A lot of this is lifted from various sources:On July 22, 1922, WDEL signed on as one of the earliest radio stations licensed in the U.S., and the first radio station in Delaware. Founded by Willard S. Wilson, WDEL was originally only powered at 250 watts, but by the late 1940s, it had been granted an increase to its current power of 5,000 watts.
During the Golden Age of Radio, WDEL was an NBC Red Network affiliate, carrying its dramas, comedies, sports, news, game shows, soap operas and big band broadcasts. For a time in the 1940s, WDEL was co-owned with another early AM station licensed to Wilmington, WILM. While WDEL carried NBC Red Network programs, WILM aired shows from the NBC Blue Network (later ABC) and the Mutual Broadcasting System.
In 1949, WDEL signed on a TV station, Channel 7 WDEL-TV. Because WDEL had been a long-time NBC radio affiliate, WDEL-TV became an NBC-TV network affiliate. It also carried programming from the DuMont Television Network. But it was limited in power due to its proximity to two other Channel 7 stations in New York City and Washington, DC. It later moved to Channel 12. The Steinman Family sold Channel 12 in 1955 and it eventually became WHYY-TV, the PBS station for Philadelphia, but still licensed to Wilmington.
In 1950, WDEL added an FM station, 93.7 WDEL-FM. At first it simulcast the programming on the AM station. But by the late 1960s, it aired separate programming using the call sign WSTW.
With the demise of old time network radio in the 1950s, WDEL adopted a full-service format, combining news, sports and middle of the road music. Among its personalities were disc jockeys Dick Graham, Bill Horleman and Arnold Zenker, sports director Bill Pheiffer and news reporters Manning Kimmel, Joe Mosbrook, Burke Hully, Pat Ciarrocchi and top-rated local talk host Craig Butcher.
In the mid-1980s, WDEL was the first Wilmington radio station to provide traffic reports. WDEL’s “TrafficWatch on the 9s” remains on the air today.
A lot of this is lifted from various sources:On July 22, 1922, WDEL signed on as one of the earliest radio stations licensed in the U.S., and the first radio station in Delaware. Founded by Willard S. Wilson, WDEL was originally only powered at 250 watts, but by the late 1940s, it had been granted an increase to its current power of 5,000 watts.
During the Golden Age of Radio, WDEL was an NBC Red Network affiliate, carrying its dramas, comedies, sports, news, game shows, soap operas and big band broadcasts. For a time in the 1940s, WDEL was co-owned with another early AM station licensed to Wilmington, WILM. While WDEL carried NBC Red Network programs, WILM aired shows from the NBC Blue Network (later ABC) and the Mutual Broadcasting System.
In 1949, WDEL signed on a TV station, Channel 7 WDEL-TV. Because WDEL had been a long-time NBC radio affiliate, WDEL-TV became an NBC-TV network affiliate. It also carried programming from the DuMont Television Network. But it was limited in power due to its proximity to two other Channel 7 stations in New York City and Washington, DC. It later moved to Channel 12. The Steinman Family sold Channel 12 in 1955 and it eventually became WHYY-TV, the PBS station for Philadelphia, but still licensed to Wilmington.
In 1950, WDEL added an FM station, 93.7 WDEL-FM. At first it simulcast the programming on the AM station. But by the late 1960s, it aired separate programming using the call sign WSTW.
With the demise of old time network radio in the 1950s, WDEL adopted a full-service format, combining news, sports and middle of the road music. Among its personalities were disc jockeys Dick Graham, Bill Horleman and Arnold Zenker, sports director Bill Pheiffer and news reporters Manning Kimmel, Joe Mosbrook, Burke Hully, Pat Ciarrocchi and top-rated local talk host Craig Butcher.
In the mid-1980s, WDEL was the first Wilmington radio station to provide traffic reports. WDEL’s “TrafficWatch on the 9s” remains on the air today.