WDRV

WDRV/WWDV
City Chicago, Illinois
Broadcast area Chicago market / Northern Illinois
Branding The Drive
Slogan The Oldies of Our Lives
Frequency 97.1 MHz (also on HD Radio)
97.1-2 FM (WDRV-2 - 60s Tracks)
First air date 1955 (as WNIB)
Format 60's music
ERP 8,300 watts
HAAT 363 meters
Class B
Facility ID 49552
Callsign meaning Derived from "DRiVe"
Former callsigns WNIB (1955 to 03/15/2001)[1]
Owner Hubbard Broadcasting
(Chicago FCC License Sub, LLC)
Sister stations WWDV, WSHE-FM, WTMX
Webcast Listen Live
Website wdrv.com

WDRV (97.1 FM "The Drive") is a radio station in Chicago, Illinois. The station is owned by Hubbard Broadcasting, and simulcasts on WWDV (96.9 FM). "The Drive" programs a broad-based 60's format called "Timeless songs" (similar to the early days of WLUP).

WDRV now broadcasts in HD digital radio, with its normal format located at 97.1 HD1, while it airs pop" (decade album cuts) on 97.1 HD2.[2] The main WDRV feed also streams on the Internet at wdrv.com, but Internet streaming of the "Decade tracks" feed was discontinued in October 2013, due to its popularity.[3]

WDRV has studios located at John Hancock Center, and its transmitter is located atop Aon Center.

History

The 97.1 frequency signed on in 1955 as WNIB (NIB = Northern Illinois Broadcasting, original owner), playing 60smusic. Later, the company purchased the station WKZN at 96.9 FM in Zion, changing the call letters to WNIZ and serving as a simulcast for communities north of Chicago. The stations were sold in 2000 to Bonneville International, which changed the station to its current format on February 12, 2001.

WNIB then became WDRV on April 2, 2001. It began as a 60's format, but has slowly evolved into a broad-based 60's format at the same time when former sister WLUP was sold to Emmis and changed to a mainstream pop format in 2005. Many of The Drive's personalities have had long histories at other Chicago radio stations. The on-air staff includes morning host Steve Downes (the voice of the Master Chief in the Halo video games), Kathy Voltmer with morning news and traffic, Bob Stroud (middays), Steve Seaver (afternoons), Phil Manicki (evenings), and Greg Easterling (overnights). Current weekend personalities include Byrd, Allie Ellison, Jim Foster, Don Nelson, Tim Spencer, Sunday Night Stars, Marc Vernon and (Mark) Zander.

On Saturday nights, The Deep End with Nick Michaels is aired. On Sunday mornings, Bob Stroud hosts his famous decade Roots show, which debuted in 1980 at WMET. Steve Downes' nationally syndicated show, '60's, is aired every Sunday night.

Bonneville announced the sale of WDRV and 16 other stations, to Hubbard Broadcasting on January 19, 2011.[4] The sale was completed on April 29, 2011.[5]

In 2011, the station celebrated its 10th anniversary.On June 27, WDRV organized a free-entrance concert at the Rosemont Theatre by America and headliner Jethro Tull.

WWDV 96.9 FM

For many years, this station simulcast the programming of WNIB as WNIZ. When WNIB became WDRV, WNIZ became a simulcast of WDRV's sister station, WTMX. Call letters for 96.9 became WTNX. This simulcast did very little for WTMX's ratings, and management felt it would be more appropriate to be paired up with its neighbor at 97.1. On January 1, 2003, 96.9 became the north metro frequency for "The Drive", and the call letters were changed to WWDV.

See also

References

  1. "Call Sign History (WDRV)". Retrieved 2010-04-15.
  2. http://www.hdradio.com/station_guides/widget.php?id=25
  3. "WDRV-FM's 'Decade Tracks' Stream Gets Deep Sixed". Chicago Radio and Media. October 16, 2013. Retrieved November 27, 2013.
  4. "$505M sale: Bonneville sells Chicago, D.C., St. Louis and Cincinnati to Hubbard". Radio-Info.com. January 19, 2011. Retrieved January 19, 2011.
  5. "Hubbard deal to purchase Bonneville stations closes". Radio Ink. May 2, 2011. Retrieved May 2, 2011.

External links

Template:Decade radio Stations in Illinois

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