WMFD (AM)
WMFD (630 AM) is a sports radio station broadcasting in Wilmington, North Carolina. It is currently branded as "ESPN Wilmington" and is also heard on 101.7 FM.
 | |
| City | Wilmington, North Carolina |
|---|---|
| Broadcast area | Wilmington, North Carolina |
| Frequency | 630 kHz |
| Branding | ESPN Wilmington |
| Programming | |
| Format | Sports |
| Affiliations | ESPN Radio |
| Ownership | |
| Owner | Capitol Broadcasting Company |
| WAZO, WKXB, WUIN, WILT | |
| History | |
First air date | 1935 |
Former frequencies | 1370 kHz (1935-1941) 1400 kHz (1941-1949) |
| Technical information | |
| Facility ID | 61701 |
| Class | B |
| Power | 800 watts day 1,000 watts night |
Transmitter coordinates | 34°16′19″N 77°58′28″W |
| Translator(s) | 101.7 MHz W269DF (Wilmington) |
| Links | |
| Webcast | Listen Live |
| Website | am630.net |
The radio station carries the games of the Cape Fear Rugby Football Club.
History
WMFD was Wilmington's first radio station. It was first licensed in 1935 and had retained its original call letters.[1]
In 1954, the station launched WMFD-TV, channel 6, Wilmington's first TV station.
In May 1996, Community Broadcasting sold radio stations WMFD, WUOY, and WBMS to a new company called Ocean Broadcasting. At this time, WMFD added Dr. Laura Schlessinger and The Fabulous Sports Babe, as well as CNN News part of the time.[2]
In 1999, WMFD was airing Don Imus.[3]
In 2000, WMFD changed to sports radio and added the minor-league baseball team Wilmington Waves.[4]
In July 2004, NextMedia Group purchased WRQR, WAZO, and WMFD from Ocean Broadcasting, and WKXB and WSFM from Sea-Comm Inc.[5]
In July 2008, Capitol Broadcasting announced its purchase of NextMedia's Wilmington stations.[6]
Translator
In addition to the main station, WMFD is relayed by a translator to widen its broadcast area. This station rebroadcast WLTT prior to 2014.
| Call sign | Frequency (MHz) | City of license | ERP (W) | Class | FCC info |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| W269DF | 101.7 | Wilmington, North Carolina | 250 | D | FCC |
References
- "AM Query Results: First license date" (FCC.gov).
- Kristina Bartlett, "WUOY-FM, WMFD-AM AND WBMS-AM / Stations Sold to Ocean Broadcasting; New Company Purchases 3 Wilmington Radio Stations," Star-News, May 17, 1996.
- Toby Eddings, "Imus on a local station? Not yet," The Sun News, Jan. 14, 1999.
- Chuck Carree, "Waves Baseball; Sports Station to Carry All Games," Star-News, November 16, 2000.
- Bonnie Eksten, "Ocean Broadcasting, Sea-Comm Stations Sold to NextMedia - New Owner to Operate Locally," Star-News, July 14, 2004.
- http://www.wral.com/business/story/3215727/, Retrieved on 2008/09/22.
External links
- WMFD in the FCC's AM station database
- WMFD on Radio-Locator
- WMFD in Nielsen Audio's AM station database
- W269DF in the FCC's FM station database
- W269DF on Radio-Locator
- FCC History Cards for WMFD (covering 1934-1981)