| City of license | Frederick, Maryland |
|---|---|
| Broadcast area | Central Maryland |
| Branding | "930 WFMD" |
| Slogan | "Frederick's News Radio" |
| Frequency | 930 kHz |
| First air date | 1936 |
| Format | News/Talk/Sports |
| Power | 5,000 watts daytime 2,500 watts nighttime |
| Class | B |
| Facility ID | 31136 |
| Callsign meaning | W Frederick MarylanD |
| Owner | Clear Channel (Aloha Station Trust, LLC (As Trustee)) |
| Sister stations | WFRE |
| Webcast | WFMD Webstream |
| Website | WFMD Online |
WFMD is a News/Talk/Sports formatted broadcast radio station licensed to Frederick, Maryland, serving Central Maryland. WFMD is owned and operated by Clear Channel.
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WFMD first went on the air January 1, 1936. Its first studios were located on the top floor of Winchester Hall on Church Street. Next the station moved into part of the Francis Scott Key Hotel. During this period the programing consisted of live performers, mostly local country music groups, along with programs from the CBS radio network.
WFMD moved from the hotel to its own building at the intersection of 7th and Market Street in a large yellow building with the call letters spelled out in bright green letters. In the early 1970s, the station moved to its current location at 5966 Grove Hill Road. It shares the same building as its sister station WFRE. The station's Longest owner was local broadcaster Jim Gibbons. Before Mr. Gibbons bought the station. He was known as a local television sports anchor and the radio voice of the Washington Redskins.
During the time that the station ran live and often local country music, many famous musicians passed through the studio. Bud Messiner and his Saddle Pals, Buck Ryan and Sleppy McDaniels were examples. Several of these musicians even went on to become well known in Nashville, Tennessee. Sleppy McDaniels went on to play steel guitar for Country Music Hall of Fame member Hank Snow.
WFMD has had many well-known on on-air staff over the years, including George Rogers and Stu Kerr who, after leaving WFMD, both went to Baltimore to help start WMAR TV. While on WFMD Kerr was not a news man as on TV but was primarily known as a featured vocalist on the station. His main duet partner was a lady who performed under three different names: Dixie Rodgers, Princess Dreaming Water and Princess Summerfall Winterspring. The last two names reflected her Native American Heritage.
The two most well-known on-air staff of the station were "Happy" Johnny Zufall who came to the station in the 1950s to do the early morning shift. It is said that when local farmers had "Happy" Johnny on their barn radios the cows heard him and gave more milk. After retiring, "Happy" Johnny did a short program where he would read children's letters to Santa.
On January 12, 1971 "Happy" Johnny announced his retirement from WFMD. A young man from Florida named Tommy Grunwell, who was married to Jim Gibbons' daughter, took over the morning show until the station went to an all-talk format. Grunwell did the voices of an old man and woman with whom he would interact as if they were in the studio with him. He was also known to have two nicknames, The man who owned the morning in Frederick, and "The Great Grundoon". He often referred to his show as "The Great Grundoon bumper to bumper road show". In the 1970s Grunwell also hosted a Thursday night show called "The Merry Go Round", which he did from a local hotel. Also during this time Grunwellhosted a once monthly show called "The Breakfast Club", which he also did as a remote from a shopping mall located across the street from the station.
Some of the other on-air staff over the years have been:
In the 1970s and 1980s the station had a softball team named "The Towers". They played many charity softball games.
For several years in this time period, the station ran a contest called Salute to Retail. In this contest listeners went to a local business to pick up a bumper sticker and then they would listen for their car tag number to be called over the air. When they heard their number the car owner would call the station within the allotted time to win a cash prize.
This community project was started at another local radio station before moving to WFMD. The project works with the local chapter of the Salvation Army to provide toys for local needy children in Frederick.This is held every year during the week following Thanksgiving.
Christmas Cash for Kids takes pride in the fact that all donations collected go directly to the children. There are no overhead costs involved so that for every dollar collected CCFK gets up to $1.25 in buying power. This is done by working with local businesses to buy toys at a volume discounts, along with clothes and blankets.In 2008 Christmas Cash for Kids raised over $123,000 for the children of Frederick Country.
Many of the people who worked at the previous stations come back to WFMD to help this cause.
WFMD along with its sister station WFRE were put into a trust by owner Clear Channel Communications with the intention to sell the stations.[1]
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