WDUV

WDUV, known as "The Dove", is a radio station broadcasting on 105.5 FM, serving the Tampa Bay media market in Florida.

History

Initially signing on in October 1963 with a beautiful music format, WDUV was formerly licensed to Bradenton in Manatee County and formerly broadcast at 103.3 FM. The station originally shared the same studio facilities on Tamiami Trail in Bradenton with WBRD AM 1420 and the Bradenton news bureau of WXLT-TV; at the time, all three stations were owned by the same family. In the early-1990s, WDUV relocated its frequency to 103.5 FM, to improve its coverage area in the Tampa Bay area. By the mid-1990s, WDUV would be acquired by Jacor Broadcasting (since absorbed by Clear Channel Communications), who relocated its studios to St. Petersburg.

As recently as 1997, WDUV continued to play about 50 percent instrumental music.^[1]

In 1999, WDUV would swap its frequency with Classic rock station WTBT, moving from 103.5 to the stronger 105.5 signal (WTBT is now WFUS, "US 103-5" country music). However, both frequencies would retain their transmitting locations and cities of license—after the swap, WDUV became licensed in New Port Richey with transmitting facilities in Holiday, while WTBT / WFUS, whose transmitter was located in Riverview, became licensed in Bradenton. (That station has since been relicensed to Gulfport.)

Shortly after the swap, Clear Channel would sell WDUV to its present owner, Cox Radio.

Current programing and format evolution

Currently, the station specializes in playing a so-called "super-soft" and heavily oldies-based soft adult contemporary format, which announcers for the station describe as "continuous lite favorites." Over the past decade or so, the station's music mix has evolved from an "easy listening" format featuring a sprinkling of "adult standards" artists such as Frank Sinatra, Tony Bennett, and Connie Francis to its current direction, which is a mixture of softer Top 40 and soft rock favorites from chiefly the late 1960s through the 2000s. Artists frequently heard on the station include Elton John, The Carpenters, Celine Dion, Barry Manilow, Lionel Richie, Bread, The Beatles, Fleetwood Mac, The Supremes, Sade, Bette Midler, and The Eagles.

The station formerly also featured one or two smooth jazz instrumentals an hour as a segway from its past "beautiful music" format. With the purge of the "adult standards" artists from the station's playlist and addition of some more recent and more upbeat songs, the smooth jazz instrumentals were dropped completely.

WDUV is owned by Cox Radio, and is one of the highest-rated radio stations playing a format of its kind in the United States. According to Arbitron, WDUV was the highest-rated radio station in Tampa Bay, beating out its nearest competitor, WFLA, by nearly three full percentage points in the winter of 2008. Currently, WDUV has a 9% market share out of all the radio stations licensed for the Tampa area, sliding one percentage point from 2005.

WDUV's popular morning show, which airs from 6 to 10 a.m., was hosted by radio personality Dick Ring until he left the station on April 27, 2012.^[2] The following Monday, Ring, who moved to North Carolina, was replaced by Ann Kelly, also the afternoon drive host for WWRM. The remainder of the broadcasting day is generally automated and without disk jockeys—which was how WDUV operated for most of its life on the air.

Sample hour

A sample hours of music on WDUV in June, 2012, included songs such as the following:

• "Can't Get Enough of Your Love Babe" - Barry White
• "Giving You the Best That I Got" - Anita Baker
• "Baby Come Back" - Player
• "Because You Loved Me" - Celine Dion
• "Imagine" - John Lennon
• "The Living Years" - Mike & The Mechanics
• "Your Song" - Elton John
• "Still" - The Commodores
• "Wind Beneath My Wings" - Bette Midler
• "How Deep Is Your Love" - The Bee Gees
• "Rainy Days and Mondays" - Carpenters

References

External links

• WDUV website
• Query the FCC's FM station database for WDUV
• Radio-Locator information on WDUV
• Query Nielsen Audio's FM station database for WDUV

Coordinates: 28°10′59″N 82°46′05″W / 28.183°N 82.768°W / 28.183; -82.768