WRWD-FM (107.3

MHz 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 u ...

, "Country 107.3") is a

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 ...

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 ...

licensed to Highland, New York, and primarily serving the mid-

Hudson Valley The Hudson Valley or Hudson River Valley comprises the valley of the Hudson River and its adjacent communities in the U.S. state of New York (state), New York. The region stretches from the Capital District (New York), Capital District includi ...

of New York. The station broadcasts at 330 watts ERP from a tower near

Illinois Mountain Illinois Mountain is a mountain located south of the Catskill Mountains of New York west of Poughkeepsie. Illinois Mountain is north of Marlboro Mountain Marlboro Mountain is a mountain which is the peak of the Marlboro Mountains. Located ...

Marlborough, New York Marlborough is a town in Ulster County, New York, United States, in the southeastern corner of the county. The population was 8,712 at the 2020 census.US Census Bureau, 2020 Census Report Marlborough, New York QuickFacts https://www.census.gov/q ...

shared with sister station

WBWZ WBWZ (93.3 Hertz, MHz "Z93") is a commercial radio, commercial FM radio, FM radio station city of license, licensed to New Paltz (village), New York, New Paltz, New York, and serving the Mid-Hudson Valley of New York state. The station is owned b ...

. The station is owned and operated by iHeartMedia, Inc. Its studios are in Arlington, New York.

History

WRWD was put on the air in September 1989 by apple orchard owner William H. ("Bud") Walker who used the call letters to pay tribute to his children, Rachel, William Jr, and David. WRWD took on the country format long avoided by area stations at a time when past failures daunted existing owners and out-of-market stations from

New York City New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...

, Albany and

Hartford Hartford is the List of capitals in the United States, capital city of the U.S. state of Connecticut. The city, located in Hartford County, Connecticut, Hartford County, had a population of 121,054 as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 ce ...

were garnering significant shares in the Hudson Valley. At the outset, most programming on the station was satellite fed with former

WEOK WEOK (1390 AM broadcasting, AM) is a commercial radio station licensed to Poughkeepsie, New York and serving the Mid-Hudson Valley. The station is owned by Townsquare Media and airs a Spanish language in the United States, Spanish adult hit ...

personality Ken Gonyea at the helm for Mornings. 1990 saw a major change as Walker gave control of the station to Thom Williams who replaced Ken Gonyea in mornings and as program director while taking the station in a new country direction. WRWD at this time added an AM simulcast in 1170 WWLE, a daytime station licensed to Cornwall-on-Hudson which would soon take on the WRWD calls with the FM becoming suffixed. Also added were FM translators in Newburgh, Middletown, and Kingston, all of which either signed off or took on simulcasting new stations by 2000. By 1992, WRWD added former WBPM personality Mike Vincent to their afternoon roster, who later left WRWD by February 1996 for middays/Production Director for 103.1 WGNY-FM in Newburgh. In 1996, WRWD-AM-FM and WBWZ were sold by Walker to Hudson Valley Radio Partners, a short-term holding company. The new ownership relieved morning man Terry Donovan of his duties and took the station to an all-local, current-leaning mainstream format and returned Mike Vincent to mornings from WGNY. Vincent would stay with WRWD until August 1999. After WWLE was sold in 2000, Roberts sold the remnants of their group to

Clear Channel Communications iHeartMedia, Inc., or CC Media Holdings, Inc., is an American mass media corporation headquartered in San Antonio, Texas. It is the holding company of iHeartCommunications, Inc., formerly Clear Channel Communications, Inc., a company founded by ...

which assumed operational control in November. Under Clear Channel, WRWD became #1 in Dutchess and Ulster counties for the first time in 2002—a feat repeated several times since then. In 2005, WRWD added an AM simulcast when the former WELV changed format from standards to WRWD's country music format. Following the announcement of the proposed Clear Channel decision to be acquired by a private equity group, WRWD (AM) ended its simulcast, which has moved to

WRWB-FM WRWB-FM (99.3 Hertz, MHz) is a radio station licensed to Ellenville, New York, and serving an area including much of the Hudson Valley and the eastern parts of the Catskills. WRWB-FM is owned by iHeartMedia, Inc. and broadcasts with 115 watts ef ...

(99.3 MHz) in Ellenville. In 2011, Clear Channel Radio of the Hudson Valley, fired all local air talent outside of morning drive time and switched to the

Premium Choice The majority of programming syndicated by iHeartMedia is distributed through its subsidiary, Premiere Networks, owned by the company since 1999 and purchased by antecedent Jacor in 1997. However, several music and talk shows originated on iHeartM ...

programming format (pre-recorded announcers from other markets), removing live jocks and locally programmed music. In March 2012, CJ and Dee in the Morning were fired from their position in morning drive. They then hired Tommy Lee Walker, a former DJ to take over morning drive for a short run before they parted ways. In June 2014, Party Marty Mitchell took over Morning Drive and the Program Director chair for WRWD. In July 2018, Party Marty Mitchell was let go and the iHeart syndicated Bobby Bones show began in Morning Drive. In September 2018, Chase Daniels (formerly of Saga Communications'

WQNY WQNY (103.7 FM) is a radio station broadcasting a country music format. Licensed to Ithaca, New York, United States, the station serves that market and occasionally has appeared in the Elmira- Corning ratings, as the station can be heard well ...

Ithaca Ithaca most commonly refers to: *Homer's Ithaca, an island featured in Homer's ''Odyssey'' *Ithaca (island), an island in Greece, possibly Homer's Ithaca *Ithaca, New York, a city, and home of Cornell University and Ithaca College Ithaca, Ithaka ...

) came on board to replace iHeart Premium Choice talent Boxer in the afternoon and Program the station replacing Marty Mitchell. On July 1, 2019, Beth Christy (formerly of crosstown

Townsquare Media Townsquare Media, Inc. (formerly Regent Communications until 2010) is an American radio network and media company based in Purchase, New York. The company started in radio and expanded into digital media toward the end of the 2000s, starting wit ...

-owned

WKXP WKXP (94.3 FM) is a commercial radio station licensed to Kingston, New York, and serving the Hudson Valley of New York state. The station is owned by Townsquare Media and it broadcasts a soft adult contemporary radio format from its radio stud ...

WZAD WZAD (97.3 FM ''The Wolf'') is country music radio station licensed to Wurtsboro, New York, that serves the Catskill Mountains region, Orange County, New York, and Pike County, Pennsylvania. The station is owned by Townsquare Media and broadcast ...

) returned to WRWD to host the midday show replacing iHeart Premium Choice talent Billy Greenwood.

External links

WRWD website
* {{coord, 41.700, N, 74.003, W, type:landmark_region:US_source:FCC, display=title Country radio stations in the United States Mass media in Ulster County, New York Radio stations established in 1989 RWD-FM IHeartMedia radio stations 1989 establishments in New York (state)