New sounds at Delmarva Public Media

Delmarva Public Media is restyling two of its three stations to create separate station identities offering contemporary listeners distinct audio experiences.

Schedule adjustments include: 

• WSDL 90.7 has more news and talk in the mornings following NPR Morning Edition. In the afternoons and evenings, the station features adult album alternative (AAA) music programs.
• WESM 91.3 continues to air NPR programs and jazz, but is also leaning into its Black radio station roots adding R&B, blues, funk, soul and urban alternative.

Delmarva Public Media’s third station, WSCL 89.5, will retain its popular classical 24/7 format.

 “Three public radio stations in a market our size is unique and a testament to the Delmarva region. Each station can present its own identity and unique content for different audiences.” said Judy Diaz, Delmarva Public Media’s general manager. 

WSDL 90.7

Since 2020 WSDL 90.7 has been mainly a repeater of WESM 91.3. The program changes give the station its own identity focused on news and talk and a wider variety of adult album alternative (AAA) music. “The ‘D’ in WSDL now stands for discourse, dialogue and music discovery.” said Bryan Russo, Delmarva Public Media chief content officer. New schedule highlights include:

• More news and talk shows follow NPR Morning Edition on weekday mornings. This creates a larger news block with news magazines such as Think, On the Media, Hidden Brain, TED Radio Hour and many more.
• AAA music programs bookend NPR All Things Considered on weekday afternoons built largely around nationally syndicated shows like Strange Currency and Americanarama, which has aired on WSDL since 2023 on Sunday evenings.
• The “Three O’Clock Throwback” hour features carefully curated programs (The Atomic Radio Hour with Mister 1960, Dollar Country and Stuck in the Psychedelic Era) focusing on sounds and songs from a different time and will explore more niche genres like classic country, western swing, and the “Midcentury Museum of American Music” from the 1950s and 60’s.

These changes, coupled with the existing AAA music featured on World Café and XPoNential Radio give WSDL its own unique sound. 

WESM 91.3

WESM is launching a new weekday afternoon program lineup spearheaded by four nationally syndicated shows produced at Historic Black College/Universities (HBCU) stations across the country and distributed by the African American Public Radio Consortium. These changes help the station honor its history, while putting it in a position to pivot into the future with the addition of shows that feature jazz, soul, gospel, blues and urban alternative — content that is helping to shape the sound of HBCU public radio stations across the nation today. New schedule highlights include:

• Monday afternoon is all jazz with New Urban Jazz Lounge and Notes from the Jazz Underground with Paul Abella.
• It’s Funky Tuesday afternoons with Catch the Flo and Tonic: The Funky Groove Show.
• On Wednesday tune in to Rhythm Lab Radio as DJ Tarik Moody redefines the urban sound with a mix of jazz, hip-hop, soul and more.
• Thursdays feature Return to the Source with traditional jazz music.
• Friday afternoons include a deep dive into contemporary jazz on The Get Down with Ragan Whiteside and a musical journey through the R&B and Gospel on Soulsations with Carla Eckels.
  

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About Delmarva Public Media

With three public radio stations Delmarva Public Media reaches 40,000 listeners every week, from the Bay bridge to Chincoteague and from the Chesapeake Bay to the Delmarva beaches, in addition to Virginia’s western shore and the tip of New Jersey. The stations are a service of Salisbury University and the University of Maryland Eastern Shore, which own the licenses and provide valuable support to ensure public radio is strong throughout the Delmarva Peninsula.