WVUD (91.3 FM) is a

non-commercial A non-commercial (also spelled noncommercial) activity is an activity that does not, in some sense, involve commerce, at least relative to similar activities that do have a commercial objective or emphasis. For example, advertising-free community ...

educational FM

radio station Radio broadcasting is transmission of audio (sound), sometimes with related metadata, by radio waves to radio receivers belonging to a public audience. In terrestrial radio broadcasting the radio waves are broadcast by a land-based radio ...

owned by

University of Delaware The University of Delaware (colloquially UD or Delaware) is a public land-grant research university located in Newark, Delaware. UD is the largest university in Delaware. It offers three associate's programs, 148 bachelor's programs, 121 mas ...

and licensed to serve

Newark, Delaware Newark ( )Not as in Newark, New Jersey. is a small city in New Castle County, Delaware, New Castle County, Delaware, United States. It is located west-southwest of Wilmington, Delaware, Wilmington. According to the 2010 United States Census, ...

. The station is student-run and broadcasts a freeform format. Studios are located in the Perkins student center at the

and the transmitting antenna is located on the top of the Christiana East Tower residence building. WVUD uses

HD Radio HD Radio (HDR) is a trademark for an in-band on-channel (IBOC) digital radio broadcast technology. It generally simulcasts an existing analog radio station in digital format with less noise and with additional text information. HD Radio is used ...

and broadcasts freeform programming on its HD2 subchannel branded as "The Basement". On May 8, 2017, three veterans of WVUD were enshrined in its Hall of Fame. Ellen Ellis, Dr. Gloria James and Michael Tsarouhas were the three inductees for 2017.

History

Radio was originally broadcast from East Hall via AM carrier current at 640 kHz from 1968 until 1976, with the WHEN call sign as a

Top 40 In the music industry, the Top 40 is the current, 40 most-popular songs in a particular genre. It is the best-selling or most frequently broadcast popular music. Record charts have traditionally consisted of a total of 40 songs. "Top 40" or " con ...

formatted station. The station changed call signs to WDRB with a format change to

alternative rock Alternative rock, or alt-rock, is a category of rock music that emerged from the independent music underground of the 1970s and became widely popular in the 1990s. "Alternative" refers to the genre's distinction from Popular culture, mainstre ...

when the station's studios were moved to the third floor of the Perkins Student Center. The FM station that would later become WVUD signed on for the first time on October 4, 1976, with the WXDR call sign. The station's first permanent license was granted by the

Federal Communications Commission The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) is an independent agency of the United States federal government that regulates communications by radio, television, wire, satellite, and cable across the United States. The FCC maintains jurisdiction ...

(FCC) on April 6, 1977. The new station broadcast a block format that included

jazz Jazz is a music genre that originated in the African-American communities of New Orleans, Louisiana in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, with its roots in blues and ragtime. Since the 1920s Jazz Age, it has been recognized as a major ...

folk Folk or Folks may refer to: Sociology *Nation *People * Folklore ** Folk art ** Folk dance ** Folk hero ** Folk music *** Folk metal *** Folk punk *** Folk rock ** Folk religion * Folk taxonomy Arts, entertainment, and media * Folk Plus or Fol ...

, classical,

ambient Ambient or Ambiance or Ambience may refer to: Music and sound * Ambience (sound recording), also known as atmospheres or backgrounds * Ambient music, a genre of music that puts an emphasis on tone and atmosphere * ''Ambient'' (album), by Moby * ...

, college alternative, and

experimental music Experimental music is a general label for any music or music genre that pushes existing boundaries and genre definitions. Experimental compositional practice is defined broadly by exploratory sensibilities radically opposed to, and questioning of, ...

. Local news was presented each day and the students presented a weekly news magazine show and community oriented public affairs shows. On April 8, 1983, WXDR resumed broadcasting after being off the air for five months during which time the station installed new equipment to increase its

effective radiated power Effective radiated power (ERP), synonymous with equivalent radiated power, is an IEEE standardized definition of directional radio frequency (RF) power, such as that emitted by a radio transmitter. It is the total power in watts that would hav ...

from 10 watts to 1,000 watts and to convert from mono to stereo. Studios were moved to the lower level of the Perkins Student Center Annex building at that time. The station's call sign was changed to WVUD on October 19, 1992. University President

David Roselle David Paul Roselle (born May 30, 1939) is an American mathematician and academic administrator who served as the ninth president of the University of Kentucky and the 25th president of the University of Delaware. Early life and family David Ro ...

had requested that the call sign be changed to WVUD to reflect the station's university ownership. This call sign had recently been ceded by an

easy listening Easy listening (including mood music) is a popular music genre and radio format that was most popular during the 1950s to 1970s. It is related to middle-of-the-road (MOR) music and encompasses instrumental recordings of standards, hit songs, n ...

station, Lite 100 FM, which had been owned by the

University of Dayton The University of Dayton (UD) is a private, Catholic research university in Dayton, Ohio. Founded in 1850 by the Society of Mary, it is one of three Marianist universities in the nation and the second-largest private university in Ohio. The univ ...

, but had been sold off by the university and had subsequently changed call signs to WLQT. WVUD was granted an increase in

to 6,800 watts in August 2011. HD Radio was added two months later beginning on October 31, 2011.

Programming

*''Hip City'' (Saturday night) A fixture featuring classic soul and

rhythm & blues Rhythm and blues, frequently abbreviated as R&B or R'n'B, is a genre of popular music that originated in African-American communities in the 1940s. The term was originally used by record companies to describe recordings marketed predominantly ...

as presented by Jerry Grant. *''Red, Hot & Blue'' (Friday night) Featuring blues hosted by Ron Smith. *''Crazy College'' (Sundays) Featuring "all musics odd, silly or forgotten. Anything from

Stan Freberg Stan Freberg (born Stanley Friberg; August 7, 1926 – April 7, 2015) was an American actor, author, comedian, musician, radio personality, puppeteer and advertising creative director. His best-known works include " St. George and the Dragonet ...

Allan Sherman Allan may refer to: People * Allan (name), a given name and surname, including list of people and characters with this name * Allan (footballer, born 1984) (Allan Barreto da Silva), Brazilian football striker * Allan (footballer, born 1989) (Al ...

, Billy Murray,

Cole Porter Cole Albert Porter (June 9, 1891 – October 15, 1964) was an American composer and songwriter. Many of his songs became standards noted for their witty, urbane lyrics, and many of his scores found success on Broadway and in film. Born to ...

George Formby George Formby, (born George Hoy Booth; 26 May 1904 – 6 March 1961) was an English actor, singer-songwriter and comedian who became known to a worldwide audience through his films of the 1930s and 1940s. On stage, screen and record he s ...

, if it's odd or funny, it's in!" hosted by Geo. Stewart. *''Java Time'' & ''Roots'' (Weekday mornings) features Roots and

Folk music Folk music is a music genre that includes traditional folk music and the contemporary genre that evolved from the former during the 20th-century folk revival. Some types of folk music may be called world music. Traditional folk music has b ...

. *

Classical music Classical music generally refers to the art music of the Western world, considered to be distinct from Western folk music or popular music traditions. It is sometimes distinguished as Western classical music, as the term "classical music" also ...

(Weekdays at lunchtime) *''Scratchy Grooves & ''In a Mist'' (Sunday nights)

Big Band A big band or jazz orchestra is a type of musical ensemble of jazz music that usually consists of ten or more musicians with four sections: saxophones, trumpets, trombones, and a rhythm section. Big bands originated during the early 1910s an ...

and popular music of the 1920s, 1930s, 1940s and 1950s. *''Ruffage'' (Saturdays) Delaware's longest running and only Heavy Metal/Hard Rock radio show. Beginning over 21 years ago, the show was originally hosted by Rich Grafstein (its originator) and has since been hosted by Traci, Metallikate, The Tink, Josh and Stefanie Best, among others. Currently the show is being once again hosted by Metallikate and Traci. *''Charles Dickens' A Christmas Carol: live radio play'' (Annual live radio broadcast of Charles Dickens' classic holiday ghost story.) A Delaware tradition since 2004. Performed by a small cast of professional actors, featuring music and sound effects. Directed by Sara Valentine. Scripted and created by Sara Valentine and Michael Boudewyns.

References

External links

* * {{Wilmington DE Radio VUD VUD Radio stations established in 1976 University of Delaware 1976 establishments in Delaware