Branding 93.7 & 106.3 The Dude | Format Country | |
City WUDE: Bolivia, North Carolina
WNTB: Topsail Beach, North Carolina Broadcast area Wilmington, North Carolina Frequency WUDE: 106.3 MHz
WNTB: 93.7 MHz First air date WUDE: 1986 (as WPGO)
WNTB: 2000 (as WFXZ) | ||
WUDE (106.3 FM)/WNTB (93.7 FM) "The Dude" are simulcast radio stations broadcasting a country music format. Licensed to Bolivia, North Carolina, USA, and Topsail Beach, North Carolina, USA, respectively, WUDE and WNTB serve the Wilmington area. The stations are currently owned by Thomas Davis, through licensee Davis Media, LLC of Williamsburg, Virginia.
Both WUDE & WNTB are CBS News affiliates. Local programming was overhauled in April 1, 2013 by Hometown Wilmington Media, which had purchased the then-WLTT/WNTB from Sea-Comm Inc. the previous November. The stated reason for the move was to transform the station into a source of "unbiased news and information" in keeping with the company's larger goals.
History
The 106.3 frequency was WCCA, a beach music station and then a classic country station. before taking over the call letters and talk format previously heard on what is now 103.7 WILT when Sea-Comm Media purchased the station. With the call letters WLTT, 106.3 became a news/talk station called "The Big Talker" and in 2004, WWTB, an adult standards station at 103.9 FM which was licensed to Topsail Beach, North Carolina, began airing the same programming. Sea-Comm general manager Paul Knight called the format a "not-politically-correct talk station." This simulcast ended when the WBNE 93.7 frequency took the role, moving to Topsail Beach and changing its letters to WNTB.
WLTT changed its license city in 2009 from Shalotte to Bolivia. WLTT and WNTB simulcast The Big Talker to 5 counties in southeastern North Carolina.
Curtis Wright hosted "The Morning Beat" for four years ending in March 2010. He was replaced by Robby Kendall, who left May 6. Having come from a Whiteville station, Kendall had insufficient knowledge of Wilmington's history and politics, and he disliked the early hours. Neither general manager Paul Knight nor Wright wanted Wright's return. Kendall's co-host Chad Adams took over the show.
With the "retirement" of Chad Adams on March 29, 2013, the station identification was changed from "The Big Talker FM" to "Port City Radio". On April 1, 2013, the format was changed to local news from 6:00 AM to 6:00 PM.
After stunting with a ticking clock, on December 2, 2013, WLTT and WNTB changed their format to country, branded as "The Dude". On December 10, 2013, WLTT changed their call letters to WUDE, to go with the "Dude" branding.