WRDB
WRDB (1400 AM) is a radio station in Reedsburg, Wisconsin, the station transmits 1,000 watts during the daytime and 640 watts during the nighttime from a tower located just west of Reedsburg. WRDB currently airs a mixture of oldies and sports radio– including Reedsburg Beavers high school football, boys and girls basketball, and baseball, as well as Milwaukee Brewers baseball, ESPN Sunday Night Baseball and Wisconsin Badgers football, basketball and hockey. WRDB is the primary sports station in the Reedsburg and Wisconsin Dells area.
| |
| Broadcast area | Sauk County, Wisconsin |
|---|---|
| Frequency | 1400 kHz |
| Branding | 97.3 WRDB |
| Programming | |
| Language | English |
| Format | |
| Affiliations | ESPN Radio |
| Ownership | |
| Owner | Magnum Communications, Inc. |
| WBKY, WBOO, WDLS, WNFM, WNNO-FM | |
| History | |
First air date | 1953 |
Call sign meaning | Reedsburg |
| Technical information[1] | |
Licensing authority | FCC |
| Facility ID | 59233 |
| Class | C |
| Power |
|
Transmitter coordinates | 43°32′30″N 90°2′5″W / 43.54167°N 90.03472°W |
| Translator | 97.3 W247CY (Baraboo) |
| Links | |
Public license information | |
| Webcast | Listen live |
| Website | www.973wrdb.com |
WRDB (1400 AM) is a radio station in Reedsburg, Wisconsin, the station transmits 1,000 watts during the daytime and 640 watts during the nighttime from a tower located just west of Reedsburg. WRDB currently airs a mixture of oldies and sports radio– including Reedsburg Beavers high school football, boys and girls basketball, and baseball, as well as Milwaukee Brewers baseball, ESPN Sunday Night Baseball and Wisconsin Badgers football, basketball and hockey. WRDB is the primary sports station in the Reedsburg and Wisconsin Dells area.[2][3][4]
History
[edit]WRDB first signed on the air in 1953.[5] Initially operating with 250 watts of power, WRDB functioned as a "full-service" station, providing a mix of local news, agricultural reports, and popular music.[6] In 1967, the station expanded its local presence by launching an FM sister station, WRDB-FM (104.9), which later became WNFM.[7][8]
In late 2007, the station was acquired by Magnum Communications (Magnum Media), a family-owned broadcaster led by Dave Magnum.[9] Longtime local broadcaster Thomas "Tommy Lee" Bychinski, who joined the station in 1973, became a defining voice of the station for over five decades before his passing in late 2025.[10]
Previous logo
[edit]
References
[edit]- ^ "Facility Technical Data for WRDB". Licensing and Management System. Federal Communications Commission.
- ^ "Reedsburg Beavers on WRDB". 97.3 WRDB. Retrieved December 18, 2025.
- ^ "Brewers Radio Network Affiliates". MLB.com. Retrieved December 18, 2025.
- ^ "National Radio Club DX News: Volume 90" (PDF). National Radio Club. September 22, 2023. Retrieved December 18, 2025.
- ^ "WRDB Facility Record". Federal Communications Commission. Retrieved December 18, 2025.
- ^ "Broadcasting Magazine: April 6, 1953" (PDF). World Radio History. April 6, 1953. Retrieved December 18, 2025.
- ^ Fybush, Scott (January 28, 2011). "A Drive Up Wisconsin's I-94". Fybush.com. Retrieved December 18, 2025.
- ^ "45th Edition of the NRC AM Log" (PDF). National Radio Club. November 7, 2025. Retrieved December 18, 2025.
- ^ Ellis, Jon (September 25, 2007). "Broadcasting News-September 2007". NorthPine: Upper Midwest Broadcasting. Retrieved December 18, 2025.
- ^ "Thomas "Tommy Lee" Bychinski Obituary". Farber Funeral Home. December 15, 2025. Retrieved December 18, 2025.
External links
[edit]- Facility details for Facility ID 59233 (WRDB) in the FCC Licensing and Management System
- WRDB in Nielsen Audio's AM station database
- FM translator
- Facility details for Facility ID 201584 (W247CY) in the FCC Licensing and Management System
- W247CY at FCCdata.org
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