WDCF - A History
WDCF-AM 1350 Dade City – WDCF (Dade City, Florida) went on the air in December 1954 from studios at the transmitter site off US 301/98, south of downtown Dade City. It was a one kilowatt daytimer (night operation with 500 watts didn’t begin until the late 70’s) owned by Pasco Broadcasting Company (E.P. Martin, president). Other owners have included Stuart and Thelma Picard (1956), Pasco Broadcasting Corp. (Charles Varner, president 1960), WDCF Radio, Inc. (Norman O. Protsman, president- 1966), Dade City Radio, Inc. (R. Duane Anderson, president 1970), Brewer Broadcasting (Jim Brewer, president/GM-1982), Fletcher Broadcasting (Jim & Sandra Fletcher-1990), and Collins Communications Group (Jeffrey Maggio and Lori Collins-1993).
WDCF programming has included a variety of formats – country, gospel, news/talk/sports (1998), and Spanish/Religious (Radio Jubileo-2007). Today (2008) the station programs a simulcast of bartered talk and Music of Your Life from sister station WTAN (TanTalk) in Clearwater. However, some local programming is produced at the Dade City studios which are still located at the transmitter site (37905 WDCF Drive). It is a 24-hour operation with a power of one kilowatt days and 500 watts night. Radio World, Inc. (David Wagenvoord, president), the licensee since 2002, also owns Zephyrhills’ WZHR.
Other names from WDCF history include Elmo P. Kitts (GM/sales manager-1955; chief engineer 1961), Chaz Roye (PD-1955), Bill Craig (news director-1955), G.E. Strait (chief engineer-1956), Joe Higgins (1955), Bill Bailey (news director-1956; GM-1961), B.J. Roye (women’s director-1956), F.F. Elkins (1956), (Uncle) Art Day (1957), Ron Picard (sales manager-1957), Jim Gandy (chief engineer-1957), Margaret Francisco (news director-1957), Earl Warner (1957), Chuck Roberts (1957), Vince Grant (1960), John Andre (chief engineer-1960), Don Heither (sales manager-1961), Shirley Westerfield (PD-1964), Jerry Steen (chief engineer-1964), Rodney B. Walker (GM/sales manager-1965), Eugene D. Hill (news director-1965), Marty Schaap (station manager-1966), George Day, Jr. (GM-1967), Wade Bodiford (station manager-1967; sales manager-1968), Ron Brown (1967), Dave Harrell (PD-1968), Sandra Hines (news director), Darlene Bamburger (news director-1968), Tom Goins (chief engineer-1968), Adrian Smith (PD-1969), John Tytka (news director-1969), W.R. Strait (chief engineer-1969), Lonnie Hughes (1969), Ray Webb (GM-1971), Mike Hemmingson (PD/news director-1971), Jerry Stockard (1972), Tony Dexter (news director/chief engineer-1972), Pat Webb (news director-1973), Jim Johnson (chief engineer-1974), Bert Pardun (station manager-1975), Dave Carter (PD-1975), Jeff Williams (news director-1975), and Jay Perry (PD-1979).
Other former staffers include Tina Cruz, Don Barger (gospel host), Jim Padgett (gospel host), Steve Michaels, Tommy Thomas, Mike Conrad, Dave Tarry (chief engineer), Jean Caldwell (GM), Bobby Rich, Paul Rebbman (chief engineer), Bob Duckett, Greg First, Gerald Newton (sports director), Keith Chatfield (program director), Maggie Morrison, Doug Sanders (news director), Lina Parish (GM), Steve Baker (station manager and morning host), Allen Dean, Ed Pendino (chief engineer), Don Christopher, Tim Hobson (operations manager, program director), Michael Sharp, Charlie Murphy (news director), Phil Thompson, Bob Haa (program director), Lisa Gordon, Matthew Birmingham (news director), Harold Sample, Jim O’Boyle, Brett Sperry, Charlie Wooten (chief engineer), Mark Chase (mornings), Darrell Williams (sports play-by-play), Howard Hodges, Gary Oesch, Tony Arden (mornings), Jay Price (operations manager, program director), John Conway, Martha Byars, Dan Jackson, Jim Fletcher (PD-1991), David Sharp (operations-1994), John Mouw (station manager/engineer 1999-2002), and Mark Nolte (station manager-2008).
(Thanks to Tim Hobson who helped with this history. Please contact us if you have additional information to share about WDCF.)
Station History
1954 - 2008 Other Tampa Bay Area Stations (History)
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