WDCD (AM)
| |
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Ownership | |
Owner | DJRA Broadcasting, LLC |
WDCD-FM | |
History | |
First air date | August 10, 1948 |
Last air date | October 16, 2017 |
Former call signs |
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Call sign meaning | Donald Crawford (founder/CEO of previous owner) |
Technical information | |
Facility ID | 833 |
Class | B |
Power | 50,000 watts |
Transmitter coordinates | 42°44′1.3″N 73°51′47.4″W / 42.733694°N 73.863167°W |
WDCD was a news/talk radio station licensed to
The station went off the air in April 2012 and returned to the air on March 27, 2013 simulcasting
History
WDCD signed on August 10, 1948 as WPTR, with 10,000 watts of power from Colonie. The original call sign request of WNYS was denied due to protests, so the WPTR call letters were requested to reflect the original licensee, Patroon Broadcasting Company, which was owned by Schine Chain Theatres.
WPTR also had a partnership with a local FM station (W47A/WBCA, the first independent FM radio station in the United States) to produce pre-recorded programming in WBCA's state-of-the-art Schenectady studios.
On September 16, 1953, American Airlines Flight 723 flew between the northeast and center towers of the station's 3 tower array. The plane was cleared for a contact approach to Albany Airport's Runway 10. On final approach, while still miles west of the airport, the Convair descended too low, and, at an altitude of 308 feet (94 m), struck two of the set of three 365 foot (111 m)-tall radio masts arrayed northeast to southwest. The right wing struck the center tower of the three, then the left wing struck the northeast tower. Seven feet of the outer panel of the right wing including the right aileron and control mechanism from the center hinge outboard together with 15 feet of the left outer wing panel and aileron separated from the aircraft.
Ground impact occurred 1,590 feet (480 m) beyond the northeast tower. At this point, the aircraft had rolled to a partially inverted attitude. The nose and left wing struck the ground first. The rest of the airplane fell to earth in short order and caught fire. The aircraft narrowly missed hitting a trailer park on the Albany-Schenectady road. All 28 occupants on board (25 passengers, 2 pilots, and a flight attendant) were killed. The aircraft crashed just north of Central Avenue (NY Route 5).[7] To date, this is the worst aviation accident in the Albany area.
By 1957, in an effort to become more competitive with the more established stations in the region, a new "
With FM stations becoming increasingly popular with younger listeners, WPTR's ratings entered a steady decline in the mid-1970s, and in 1980 the station's owner, Rust Communications (which also owned
Upon taking over, Crawford changed the call sign to WDCD, in honor of founder Don Crawford. (Albany Broadcasting reclaimed the WPTR calls the following March, on the former
WDCD began broadcasting in HD digital radio in 2006, the second AM station in the area to do so. Later, the station ended HD Radio transmissions, and began signing off between 9-10 every night. WDCD temporarily left the air on April 1, 2012 to make plans for a new format.[8]
WDCD was shut down on October 16, 2017. On September 28, 2018, DJRA Broadcasting, LLC surrendered the station license to the FCC for cancellation.[4] The station's towers were demolished on October 10, 2023.[9]
References
- ^ "WDCD Facility Record". United States Federal Communications Commission, audio division.
- ^ silent station lists fcc
- ^ F.C.C.’s list of silent A.M. stations, as of May 3, 2018; retrieved May 23, 2018.
- ^ a b Crawford, Donald Jr. (September 28, 2018). "Broadcast License Surrendered for Cancellation". Retrieved October 2, 2018.
- ^ "FCC Actions: April 18 Decisions: To Remain Silent", Broadcasting, April 28, 1952, page 86.
- ^ "WPTR, Owned by Theatre Chain, Starts in Albany" (PDF). Broadcasting. August 9, 1948. Retrieved 29 December 2014.
- Aviation Safety Net
- ^ "Notification of Suspension of Operations / Request for Silent STA". CDBS Public Access. Federal Communications Commission. Retrieved March 9, 2012.
- ^ Gorenstein, Ben (October 12, 2023). "Old WPTR 1540 radio towers demolished in Colonie". WNYT.com NewsChannel 13. Retrieved October 15, 2023.
External links
- FCC Station Search Details: DWDCD (Facility ID: 833)
- FCC History Cards for WDCD (covering 1946-1981 as WPTR)