WDGC-FM

WDGC-FM
Frequency88.3 MHz
Programming
FormatHigh school radio
Ownership
OwnerDowners Grove Community High School District 99
History
First air date
February 28, 1969[1]
Call sign meaning
Downers Grove Community
Technical information[2]
Licensing authority
FCC
Facility ID59285
ClassA
ERP250 watts horizontal
HAAT40 meters (130 ft)
Transmitter coordinates
41°48′16.1″N 88°0′44.2″W / 41.804472°N 88.012278°W / 41.804472; -88.012278
Links
Public license information

WDGC-FM is a high school radio station located in Downers Grove, Illinois. The station is shared between Downers Grove North and Downers Grove South high schools, with the transmitter residing at Downers Grove North.[3] When student DJs are not on the air, a computer program that plays songs on shuffle and inserts station identifications and public service announcements is turned on.[3]

History

WDGC-FM's origins lie in a carrier current station started in 1966.[4] It was then known as WDGN and operated at 600 AM.[4] WDGC-FM was granted a construction permit on November 25, 1968.[5] On February 28, 1969, WDGC-FM began broadcasting with 10 watts of power on 88.3 FM.[1] In 1974, the station's ERP was increased to 250 watts, using a directional antenna to protect nearby stations on adjacent frequencies.[5] In 1997, the old transmitter was replaced with a new Broadcast Electronics transmitter.[4] In 1998, the station purchased digital Pacific Research and Engineering Airwave consoles for both studios.[4] The cart machines at the North studio were replaced with Sony minidisc systems and a non-linear computer based audio editing program.[4]

WDGC-FM was silent from June 1, 2019 to November 14, 2020.[6][7][8] In November 2020, the station was fined $1,000 for failing to notify the FCC of its silent status and request authorization to remain silent in a timely fashion, making a false certification on its license renewal application, as well as other violations.[6][7][8]

References

  1. ^ a b 1971 Broadcasting Yearbook, Broadcasting, 1971. p. B-63. Retrieved May 18, 2020.
  2. ^ "Facility Technical Data for WDGC-FM". Licensing and Management System. Federal Communications Commission.
  3. ^ a b "WDGC 88.3 FM". WDGC-FM. Community High School District 99. Archived from the original on March 4, 2007.
  4. ^ a b c d e "WDGC History". WDGC-FM. Community High School District 99. Archived from the original on December 29, 2007.
  5. ^ a b History Cards for WDGC-FM, fcc.gov. Retrieved May 18, 2020.
  6. ^ a b "FCC Report 11/28: Illinois High School Station Fined To Settle Compliance Issues", RadioInsight. November 28, 2021. Retrieved December 10, 2021.
  7. ^ a b "FCC Fines District 99 Radio Station $1K For Rule Noncompliance", Patch. December 3, 2021. Retrieved December 11, 2021.
  8. ^ a b Feder, Robert. "Robservations: ABC 7 wins late-news ratings in November; Sports anchor Dan Roan talks up retirement; WGN Radio overlooks Dan Hampton arrest", RobertFeder.com. November 29, 2021. Retrieved December 11, 2021.