WDEL-FM

WDEL-FM (101.7 MHz) is a commercial radio station licensed to Canton, New Jersey. It simulcasts a news/talk format with sister station WDEL (1150 AM) in Wilmington, Delaware. WDEL-AM-FM are owned and operated by Draper Holdings Business Trust with studios and offices on Shipley Road in Wilmington.

WDEL-FM

Simulcast of WDEL, Wilmington, Delaware
Canton, New Jersey United States
Broadcast area	Delaware Valley
Frequency	101.7 MHz
Branding	WDEL 101.7 FM 1150 AM
Programming
Format	News - Talk
Network	CBS News Radio
Affiliations	Philadelphia Eagles Radio Network Philadelphia Phillies Radio Network Westwood One VSiN
Ownership
Owner	Draper Holdings Business Trust (WBOC, Inc.)
Sister stations	WDEL WSTW WXCY-FM
History
First air date	January 15, 1972; 53 years ago (1972-01-15) (as WNNN)
Former call signs	WNNN (1972–1997) WJKS (1997–2015)
Call sign meaning	Delaware (from parent station WDEL)
Technical information[1]
Licensing authority	FCC
Facility ID	51136
Class	A
ERP	3,300 watts
HAAT	91 meters (299 ft)
Transmitter coordinates	39°25′53.6″N 75°20′12″W
Links
Public license information	Public file LMS
Webcast	Listen live
Website	www.wdel.com

The FM transmitter is on Macanippuck Road in Greenwich Township.^[2] The signal extends from South Jersey into Northern Delaware, allowing listeners in the Wilmington area to hear WDEL's programming on FM as well as AM.

Programming and sports

WDEL-AM-FM feature local talk and information shows on weekdays with nationally syndicated talk programs at night: The Ramsey Show with Dave Ramsey, Rich Valdés America at Night, Red Eye Radio and America in the Morning.^[3] On weekends, WDEL-AM-FM have specialty shows devoted to money, sports, real estate, home repair, gardening and travel, including some paid brokered programming. Syndicated shows on weekends includes The Money Pit, Eye on Travel with Peter Greenberg, Jill on Money, The CBS News Weekend Roundup and Motley Fool Money. World and national news is supplied by CBS News Radio.

WDEL-AM-FM carry Philadelphia Phillies baseball and Philadelphia Eagles football. Additionally, WDEL-AM-FM air New Castle County high school football and basketball games. Sports betting shows from VSiN are heard on weekend nights.

History

On January 15, 1972, the station signed on as WNNN. It carried a beautiful music format initially, but after a year or two, switched to Christian radio programming, including preaching shows and religious music. By March 1989 the station had adopted the slogan of "Win 101.7".

QC Communications purchased the station on July 1, 1997, for $1.8 million.^[4] It put an urban adult contemporary format on the station.

In December 2014, QC Communications announced it would sell WJKS to Delmarva Broadcasting.^[5] Delmarva Broadcasting is a subsidiary of Steinman Enterprises, a family-owned newspaper, broadcasting and mining company, based in Lancaster, Pennsylvania.^[6] As the license transfer was being completed, Delmarva began a local marketing agreement (LMA) to take over the running of WJKS, effective January 1, 2015.

On April 1, 2015, at 10:02 p.m., Delmarva flipped WJKS to a simulcast of 1150 WDEL.^[7][8][9] A call sign change to WDEL-FM took effect the next day.^[10] (In the 1950s and 1960s, the WDEL-FM call letters had been used on 93.7 WSTW, which is co-owned with WDEL-AM-FM.) The sale to Delmarva Broadcasting was consummated on June 30, 2015, at a price of $3.25 million for WDEL-FM and sister station WFAI.

Forever Media bought Delmarva Broadcasting in early 2019 for $18.5-million. The deal closed on May 20, 2019.

See also

• WDEL (AM)