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WZDA (103.9 FM) is a commercial
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
Beavercreek, Ohio Beavercreek is a city in Greene County, Ohio, United States. The population was 46,549 at the 2020 census, making it the largest city in the county and the second-largest suburb of Dayton. The Beavercreek area was settled in the early 1800s. A ...
, serving the Dayton metro area, owned by iHeartMedia, Inc. As of December 27, 2021, it broadcasts
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 ...
on its standard
analog transmission Analog transmission is a transmission method of conveying information using a continuous signal which varies in amplitude, phase, or some other property in proportion to that information. It could be the transfer of an analog signal, using an an ...
, using the "New Country 103.9" moniker, after previously being an
alternative rock Alternative rock (also known as alternative music, alt-rock or simply alternative) is a category of rock music that evolved from the independent music underground of the 1970s. Alternative rock acts achieved mainstream success in the 1990s w ...
station called "Alt 103.9." The WZDA studios are located in
Dayton Dayton () is a city in Montgomery County, Ohio, United States, and its county seat. It is the List of cities in Ohio, sixth-most populous city in Ohio, with a population of 137,644 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. The Dayton metro ...
, while the station transmitter resides in the neighboring suburb of
Moraine A moraine is any accumulation of unconsolidated debris (regolith and Rock (geology), rock), sometimes referred to as glacial till, that occurs in both currently and formerly glaciated regions, and that has been previously carried along by a gla ...
. Besides a standard
analog transmission Analog transmission is a transmission method of conveying information using a continuous signal which varies in amplitude, phase, or some other property in proportion to that information. It could be the transfer of an analog signal, using an an ...
, WZDA broadcasts in
HD Radio HD Radio (HDR) is a trademark for in-band on-channel (IBOC) digital radio broadcast technology. HD radio generally simulcast, simulcasts an existing analog radio station in digital format with less noise and with additional text information. HD R ...
, and is available online via
iHeartRadio iHeartRadio (often shortened to just "iHeart") is an American freemium broadcast, podcast, radio streaming and Music Streaming platform owned by iHeartMedia. Founded in August 2008, iHeartRadio serves as the national umbrella brand for iHeart ...
.


History


WHBM (1962–1978)

WZDA began as WHBM on June 18, 1962, under license to
Xenia, Ohio Xenia ( ) is a city in Greene County, Ohio, United States, and its county seat. Located in southwestern Ohio, it is east of Dayton, Ohio, Dayton and is part of the Greater Dayton, Dayton metropolitan area as well as the Miami Valley region. As o ...
; the WHBM call letters stood for "Harry B. Miller", the station's owner and general manager. WHBM was the FM sister station to AM station WELX in Xenia and WERM in Wapakoneta. WELX and WHBM began operations in the late 1960s with a middle of the road format, then switching in the early 1970s to
progressive jazz Progressive music is music that attempts to expand existing stylistic boundaries associated with specific genres of music. The word comes from the basic concept of "progress", which refers to advancements through accumulation, and is often dep ...
and soul gospel. WHBM_FM, began operations first in 1962 from the second floor above "The Dutch Oven" bakery on North Detroit St., in Xenia. WELX began operations several years later. Both stations eventually operated from the WELX transmitter site adjacent to U.S. Route 35 off June Drive in Xenia. Both stations miraculously survived the April 3, 1974, tornado which ravaged Xenia and nearby Beavercreek. However, a fire destroyed the small studio/transmitter building around 1977, thus WELX and WHBM both went silent.


WDJX (1978–1982)

Both stations along with WERM were sold in 1978 to separate owners with WELX (now southern gospel WGNZ) owned by L&D Broadcasting and WHBM sold to Ohio Broadcast Associates becoming Top-40 formatted WDJX, using the "Xenia/
Fairborn Fairborn is a city in Greene County, Ohio, United States. The population was 34,620 at the 2020 census. It is a suburb of Dayton, Ohio, Dayton and part of the Dayton metropolitan area. The city is home to Wright State University, which serves nea ...
/Beavercreek" top of hour ID giving FM competition to Dayton's
WING A wing is a type of fin that produces both Lift (force), lift and drag while moving through air. Wings are defined by two shape characteristics, an airfoil section and a planform (aeronautics), planform. Wing efficiency is expressed as lift-to-d ...
(AM).


WYMJ (1982–1992)

In 1982 WDJX moved its studios (and eventually its city of license) to Beavercreek, later becoming Hot A/C-formatted "Majic 104" WYMJ-FM. In 1989 WYMJ was purchased by Alan Gray's Dayton Radio, Inc and switched to "Oldies 104".


WRVF (1992–1995)

By 1992, the station became WRVF "The River" with a
country A country is a distinct part of the world, such as a state, nation, or other political entity. When referring to a specific polity, the term "country" may refer to a sovereign state, state with limited recognition, constituent country, ...
format before being overshadowed by the former WHIO-FM becoming WHKO "K-99.1 FM",.


WXEG (1995–2015)

In late August 1995, the station became "103.9 The Edge", WXEG introducing the Alternative format to Dayton and moving the studios to Dayton's Historic
Oregon District The Oregon Historic District is a neighborhood in Dayton, Ohio. The Oregon District includes one of the earliest surviving combinations of commercial and residential architecture in Dayton. Examples of Dayton's architectural history from 1820 ...
. During this time, WXEG with sister stations
WONE (AM) WONE (980 Hertz, kHz) is an AM radio, AM radio station in Dayton, Ohio with a Sports radio, sports radio format, format. It carries programming from Fox Sports Radio, as well as ''The Dan Patrick Show'' (Dan Patrick (sportscaster), Dan Patrick ...
and
WTUE WTUE (104.7 FM broadcasting, FM) is a classic rock formatted radio station with studios in Dayton, Ohio, Dayton. The station is owned and operated by iHeartMedia. Its transmitter is located in Moraine, Ohio, Moraine. History Top 40 (1959– ...
(FM) went through several ownerships after being sold by Group One to Stoner Broadcasting, American Radio Systems,
Entercom Audacy, Inc. is an American broadcasting company based in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Founded in 1968 as Entercom Communications Corp., it is the second largest radio company in the United States, owning over 220 radio stations across 47 media ...
and finally
Jacor Jacor Communications was a media corporation, existing between 1987 and 1999, which owned many radio stations in the United States. In 1998, Jacor was purchased by Clear Channel Communications, now iHeartMedia, for $2.8 billion. Jacor Communicat ...
before its merger with Clear Channel. On January 1, 1998, "103.9 The Edge" became "103.9 The X", retaining the Alternative format but rebranding due to a dispute with a consultant who owned the trademark of "The Edge." By
2010 The year saw a multitude of natural and environmental disasters such as the 2010 Haiti earthquake, the Deepwater Horizon oil spill, and the 2010 Chile earthquake. The 2009 swine flu pandemic, swine flu pandemic which began the previous year ...
, WXEG changed formats to
active rock Active rock is a radio format used by many commercial radio stations across the United States and Canada. Active rock stations play a balance of new hard rock songs with valued classic rock favorites, normally with an emphasis on the harder edge o ...
as it was moved to the
Mediabase Mediabase is a music industry service that monitors radio station airplay in 180 US and Canadian markets. Mediabase publishes music charts and data based on the most played songs on terrestrial and satellite radio, and provides in-depth analytic ...
active rock panel, but by 2015, it returned to the Alternative panel after phasing out the harder rock product.


WZDA (2015–present)

On August 28, 2015, WXEG completed the move back to alternative rock, rebranding as "Alt 103-9". The station changed its call sign to the current WZDA on September 28, 2015. On November 24, 2021, at 6 a.m., after playing a block of "goodbye"-themed songs (specifically "
In The End "In the End" is a song by American rock band Linkin Park. It is the eighth track on their debut album, ''Hybrid Theory'' (2000), and was released as the album's fourth and final single. "In the End" received positive reviews by music critics, ...
" by
Linkin Park Linkin Park is an American Rock music, rock band formed in Agoura Hills, California, in 1996. The band's current lineup consists of vocalist/rhythm guitarist/keyboardist Mike Shinoda, lead guitarist Brad Delson, DJ/turntablist Joe Hahn, bass ...
, " Closing Time" by
Semisonic Semisonic is an American Rock music, rock band formed in Minneapolis in 1995, consisting of Dan Wilson (musician), Dan Wilson (lead vocals, guitar, keyboards), John Munson (bass, keyboards, backing vocals, guitar), and Jacob Slichter (drums, pe ...
, and "
It's the End of the World as We Know It (And I Feel Fine) "It's the End of the World as We Know It (And I Feel Fine)" is a song by American Rock music, rock band R.E.M., which first appeared on their 1987 album, ''Document (album), Document''. It was released as the album's second music single, single ...
" by
R.E.M. R.E.M. was an American alternative rock band formed in Athens, Georgia, in 1980 by drummer Bill Berry, guitarist Peter Buck, bassist Mike Mills, and lead vocalist Michael Stipe, who were students at the University of Georgia. One of the fir ...
), WZDA dropped their rock format after 26 years and began stunting with Christmas music as "Christmas 103.9"; a new format is expected after the holidays. The first song on "Christmas" was
Frank Sinatra Francis Albert Sinatra (; December 12, 1915 – May 14, 1998) was an American singer and actor. Honorific nicknames in popular music, Nicknamed the "Chairman of the Board" and "Ol' Blue Eyes", he is regarded as one of the Time 100: The Most I ...
's cover of "
Jingle Bells "Jingle Bells" is one of the most commonly sung Christmas songs in the world. It was written by James Lord Pierpont. It is an unsettled question where and when Pierpont originally composed the song that would become known as "Jingle Bells". It ...
". WZDA replaces former sister WRZX-FM as iHeart's Christmas music brand in the Dayton market, as WRZX-FM was donated from iHeart’s Aloha Stations Trust along with WYDB and flipped to conservative talk in August. The change comes as the now-former "Alt" format had a 2.0 share in the October 2021 Nielsen Audio ratings. On December 27, 2021, at Midnight, WZDA flipped to country as "103.9 The Bull", with the first song being " Buy Dirt" by Jordan Davis and
Luke Bryan Thomas Luther "Luke" Bryan (born July 17, 1976) is an American country music singer, songwriter, and television personality. Bryan is a five-time "Entertainer of the Year", being awarded by both the Academy of Country Music Awards and the Count ...
. On January 14, 2022, WZDA rebranded as "New Country 103.9".


WZDA in HD

The station started broadcasting in
HD Radio HD Radio (HDR) is a trademark for in-band on-channel (IBOC) digital radio broadcast technology. HD radio generally simulcast, simulcasts an existing analog radio station in digital format with less noise and with additional text information. HD R ...
on February 2, 2006. *HD1 is a simulcast of its analog audio and *HD2 broadcasts an 80s hits format as "iHeart80s". The station broadcasts using the MP1 service mode.


Concerts

WXEG held an annual
X-Fest X-Fest is an annual music festival held in various venues throughout the United States by Clear Channel Communications radio stations. It features alternative rock, hard rock, heavy metal, grunge, and industrial rock bands. Noblesville, Indiana ...
every year from 1996 to 2012. The X-Fest was cancelled in 2012 just weeks before the event was to take placePrepare to be shaken and stirred at X-Fest's '007' concert
/ref> and has not taken place since.


References


External links


New Country 103.9
* {{iHeartMedia, Inc. 1962 establishments in Ohio Beavercreek, Ohio Greene County, Ohio IHeartMedia radio stations Radio stations established in 1962 ZDA Country radio stations in the United States