273DO 102.5 FM Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 138663 99 114m(374ft) D 39°56′58.60″N75°10′14.40″W/ 39.9496111°N 75.1706667°W/39.9496111; -75.1706667(W273DO) LMS

References

[edit]
  1. ^"Facility Technical Data for WDAS".Licensing and Management System.Federal Communications Commission.
  2. ^"WDAS-AM 1480 kHz - Philadelphia, PA".radio-locator.
  3. ^"New Stations",Radio Service Bulletin,August 1, 1922, page 3.
  4. ^"Alterations and corrections",Radio Service Bulletin,November 1, 1923, page 8.
  5. ^"Alterations and corrections",Radio Service Bulletin,March 1, 1924, page 8.
  6. ^"List of broadcasting stations issued temporary permits",Radio Service Bulletin,April 30, 1927, pages 6-14.
  7. ^"Extension of Broadcasting Station Licenses",Radio Service Bulletin,December 31, 1927, page 7.
  8. ^"Appendix F (2): Letter to and list of stations included in General Order No. 32, issued May 25, 1928",Second Annual Report of the Federal Radio Commission for the Year Ended June 30, 1928, Together With Supplemental Report for the Period From July 1, 1928 to September 30, 1928,pages 146-149.
  9. ^"FCC History cards for WDAS".
  10. ^Broadcasting Yearbook 1945 page 146
  11. ^Russ, Valerie (February 21, 2012). "When Malcom Came to Town".Philadelphia Daily News.pp. 6–8.
  12. ^"Rumba 104.5/Philly Becomes 'Radio 104.5'".All Access.Retrieved2020-06-03.
  13. ^"WDAS-AM Returns In Philadelphia".RadioInsight.2011-11-22.Retrieved2020-06-03.
  14. ^"WDAS-A Returns To The Soul Of Philadelphia".All Access.Retrieved2020-06-03.
  15. ^"Smooth Jazz Returns To Philadelphia".RadioInsight.2013-06-09.Retrieved2019-08-30.
  16. ^"Philly Gets Pop-Up Pope Station".Insideradio.Retrieved2019-08-30.
  17. ^"iHeart To Launch Philadelphia Papal Pop-Up Format".RadioInsight.2015-09-13.Retrieved2019-08-30.
  18. ^"Papal Visit Prompts WDAS-A (Smooth Jazz 'JJZ)/Philadelphia To Air 'Pope Info Radio' 9/19-27".All Access.Retrieved2019-08-30.
  19. ^"iHeartMedia & Childrens Hospital of Philadelphia Partner For Breakthrough Radio 1480".RadioInsight.2017-09-11.Retrieved2019-08-23.
  20. ^Takiff, Jonathan."CHOP-backed Breakthrough Radio is a new station".The Philadelphia Inquirer.Retrieved2019-08-30.
  21. ^"Ryan Seacrest launches the Voice at CHOP".6ABC.Archivedfrom the original on 2011-09-21.Retrieved2020-09-26.
  22. ^abc"Philly's 'Gambler' Declares Itself The 'Future Of Sports Talk Radio.'".Insideradio.Retrieved2019-12-31.
  23. ^"iHeartMedia Launches Fox Sports The Gambler In Philadelphia".RadioInsight.2019-08-23.Retrieved2019-08-23.
  24. ^"Eytan Shander Adds Show On WDAS-A (Fox Sports The Gambler)/Philadelphia".All Access.Retrieved2019-12-31.
  25. ^"Cheesesteaks and Controllers".iHeartRadio.2021-02-19.Retrieved2021-02-19.
  26. ^"MLS Names Philly Broadcast Partner".Radio Ink.2020-07-09.Retrieved2020-07-12.
  27. ^"History of WDAS provided by radio-history".Archived fromthe originalon 2007-11-02.Retrieved2008-01-22.
  28. ^http:// hdradio /station_guides/widget.php?id=6HD Radio Guide for Philadelphia
[edit]

39°59′53″N75°12′43″W/ 39.99806°N 75.21194°W/39.99806; -75.21194

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