WFRD
Encyclopedia
WFRD 99.3 FM is a radio station known as "99 Rock". It plays a modern rock
format and is licensed as a commercial FM radio station to Hanover, New Hampshire
, USA. The station serves the Lebanon
-Rutland-White River Junction
area. It is a stereo FM station with 6000 watts of effective radiated power
, with offices located on the campus of Dartmouth College
in Hanover.
. WFRD is completely independent of the university: it supports itself by selling advertising, and receives no funding from the university. Student staff members are, for the most part, unpaid (some are paid a stipend to help operate the station during the summer and other times when Dartmouth classes are not in session). The station is owned by Dartmouth College and managed by a board of overseers, composed of current and former Dartmouth Broadcasting alumnus. It acts as a training ground for students interested in broadcasting, as well as a serious commercial competitor in the Lebanon-Rutland-White River Junction radio market.
WFRD is very involved in the Hanover and Upper Valley community. The station features a "Community Calendar" segment, where non-profit organizations can send bulletins of their events to be read over the air during the morning and afternoon. WFRD also does remote broadcasts from a variety of locations in the area, and from local businesses around the Upper Valley, and it sponsors or helps to sponsor local charitable and cultural events.
as well as punk rock
and new wave rock. The call letters originally stood for "FM Radio Dartmouth", referring to Dartmouth College, after a lengthy debate over whether to choose WDCR-FM to link the FM station with its AM big brother or to give the new FM station an independent identity. Among the arguments for an independent identity was the possibility of selling the AM station once FM became the more popular broadcast band.
Since 2001, WFRD has been playing a modern rock format, specializing in artists such as Green Day
, Nirvana
, Pearl Jam
, The Red Hot Chili Peppers, Weezer
, Bush
, Linkin Park
, Sublime
, Blink-182
, The Offspring
, Incubus
, Foo Fighters
, Papa Roach
, and Metallica
.
, with a few classic rock tracks. At night, WFRD features the "99 Minute Nightmare," which features programming geared more towards heavy metal
, including bands like Slipknot
, Bullet for My Valentine
, Five Finger Death Punch
, Trivium
, and Megadeth
. There is focus on alternative rock
and modern rock, but classic rock songs are played as well.
Currently, WFRD features Chris Garrett and the "Rock N Go Morning Show" from 5-10 weekday mornings and Heath Cole on afternoons every weekday. The station's middays and evenings feature announcers who are students at Dartmouth College. The station also provides news and sports reports in the morning at every hour from 5:00 to 9:00 a.m. WFRD also features an entire hour of music from the 1990s every day at noon. The "Lou's Lunch Crunch" emphasizes grunge
and pop-alternative artists from the 1990s, as well as "The Happy Hour," weekdays from 5-6pm, featuring all listener requests.
WFRD recently added the weather services of WFFF-TV
Fox44 Television to their programming lineup. The "99Rock/Fox44 Skytracker Weather Forecast" airs 3 times per hour during the morning show, and once an hour throughout the rest of the day. This allows listeners of WFRD to keep up to date with the latest, constantly changing New England weather conditions.
games, as well as Dartmouth Football.
WFRD also features regular syndicated shows as part of its weekend lineup, including "The House of Hair" with Dee Snider
Saturday nights at 10 pm, "Harddrive" with Lou Brutus Saturday mornings at 6 am, as well as "Racing Rocks" with Riki Rachtman
Sunday mornings at 8 am, and "Out of Order" Saturday mornings at 8 am, hosted by Jed the Fish.
WFRD also features a weekly 2-hour local rock show, Sunday nights from 8-10 pm called "Homebrew", featuring local artists from around the region, including such names as Soul Octane Burner, Hexerei, One Big Mess, and Stonewall. Local artists are encouraged to submit their material for airplay. The show also features weekly in-studio interviews with local bands.
Modern rock
Modern rock is a rock format commonly found on commercial radio; the format consists primarily of the alternative rock genre...
format and is licensed as a commercial FM radio station to Hanover, New Hampshire
Hanover, New Hampshire
Hanover is a town along the Connecticut River in Grafton County, New Hampshire, United States. The population was 11,260 at the 2010 census. CNN and Money magazine rated Hanover the sixth best place to live in America in 2011, and the second best in 2007....
, USA. The station serves the Lebanon
Lebanon, New Hampshire
As of the census of 2000, there were 12,568 people, 5,500 households, and 3,178 families residing in the city. The population density was 311.4 people per square mile . There were 5,707 housing units at an average density of 141.4 per square mile...
-Rutland-White River Junction
White River Junction, Vermont
White River Junction is an unincorporated village and census-designated place in the town of Hartford in Windsor County, Vermont, United States...
area. It is a stereo FM station with 6000 watts of effective radiated power
Effective radiated power
In radio telecommunications, effective radiated power or equivalent radiated power is a standardized theoretical measurement of radio frequency energy using the SI unit watts, and is determined by subtracting system losses and adding system gains...
, with offices located on the campus of Dartmouth College
Dartmouth College
Dartmouth College is a private, Ivy League university in Hanover, New Hampshire, United States. The institution comprises a liberal arts college, Dartmouth Medical School, Thayer School of Engineering, and the Tuck School of Business, as well as 19 graduate programs in the arts and sciences...
in Hanover.
Organization
WFRD is a commercial radio station, but is unusual because it is operated and managed by Dartmouth BroadcastingDartmouth Broadcasting
Dartmouth Broadcasting began in 1920s with the ambitions of a few Dartmouth College students that decided to give a new technology called radio a try. The first broadcast occurred over copper wires linked in all the dorms. The station used the call letters WDBS...
. WFRD is completely independent of the university: it supports itself by selling advertising, and receives no funding from the university. Student staff members are, for the most part, unpaid (some are paid a stipend to help operate the station during the summer and other times when Dartmouth classes are not in session). The station is owned by Dartmouth College and managed by a board of overseers, composed of current and former Dartmouth Broadcasting alumnus. It acts as a training ground for students interested in broadcasting, as well as a serious commercial competitor in the Lebanon-Rutland-White River Junction radio market.
WFRD is very involved in the Hanover and Upper Valley community. The station features a "Community Calendar" segment, where non-profit organizations can send bulletins of their events to be read over the air during the morning and afternoon. WFRD also does remote broadcasts from a variety of locations in the area, and from local businesses around the Upper Valley, and it sponsors or helps to sponsor local charitable and cultural events.
History
WFRD's history goes back to 1976. The FCC-licensed FM station first went on the air in November 1976, originally broadcasting a wide variety of music, from classical to jazz, folk and progressive rockProgressive rock
Progressive rock is a subgenre of rock music that developed in the late 1960s and early 1970s as part of a "mostly British attempt to elevate rock music to new levels of artistic credibility." John Covach, in Contemporary Music Review, says that many thought it would not just "succeed the pop of...
as well as punk rock
Punk rock
Punk rock is a rock music genre that developed between 1974 and 1976 in the United States, the United Kingdom, and Australia. Rooted in garage rock and other forms of what is now known as protopunk music, punk rock bands eschewed perceived excesses of mainstream 1970s rock...
and new wave rock. The call letters originally stood for "FM Radio Dartmouth", referring to Dartmouth College, after a lengthy debate over whether to choose WDCR-FM to link the FM station with its AM big brother or to give the new FM station an independent identity. Among the arguments for an independent identity was the possibility of selling the AM station once FM became the more popular broadcast band.
Since 2001, WFRD has been playing a modern rock format, specializing in artists such as Green Day
Green Day
Green Day is an American punk rock band formed in 1987. The band consists of lead vocalist and guitarist Billie Joe Armstrong, bassist and backing vocalist Mike Dirnt, and drummer Tre Cool...
, Nirvana
Nirvana (band)
Nirvana was an American rock band that was formed by singer/guitarist Kurt Cobain and bassist Krist Novoselic in Aberdeen, Washington in 1987...
, Pearl Jam
Pearl Jam
Pearl Jam is an American rock band that formed in Seattle, Washington, in 1990. Since its inception, the band's line-up has included Eddie Vedder , Jeff Ament , Stone Gossard , and Mike McCready...
, The Red Hot Chili Peppers, Weezer
Weezer
Weezer is an American alternative rock band. The band currently consists of Rivers Cuomo , Patrick Wilson , Brian Bell , and Scott Shriner . The band has changed lineups three times since its formation in 1992...
, Bush
Bush (band)
Bush are an alternative rock band formed in London in 1992 shortly after vocalist/guitarist Gavin Rossdale and guitarist Nigel Pulsford met in a London nightclub. Realising they shared a love for such diverse artists as the Pixies, Bob Marley, The Jesus Lizard, MC5, Nirvana, Hüsker Dü, and Big...
, Linkin Park
Linkin Park
Linkin Park is an American rock band from Agoura Hills, California. Formed in 1996, the band rose to international fame with their debut album, Hybrid Theory, which was certified Diamond by the RIAA in 2005 and multi-platinum in several other countries...
, Sublime
Sublime (band)
Sublime was an American ska punk band from Long Beach, California, formed in 1988. The band's line-up, unchanged until their breakup, consisted of Bradley Nowell , Eric Wilson and Bud Gaugh . Michael "Miguel" Happoldt also contributed on a few Sublime songs, such as "New Thrash." Lou Dog, Nowell's...
, Blink-182
Blink-182
Blink-182 is an American rock band consisting of vocalist and bass guitarist Mark Hoppus, vocalist and guitarist Tom DeLonge, and drummer Travis Barker. They have sold over 27 million albums worldwide since forming in Poway, California in 1992...
, The Offspring
The Offspring
The Offspring is an American punk rock band from Huntington Beach, California, formed in 1984. Known as Manic Subsidal until 1986, the band consists of lead vocalist and rhythm guitarist Dexter Holland, lead guitarist Kevin "Noodles" Wasserman, bassist Greg K. and drummer Pete Parada...
, Incubus
Incubus (band)
Incubus is an American rock band from Calabasas, California. The band was formed in 1991 by vocalist Brandon Boyd, lead guitarist Mike Einziger, and drummer Jose Pasillas while enrolled in high school and later expanded to include bassist Alex "Dirk Lance" Katunich, and Gavin "DJ Lyfe" Koppell;...
, Foo Fighters
Foo Fighters
Foo Fighters is an American alternative rock band originally formed in 1994 by Nirvana drummer Dave Grohl as a one-man project following the dissolution of his previous band. The band got its name from the UFOs and various aerial phenomena that were reported by Allied aircraft pilots in World War...
, Papa Roach
Papa Roach
Papa Roach is an American rock band from Vacaville, California. Their first major-label release was the triple-platinum album Infest . The group's success continued with their gold album Lovehatetragedy , their platinum album Getting Away with Murder , The Paramour Sessions , and Metamorphosis...
, and Metallica
Metallica
Metallica is an American heavy metal band from Los Angeles, California. Formed in 1981 when James Hetfield responded to an advertisement that drummer Lars Ulrich had posted in a local newspaper. The current line-up features long-time lead guitarist Kirk Hammett and bassist Robert Trujillo ...
.
Weekday programing
The station's playlist during the week consists of a variety of modern rock music. During the day, the format is a mix of modern rock and active rockActive rock
Active rock is a radio format used by many commercial radio stations across the United States and Canada. Active rock plays contemporary rock artists with a mix of songs common in the classic rock radio format.-Format background:...
, with a few classic rock tracks. At night, WFRD features the "99 Minute Nightmare," which features programming geared more towards heavy metal
Heavy metal music
Heavy metal is a genre of rock music that developed in the late 1960s and early 1970s, largely in the Midlands of the United Kingdom and the United States...
, including bands like Slipknot
Slipknot (band)
Slipknot is an American heavy metal band from Des Moines, Iowa. Formed in 1995, the group was founded by percussionist Shawn Crahan and bassist Paul Gray...
, Bullet for My Valentine
Bullet for My Valentine
Bullet for My Valentine are a Welsh heavy metal band from Bridgend, formed in 1998. The band is composed of Matt Tuck , Michael Paget , Jason James , and Michael Thomas . They were formed under the name Jeff Killed John and started their music career by covering songs by Metallica and Nirvana...
, Five Finger Death Punch
Five Finger Death Punch
Five Finger Death Punch is an American heavy metal band from Los Angeles, California. Formed in 2005, the group's name is derived from classic oriental martial arts cinema. The band originally consisted of vocalist Ivan Moody, guitarist Zoltan Bathory, guitarist Caleb Bingham, bassist Matt Snell,...
, Trivium
Trivium (band)
Trivium is an American heavy metal band from Orlando, Florida, formed in 1999. Signed to Roadrunner Records, the band has released five studio albums, eleven singles, and twelve music videos...
, and Megadeth
Megadeth
Megadeth is an American heavy metal band from Los Angeles, California which was formed in 1983 by guitarist/vocalist Dave Mustaine, bassist Dave Ellefson and guitarist Greg Handevidt, following Mustaine's expulsion from Metallica. The band has since released 13 studio albums, three live albums, two...
. There is focus on alternative rock
Alternative rock
Alternative rock is a genre of rock music and a term used to describe a diverse musical movement that emerged from the independent music underground of the 1980s and became widely popular by the 1990s...
and modern rock, but classic rock songs are played as well.
Currently, WFRD features Chris Garrett and the "Rock N Go Morning Show" from 5-10 weekday mornings and Heath Cole on afternoons every weekday. The station's middays and evenings feature announcers who are students at Dartmouth College. The station also provides news and sports reports in the morning at every hour from 5:00 to 9:00 a.m. WFRD also features an entire hour of music from the 1990s every day at noon. The "Lou's Lunch Crunch" emphasizes grunge
Grunge
Grunge is a subgenre of alternative rock that emerged during the mid-1980s in the American state of Washington, particularly in the Seattle area. Inspired by hardcore punk, heavy metal, and indie rock, grunge is generally characterized by heavily distorted electric guitars, contrasting song...
and pop-alternative artists from the 1990s, as well as "The Happy Hour," weekdays from 5-6pm, featuring all listener requests.
Regular weekday features
There are several staples of WFRD's normal Morning Show programming. Every weekday morning at 6:20 Chris Garrett plays "Fact or Bullcrap", where five odd news stories are featured from around the world, a prize is given for the caller who identifies which story is untrue. At 6:50 weekday mornings, there is "Hard As Hell Trivia". In this segment, Chris Garrett asks a trivia question with the first caller to correctly identify the answer winning a prize. "Mad Movie Mayhem" is a daily feature at 7:50 where the caller has to identify the featured movie clip in order to win a prize. Prizes on WFRD range from concert and movie theater tickets, to certificates to local restaurants, to artist cd's provided by record companies.WFRD recently added the weather services of WFFF-TV
WFFF-TV
WFFF-TV is the Fox-affiliated television station for Vermont's Champlain Valley and Upstate New York's North Country. Licensed to Burlington, Vermont, it broadcasts a high definition digital signal on UHF channel 43 from a transmitter on Vermont's highest peak, Mount Mansfield...
Fox44 Television to their programming lineup. The "99Rock/Fox44 Skytracker Weather Forecast" airs 3 times per hour during the morning show, and once an hour throughout the rest of the day. This allows listeners of WFRD to keep up to date with the latest, constantly changing New England weather conditions.
Weekend programming
The station features a number of specialty programs on weekends, some focused on specific genres of rock music or its roots, and others on public affairs or sports. "Views From The Valley" is a 60 minute public affairs show that showcases various local events and news stories that airs Sunday Mornings at 7am. WFRD is the flagship station for the "Dartmouth Sports Network", which covers Dartmouth men's and women's hockeyIce hockey
Ice hockey, often referred to as hockey, is a team sport played on ice, in which skaters use wooden or composite sticks to shoot a hard rubber puck into their opponent's net. The game is played between two teams of six players each. Five members of each team skate up and down the ice trying to take...
games, as well as Dartmouth Football.
WFRD also features regular syndicated shows as part of its weekend lineup, including "The House of Hair" with Dee Snider
Dee Snider
Daniel "Dee" Snider is an American singer-songwriter, screenwriter, radio personality, and actor. Snider is most famous for his role as the frontman of the heavy metal band Twisted Sister...
Saturday nights at 10 pm, "Harddrive" with Lou Brutus Saturday mornings at 6 am, as well as "Racing Rocks" with Riki Rachtman
Riki Rachtman
Riki Rachtman is an American television and radio personality.-Rock scene:At the age of 16, Rachtman auditioned to sing in the band the Angry Samoans, and the next year he was in a band called the Fairlanes. In the late 1980s, Rachtman was lead vocalist of the L.A. Metal Act "Virgin"...
Sunday mornings at 8 am, and "Out of Order" Saturday mornings at 8 am, hosted by Jed the Fish.
WFRD also features a weekly 2-hour local rock show, Sunday nights from 8-10 pm called "Homebrew", featuring local artists from around the region, including such names as Soul Octane Burner, Hexerei, One Big Mess, and Stonewall. Local artists are encouraged to submit their material for airplay. The show also features weekly in-studio interviews with local bands.
Notable alumni
- Eric Wellman '91, currently Program Director at Q104.3 WAXQWAXQWAXQ is a radio station with a classic rock format in New York City. The station is owned by Clear Channel Communications.-WFDR:...
in New York CityNew York CityNew York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and... - Eric MacDonald '04, former Program Director at 96.7 The Coast WCTZ in Norwalk, ConnecticutNorwalk, ConnecticutNorwalk is a city in Fairfield County, Connecticut, United States. According to the 2010 U.S. Census, the population of the city is 85,603, making Norwalk sixth in population in Connecticut, and third in Fairfield County...
(now WKLV-FM, a K-LOVEK-LOVEK-LOVE is a Contemporary Christian music radio programming service in the United States operated by the Educational Media Foundation. As of January 2011, K-LOVE's programming is carried on over 440 FM stations and translators in 45 states. K-LOVE claims an audience of 250,000 people each week via...
affiliate)