WBDG
Encyclopedia
WBDG is a high school radio
station broadcasting
a Variety
format from Ben Davis High School
in Indianapolis, Indiana
, USA. The station is currently owned by Metropolitan School District of Wayne Township.
in September of 1965, and, on February 14, 1966, WBDG came to life with its first regular broadcasting day. The station had a radiated power of just 10 watts.
Early programming on WBDG consisted of a modest schedule of educational programs aimed at the township elementary schools, community news and a lunch-time dance party. The station broadcast only during school hours and on athletic event nights. Competition for the handful of disc jockey slots each week was very fierce.
In the early 1970s, station management applied for and was granted a power increase. The station's radiated power was upped to 320 watts. Channel six (WRTV
) insisted that WBDG move its antenna and transmitter to the tower farm near St. Vincent Hospital on Indy's Northside. The new transmission location proved undesirable as the station could barely be received in its own control room. In 1979, the FCC granted the petition to move the station back to Ben Davis. Part of the FCC's construction permit was to increase WBDG's radiated power to 400 watts. A 78 feet (23.8 m) tower was built on the school roof, and the transmitter was moved to a fan room on the second floor of the building.
As the 1970s waned, WBDG began to add after school radio shows. Pop music and rock started to air. By 1979, WBDG was broadcasting 15 hours per day, five days per week and from 9:00 AM-Midnight on Saturday and Sunday. Student operators even kept the station on the air on holidays such as Thanksgiving and Christmas with no automation system.
During the days of disco
, WBDG earned a few ratings points in one of the books. WBDG was the only disco station in Indianapolis. A few of WBDG's staff members had also gotten an advertising agency to donate to WBDG 35 billboard advertisements. “Disco 91” billboards were across the city. When disco died, WBDG adopted a popular music and rock format. In 1986, the station was granted its current stereo license after raising the money for stereo broadcast equipment in a first-ever WBDG Radio Marathon.
In the early 1990s, popular music was shifting toward an increasingly esoteric and unconventional bent. In emphasis of this expanding scope of sound in the mainstream, WBDG adopted the moniker "The Radio Spectrum". Some of the most dynamic set lists of this era came from a show entitled "What Not", an innovative modern rock show pioneered by student Paul Dworak. In 1995, WBDG expanded to 24 hours a day, every day. On June 1, 2002, WBDG re-launched as Giant 90.9.
In April 2005, the FCC granted an eight-year license renewal that will not expire until 2012. 2008 marks the station's 42nd year of operation and 42nd year under the same ownership.
Station management determines the rest of the automated and daily live programming following a variety format concentrating on music of the last 10 years to today. WBDG airs a program called Radio Goethe
on Saturdays at 7:00 p.m. from April-November and at 10:00 p.m. from December to March. The station also broadcasts up to eight hours of dance and techno music on its Giant Mix program. The show airs until 4:00 a.m. nightly. Sundays are reserved for music from the 70's through the mid 90's on Retro Sunday.
Community Outreach Coordinator, Emerson Allen, hosts School Talk with Emerson. This is a weekly 30-minute talk show that is broadcast August-May on WBDG at 7:00 a.m. on Friday mornings. Recent guests include Colts announcer Bob Lamey
, Indiana Fever star Tamika Catchings
, former Indianapolis Mayor Bart Peterson
, and current Indianapolis Mayor Greg Ballard
. The program also highlights school functions, clubs, and activities. It is produced by WBDG students and replays on Sundays at 2:00 p.m.
Each May, WBDG celebrates its history on the airwaves with a marathon broadcast. This is a major fundraiser for the non-commercial station. This year's WBDG 42/42 Marathon (42 years-42 hours) took place on May 2-4, 2008.
WBDG also broadcasts a variety of Ben Davis High School and area sporting events. Webcasts and a schedule are available on the station's website.
High school radio
High school radio within the United States is almost as old as radio broadcasting itself. Simply defined as a radio station, with its studios located at a high school and usually operated by its students with faculty supervision, stations fitting this description existed in the mid-1920s...
station broadcasting
Broadcasting
Broadcasting is the distribution of audio and video content to a dispersed audience via any audio visual medium. Receiving parties may include the general public or a relatively large subset of thereof...
a Variety
Variety (radio)
The term variety as a radio format is loosely defined as a format that plays music across numerous genera.Freeform variety is associated with a wide range of programming including talk, sports, and music from a wide spectrum. This format is usually found on smaller, non-commercial...
format from Ben Davis High School
Ben Davis High School
Ben Davis High School is a three year American high school in Marion County, Indianapolis, Indiana. As of 2010 , it has a student enrollment of nearly 3,500 and a staff of 178.-History:...
in Indianapolis, Indiana
Indianapolis, Indiana
Indianapolis is the capital of the U.S. state of Indiana, and the county seat of Marion County, Indiana. As of the 2010 United States Census, the city's population is 839,489. It is by far Indiana's largest city and, as of the 2010 U.S...
, USA. The station is currently owned by Metropolitan School District of Wayne Township.
History
WBDG is one of the first radio stations in Marion County to be owned by a school system and operated by the students of that system. A construction permit was obtained to build a tower on top of the newly-constructed "new" Ben Davis High SchoolBen Davis High School
Ben Davis High School is a three year American high school in Marion County, Indianapolis, Indiana. As of 2010 , it has a student enrollment of nearly 3,500 and a staff of 178.-History:...
in September of 1965, and, on February 14, 1966, WBDG came to life with its first regular broadcasting day. The station had a radiated power of just 10 watts.
Early programming on WBDG consisted of a modest schedule of educational programs aimed at the township elementary schools, community news and a lunch-time dance party. The station broadcast only during school hours and on athletic event nights. Competition for the handful of disc jockey slots each week was very fierce.
In the early 1970s, station management applied for and was granted a power increase. The station's radiated power was upped to 320 watts. Channel six (WRTV
WRTV
WRTV, channel 6, is the ABC television affiliate in Indianapolis, Indiana; it is owned by McGraw-Hill. Its transmitter is located on the northwest side of Indianapolis at 8001 Township Line Road. Its studios are found at 1330 N...
) insisted that WBDG move its antenna and transmitter to the tower farm near St. Vincent Hospital on Indy's Northside. The new transmission location proved undesirable as the station could barely be received in its own control room. In 1979, the FCC granted the petition to move the station back to Ben Davis. Part of the FCC's construction permit was to increase WBDG's radiated power to 400 watts. A 78 feet (23.8 m) tower was built on the school roof, and the transmitter was moved to a fan room on the second floor of the building.
As the 1970s waned, WBDG began to add after school radio shows. Pop music and rock started to air. By 1979, WBDG was broadcasting 15 hours per day, five days per week and from 9:00 AM-Midnight on Saturday and Sunday. Student operators even kept the station on the air on holidays such as Thanksgiving and Christmas with no automation system.
During the days of disco
Disco
Disco is a genre of dance music. Disco acts charted high during the mid-1970s, and the genre's popularity peaked during the late 1970s. It had its roots in clubs that catered to African American, gay, psychedelic, and other communities in New York City and Philadelphia during the late 1960s and...
, WBDG earned a few ratings points in one of the books. WBDG was the only disco station in Indianapolis. A few of WBDG's staff members had also gotten an advertising agency to donate to WBDG 35 billboard advertisements. “Disco 91” billboards were across the city. When disco died, WBDG adopted a popular music and rock format. In 1986, the station was granted its current stereo license after raising the money for stereo broadcast equipment in a first-ever WBDG Radio Marathon.
In the early 1990s, popular music was shifting toward an increasingly esoteric and unconventional bent. In emphasis of this expanding scope of sound in the mainstream, WBDG adopted the moniker "The Radio Spectrum". Some of the most dynamic set lists of this era came from a show entitled "What Not", an innovative modern rock show pioneered by student Paul Dworak. In 1995, WBDG expanded to 24 hours a day, every day. On June 1, 2002, WBDG re-launched as Giant 90.9.
In April 2005, the FCC granted an eight-year license renewal that will not expire until 2012. 2008 marks the station's 42nd year of operation and 42nd year under the same ownership.
Station broadcasting information
The station broadcasts with 0.4 kilowatts of both vertical and horizontal power at 78 feet (23.8 m) of height above average terrain serving primarily Western Marion and Eastern Hendricks Counties. The station is licensed to Indianapolis. More information can be found on the FCC's search page for WBDG-FMProgramming
WBDG is a student radio station playing a wide range of musical artists and genres. WBDG plays national and local artists. During the school year, the station's student broadcasters host radio shows with different themes. This is a "block" style of format with the before and after school hours being split into portions of programming with different formats. Students determine what songs to play, content, and the format of each individual show.Station management determines the rest of the automated and daily live programming following a variety format concentrating on music of the last 10 years to today. WBDG airs a program called Radio Goethe
Radio Goethe
Radio Goethe is a radio program played live over KUSF in San Francisco. Pre-made hour-long selections are played over the following stations:* CFUV: Victoria, British Columbia* CFXU: Antigonish, Nova Scotia* CHMA: Sackville, New Brunswick* CHMR: St...
on Saturdays at 7:00 p.m. from April-November and at 10:00 p.m. from December to March. The station also broadcasts up to eight hours of dance and techno music on its Giant Mix program. The show airs until 4:00 a.m. nightly. Sundays are reserved for music from the 70's through the mid 90's on Retro Sunday.
Community Outreach Coordinator, Emerson Allen, hosts School Talk with Emerson. This is a weekly 30-minute talk show that is broadcast August-May on WBDG at 7:00 a.m. on Friday mornings. Recent guests include Colts announcer Bob Lamey
Bob Lamey
Bob Lamey is an American sportscaster, currently the radio play-by-play announcer for the Indianapolis Colts of the National Football League...
, Indiana Fever star Tamika Catchings
Tamika Catchings
Tamika Devonne Catchings is an American professional basketball player for the Indiana Fever of the WNBA and Turkish team Galatasaray. She is a prolific scorer close to and far from the basket, as well as a capable rebounder, ball handler, and defender. After playing at Adlai E...
, former Indianapolis Mayor Bart Peterson
Bart Peterson
Barton "Bart" R. Peterson is the former mayor of the U.S city of Indianapolis, Indiana. A Democrat first elected in 1999, he was defeated in 2007 in a bid for a third term in what was widely viewed as a huge upset.A lifelong Indianapolis resident, Peterson graduated from North Central High School...
, and current Indianapolis Mayor Greg Ballard
Greg Ballard
Gregory Ballard is a retired American professional basketball player in the NBA.Ballard attended the University of Oregon where he played at the collegiate level at the forward position...
. The program also highlights school functions, clubs, and activities. It is produced by WBDG students and replays on Sundays at 2:00 p.m.
Each May, WBDG celebrates its history on the airwaves with a marathon broadcast. This is a major fundraiser for the non-commercial station. This year's WBDG 42/42 Marathon (42 years-42 hours) took place on May 2-4, 2008.
WBDG also broadcasts a variety of Ben Davis High School and area sporting events. Webcasts and a schedule are available on the station's website.
Awards
- 2nd Place-Indiana Radio School of the Year (IASB), 2004
- 1st Place-Indiana Radio School of the Year (IASB), 2005
- 4th Place-Indiana Radio School of the Year (IASB), 2007
- 4th Place-Indiana Radio School of the Year (IASB), 2008
- 4th Place-Indiana Radio School of the Year (IASB), 2009
Famous alumni
- Kristi LeeKristi LeeKristi Lee, whose real name is Theresa Renee Rose, is the longtime news director of the nationally-syndicated radio show The Bob & Tom Show and is responsible for delivering newscasts of various headlines during the show.Lee often hosts or participates in Bob and Tom Radio: The Comedy Tour shows...
- The Bob and Tom Show - Kevin CalabroKevin CalabroKevin Calabro is an American play-by-play announcer and talk show host for 710 ESPN Seattle. The Kevin Calabro Show airs from 3-6p PT and features cohost and Seattle P-I columnist Jim Moore, as well as ESPN Senior NFL Writer and Analyst John Clayton...
- American Basketball broadcaster (NBA's Seattle Sonics - David Calabro - WTHRWTHRWTHR, channel 13, is a full-service television station serving the Indianapolis, Indiana metropolitan area. An affiliate of the NBC television network, its studios at 1000 N. Meridian Street anchor the south end of Indy's Television Row...
Channel 13, IndianapolisIndianapolisIndianapolis is the capital of the U.S. state of Indiana, and the county seat of Marion County, Indiana. As of the 2010 United States Census, the city's population is 839,489. It is by far Indiana's largest city and, as of the 2010 U.S...
Sports Director - Kevin Gregory - WRTVWRTVWRTV, channel 6, is the ABC television affiliate in Indianapolis, Indiana; it is owned by McGraw-Hill. Its transmitter is located on the northwest side of Indianapolis at 8001 Township Line Road. Its studios are found at 1330 N...
Channel 6, IndianapolisIndianapolisIndianapolis is the capital of the U.S. state of Indiana, and the county seat of Marion County, Indiana. As of the 2010 United States Census, the city's population is 839,489. It is by far Indiana's largest city and, as of the 2010 U.S...
Chief Meteorologist - Kevin Lee - WIBC, Indiana Pacers
- Scott Hoke - WFYIMetropolitan Indianapolis Public BroadcastingMetropolitan Indianapolis Public Broadcasting, Inc. is a not-for-profit corporation, located in Indianapolis, Indiana, that operates WFYI Public Television and WFYI-FM Public Radio , which are member stations of the Public Broadcasting Service and National Public Radio ,...
, Indianapolis - Liz Dixon - WTLCWTLC (AM)WTLC is an AM radio station owned by Radio One in Indianapolis, Indiana. The station operates on the AM radio frequency of 1310 kHz. The studios are located at the corner of Meridian and St. Joseph Streets...
, Indianapolis - Dana Webb - Former Country Music AssociationCountry Music AssociationThe Country Music Association was founded in 1958 in Nashville, Tennessee. It originally consisted of only 233 members and was the first trade organization formed to promote a music genre...
CMA Disc Jockey of the Year, Co-host of "It's Your Money" on manarin.com - Jeff Lewis - WKLUWKLUWKLU is a radio station licensed to Brownsburg, Indiana, and serving the Indianapolis metropolitan area. The station is an affiliate of K-Love.- History :...
, 101.9 FM, Indianapolis - DJ Marcus - House DJ at the Vogue, Broad Ripple, Indiana
- Tommy MasonTommy MasonThomas Cyril Mason is a former American football running back in the National Football League. He was selected first overall by the expansion Minnesota Vikings in the 1961 NFL Draft. In six seasons with the Vikings, he rushed for 3,252 yards and 28 touchdowns. In 1967, he was signed by the Los...
- The Wolf, Evansville, Indiana - Crystal McKenzie - WKLUWKLUWKLU is a radio station licensed to Brownsburg, Indiana, and serving the Indianapolis metropolitan area. The station is an affiliate of K-Love.- History :...
, 101.9 FM, Indianapolis - Paul Mendenhall (former teacher, Station Manager) - WTTSWTTSWTTS is an FM radio station serving Indianapolis and Bloomington, Indiana, in the United States, broadcasting at 92.3 FM. The station's format is classified as Adult Album Alternative or "Triple A." WTTS uses the slogan "World Class Rock" to describe its music mix...
, 92.3 FM, Indianapolis Morning Show Host - Linda Allen - WJTVWJTVWJTV is the CBS-affiliated television station for Jackson, Mississippi. It broadcasts a high definition digital signal on VHF channel 12 from a transmitter in Raymond. The station can also be seen on Comcast channel 13 and in high definition on digital channel 433. Owned by Media General, WJTV has...
Channel 12, Jackson, MississippiJackson, MississippiJackson is the capital and the most populous city of the US state of Mississippi. It is one of two county seats of Hinds County ,. The population of the city declined from 184,256 at the 2000 census to 173,514 at the 2010 census...
Anchor/Reporter - Brett Patterson - Former Indycar analyst for examiner.com; founder of www.thejerksinthebackrow.com