WUDR
Encyclopedia
History
Through the mid-1990s, the University also operated a 50,000 watt commercial radio station, WVUD-FM (99.9 MHz), playing album-oriented rock (AOR). The station was know, colloquially, as "VUD", "FM-100" and "The Radio Station".In the mid-1970s, WVUD became Dayton's first album oriented rock station providing an alternative to Top 40 -formatted WING. The airstaff was composed of U.D. students. In the late 60s through mid-1970s, General Manager was University of Dayton Communication Arts Department Chairman George Biersack. Biersack hired back former WVUD staffer and UD grad Chris Cage Caggiano from WING-AM. Biersack's marching orders for Cage were to "grab the 18 to 34 year-olds" but to "avoid that WING sound". Music Director was Dan Covey, who later landed at WING. Cage was succeeded by Geoff Vargo.
WVUD-FM competed with WTUE-FM for dominance of the Dayton market. Utilizing a strategy of first-to-market "breaking" of new songs, a vast collection of record albums, and a lengthy song-rotation schedule (to keep the sound "fresh"), the station competed on its diversity of music and knowledge of artists and bands by disc jockeys. The station enjoyed stature and cache sufficient that touring major rock acts, such as Jackson Browne, Shawn Phillips, and Billy Joel, were interviewed live in-studio. Students staffed on-air slots, and personalities such as Patty Spittler, Dan Covey, Art Farkas, Alan McConnell, Dan Pugh aka Dan Patrick
Dan Patrick
Daniel Patrick Pugh , professionally known as Dan Patrick, is an American sportscaster, radio personality, and actor from Mason, Ohio...
, Mary Kuzan, Jim Tobin ("Yost"), Keith Wright, and Dan Ross, competed successfully with much more experienced radio pros. After graduation, many WVUD "alumni" went on to attain significant professional career success in radio nationwide. On April 1, 1978, the station spoofed listeners claiming it had, overnight, changed radio formats to big-band 1940s music. Complaints to station management, from loyal, if disgruntled, listeners, were counted into the hundreds. So convincing was the transformation, that many did not realize it was an "April Fool's" joke. Normal operations resumed the next day.
Eventually, through the 1980s, WTUE won the ratings war. The University sold WVUD-FM in 1992, and the WVUD call sign was, subsequently, adopted by another college radio station in Delaware.
WUDR is also home to immensely popular, Rock Show. The weekly show, hosted by Tommy Dee and Sean Noone has been snubbed several times by the Peabody Awards and has also failed to be recognized by the National Library of Congress as a recording of cultural importance. Tune in every Wednesday from 4-6PM.