| City of license | WDEV: Waterbury, VT WDEV-FM: Warren, VT |
|---|---|
| Branding | Radio Vermont |
| Slogan | The Friendly Pioneer |
| Frequency | WDEV: 550 kHz WDEV-FM: 96.1 MHz |
| First air date | WDEV: July 16, 1931 WDEV-FM: August 11, 1989 |
| Format | Variety |
| ERP | WDEV: 5.0 kW (daytime) 1.0 kw (nighttime) WDEV-FM: 0.4 kW |
| HAAT | WDEV: 271 meters (889 ft) WDEV-FM: 694 meters (2,277 ft) |
| Class | WDEV: B WDEV-FM: C3 |
| Facility ID | WDEV: 54866 WDEV-FM: 54867 |
| Transmitter coordinates | WDEV: WDEV-FM: |
| Owner | Radio Vermont Group |
| Sister stations | WCVT, WLVB |
| Webcast | [1] |
| Website | wdevradio.com |
WDEV is a radio station based in Waterbury, Vermont, USA. WDEV broadcasts on the AM band at 550 kHz, and WDEV-FM, licensed to Warren, Vermont, broadcasts at 96.1 MHz. The stations' studios and offices are located near U.S. Route 2 in Waterbury. WDEV also operates a translator station, W243AT (96.5 FM), licensed to Barre, Vermont, and can also be heard on a privately-owned translator, W270BR (101.9 FM), licensed to Island Pond, Vermont. WDEV has been owned by Radio Vermont Group, controlled by the Squier family, since 1935.[1]
A 2003 article in Harper's magazine cited WDEV as one of the best examples of independent radio broadcasting in the United States.[2]
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WDEV, founded in 1931, operates on both the AM and FM bands. Its programming consists of talk shows (some, such as The Eric Michaels Show, are in-house, others, such as the left-leaning Democracy Now! and the right-leaning True North, are syndicated in), Music to Go to the Dump By, The Trading Post, music and sports. Mark Johnson and Anthony Pollina host local talk shows at, respectively, 9 a.m. and 1 p.m. weekdays.
The Trading Post is an early-morning advertising block that consists of people calling in with three items or less (and only one car, unless the others are free or a parts car) to advertise them to the listening public. There is also a "Mailbag Edition", which is the host reading written submissions. These are almost always textual, with the occasional (and unhelpful) picture thrown in.
Perhaps noting special attention is this odd programming block that runs "in memory of Marie" from 9 to 10 AM on Saturday mornings. It is hosted by Buster the Wonder Dog and his Faithful Companion, Ken. Ken is Ken Squier, station owner and operator.
Starting as soon as possible after 9, the show starts off with Ken talking to himself and Buster, apparently not noticing he is on the air. He talks to Buster as though he were a person; Buster makes no noise other than lapping at his water bowl and eating. After a couple minutes of this, Ken "realizes" that he's on the air, states the episode number (which he apparently makes up on the spot) and cuts to the theme song.
Following that, the show settles in to roughly an hour of odd songs, jokes the readers send in, and sporadic visits from Farmer Dave, who has run since 2002 on the "Undecided Cow Party" ticket for governor of the state.
The songs tend to be weird, and are an eclectic mix of rare recordings, home recordings sent in, and the occasional Tom Lehrer song. Florence Foster Jenkins enjoyed an extremely brief resurgence of popularity on the show, and occasionally a more 'mainstream' oddball tune, such as "I Like Chinese" or "The Monster Mash" will be played.
In March 2008, Buster died, putting this show on hiatus, until later in the year.
WDEV is an affiliate of the Boston Red Sox and Boston Celtics radio networks, both of which are based at WEEI from Boston. WDEV carries all regular-season and postseason Red Sox games, and airs most Celtics contests which do not conflict with baseball coverage. The station also broadcasts Norwich University men's hockey.
WDEV also airs the weekly card of auto racing from Thunder Road International Speedway in Barre, Vermont, where Squier is occasionally the P.A. announcer at the track. WDEV's other Motorsports programing, when there is no conflict, includes NASCAR Sprint Cup Series events.
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