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WDAV (89.9
MHz The hertz (symbol: Hz) is the unit of frequency in the International System of Units (SI), equivalent to one event (or cycle) per second. The hertz is an SI derived unit whose expression in terms of SI base units is s−1, meaning that one he ...
"Classical 89.9") is a
non-commercial A non-commercial (also spelled noncommercial) activity is an activity that does not, in some sense, involve commerce, at least relative to similar activities that do have a commercial objective or emphasis. For example, advertising-free community ...
public In public relations and communication science, publics are groups of individual people, and the public (a.k.a. the general public) is the totality of such groupings. This is a different concept to the sociological concept of the ''Öffentlichk ...
radio station Radio broadcasting is transmission of audio (sound), sometimes with related metadata, by radio waves to radio receivers belonging to a public audience. In terrestrial radio broadcasting the radio waves are broadcast by a land-based radi ...
licensed A license (or licence) is an official permission or permit to do, use, or own something (as well as the document of that permission or permit). A license is granted by a party (licensor) to another party (licensee) as an element of an agreeme ...
to
Davidson, North Carolina Davidson is a suburban town located in northern Mecklenburg and Iredell counties, North Carolina, United States, on the banks of Lake Norman. It is a suburb in the Charlotte metropolitan area. The population was 10,944 at the 2010 census, and ...
and serving the
Charlotte metropolitan area The Charlotte metropolitan area, sometimes referred to as Metrolina, is a metropolitan area of the U.S. states of North and South Carolina, within and surrounding the city of Charlotte. The metropolitan area also includes the cities of Gastoni ...
. The station, licensed to the Board of Trustees of Davidson College, airs classical music and fine arts programming, with news updates from
National Public Radio National Public Radio (NPR, stylized in all lowercase) is an American privately and state funded nonprofit media organization headquartered in Washington, D.C., with its NPR West headquarters in Culver City, California. It differs from other ...
(NPR). WDAV has an
effective radiated power Effective radiated power (ERP), synonymous with equivalent radiated power, is an IEEE standardized definition of directional radio frequency (RF) power, such as that emitted by a radio transmitter. It is the total power in watts that would h ...
(ERP) of 100,000
watt The watt (symbol: W) is the unit of power or radiant flux in the International System of Units (SI), equal to 1 joule per second or 1 kg⋅m2⋅s−3. It is used to quantify the rate of energy transfer. The watt is named after James ...
s, the maximum for non-grandfathered FM stations. The
transmitter In electronics and telecommunications, a radio transmitter or just transmitter is an electronic device which produces radio waves with an antenna. The transmitter itself generates a radio frequency alternating current, which is applied to the ...
is off Old Statesville Road in Huntersville, North Carolina. WDAV is also heard on 250 watt
FM translator A broadcast relay station, also known as a satellite station, relay transmitter, broadcast translator (U.S.), re-broadcaster (Canada), repeater (two-way radio) or complementary station (Mexico), is a broadcast transmitter which repeats (or tra ...
W217AX at 91.3 MHz in
Harrisburg, North Carolina Harrisburg, a northeastern suburb of Charlotte, is a city in Cabarrus County, North Carolina, United States. The population was estimated to be 16,576 . Geography Harrisburg is located in southwestern Cabarrus County at (35.322295, -80.653331). ...
.


Programming

WDAV programming originates locally for 22 hours each day, and the tempo of the music is based on the time of day, with "upbeat, inspirational" in the morning and "relaxing, kick-back" late in the day. As of 2018, music director Ted Weiner, who recorded the overnight show instead of doing it live, had been a full-time personality since 1986, the longest of anyone there. General manager Frank Dominguez, an employee for 25 years, hosted ''Concierto'' on the HD-2 channel, with composers and musicians from
Latin America Latin America or * french: Amérique Latine, link=no * ht, Amerik Latin, link=no * pt, América Latina, link=no, name=a, sometimes referred to as LatAm is a large cultural region in the Americas where Romance languages — languages derived f ...
and
Spain , image_flag = Bandera de España.svg , image_coat = Escudo de España (mazonado).svg , national_motto = ''Plus ultra'' (Latin)(English: "Further Beyond") , national_anthem = (English: "Royal March") , i ...
, and on 45 public stations. Station personalities include Mike McKay, Myelita Melton, Rachel Stewart and Joe Brant.


History

WDAV signed on in 1973 as a student-run college radio station, taking over from a carrier current station that had been on the air since 1969. The format included
jazz Jazz is a music genre that originated in the African-American communities of New Orleans, Louisiana in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, with its roots in blues and ragtime. Since the 1920s Jazz Age, it has been recognized as a m ...
,
rock music Rock music is a broad genre of popular music that originated as " rock and roll" in the United States in the late 1940s and early 1950s, developing into a range of different styles in the mid-1960s and later, particularly in the United States an ...
and educational programs.Jeff Borden, "Davidson Students Enjoy Alternative Rock on WDAV's 'Flipside'," ''The Charlotte Observer'', August 26, 1986, p. 13A. WDAV experimented with two hours of jazz in 1975. It was so popular the amount was increased to six hours and then twelve. The station also had 24 hours of classical music per week. In 1978, it was upgraded to a full-service professional operation. However, student volunteers quit because they did not want the station to go all classical, and it took three months to return to the air. WDAV became "Your station for the arts" and played mostly classical music. The students asked for another carrier current station, and WALT 1610 came on the air. After years of on and off broadcasting, WALT has been reinstated and operated by students since 2014. WDAV began offering
alternative rock Alternative rock, or alt-rock, is a category of rock music that emerged from the independent music underground of the 1970s and became widely popular in the 1990s. "Alternative" refers to the genre's distinction from mainstream or commerci ...
for two hours a night on weeknights, and jazz on weekend nights, starting at 11:00. "Flipsides"'and "Jazzsides," hosted by students, featured music from over 2000 albums and rock artists such as
Hüsker Dü Hüsker Dü () was an American punk rock band formed in Saint Paul, Minnesota, in 1979. The band's continual members were guitarist/vocalist Bob Mould, bassist/vocalist Greg Norton, and drummer/vocalist Grant Hart. They first gained notabili ...
,
Meat Puppets Meat Puppets are an American rock band formed in January 1980 in Phoenix, Arizona. The group's original lineup was Curt Kirkwood (guitar/vocals), his brother Cris Kirkwood (bass guitar/vocals), and Derrick Bostrom (drums). The Kirkwood brothe ...
,
Fetchin Bones Fetchin Bones was a cross-genre rock band from North Carolina. During a six-year career they produced five albums but were most celebrated for inspired live performances. One reviewer stated they were "a band that must be seen live for a full gra ...
, The Replacements, P.I.L.,
Mojo Nixon Mojo Nixon (born Neill Kirby McMillan, Jr.; August 2, 1957) is an American musician and actor best known for his humorous, irreverent Novelty song "Elvis Is Everywhere" which was an alternative staple on MTV. His style can generally be defined ...
and
Skid Roper Skid Roper (born Richard Banke, October 19, 1954, in National City, California, United States) is an American musician, most active in the 1980s and early 1990s. He has recorded with several groups including the surf band The Evasions, but is be ...
. In February 1996, WALT became a permanent station at 1610 AM, later adding a webcast. In 1985, WDAV made plans to increase its signal from 20,000 to 100,000 watts using a directional antenna to prevent interference with WEPR. The station was also moving from a small space in the college's union building to a new building. The power boost, approved in August 1988 and completed in mid-1989, would increase the listening area from 1702 to 2402 square miles, with as many as 850,755 listeners. On October 1, 1988, WDAV began broadcasting 24 hours a day. That same month, the station became an affiliate of
American Public Radio Public Radio International (PRI) was an American public radio organization. Headquartered in Minneapolis, Minnesota, PRI provided programming to over 850 public radio stations in the United States. PRI was one of the main providers of programmin ...
, with ''Radio Kronos'' and ''High Performance with André Previn''.Natalie Shelpuk, "A Symphony in Your Car", ''The Charlotte Observer'', October 12, 1988, p. 1D. On April 19, 1995, WDAV moved from a 350-foot tower two miles south of CorneliusJeff Borden, WDAV's Power Boost OKd", ''The Charlotte Observer'', August 20, 1988, p. 19A. to an 815-foot one in Huntersville, improving its signal in some areas and increasing its signal range to 22 counties. Also in 1995, WDAV ended
Metropolitan Opera The Metropolitan Opera (commonly known as the Met) is an American opera company based in New York City, resident at the Metropolitan Opera House at Lincoln Center, currently situated on the Upper West Side of Manhattan. The company is oper ...
broadcasts because they had to be live and WDAV felt not enough listeners liked opera. In July 2003, WDAV added the
NPR National Public Radio (NPR, stylized in all lowercase) is an American privately and state funded nonprofit media organization headquartered in Washington, D.C., with its NPR West headquarters in Culver City, California. It differs from other ...
program ''World of Opera'', which ran until 2016.Steven Brown, "WDAV: Filling a Need, Not Just a Niche," ''The Charlotte Observer'', December 14, 2003, p. 4H. Lightning damage in August 2012 resulted in a reduced signal for WDAV after the station had to switch to its old tower temporarily. The signal was back to normal in June 2013.Lawrence Toppman, "I can hear clearly now," ''The Charlotte Observer'', June 20, 2013, p. 1D. WDAV was one of the first classical radio stations to stream its signal. In January 2015, after 20 years, WDAV decided to no longer run NPR news updates at the top of each hour, since listeners tended to change stations if they did not want news, and those who did want news listened to other stations. The size of the audience increased. In August 2016, WDAV was the number one classical station in the country according to Nielsen Media Research. Half of listeners were over 55, but a fourth were less than 35 years old. As of 2018, 21 percent of the audience was 18 to 34. The station had three podcasts already and planned two more.


References


External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Wdav Classical music radio stations in the United States DAV NPR member stations Radio stations established in 1973 1973 establishments in North Carolina