WDNC: Difference between revisions

| name = WDNC

| logo = [[Image:WDNC 620TheTicket99.3HD3620 WCLY 1550 the Buzz logo.jpg|150px]]png

| city = [[Durham, North Carolina]]

| area = [[Raleigh, North= Carolina{{ubl|Raleigh]]/[[Durham, North Carolina|DurhamRaleigh–Durham]]/; [[Chapel Hill, North Carolina|Chapel Hill]]<br>|[[Research Triangle Park]]}}

| frequencybranding = 620The [[kilohertz|kHz]]Buzz

| translatorfrequency = 104.5 W283DE (Durham)= 620 [[kilohertz|kHz]]

| repeatertranslator = {{Radio Relay|99104.95|[[WCMC-FMW283DE|WCMC-HD3]]|[[Holly Springs, North Carolina|Holly Springs]]Durham}}

| formatairdate = {{start date|1928}} (as 1370 WRBT, [[SportsWilmington, North radioCarolina|SportsWilmington]])

| powerformat = 1,500 [[wattSports radio|Sports]]s days<br>41 watts nights

| classpower = D{{ubl|1,500 [[watt]]s day|41 watts night}}

| facility_idclass = 17762D

| coordinatesfacility_id = 17762

| websiteowner = [http://www.wralsportsfan.com[Capitol wralsportsfan.com]Broadcasting Company]]

'''WDNC''' (620 [[AM broadcasting|AM]]) is a [[Sports radio|sports]] [[radio station]] licensed to [[Durham, North Carolina]] but based in [[Raleigh, North Carolina]] with a frequency of 620 [[Amplitude modulation|AM]]. Owned and operated by [[Capitol Broadcasting Company]] as part of a cluster with [[NBC]] affiliate [[WRAL-TV]], [[Fox Broadcasting Company|Fox]] affiliate [[WRAZ (TV)|WRAZ]], and sister radio stations [[WCLY]], [[WCMC-FM]] and [[WRAL (FM)|WRAL]], the station's studios are in Raleigh, and the transmitter site is in Durham. WDNC is branded as '''620 theThe TicketBuzz''' and is affiliated with the [[CBS Sports Radio]] and [[ESPN Radio]] networks. In addition, WDNC is the flagship station for the [[Duke Blue Devils]] and is the local affiliate of the [[Charlotte Hornets]].

What is now WDNC was first licensed June 19, 1928, as WRBT (1370 AM) in [[Wilmington, North Carolina]], which changed its call sign to WRAM in 1931.<ref name="fcc-cards">{{cite web |title=WDNC history cards |url=https://licensing.fcc.gov/cgi-bin/prod/cdbs/forms/prod/getimportletter_exh.cgi?import_letter_id=51718 |website=CDBS Public Access |publisher=[[Federal Communications Commission]] |access-date=June 3, 2024 |format=PDF}}</ref> Durham's first radio station went on the air in February 1934, when then-Mayor W.F. Carr and several investors saw the need for a radio station in what was then the state's 3rdthird-largest city. They bought [[Wilmington, North Carolina|Wilmington]]-based 1370 WRAM (formerly [[WRBT]]) and moved its license and equipment to studios in Durham atop the Washington Duke Hotel downtown at the corner of Corcoran and Chapel Hill Streets (later known as the Carolina and the Jack Tar Hotel; the structure was imploded in 1975). The newly relocated station signed on with 100 [[watt]]s at 1500 AM as [[CBS radioRadio Network|CBS]] affiliate WDNC. In 1936, WDNC was purchased by the [[The Herald-Sun (Durham, North Carolina)|Herald-Sun Newspapers]], publishers of the ''Durham Morning Herald'' and ''The Durham Sun''. At this time, the station's studios were moved into the Herald-Sun's building at 138 East Chapel Hill Street, literally next door to the Washington Duke Hotel. In 1938, WDNC increased its power from 100 to 250 watts.

In 1952, WDNC's parent company, the Herald-Sun Newspapers, applied to build a TV station in Durham on the city's newly allotted VHF channel 11. The owners of cross-town competitor [[WTIK]] had also applied for channel 11. The two parties later joined their efforts under the banner "Durham Broadcasting Enterprises" and signed on [[WTVD]], channel 11 on September 2, 1954.{{citation needed|date=October 2014}} In 1957, Durham Broadcasting sold WTVD to [[Albany, NYNew York]]-based [[Capital Cities Communications|Capital Cities Broadcasting]] in 1957 (the same Capital Cities which bought the [[American Broadcasting Company|ABC TV network]] in the mid-1980s).{{citation needed|date=July 2014}}

In the late 1970s, Buddy Poole, a former employee of [[WTIK]], hosted the "Country Lovin'" morning show and worked in sales.<ref name=Fourth>{{cite news|url=http://www.salisburypost.com/article/20140703/SP01/140709908/1184/poole-celebrates-50-years-in-radio-is-grand-marshal-of-faith-parade|title=Poole celebrates 50 years in radio, is grand marshal of Faith parade|work=[[Salisbury Post]]|date=July 3, 2014|access-date=July 3, 2014}}</ref>

Late in 2008, [[Don Imus]] returned to the Triangle for the first time since the incident involving the [[Rutgers Scarlet Knights#Women's Basketball Teambasketball|Rutgers women's basketball team]]. Imus replaced ''[[Mike and Mike in the Morning]]'' as WDNC de-emphasized [[ESPN Radio]] programming.<ref>{{cite news|first=Roger |last=Van Der Horst|title=Imus Returning to Triangle Radio|work=[[The News & Observer]]|date=October 15, 2008}}</ref>

On August 10, 2009, Curtis Media (which still owned the station) sold WDNC and sister station [[WCLY]] to Capitol Broadcasting Company, in exchange for the [[North Carolina News Network]]. The move enablesenabled Capitol to concentrate its sports programming across three channels, with WDNC and [[WCMC-FM]] receiving some carry-over programming from WRBZ (which Curtis Media received from McClatchey Broadcasting), while WCLY willwould carry Spanish-language sports programming from [[ESPN Deportes Radio]]. WDNC was expected to change its handle to 620 the Buzz beginning in September 2009,<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.wral.com/business/story/5764696/|title=Deal reshapes Triangle radio market|date=August 10, 2009|work=WRAL.com|access-date=2009-08-10}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.bizjournals.com/triangle/stories/2009/08/10/daily7.html|first=Chris|last=Baysden|title=Sports radio shakeup: Capitol Broadcasting buys 620 the Bull; Curtis gets WRBZ 850|date=August 10, 2009|work=Triangle Business Journal|access-date=2009-08-11}}</ref> but the official changeover happened on November 2 with Adam Gold and Joe Ovies transferring their morning show over from WRBZ.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.wralsportsfan.com/999thefan/story/6293690/|first=Dane|last=Huffman|title=Sports radio changes coming Monday|date=October 28, 2009|work=WRALSportsFan.com|access-date=2009-10-28}}</ref>

On April 25, 2017, the Federal Communications Commission issued a Construction[[Broadcasting Permitconstruction permit|construction permit]] for Capitol Broadcasting to move WDNC's transmitter from the station's long-time West Durham location on Shocorree Drive to a diplex arrangement with WDUR 1490 AM, at the latter's transmitter site on Nixon Street in southeastern Durham. This also authorized WDNC to reduce its 5,000 watt daytime power to 1,500 watts non-directional, and its 1,000 watt nighttime power to 41 watts non-directional.<ref>[https://transition.fcc.gov/fcc-bin/amq?list=0&facid=17762 AM Query Results (WDNC)] BP-20170126ADD, expires April 25, 2020 (fcc.gov)</ref> By late June 2017, WDNC had built out the construction permit and was broadcasting from its new site. The three towers at its former Shoccoree Drive transmitter site were removed in late October/early November 2017.

On May 1, 2018, WDNC rebranded from "The Buzz" (which continuescontinued on WCMC-FM HD2 and the 96.5 and 99.3 translators) to "The Ticket" (formatwhich moved from [[WCLY]] 1550 AM Raleigh, which flipped to adult album alternative).<ref>[https://radioinsight.com/headlines/168157/capitol-broadcasting-launches-that-station-in-raleigh/ Capitol Broadcasting Launches That Station in Raleigh] Radioinsight - May 1, 2018</ref> On July 31, 2022, WDNC switched back to "The Buzz" branding, in a simulcast with WCLY and WCMC-FM HD2.<ref>{{cite news|last=Venta|first=Lance|title=Buzz Moves in Raleigh|url=https://radioinsight.com/headlines/236220/buzz-moves-in-raleigh/ |work=Radioinsight}}</ref>

* Gaylord "Jay" Wood (1958-19621958–1962)

* Easy Gwynn (moved to [[WFNI|WIBC]] Indianapolis)

* Fred Hazeltine (moved to [[WRNL]] Richmond, Va.Virginia)

*[httphttps://www.wralsportsfan.com/sportsradio/ WDNC website]

[[Category:Radio stations established in 19341928]]

[[Category:19341928 establishments in North Carolina]]

[[Category:CBS SportsESPN Radio stations]]