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WWDC (FM)
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| WWDC | |
 |
|
| City of license | Washington, D.C. |
|---|---|
| Broadcast area | Washington, D.C. |
| Branding | DC101 |
| Frequency | 101.1 MHz (Also on HD Radio) 101.1-HD2 for New Rock |
| First air date | 1947 |
| Format | Active Rock/Modern Rock hybrid |
| ERP | 22,500 watts |
| HAAT | 232 meters |
| Class | B |
| Facility ID | 8682 |
| Callsign meaning | W Washington District of Columbia |
| Owner | Clear Channel Communications |
| Sister stations | WASH, WBIG, WIHT, WMZQ, WTEM, WTNT, WWRC |
| Webcast | Listen Live |
| Website | www.dc101.com |
WWDC is a commercial radio station in Washington, D.C., broadcasting to the Washington, DC-Baltimore, Maryland area.
WWDC airs an active rock/modern rock music hybrid format branded as "DC 101". The playlist embraces core modern rock music artists like Beck, Coldplay, The Killers, Modest Mouse, 311, and Weezer along with active rock music core artists like AC/DC, Guns N' Roses, and Metallica.
Contents |
WWDC signed on in 1947 as a beautiful music station until the early 1970s, when it flipped to an album rock music format. They were the first American radio station to play a Beatles song when they played "I Want to Hold Your Hand" in 1964.[1]
DC101's rock playlist typically swings toward the hard rock end of the rock spectrum, playing acts like Black Sabbath and Metallica. Early on, though, pop-oriented acts including Elton John and Rod Stewart often cropped up on-air. During the 1990s, DC101 interspersed more modern and alternative rock acts including Smashing Pumpkins and Stone Temple Pilots into its rotation to compete with its chief rival, WHFS-FM.
Until 1998, DC101 was among the last independently-owned radio stations in the Washington, D.C. market. The station's parent company, Capitol Broadcasting, sold DC101 and its AM sister station, WWDC-AM 1260 (now WWRC), to Chancellor Media, later AM-FM. Eventually, AM-FM was acquired by Clear Channel Communications, which now owns and operates a total of eight radio stations in Washington, D.C.
DC101's facilities were once located on Connecticut Avenue between Dupont Circle and Farragut Square in downtown Washington, D.C. They later moved to Silver Spring, Maryland, and are now located in Rockville, Maryland.
DC101 is known for its prize give-aways. They give tickets most commonly, but also (more-rarely) give away larger prizes such as stereos, cars, boats, or trips. The website also has a raffle-type give-away program. You win points by answering questions and use points to bet on prizes.
DC101 advanced the careers of several famous – and arguably notorious – morning radio personalities. Howard Stern made his mark on the station in the early 1980s. Stern was fired from the station on June 29, 1982, dubiously because of his on-air prank of pretending to call Air Florida airlines to book a flight to the 14th Street Bridge only one day after 78 people died when Air Florida Flight 90 crashed into the Potomac River at the bridge.[2] There is a large amount of time between these milestones, as the crash of Air Florida 90 occurred on January 13, 1982, and the firing didn't come until late June. It is probably more accurate[3] to state that Stern was fired because of an impasse met on his compensation, and the fact that he signed with WNBC during the latter part of his WWDC contract. DC101 is featured prominently in Stern's 1997 bio-pic Private Parts.
Stern was replaced by Doug Tracht, better known as the GreaseMan, who spent over ten years at the station, from August 2, 1982, to January 22, 1993.
DC101's current morning program is Elliot In the Morning, led by Elliot Segal. Since beginning his tenure at DC101 in the late 1990s, Segal has been suspended and fined on several occasions for the show's sometimes controversial content.
Current programming (as of May 3, 2007):
- Weekday Programs and Disc Jockeys
- 5:48 a.m. - 10-something: Elliot in the Morning
- 10 a.m. - 3:00 p.m.: Whitney
- 3:00 p.m. - 7:00 p.m.: Roche
- 7:00 p.m. - Midnight: Curtis
- Midnight - 5:30 a.m.: Various
- Weekend Programs and Disc Jockeys
- Saturday Nights 10:00 p.m. - Midnight: Flounder's Mash-ups
- Sunday Nights: Local Lix and New Music Mart (both hosted by Roche)
- Shock
- Paul Michaels
- Tre
- Curtis
- Cage
- Mike Jones
- Nemo
- Chili Cookoff: Day-long festival featuring live bands heard on DC101, and a chili cookoff competition, held in downtown Washington, D.C. every spring to benefit the National Kidney Foundation. Chili Cook-Off 2007 May 12 featuring Jet, Three Days Grace, Breaking Benjamin, Buckcherry, Silversun Pickups, and the Last Band Standing winner, Minus-One.
- Kegs & Eggs
- Shantytown
- Non-denominational Christmas Party
- Downtown Countdown
- The Easter Keg Hunt
- Beef, Bullets, Beer, and Butts
- Elliot's Big Ass Football Bash
- Polar Plunge
- Elliot's Daytona 500 party
- Big-ass Halloween Bash
- Last Band Standing
- Roche's Water Wars
- The Thousand Dollar Thong Competition
 |
This short section requires expansion. |
The morning of May 7, 2002, on D.C. metro area shock jock Elliot Segal's radio program, DC101's "Elliot in the Morning" was conducting a contest. The winners of this contest would be cage dancers at an upcoming Kid Rock concert at George Mason University's Patriot Center. Wanting to be contestants, two sixteen-year-old O'Connell students, claiming to be eighteen, called the show. Instead of discussing the contest, the students, goaded by Elliot, discussed alleged sexual activity at O'Connell.[4] The students, who had used false names on air, were suspended the same day for their comments.[5] The principal addressed the student body over the PA system and criticized the immoral content of that morning's show. The following day (May 8th), Mr. Segal, angered by the students' suspension, personally insulted the principal on air, making lewd insinuations about his family. He also mocked the school's mission statement.[6] The two days of broadcasting were ruled indecent by the FCC. As a result, in October 2003, sixteen months after the incident, DC101's parent company Clear Channel Communications was fined $55,000.[7]
The fine was of exceptionally dubious merit, as there was no overt obscenity during the segment and Segal had acted in good faith believing the callers to be 18. It is believed that there may have been political strings pulled by the administrators of the school in order to preserve the school’s public image. This was especially important so as to conceal the truth, as several independent investigators have largely corroborated the caller’s claims of sexual debauchery on school grounds.[citation needed]
- ^ CBS. "Beatles' 'Helping Hand' Shuns Fame: Fab Four Fan Want To Find Teen Who Helped Launched Beatlemania", CBS News, 2004-01-16. Retrieved on 2006-09-21.
- ^ Answers.com
- ^ http://www.marksfriggin.com/news07/12-17.htm#wed
- ^ Atlantic Magazine Article on Elliot in the Morning [1]
- ^ FCC Transcript of Elliot in the Morning's offensive material from May 7th and 8th, 2002 [2]
- ^ Mission Statement: "Our mission is to provide students an education rooted in the life of Christ and to foster the pursuit of excellence in the whole person." (quoted from O'Connell Website)
- ^ FCC Announcement of Fine (Released October 2, 2003)
- DC101 official site
- DC101 HD2
- Elliot in the Morning show site
- Flounder's Mash-ups official site
- Roche official site
- Query the FCC's FM station database for WWDC
- Radio Locator information on WWDC
- Query Arbitron's FM station database for WWDC