2007

Legendary Modern Rock Station WDRE Returns to the Airwaves!

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Created on Wednesday, 07 February 2007 09:40

Philadelphia, PA – Y-Rock On XPN, the alternative music service on 88.5 WXPN and 24/7 stream on XPoNential Music On Demand, will host a “WDRE Takeover” on February 21, 2007 from 8-11 p.m.

This month marks the 10th anniversary since WDRE went off the air. In honor of this milestone former WDRE program director and current Y-Rock On XPN host Jim McGuinn will gather former WDRE staff members for one night of music, stories and fond memories from back in the day. “For the entire time I worked at Y100, and even now that I’m at WXPN, I still hear from DRE listeners who thought the station was incredibly special and loved it passionately,” says McGuinn. “Even after all these years people still say, `I miss WDRE.’ I think that’s a testament to the music we played, the DJs that worked there, and our ‘little station that could’ mentality. Plus, our signal was terrible, so you really were special if you could listen to WDRE,” laughs McGuinn.

Get ready to be transplanted back to 1996, for better or worse – with the music, promos, and staff of WDRE. Favorite promotional items like WDRE Ice Scrapers and DRE Pop Rocks not included. “It should be fun and cacophonous, just like DRE was – with lots of opinions, laughs, and great music,” continued McGuinn. Here’s a list of some of the hits from the era:

Fun Lovin' Criminals, “Scooby Snacks”; Geggy Tah,”Whoever You Are”; Veruca Salt, “Seether”; Verve Pipe, “Freshmen”; Whale, “Hobo Humpin Slobo Babe”; US3, “Cantaloop”; G.Love, “Cold Beverage”; Soup Dragons, “Divine Thing”; House of Pain, “Jump Around”; Fiona Apple, “Shadowboxer”; Eels, “Novacaine for the Soul”; Ash, “Goldfinger”; SuperDrag, “Who Sucked Out the Feeling”; Tracy Bonham, “Mother Mother”; Spacehog, “In the Meantime”; Folk Implosion, “Natural One”; Luscious Jackson, “Naked Eye”; Mazzy Star, “Fade Into You”; Screaming Trees, “Nearly Lost You”; Hum, “Stars”; Space, “Female of the Species”; and MANY more.

WDRE was home to DJs who have remained in Philadelphia since the format flip like: Preston Elliot and Steve Morrison (currently on air at WMMR), Marilyn Russell (Y-Rock On XPN / WYSP), Bret Hamilton (Philadelphia Flyers), Dan Fein (WIP), and Jim McGuinn (Y-Rock On XPN). McGuinn worked with all of them at WDRE and also at former DRE rival Y100 (WPLY) for the next 8 years before that station flipped to hip-hop in 2005.

“It’s a rare moment when DJs from competing stations come together like this,” says assistant general manager of programming for WXPN, Bruce Warren. “But since Y-Rock On XPN is part of Penn’s non-commercial WXPN, the current employers have all agreed to let the ex-DRE jocks do the show and we’re thrilled to have them.”

WDRE was Philadelphia’s first modern rock radio station, launched during the height of the ‘grunge’ rock era in 1993. Initially simulcasting WLIR’s Long Island signal, in 1995 the station became locally staffed and programmed, and quickly developed a national reputation for creative programming and promotions like the DRE Sonic Sessions, DREfest, DREgional local CD, Trippin’ With Vinnie, and a listener/staff soccer battle with The Cure.

On February 7, 1997 WDRE was sold and the format flipped to hip-hop, but not before the station produced the “DRE Bitterfest” live broadcast/funeral, which has been called the “one of the most creative station send-offs in radio history.”

Tune in on Wednesday, February 21 when WXPN will turn over the Y-Rock On XPN studios to the former DJs, who will play the music of the mid-‘90s and revisit the good, the bad, and the ugly moments in WDRE’s history.

ABOUT Y-ROCK ON XPN
Y-Rock On XPN is the alternative music service from WXPN, Philadelphia. Y-Rock On XPN airs Wednesday, Thursday and Friday nights on 88.5 WXPN and streams 24/7 online at www.YRockOnXPN.org and XPoNential Music On Demand (www.xponentialmusic.org ). WXPN launched Y-Rock On XPN in August of 2006 offering alternative, indie, and punk rock to a devoted fan base in Philadelphia and worldwide. Y-Rock On XPN features a variety of specialty shows including: The Weekly 11, The Sonic Session Shuffle, The Y-Rock Philly Local Show, The Circuit, and Y-Rock Internacional.

ABOUT WXPN
WXPN 88.5 FM, the nationally recognized leader in Triple A radio and the premier guide for discovering new and significant artists in rock, blues, roots, and folk, is the non-commercial, member-supported radio service of the University of Pennsylvania. WXPN produces World Cafe®, public radio’s most popular program of popular music hosted by David Dye and syndicated by National Public Radio, and the Peabody Award winning Kids Corner hosted by Kathy O’Connell. WXPN also produces Y-Rock On XPN, an online alternative rock music stream. WXPN serves the greater Philadelphia area at 88.5 FM, the Lehigh Valley at 104.9, Worton/Baltimore at 90.5 FM, Harrisburg at 88.1 FM, and the world via online streaming at XPN.org and XPoNentialMusic.org