WCDX
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| WCDX | |
 |
|
| Broadcast area | Mechanicsville, Virginia/Richmond |
|---|---|
| Branding | "Power 92-1 Jamz" |
| Slogan | 18 In A Row Hip Hop And Home Of The Russ Parr Morning Show |
| First air date | 1984 |
| Frequency | 92.1 (MHz)  |
| Format | Mainstream Urban |
| ERP | 4,800 watts |
| Owner | Radio One |
| Website | http://www.power921jamz.com/ |
WCDX is a Mainstream Urban radio station that serve the Richmond area of Virginia. It is licensed to Mechanicsville, is owned by Radio One. WCDX shares the same broadcasting tower in Western Richmond with WWLB and WRXL (both owned by Clear Channel.
[edit] History
92.7 started as an FCC assigned frequency for Mechanicsville Va., in what is called the "table of allocations" in 1968,but it would be 18 years before the station would actually go on the air.Throughout the late sixies, seventies, and early eighties there were many applicants applying to the FCC trying to get the 92.7 assigment, including Sinclair Telecable,owners of local R&B outlet WANT-AM.
Due to different and more involved federal regulations on the assigment of broadcast licenses,the legal battle over who would get 92.7 lasted from 1968 thru early 1984. By late 1984, Sinclair Telecable emerged as the winner of the 92.7 license. By this time they had sold off WANT-AM. Then shortly after the assigment, 92.7 became a CP (construction permit)in 1984 as WPUF on 92.7 MHz. These calls were never actually used on-air, however.Due to Sinclair's heavy involvement in the local Urban format at WANT-AM, and the fact Richmond only had one Urban station (WPLZ) it was thought the station would go Urban. The announcement was made they were going to sign on as a Top 40/CHR station. In July, 1985, the station changed calls to WZZR and signed on as a a top 40 radio station known as "93Lazer" later that year. It had stiff competition from legendary top 40 station WRVQ. "93Lazer" never caught on in the Richmond market because of its weak signal vs WRVQ'a powerful 200,000 watt signal, although a night DJ they had at the time who called himself "Kid Crockett"" later became nationally famous syndicated host "Kid Kelly" of the "Backtraxx" programs. In February of 1987, management changed the calls to WCDX and flipped the station to Adult Contemporary' as "CD 92.7", after several days of on-air stunting first running a comtinous heartbeat then playing the Rolling Stones "Satisfaction" over and over again. The WCDX calls were in reference to their new CD configuration and to note that the station played music off CDs. The ratings for WCDX stayed low mostly dues to competition from better established WEZS (now WMXB). In November,under consultant Don Kelly and Operations Manager (and leter General Manager) Ben Miles,they became "Power 93", which was a "Churban", Urban mixed with some pop crossover tunes. By the early 90's, all non-urban music was gone. Even with a weak signal, 92.7 was a very successful station in the Richmond market. Juan Conde, currently a popular local Richmond TV News Anchor, started his broadcast career as a DJ at WCDX in 1988. One of WCDX's most famous allumni is "American Idol" contestant Elliott Yamin, who was a former Richmond resident and for a time served as WCDX's overnight DJ.
In 1996, a series of events started by crosstown owners of WDCK-FM Keymarket Communications, with the intention to moving 96.5 WDCK's city of license from Williamsburg to a location closer to Richmond occurred that caused WDYL which was on 92.1 to move to a new frequency on 105.7, and WCDX moved to the better 92.1 frequency. The 92.7 frequency was deleted to permit WUVA, a station on 92.7 in Charlottesville, Virginia, to increase its power.(Despite their efforts, Keymarket was unable to get approval for their intended city of license transfer of WDCK, and sold the station, now WKLR licensed to Fort Lee, shortly thereafter)
WCDX remained the only Urban station in Richmond until 2001, when WBTJ flipped from oldies to urban as "106.5 the Beat". With the exception of a few occasions, WBTJ's larger signal has given it slightly higher listenership in Richmond and outlying areas.
[edit] Station Management
- Operations Manager Al Payne
- Program Director Reggie Baker
- Music Director Stress
| Radio One |
|---|
|
Mainstream Urban Stations: KBFB | KBXX | WCDX | WCKX | WDHT | WENZ | WERQ | WFXA | WGZB | WHHH | WHHL | WHTA | WHTD | WIZF | WKYS | WPHI | WQOK |
By frequency: 87.7 | 88.9 | 89.7 | 90.1 | 91.1 | 92.1 | 93.1 | 94.5 | 95.3 | 96.5 | 97.3 | 98.1 | 98.9 | 99.3 | 100.1 | 100.3 | 101.1 | 102.1 | 103.7 | 104.7 | 105.7 | 106.5 | 107.3
By callsign: WARV | WAUQ | WBBT | WBTJ | WCDX | WCVE | WDCE | WDYL | WHCE | WKHK | WKJM | WKJS | WKLR | WLFV | WMXB | WPZZ | WRIR | WRVQ | WRXL | WTVR | WTVR-TV (audio signal) | WWLB | WYFJ
Blacksburg-Christiansburg-Radford-Pulaski | Norfolk-Newport News-Virginia Beach (FM) (AM) | Richmond (FM) (AM) | Roanoke (FM) (AM) | Fredericksburg | Winchester | Charlottesville | Harrisonburg
