WRDB

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WRDB
Broadcast areaSauk County, Wisconsin
Frequency1400 kHz
Branding97.3 WRDB
Programming
LanguageEnglish
Format
AffiliationsESPN Radio
Ownership
OwnerMagnum Communications, Inc.
WBKY, WBOO, WDLS, WNFM, WNNO-FM
History
First air date
1953; 72 years ago (1953)
Call sign meaning
Reedsburg[1]
Technical information[2]
Licensing authority
FCC
Facility ID59233
ClassC
Power1,000 watts day
640 watts night
Transmitter coordinates
43°32′30″N 90°2′5″W / 43.54167°N 90.03472°W / 43.54167; -90.03472
Translator97.3 W247CY (Baraboo)
Links
Public license information
WebcastListen live
Websitewww.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.[3][4][5]

History

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WRDB first signed on the air in 1953.[6] 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.[7] In 1967, the station expanded its local presence by launching an FM sister station, WRDB-FM (104.9), which later became WNFM.[8][9]

In late 2007, the station was acquired by Magnum Communications (Magnum Media), a family-owned broadcaster led by Dave Magnum.[10] 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.[11]

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References

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  1. ^ "Call Letter Origins". Radio History on the Web.
  2. ^ "Facility Technical Data for WRDB". Licensing and Management System. Federal Communications Commission.
  3. ^ "Reedsburg Beavers on WRDB". 97.3 WRDB. Retrieved December 18, 2025.
  4. ^ "Brewers Radio Network Affiliates". MLB.com. Retrieved December 18, 2025.
  5. ^ "National Radio Club DX News: Volume 90" (PDF). National Radio Club. September 22, 2023. Retrieved December 18, 2025.
  6. ^ "WRDB Facility Record". Federal Communications Commission. Retrieved December 18, 2025.
  7. ^ "Broadcasting Magazine: April 6, 1953" (PDF). World Radio History. April 6, 1953. Retrieved December 18, 2025.
  8. ^ Fybush, Scott (January 28, 2011). "A Drive Up Wisconsin's I-94". Fybush.com. Retrieved December 18, 2025.
  9. ^ "45th Edition of the NRC AM Log" (PDF). National Radio Club. November 7, 2025. Retrieved December 18, 2025.
  10. ^ Ellis, Jon (September 25, 2007). "Broadcasting News-September 2007". NorthPine: Upper Midwest Broadcasting. Retrieved December 18, 2025.
  11. ^ "Thomas "Tommy Lee" Bychinski Obituary". Farber Funeral Home. December 15, 2025. Retrieved December 18, 2025.
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