City Durham, North Carolina Frequency 1490 kHz First air date February 29, 1948 | Broadcast area Raleigh-Durham Translator(s) W252DK 98.3 Format Indian/South Asian | |
WDUR (1490 AM) is an Indian/South Asian radio station in Durham, North Carolina, owned by Ravi Cherukuri, through licensee Arohi Media LLC. The channel plays primarily Bollywood Hits while embracing the rest of the South Asian culture through news, Tamil/Telugu Music and much more.
History
WSSB signed on the air on February 29, 1948, occupying the 1490 frequency that cross-town station WDNC abandoned that same day to move down the dial to 620 kHz. In late 1951, WSSB merged operations with another Durham station, Mutual Broadcasting System affiliate WHHT1590 AM (which subsequently left the airwaves).
Charles Cook was a DJ when the station was the number one Top 40 station in Durham in the late 1960s. He played white and black artists, and he was one of the few white DJs to acknowledge black schools and their accomplishments.
During the 1980s and 1990s WDUR played music targeting the black community. The station simulcast WFXC and WFXK until 1994, when it began playing R&B oldies. A gospel format began in October 1997 on WDUR and WZZU which became what is now WNNL The Light 103.9.
By the mid-1990s, the station was owned by Clear Channel Communications and, by the year 2000, simulcasted then-oldies WTRG. For part of the 2000s the station aired the same programming as WTSB, a sports talk station. It was during that time when Clear Channel sold WDUR to Triangle Sports Broadcasters.
On August 27, 2007, an application was filed with the FCC to transfer the license to Prieto Broadcasting, which agreed to pay $900,000 contingent on FCC approval, which was granted on October 15, 2007. Prieto Broadcasting is located in Doraville, Georgia, and specializes in Spanish language radio targeting the Hispanic community. WDUR later became Radio Luz 1490 AM, and aired the Regional Mexican programming of WETC.
The FCC process cited in the authorization requires that the parties notify the FCC within 90 days after approval that the transfer of the license and station to the new owner has been consummated. However, that notice was not received by the FCC and the license remained with Triangle Sports Broadcasters.
Triangle Sports Broadcasters sold WDUR, and filed an application (314) on April 7, 2014 with FCC for license transfer to Arohi Media LLC., a Texas-based company owned by Ravi Cherukuri. FCC released a public notice on April 9, 2014 as part of this process. On July 8, 2014, WDUR returned to the airwaves after a two-year hiatus under Arohi Media's ownership with Indian radio programming for South Asian community – a first for the market.
WDUR began broadcasting on FM translator W253DK 98.3 FM on August 18, 2016.