WAUN (1350

kHz The hertz (symbol: Hz) is the unit of frequency in the International System of Units (SI), often described as being equivalent to one event (or cycle) per second. The hertz is an SI derived unit whose formal expression in terms of SI base uni ...

) is an AM

radio station Radio broadcasting is the broadcasting 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 rad ...

broadcasting a

mainstream rock Mainstream rock (also known as heritage rock) is a radio format used by many commercial radio stations in the United States and Canada. Format background Mainstream rock stations represent a cross between classic rock, active rock and alternativ ...

format. Known as WPDR for nearly 70 years, the station previously held a

news/talk Talk radio is a radio format containing discussion about topical issues and consisting entirely or almost entirely of original spoken word content rather than outside music. They may feature monologues, dialogues between the hosts, interviews ...

format. Before that, WPDR played

oldies Oldies is a term for musical genres such as pop music, rock and roll, doo-wop, surf music from the second half of the 20th century, specifically from around the mid-1950s to the 1980s, as well as for a radio format playing this music. Since 2 ...

and also played

country music Country (also called country and western) is a popular music, music genre originating in the southern regions of the United States, both the American South and American southwest, the Southwest. First produced in the 1920s, country music is p ...

for many years. Licensed to

Portage, Wisconsin Portage is a city in Columbia County, Wisconsin, United States, and its county seat. The population was 10,581 at the 2020 census, making it the largest city in Columbia County. It is part of the Madison metropolitan area. Portage was named for ...

, United States, the station is currently owned by Magnum Broadcasting. Co-owned WDDC, formerly WPDR-FM, is located at 100.1 MHz. WAUN is simulcast on FM via two translator stations, 102.1 in Baraboo which covers the majority of the Dells/Baraboo and Portage areas from a transmitter on the

Baraboo Range The Baraboo Range is a mountain range in Columbia County and Sauk County, Wisconsin. Geologically, it is a syncline fold consisting of highly eroded Precambrian metamorphic rock. It is about long and varies from 5 to in width. The Wisconsin ...

as well as 96.9 in DeForest which covers the northern Madison area.

History

On March 8, 1951, the Portage Broadcasting Company, associated with the ''Portage Daily Register'', applied for a new radio station in Portage, to broadcast during daylight hours with 1,000 watts on 1350 kHz. ( Guide to reading History Cards) After merging with a competing applicant, the

Federal Communications Commission The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) is an independent agency of the United States government that regulates communications by radio, television, wire, internet, wi-fi, satellite, and cable across the United States. The FCC maintains j ...

(FCC) granted the application on February 13, 1952, and the new station took the call letters WPDR, for the newspaper. Ground was broken on the station's facilities south of town that May, and the first broadcast went out on the morning of July 31, 1952. Comstock Publishing—which sold off the ''Register'' in 1957—owned WPDR for the first 22 years of its existence and also grew it during that time. In 1962, the FCC approved an increase in power to 5,000 watts. An FM companion station, WPDR-FM 100.1, was authorized in 1966. Comstock ownership ended with the sale of WPDR/WPDR-FM in 1974 to Edward Kramer of Waupaca. Several programming changes followed, including the addition of a local

tradio Tradio is a type of phone-in radio program formatted to provide a venue for listeners to freely advertise items they have to sell or trade. The concept is analogous to classified ads in local newspapers and most prevalent in the south and midw ...

show, an hour-long farm program, and

ABC Entertainment The American Broadcasting Company (ABC) is an American commercial broadcast television and radio network that serves as the flagship property of the Disney Entertainment division of the Walt Disney Company. ABC is headquartered on Riverside ...

news. In 1977, the FM station became WDDC and adopted a separate format. Kramer ownership of WPDR and WDDC lasted nearly 29 years; when he opted to retire in 2004 after nearly 50 years in radio, he sold the pair to Zoe Communications of Shell Lake in 2003. Zoe then sold both properties to Magnum in 2010. On October 10, 2022, WEZY replaced its

programming with a

format, branded "WAUNa Rock" (pronounced "Wau-nah", as in "Wanna Rock"). The station announced its intention to take on the WAUN call sign, with WEZY being transferred to Chippewa Falls station WCFW; the call changes took place on November 9. This new format pairs with Fort Atkinson licensed WFAW, an identically programmed and branded AM station that also has two FM translators that target the southern portion of the Madison market as well as the Janesville- Beloit submarket effectively giving Magnum full Madison market coverage with its new rock format. This is an arrangement similar to Magnum's country strategy in the neighboring

Milwaukee Milwaukee is the List of cities in Wisconsin, most populous city in the U.S. state of Wisconsin. Located on the western shore of Lake Michigan, it is the List of United States cities by population, 31st-most populous city in the United States ...

market with its WMBZ and

WVTY WVTY (92.1 MHz "92.1 VTY Country") is a commercial FM radio station in Racine, Wisconsin. It serves Racine, Kenosha and Milwaukee's southern suburbs. WVTY airs a country music radio format and is co-programmed with sister station 92.5 WMBZ i ...

pairing.

References

External links

* * * * {{Mainstream Rock Radio Stations in Wisconsin

AUN Aun the Old (Old Norse ''Aunn inn gamli'', Latinized ''Auchun'', Proto-Norse ''*Audawiniʀ'': English: "Edwin the Old") is a List of legendary kings of Sweden, mythical Swedish king of the House of Yngling in the ''Heimskringla''. Aun was the so ...

Mainstream rock radio stations in the United States 1953 establishments in Wisconsin Radio stations established in 1953 Portage, Wisconsin