88.5 WFDD Launches WFDD-3, Featuring Roots, Traditional, Folk, and World Music

Winston-Salem, NC—88.5 WFDD, the Piedmont Triad’s public radio station, announced that it will officially launch its third digital channel, WFDD-3, featuring an eclectic blend of roots, traditional, folk, world music, and the best of college and indie rock from WAKE Radio, on Thursday, April 3, 2008.

Weekday programming on WFDD-3 will include a daily dose of indie rock, singer-songwriters, folk, alternative country, blues, and world music from NPR's World Café; the best in locally produced college radio from WFU student run WAKE Radio; and a nightly, nicely chilled plate of ambient beats and grooves on Groove Salad. On the weekends, WFDD-3 will feature the best of singer/songwriter, Celtic, acoustic, Americana, traditional, and world sounds from Folk Alley; local performances from the Triad folk music organization The Fiddle and Bow Society; a Sunday rebroadcast of NPR's weekly Celtic music showcase The Thistle and Shamrock; and weekly, relaxed live performances from some of the world's greatest artists on Mountain Stage from Public Radio International.

More than 1,500 radio stations nationwide are broadcasting with HD Radio technology and more than 700 of those stations are offering multicast channels, as WFDD does. There is no subscription fee for HD Radio, but listeners will need an HD Radio to hear the digital broadcasts. Many area retailers are now stocking a variety of HD Radios and dozens of HD Radio models, for home and car use, are available online. Listeners without HD Radios can continue to listen the current programming as usual, or can stream the digital channels from the station’s website, wfdd.org. HD Radio is a copyrighted term owned by iBiquity Digital Corporation.

WFDD previously launched WFDD-2, which includes the classical music showcase Performance Today, opera performances every Saturday, including the Metropolitan Opera, and area symphony and choral music performances.

General Manager Denise Franklin stated that, “HD Radio is the future. With WFDD-3 we are able to provide programming that is simply not available over the air in the Triad. Adding this eclectic mix of music to our programming offerings allows us to give listeners something we know they are looking for.”

88.5 WFDD, the NPR ® News and Triad Arts Station broadcasting from Wake Forest University, is the only public radio station of its kind located in the Piedmont Triad. It broadcasts news, information, and public affairs programming covering the arts, people, and institutions in the area from both its Winston-Salem and Greensboro studios. The state’s charter NPR ® member, 88.5 WFDD is the longest continuously broadcasting public radio station in North Carolina. It is a member of the North Carolina Public Radio Association.