In 1962, the station signed on as WEOK-FM. It was the sister station to WEOK1390 AM and was Poughkeepsie's second FM station after WKIP-FM (today's WSPK). The main purpose of the station at the outset was to provide Muzak programming to area offices and stores via its subcarrier. By day, WPDH simulcast the AM's middle of the road (MOR) format, with block programming airing between the AM's sign off and 10:00 p.m.
In 1972, WEOK AM and FM were sold to the Dyson family (also owners of Dyson Racing) and with the sale came key changes to the FM side. The transmitter moved from a site in Milton (now used by WVKR) to the current Illinois Mountain site. It upgraded to a full Class B signal and added FM stereo capabilities in the process.
Country Music to AOR
At the end of these upgrades, it relaunched as country music formatted WPDH. At the time, only some people owned FM receivers and almost no car radios were equipped for FM radio. WPDH was beaten by New York City signal WHN after that station flipped to country. With the poor ratings playing country music, management saw a hole for an album-oriented rock (AOR) station in the Hudson Valley. The leading rock stations from New York City, 95.5 WPLJ and 102.7 WNEW-FM, were difficult to receive so far from Manhattan. In 1976 WPDH abandoned country for rock music, and this format remains to this day.
Through its decades in rock radio, there have been several variations of WPDH's format. At the outset, it was automated, with no disc jockeys. Then, it added DJs, playing progressive rock along with an occasional jazz track. The format evolved through the 1980s as the station gradually tightened its playlist to the top selling albums of the day, and the last couple of decades of rock.
The splintering of rock in the 1980s and early 1990s had varying effects on WPDH. The station added heavy metal into the playlist as well as early modern rock and European imports. The station remained successful and was a solid #1 in the market in the early 1980s, and by the 1990s was alternating the #1 spot in the market with 104.7 WSPK's Top 40 sound.
Classic Rock
In 1994, WPDH owners Crystal Radio Group (the Dyson family spinoff headed by Rob Dyson) purchased Middletown-based 92.7 WKOJ and 1340 WALL from Orange & Rockland Utilities. With this purchase came an opportunity to both solve the new rock dilemma and to strengthen WPDH by owning its only direct competition. WPDH spent the latter part of 1994 and early 1995 evolving to Classic Rock while WKOJ flipped to alternative rockWRRV in April 1995.
WPDH's ratings went through some instability in the early years as classic rock. It was the regular #2 to WSPK's #1 by the turn of the 21st century. Rob Dyson sold the Crystal Radio Group to Aurora Communications in 2001 which, in turn was bought out by Cumulus Media in 2002. Amid an extended drop in ratings, WPDH was relaunched as a mainstream rock station over Labor Day Weekend 2003. Gary Cee, formerly of WLIR, was hired as program director, and the station stabilized at the top of the ratings in both Dutchess and Orange counties.
In January 2012, Andrew Boris, program director of sister station WRRV, became the new program director of WPDH.[4]
No formula changes in the programming were enacted. Boris later began hosting the morning drive time show, in addition to his PD duties.
Changes in Ownership
On August 30, 2013, a deal was announced in which Cumulus would swap its stations in Dubuque, Iowa, and Poughkeepsie (including WPDH) to Townsquare Media in exchange for Peak Broadcasting's Fresno, California stations. The deal was part of Cumulus' acquisition of Dial Global. Townsquare, Peak, and Dial Global are all controlled by Oaktree Capital Management.[5][6]
The sale to Townsquare was completed on November 14, 2013.[7] Under Townsquare management, WPDH plays a large amount of classic rock with a few current and recent titles.
Current WPDH Personalities
Andrew Boris & Robyn Taylor "The Boris & Robyn Show" (weekdays 6-10am)
Hopkins (middays 10am-2pm)
Tigman (afternoons 2-6pm)
Ultimate Classic Rock (evenings 6pm-12am)
Bobby Welber, news reporter (The Boris & Robyn Show)
Brian Jones (news director and morning/afternoon news anchor, 2000-2008; later news director at WHUD, WBPM, WLNA, WGHQ, WBNR and WSPK)
Susan Browning, formerly at WNEW, WDRE/WLIR, WYNY, Y107, WFAS, now WHUD
Gary Cee (former program director, now program director and afternoon host on WNNJ-FM, as well as director of operations of Clear Channel TriState Radio in Sussex, New Jersey and midday host on Z93 (WBWZ, also known as Rock 93.3)
'Bubbles' (morning show sidekick with Schantz/Stefanci and Sussman/Stefanci)
Joseph "Joe" Sussman (later program director Q-104/WQBK-FM Albany and WPYX)
Kevin Karlson
Pete McKenzie
Heather Ford
Reno
Steve Frankenberry (now on WBPM and assistant production director at Pamal, Poughkeepsie)
Bill Palmeri (longtime program director, Operations Manager and general manager), also launched WRRV/RRB as GM with Greg O'Brien PD and Boris MD. Now Area President for iHeartmedia Allentown and Williamsport, PA
Greg O'Brien (former program director of both WPDH and WRRV. though not simultaneously, and before that, WPDH Music Director)
Clayton "The Rock and Roll Rebel" Trag later of Q-104/WQBK Albany, Gone but never forgotten 1993.
Kevin ODell "aka Turf as Sports Director" and overnight jock. Also provided comedy for the Wolf's morning show doing imitations of Pee Wee Herman, Jim Ignatowski from Taxi and more.
Michael "Mad Mike" Colvin (Producer of, and voice actor on, several WPDH morning programs Most Notably: "Wakin' Up with the Wolf", "Cooper & Zolz", and "Cooper & Tobin", Voice characters included "40's Man", "Cognac the Magnificent", "Guy", and parodies of various sports announcers voices.)
Marshall "Sean Lennon" Rhoades (Now of Mole N' Zanes' Podcast of Rambling Randomness™ and digitalzoneent.com)
Notable alumni
Mike Breen, sportcaster, began his career on WPDH/WEOK around 1982-83, reading the news in the morning. Later, news/sports sidekick for Imus in the morning on NBC, play-by-play commentator for the NBA on ABC and the lead commentator for New York Knicks games on the MSG network. He also works NBA games for ESPN, and was formerly a play-by-play announcer for New York Giants preseason games, as well as for regular season NFL games on both Fox and NBC.
Jason Barrett, former program director of WPEN in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, began his career hosting the wrestling show "No Holds Barred" on Sunday nights.
