WWDC is a commercial radio station in Washington, D.C., broadcasting to the Washington, DC-Baltimore, Maryland area. WWDC airs an alternative rock format on 101.1 FM branded as DC101.

History

WWDC-FM signed on in 1947 as a beautiful music station. In the late 1960s and early 1970s it simulcast with its (slightly more contemporary than) MOR AM sister station on weekdays, and played oldies at night and on weekends. In the mid-1970s it attempted album rock at night for a few months and then flipped full-time to an album rock music format. Its AM counterpart (now WWRC) was one of the first American radio stations to play a Beatles song when it played "I Want to Hold Your Hand" in January, 1964.

DC101's rock playlist typically swings toward the hard rock end of the rock spectrum, playing acts like Black Sabbath and Metallica. Early on, though, pop-oriented acts including Elton John and Rod Stewart often cropped up on-air. During the 1990s, DC101 interspersed more modern and alternative rock acts including Smashing Pumpkins and Stone Temple Pilots into its rotation to compete with its chief rival, WHFS-FM.

Until 1998, DC101 was among the last independently-owned radio stations in the Washington, D.C. market. The station's parent company, Capitol Broadcasting, sold DC101 and its AM sister station, WWDC-AM 1260 (now WWRC), to Chancellor Media, later AM-FM. Eventually, AM-FM was acquired by Clear Channel Communications, which now owns and operates a total of five radio stations in Washington, D.C. Like many other Clear Channel radio stations, DC101 has been criticized for having a limited play list. Listeners can hear the same songs several times throughout a 24-hour period.

DC101's facilities were once located on Connecticut Avenue between Dupont Circle and Farragut Square in downtown Washington, D.C. They later moved to Silver Spring, Maryland, and are now located in Rockville, Maryland.

DC101 is known for its prize give-aways. They give tickets most commonly, but also (more-rarely) give away larger prizes such as stereos, cars, boats, or trips.

Shock jock springboard

DC101 advanced the careers of several famous – and arguably notorious – morning radio personalities. Howard Stern made his mark on the station in the early 1980s. Stern was fired from the station on June 29, 1982, dubiously because of his on-air prank of pretending to call Air Florida airlines to book a flight to the 14th Street Bridge only one day after 78 people died when Air Florida Flight 90 crashed into the Potomac River at the bridge. There is a large amount of time between these milestones, as the crash of Air Florida 90 occurred on January 13, 1982, and the firing didn't come until late June. It is probably more accurate to state that Stern was fired because of an impasse met on his compensation, and the fact that he signed with WNBC during the latter part of his WWDC contract. DC101 is featured prominently in Stern's 1997 bio-pic Private Parts.

Stern was replaced by Doug Tracht, better known as the GreaseMan, who spent over ten years at the station, from August 2, 1982, to January 22, 1993, and returned to the station in April 2008, but eventually was laid off again in October 2008 so the station can focus solely on music on weekends without his comedy bits.

DC101's current morning program is Elliot In the Morning, led by Elliot Segal. Since beginning his tenure at DC101 in the late 1990s, Segal has been suspended and fined on several occasions for the show's sometimes controversial content.

Annual events

• DC101 Chili Cook-Off: Day-long festival featuring live bands heard on DC101, and a chili cookoff competition, held in downtown Washington, D.C. every spring to benefit the National Kidney Foundation.
• Kegs & Eggs
• Shantytown
• Non-denominational Christmas Party
• Downtown Countdown
• The Easter Keg Hunt (cancelled in 2009)
• Beef, Bullets, Beer, and Butts
• Elliot's Big Ass Football Bash
• Polar Plunge
• Elliot's Daytona 500 party
• Big-ass Halloween Bash
• Last Band Standing
• Roche's Water Wars
• The Thousand Dollar Thong Competition

Controversy

Elliot in the Morning v. Bishop O'Connell High School

The morning of May 7, 2002, on D.C. metro area shock jock Elliot Segal's radio program, DC101's "Elliot in the Morning" was conducting a contest. The winners of this contest would be cage dancers at an upcoming Kid Rock concert at George Mason University's Patriot Center. Wanting to be contestants, two sixteen-year-old O'Connell students, claiming to be eighteen, called the show. Instead of discussing the contest, the students, goaded by Elliot, discussed alleged sexual activity at O'Connell. The students, who had used false names on air, were suspended the same day for their comments. The principal addressed the student body over the PA system and criticized the immoral content of that morning's show. The following day (May 8th), Mr. Segal, angered by the students' suspension, personally insulted the principal on air, making lewd insinuations about his family. He also mocked the school's mission statement. The two days of broadcasting were ruled indecent by the FCC. As a result, in October 2003, sixteen months after the incident, DC101's parent company Clear Channel Communications was fined $55,000.

Awards

In 2007, the station was nominated for the top 25 markets Alternative station of the year award by Radio & Records magazine.Other nominees included WBCN in Boston, Massachusetts, KROQ-FM in Los Angeles, KTBZ-FM in Houston, Texas, KITS, in San Francisco, and KNDD in Seattle, Washington.

References

1. Answers.com
2. MarksFriggin.com - Stern Show News - Archive
3. Atlantic Magazine Article on Elliot in the Morning [1]
4. FCC Transcript of Elliot in the Morning's offensive material from May 7th and 8th, 2002 [2]
5. Mission Statement: "Our mission is to provide students an education rooted in the life of Christ and to foster the pursuit of excellence in the whole person." (quoted from O'Connell Website)
6. FCC Announcement of Fine (Released October 2, 2003)

External links

• DC101 official site
• DC101 HD2
• Elliot in the Morning show site
• Flounder's Mash-ups official site
• Roche official site