Delaware First Media, Delaware State University and the University of Delaware announced a the launch of WDDE-FM 91.1 Dover. WDDE will be the first-ever Delaware-focused public radio station. Delaware has been the only state in a union without an NPR station. [youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d6HK7ULutUE&list=UUSxhtwx_FyGMEO9JtVqmW8A&index=1&feature=plcp[/youtube]
The station will also have a former National Public Radio anchor on board when it is launched.
WDDE-FM is owned by Delaware First Media, the nonprofit company that operates the online multimedia news service. The universities are the lead institutional sponsors of the station, which will be built on the campus of DSU, the host university.
WDDE will begin broadcasting into all three counties this summer on 91.1 FM, serving a potential Delaware audience of more than 800,000 on-air and online listeners with local, national, and international news.
“WDDE is a major step in Delaware’s evolution as a state with a strong news media that connects Delawareans downstate and upstate to create a shared community culture,” said Delaware First Media President Micheline Boudreau. “We are thrilled to launch this project with the strong sponsorship of Delaware’s premier universities.”
Boudreau said the station’s signal will initially cover Kent County and adjacent areas. Internet streaming, which has become widespread and popular among listeners, will allow for statewide coverage, Boudreau said.
Boudreau said Delaware First Media had been working on the project for a year. Salisbury University Foundation had initially started work on the station, but later decided to drop the project, opening the door for a sale to Delaware First Media.
“Delaware State University is proud to be the home of WDDE-FM,” said Carolyn Curry, DSU’s vice president for institutional advancement. “This project offers outstanding educational opportunities to students and will provide immeasurable value to communities across the state.”
The University of Delaware has been affiliated with Delaware First Media, WDDE’s parent company, since 2010. UD housed the offices and newsroom of DFM News, provided student interns, and co-produced with DFM the Delaware congressional election debates in 2010. “Sponsoring WDDE is a natural outgrowth of our relationship with DFM,” said David Brond, UD’s vice president for communications and marketing. “And at a time when lawmakers, grantors, and the public are seeking creative partnerships, this UD/DSU collaboration has the potential to become a national model for supporting high-quality local journalism.”
According to a release, WDDE will generate original, substantive news coverage of Delaware events and people that is urgently needed in a state with few local news sources. “Some Delawareans can tune into out-of-state public radio stations, but when they break for local news, they’re not focusing on what’s happening in Delaware’s legislature, at a Delaware theater, in Delaware schools,” said Boudreau. “On WDDE you’ll find out what’s going on right here where we live.”
“Delaware has a national profile far larger than its small size-think a Vice President, companies whose innovations are felt globally, and an Air Force base that serves a unique role in the nation’s defense,” said Gov. Jack Markell. “Now Delaware will have a public radio station broadcasting within our borders and exporting news about Delaware to the nation. WDDE is a welcome addition to the strong institutions of our state.”
A part of the new station’s team will be Liane Hansen, who hosted NPR’s weekend show prior to her retirement to Delaware. The start-up team includes General Manager George Boosey, former program director of WBUR-FM in Boston and a public radio industry consultant who helped create five nationally distributed public radio programs. News Director Tom Byrne, who helped create DFM News in 2010, will oversee WDDE’s news staff. Byrne and other DFM principals, including Boudreau and board members Nancy Karibjanian and Ann Ahl, have had careers with nonprofit radio and television stations in Delaware and elsewhere.
The station will bring an undisclosed number of jobs to the Dover area immediately and will provide the opportunity for Delaware businesses to distribute their messages across the state through underwriting on WDDE, Boudreau noted.
WHYY in Philadelphia has been the leading public TV and radio entity in the state. However, the station dropped its nightly television newscast a few years ago, drawing strong criticism within the First State. Boudreau formerly directed the nightly newscast. WHYY now has a weekly show and operates online through newsworks.org. – Doug Rainey
