WDGC

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WDGC
Broadcast area	Downers Grove, Illinois
Slogan	"The biggest variety of music with no commercials. And that's a promise."
First air date	1968
Frequency	88.3 FM (MHz)
Format	Variety
Callsign meaning	Downers Grove Community
Owner	Downers Grove Community High School District 99
Website	WDGC Homepage[1]

WDGC is a high school radio station located in Downers Grove, Illinois.

The station runs commercial-free 24-hours a day and is shared between the Downers Grove North and Downers Grove South school studios, with the transmitter residing at the North building. It primarily consists of regular scheduled student programming. The station also features newscasts, school news, live local band performances, live sporting events and community interest programming. When student DJs are not on the air, a computer program that plays songs on shuffle, station identifications, and public service announcements can be turned on until the next scheduled DJ takes over.^[1]

1 History
2 Plans for the Future
3 Student DJ Requirements
4 Communities Served
5 See Also
6 External links
7 References

[edit] History

WDGC was founded by Fred Moore in 1965, with its first station having been a janitor's closet and the first transmitter having been built in a shoebox. It was created from a drama club experiment and funded by parental donations.^[2]

In 1966, it was on the airwaves, but just barely. It was then known as WDGN (most likely for its Downers Grove North roots) and ran on only one watt of power. The WDGN transmission used the PA system to broadcast. The signal was so weak it could only be heard on 600 AM and if a listener placed their radio by a PA speaker. After numerous phone calls to Washington D.C. and two rejected applications to contact the FCC, WDGC was granted a construction permit which in turn allowed the station to be broadcast to Downers Grove and other surrounding communities.^[2]

In 1968, the station was finally approved and was broadcast with 10 watts of power on 88.3 FM.^[2]

In 1972, the station bought a used transmitter and re-tuned it, bringing the station to 250 watts of power. Four years later it made the final jump to stereo.^[2]

In 1981, the station was granted a room to be turned into a in Downers Grove North where it still presently remains.^[2]

In 1997, the old transmitter was replaced with a new 250 watt transmitter.^[2]

In 1998, the station purchased digital Pacific Research and Engineering Airwave consoles for both studios. The cart machines at the North studio were replaced with Sony minidisc systems and a non-linear computer based audio editing program.^[2]

In 2007, the studio at Downers Grove South was renovated, creating a less cluttered environment in the main studio and adding on two sub-studios for the adjacent classroom to practice in.^[3]

Over the course of WDGC's forty-plus year history, only three people have been general manager/faculty advisor of the North studios: Moore (1965-1995), Beth Carter (1995-1999), and John Waite (1999-present), all of whom were at one time or another English teachers at the school.

[edit] Plans for the Future

The station plans to replace its JAMPRO directional antenna located at the North station. This replacement will help achieve a greater listening experience through better signal and sound quality for the WDGC listeners.^[2]

[edit] Student DJ Requirements

The full semester radio classes are open to all Downers Grove high school students on all grade levels. To become an official WDGC DJ, the student must pass the Radio I class with an A or B semester grade. The student can then continue on his or her choice to take Radio II or Radio III. This process is to ensure that only the dedicated and trained students are able to host their own radio show.^[4]