WILM-AM
Encyclopedia
WILM is a conservative talk radio station
broadcasting in Wilmington, Delaware
, USA. WILM is known as the station where radio and television talk show Joe Pyne
developed the confrontational style now standard in radio and TV talk shows. Another well-known WILM personality was Tom Mees
(ESPN
) who worked at the station in the 1970s.
In the 1950s and 1960s WILM, under the ownership of Ewing Hawkins, experimented with various music formats, including Top-40 and MOR (middle-of-the-road). For a time, the WILM deejays were known as the "Flip Top Jocks." One of the program directors was Dean Tyler, who would later go on to be an influential broadcaster and manager in Philadelphia radio. In the early 1970s WILM adopted an Adult contemporary music
format and featured an all-night block of rhythm and blues
music geared to the city's African-American community. By this time, the station was affiliated with NBC Radio.
In January 1976 WILM switched to an all-news format, using the short-lived NIS (News and Information Service), operated by NBC
. When the NIS ceased operations shortly thereafter, WILM continued on with its news format. Eventually the station modified its format and affiliated with the CBS
radio network for news and features. The station also kept a secondary affiliation with the Mutual Broadcasting System, which carried nighttime shows from Larry King.
By the 1990s, WILM had added syndicated talk programming throughout its lineup. The station became one of the first to add, then, the very first to drop Rush Limbaugh's daily show from its schedule. A former program director said the decision was made due to incompatibilities with sales and audience demand but has since acknowledged the station chose not to pay increased carriage fees. During this period, another Wilmington station with a stronger signal, WDEL
also adopted a full time news and talk format, beginning direct competition with WILM, including picking up Rush Limbaugh's program.
By 2000, WILM began to shift toward talk radio. The syndicated "Mike Gallagher Show" joined local host John Watson on the station's daily schedule. An evening hour featured a cavalcade of amateur talk radio hosts; most were members of the Wilmington-area community. Weekend programming was almost exclusively all satellite talk by 2004.
In 2004, owner Sally V. Hawkins sold WILM to Clear Channel Communications
for $4 Million. On July 28, 2006, WILM-AM dropped the national newscasts from CBS Radio and switched to Fox News Radio. Clear Channel has moved WILM into a new broadcast facility shared with its other Delaware stations. The new facility allows automated operation and Clear Channel reduced WILM's local air staff and local programming and added syndicated talk programming including Rush Limbaugh
, Sean Hannity
and Michael Savage
. Both Limbaugh and Hannity had been carried by WDEL during a period when it dominated local ratings in the talk format, although these programs have not received comparable ratings on WILM.
In 2010, Clear Channel dropped WILM's morning news block programming and replaced it with a local talk show hosted by Bruce Elliott, who had previously done a weekend talk show at WBAL
in Baltimore. In 2011, about six months after Elliott's arrival, Clear Channel dropped WILM's late morning local talk show hosted by John Watson and replaced it with a syndicated program hosted by Glenn Beck
(which Clear Channel distributes). Almost all programs on WILM are simulcast on Clear Channel's WDOV
in Dover. WILM, which once boasted about its large local news staff, now carries local news from WDOV.
Radio station
Radio broadcasting is a one-way wireless transmission over radio waves intended to reach a wide audience. Stations can be linked in radio networks to broadcast a common radio format, either in broadcast syndication or simulcast or both...
broadcasting in Wilmington, Delaware
Wilmington, Delaware
Wilmington is the largest city in the state of Delaware, United States, and is located at the confluence of the Christina River and Brandywine Creek, near where the Christina flows into the Delaware River. It is the county seat of New Castle County and one of the major cities in the Delaware Valley...
, USA. WILM is known as the station where radio and television talk show Joe Pyne
Joe Pyne
Joe Pyne was an American radio and television talk show host, who pioneered the confrontational style in which the host advocates a viewpoint and argues with guests and audience members...
developed the confrontational style now standard in radio and TV talk shows. Another well-known WILM personality was Tom Mees
Tom Mees
Thomas E. Mees at Southington, Connecticut, was an American sports broadcaster specializing in ice hockey.-Early life and career:...
(ESPN
ESPN
Entertainment and Sports Programming Network, commonly known as ESPN, is an American global cable television network focusing on sports-related programming including live and pre-taped event telecasts, sports talk shows, and other original programming....
) who worked at the station in the 1970s.
In the 1950s and 1960s WILM, under the ownership of Ewing Hawkins, experimented with various music formats, including Top-40 and MOR (middle-of-the-road). For a time, the WILM deejays were known as the "Flip Top Jocks." One of the program directors was Dean Tyler, who would later go on to be an influential broadcaster and manager in Philadelphia radio. In the early 1970s WILM adopted an Adult contemporary music
Adult contemporary music
Adult contemporary music is a broad style of popular music that ranges from lush 1950s and 1960s vocal music to predominantly ballad-heavy music with varying degrees of rock influence, as well as a radio format that plays such music....
format and featured an all-night block of rhythm and blues
Rhythm and blues
Rhythm and blues, often abbreviated to R&B, is a genre of popular African American music that originated in the 1940s. The term was originally used by record companies to describe recordings marketed predominantly to urban African Americans, at a time when "urbane, rocking, jazz based music with a...
music geared to the city's African-American community. By this time, the station was affiliated with NBC Radio.
In January 1976 WILM switched to an all-news format, using the short-lived NIS (News and Information Service), operated by NBC
NBC
The National Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network and former radio network headquartered in the GE Building in New York City's Rockefeller Center with additional major offices near Los Angeles and in Chicago...
. When the NIS ceased operations shortly thereafter, WILM continued on with its news format. Eventually the station modified its format and affiliated with the CBS
CBS
CBS Broadcasting Inc. is a major US commercial broadcasting television network, which started as a radio network. The name is derived from the initials of the network's former name, Columbia Broadcasting System. The network is sometimes referred to as the "Eye Network" in reference to the shape of...
radio network for news and features. The station also kept a secondary affiliation with the Mutual Broadcasting System, which carried nighttime shows from Larry King.
By the 1990s, WILM had added syndicated talk programming throughout its lineup. The station became one of the first to add, then, the very first to drop Rush Limbaugh's daily show from its schedule. A former program director said the decision was made due to incompatibilities with sales and audience demand but has since acknowledged the station chose not to pay increased carriage fees. During this period, another Wilmington station with a stronger signal, WDEL
WDEL
WDEL is a news/talk radio station in Wilmington, Delaware. WDEL first signed on in 1922 and is one of the first 100 broadcast radio stations licensed in the US. WDEL is a class B station, currently operating at 5,000 watts....
also adopted a full time news and talk format, beginning direct competition with WILM, including picking up Rush Limbaugh's program.
By 2000, WILM began to shift toward talk radio. The syndicated "Mike Gallagher Show" joined local host John Watson on the station's daily schedule. An evening hour featured a cavalcade of amateur talk radio hosts; most were members of the Wilmington-area community. Weekend programming was almost exclusively all satellite talk by 2004.
In 2004, owner Sally V. Hawkins sold WILM to Clear Channel Communications
Clear Channel Communications
Clear Channel Communications, Inc. is an American media conglomerate company headquartered in San Antonio, Texas. It was founded in 1972 by Lowry Mays and Red McCombs, and was taken private by Bain Capital LLC and Thomas H. Lee Partners LP in a leveraged buyout in 2008...
for $4 Million. On July 28, 2006, WILM-AM dropped the national newscasts from CBS Radio and switched to Fox News Radio. Clear Channel has moved WILM into a new broadcast facility shared with its other Delaware stations. The new facility allows automated operation and Clear Channel reduced WILM's local air staff and local programming and added syndicated talk programming including Rush Limbaugh
Rush Limbaugh
Rush Hudson Limbaugh III is an American radio talk show host, conservative political commentator, and an opinion leader in American conservatism. He hosts The Rush Limbaugh Show which is aired throughout the U.S. on Premiere Radio Networks and is the highest-rated talk-radio program in the United...
, Sean Hannity
Sean Hannity
Sean Hannity is an American radio and television host, author, and conservative political commentator. He is the host of The Sean Hannity Show, a nationally syndicated talk radio show that airs throughout the United States on Premiere Radio Networks. Hannity also hosts a cable news show, Hannity,...
and Michael Savage
Michael Savage (commentator)
Michael Savage is a conservative American radio host, author, and political commentator. He is the host of The Savage Nation, a nationally syndicated talk show that airs throughout the United States on Talk Radio Network...
. Both Limbaugh and Hannity had been carried by WDEL during a period when it dominated local ratings in the talk format, although these programs have not received comparable ratings on WILM.
In 2010, Clear Channel dropped WILM's morning news block programming and replaced it with a local talk show hosted by Bruce Elliott, who had previously done a weekend talk show at WBAL
WBAL (AM)
WBAL is a news-talk radio station located in Baltimore, Maryland, USA. WBAL broadcasts on a clear channel frequency with 50 kilowatts of power. Owned by the Hearst Corporation, WBAL's tri-mast transmitters are located in Randallstown, Maryland...
in Baltimore. In 2011, about six months after Elliott's arrival, Clear Channel dropped WILM's late morning local talk show hosted by John Watson and replaced it with a syndicated program hosted by Glenn Beck
Glenn Beck
Glenn Edward Lee Beck is an American conservative radio host, vlogger, author, entrepreneur, political commentator and former television host. He hosts the Glenn Beck Program, a nationally syndicated talk-radio show that airs throughout the United States on Premiere Radio Networks...
(which Clear Channel distributes). Almost all programs on WILM are simulcast on Clear Channel's WDOV
WDOV
WDOV is a radio station broadcasting a News Talk Information format. Licensed to Dover, Delaware, USA, the station serves the Dover area...
in Dover. WILM, which once boasted about its large local news staff, now carries local news from WDOV.
Notable alumni
- Jim Bachman - Traffic broadcaster, Shadow Traffic, Philadelphia; Sports broadcaster, WCBS Newsradio 88, New York
- Tom Byrne WHYY-TVWHYY-TVFor the former channel 12 in Wilmington, see WVUE .WHYY-TV, channel 12, is a non-commercial educational television station licensed to Wilmington, Delaware, USA...
- Matt Demlein - Newscaster/Reporter 1140 WRVA Newsradio, Richmond, VA
- Jim DeSouza - News director, WDIYWDIY-External links:*...
public radio, Allentown, PA - Tom DonahueTom DonahueTom "Big Daddy" Donahue , was a pioneering rock and roll radio disc jockey, record producer and concert promoter....
- Top 40 DJ in Philadelphia and Los Angeles, d. 1975 - Mark Fowser - Newscaster, traffic reporter Metro Networks, Philadelphia
- Janet Fried - Reporter/newscaster, Millennium Radio New Jersey NetworkWOBM (AM)WOBM is a radio station broadcasting an oldies format. Located near Lakewood Township, New Jersey, the station serves the Monmouth County area. The station is owned by Millennium Shore License Holdco, LLC and features programing from Dial Global and CNN Radio.The station was originally a...
- Randy Hennig - Editor, Voice of AmericaVoice of AmericaVoice of America is the official external broadcast institution of the United States federal government. It is one of five civilian U.S. international broadcasters working under the umbrella of the Broadcasting Board of Governors . VOA provides a wide range of programming for broadcast on radio...
- Valerie Knight - Morning show co-host, WOGLWOGLWOGL is an FM radio station in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA.The station plays mostly post 1964 pop leaning Oldies positioned Classic Hits music, including Motown, soul and rock and roll spanning roughly 1964–1985. An occasional pre-1964 song is played. WOGL is owned by CBS Radio...
Oldies 98, Philadelphia - John Lewis - Newscaster, WCBMWCBMWCBM is a Talk formatted broadcast radio station in Baltimore, Maryland. The station is owned by WCBM Maryland, Inc., which also owns WVIE, 1370 AM...
, Baltimore - Allan Loudell - News anchor/Reporter, WDELWDELWDEL is a news/talk radio station in Wilmington, Delaware. WDEL first signed on in 1922 and is one of the first 100 broadcast radio stations licensed in the US. WDEL is a class B station, currently operating at 5,000 watts....
Wilmington, DE - Donna McQuillan - Sports anchor/reporter, UPI RadioUnited Press International Radio NetworkOriginally named "UPI Audio," the United Press International Radio Network was an audio actuality news service for radio and television stations from then-major wire service United Press International....
; Sports reporter, WPENWPEN (AM)WPEN is an AM radio station broadcast on 950 kHz. The station is licensed to Philadelphia and serves that market. WPEN is owned and operated by Greater Media and offers a Sports Talk format. The station is known as "950 ESPN"-The Early Years:...
Philadelphia, d. 2011 - Tom MeesTom MeesThomas E. Mees at Southington, Connecticut, was an American sports broadcaster specializing in ice hockey.-Early life and career:...
- Sports broadcaster, ESPN RadioESPN RadioESPN Radio is an American sports radio network. It was launched on January 1, 1992 under the original banner of "SportsRadio ESPN." ESPN Radio is located at ESPN headquarters in Bristol, Connecticut...
, d. 1996 - Sharon Mittelman - Newscaster, CBS Radio NetworkCBS Radio NetworkThe CBS Radio Network provides news, sports and other programming to more than 1,000 radio stations throughout the United States. The network is owned by CBS Corporation, and operated by CBS Radio ....
- Marcy Norton - Newscaster, Wall Street Journal Radio NetworkWall Street Journal RadioThe Wall Street Journal Radio Network has provided radio news to its affiliates for over 25 years. It is a part of The Wall Street Journal, owned by Dow Jones....
- Shawn O'Domski - News cameraman, WPRI Providence, RI
- Jim Osman - KYW-TV Philadelphia, Investigative Reporter
- Michele Pilenza - Fill-in host New Jersey 101.5
- Joe PyneJoe PyneJoe Pyne was an American radio and television talk show host, who pioneered the confrontational style in which the host advocates a viewpoint and argues with guests and audience members...
- Nationally-syndicated talk show host, d. 1970 - Jeff Seldin - Editor, WTOPWTOP-FMWTOP is an all-news formatted broadcast radio station licensed to Washington, D.C., serving Metropolitan Washington, DC area. WTOP is owned by Hubbard Broadcasting.WTOP is one of two all-news stations in the Washington, D.C...
Newsradio, Washington, DC - Mike Strug - Reporter, WCAUWCAUWCAU, channel 10, is an owned-and-operated television station of the NBC Television Network, located in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. WCAU has its studios on the border between Philadelphia and Bala Cynwyd. It broadcasts a high definition digital signal on UHF channel 34 from a transmitter in the...
NBC 10, Philadelphia - Adam Tuss - Reporter, WTOPWTOP-FMWTOP is an all-news formatted broadcast radio station licensed to Washington, D.C., serving Metropolitan Washington, DC area. WTOP is owned by Hubbard Broadcasting.WTOP is one of two all-news stations in the Washington, D.C...
Newsradio, Washington, DC - Dean Tyler - Music director, WIBG (now WNTPWNTPWNTP 990 is a politically conservative talk radio station which serves the Philadelphia area. It is owned by Salem Communications, along with a number of similar channels in various markets. Some of those whose programs are run by WNTP include Michael Medved, Dennis Prager, Dennis Miller, Michael...
); Program Director and General Manager, WPENWPEN (AM)WPEN is an AM radio station broadcast on 950 kHz. The station is licensed to Philadelphia and serves that market. WPEN is owned and operated by Greater Media and offers a Sports Talk format. The station is known as "950 ESPN"-The Early Years:...
, both in Philadelphia - Lauren Wilson - Wilmington reporter, WPVIWPVI-TVWPVI-TV, channel 6, is an owned-and-operated television station of the Walt Disney Company-owned American Broadcasting Company, located in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA. WPVI has its studios located on the border between Philadelphia and Bala Cynwyd, and its transmitter is located in the...
ABC 6, Philadelphia - Jon Warner - Sportscaster, WTOPWTOP-FMWTOP is an all-news formatted broadcast radio station licensed to Washington, D.C., serving Metropolitan Washington, DC area. WTOP is owned by Hubbard Broadcasting.WTOP is one of two all-news stations in the Washington, D.C...
Washington, DC; CNN, AP, CBS and NBC radio networks