WDZN (99.5 FM) is an active rock formatted broadcast radio station licensed to Midland, Maryland, serving the Frostburg/Cumberland area. WDZN is owned and operated by WVRC Media .

WDZN
Broadcast areaCumberlandFrostburg, Maryland
Frequency99.5 MHz
Branding99.5 DZN
Programming
FormatActive rock
AffiliationsCompass Media Networks
Ownership
Owner
  • WVRC Media
  • (West Virginia Radio Corporation of the Alleghenies)
WCMD, WDYK, WKLP, WQZK-FM, WVMD
History
First air date
April 1, 2008; 16 years ago (2008-04-01)
Former call signs
WVMD (2007–2012)
Call sign meaning
Disambiguation of "Disney" (former WVMD call sign and format)
Technical information[1]
Licensing authority
FCC
Facility ID166026
ClassA
Power1,050 watts
HAAT240 meters (790 ft)
Transmitter coordinates
39°40′29.50″N 78°57′43.30″W / 39.6748611°N 78.9620278°W / 39.6748611; -78.9620278
Repeater(s)99.5 WDZN-FM1 (Cumberland)
Links
Public license information
WebcastWDZN Webstream
WebsiteWDZN Online

History

edit

Originally known as WVMD, the station was scheduled to begin broadcasting sometime in early 2007, but finally launched with a smooth jazz format on April 1, 2008, at 12:00 midnight. Later that afternoon, a man named "Stu" claimed to have broken into and taken the radio station "hostage", playing only Country and demanding that the owner of the station bring back the John Boy and Billy show. John Boy and Billy had previously aired on WQZK, then an active rock station, which West Virginia Radio Corporation purchased in December 2006 and subsequently changed the format to Contemporary Hit Radio.

On the afternoon of April 2, it was announced that the smooth jazz format and the man named "Stu" were part of an April Fools' Day joke and that the station would in fact, be carrying a country music format.

The 99.5 frequency was previously home to a translator of Cumberland area radio station WCBC-FM.

Locally produced "Sunday Morning Bluegrass", which was previously heard on WROG, moved to WVMD on September 7, 2008.

On August 10, 2012, the station changed its call sign and its format to WDZN as part of a swap with its Romney, West Virginia-based sister station, 100.1 FM.

On October 3, 2016, WDZN changed their format from active rock to classic hits.[2]

On February 7, 2022, at 9am, WDZN changed their format from classic hits back to active rock, branded as "99.5 DZN", with the first song being "Smells Like Teen Spirit" by Nirvana.[3]

FM Booster

edit

WDZN's transmitter is located near Frostburg and the station's main signal has trouble reaching downtown Cumberland.

As such, West Virginia Radio Corporation applied for an FM booster, WDZN-FM1, located in Cumberland. The booster's antenna is located off Virginia Avenue, near Queen Street near the center of the city. This central location allows the booster to provide complete coverage of Cumberland.

Call sign Frequency City of license FID ERP (W) Class FCC info
WDZN-FM1 99.5 FM Cumberland, Maryland 177584 750 D LMS

References

edit
  1. ^ "Facility Technical Data for WDZN". Licensing and Management System. Federal Communications Commission.
  2. ^ WDZN Moves to Classic Hits Radioinsight - October 3, 2016
  3. ^ WDZN Rocks Western Maryland Radioinsight - February 7, 2022
edit