Long-time AM news and talk station WDEL is now in the FM world.
The news and talk station is now at 101.7 FM in addition to its 1150 AM slot.
Delmarva Broadcasting President Julian “Pete” Booker earlier reported company was expected to close on the sale of an AM and FM frequencies operated by QC Communications, Wilmington.
QC operated KISS 101.7, which has a rhythm and blues/hip-hop format. That frequency is expected to become WDEL-FM in April.
Booker said the station will initially simulcast programs in both the AM and FM frequencies. It will add a KISS host to its programming one day a week, with the possibility of other changes in the future.
Booker says the expansion is an ongoing trend with talk and sports formats moving over to the FM side of the dial.
In the case of WDEL, the move to FM will allow the station to fill gaps in its coverage area. The transmitter for KISS is across the river in the Salem, NJ area.
Known for a strong north-south signal in Delaware, WDEL-AM reception was not as good in areas west of Wilmington, Booker says. That was due to the needs to protect the signals of Baltimore-area stations in a crowded East Coast market.
Booker noted that much of the growth “from Dover north” took place in that western area with the marginal signal.
The gap led to the term “radio free Newark” to describe the quality of radio signals in the college town.
Booker acknowledged that the change will be jarring to listeners, many of whom live in Wilmington and points south.
“We have been transparent,” he said, adding that the Delmarva Broadcasting has announced the change to government leaders and others and invited interested individuals to offer their thoughts.
Booker says WDEL will continue its commitment to the City of Wilmington.
Delmarva Broadcasting Company owns and operates a dozen radio stations and related websites serving Delaware, eastern Maryland, and southern New Jersey. It is part of Steinman Communications, Lancaster, PA, which operates newspapers, websites and a printing company.
Earlier, Delmarva successfully reformatted WXDE in Sussex County, DE to a news-talk operation.
WDEL is a CBS network affiliate that featuresa full news operation, a feature that is becoming a rarity in many markets. The WDEL website is one of the most visited news websites in the state.
WDEL-FM coverage in and around Newark on the 101.7 MHz frequency is good to very good but quality drops quickly as you pass the PA or MD line. I think the FM station will bring a lot of daytime listeners from Dover and the beach areas that had a marginal or variable AM signal. It’s still the best programming in the state — now even better.