Pelican State News

John Kennedy was mentioned in ADDITIONAL STATEMENTS on page S3607 covering the 2nd Session of the 117th Congress published on July 21 in the Congressional Record.

The publication is reproduced in full below:

ADDITIONAL STATEMENTS

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100TH ANNIVERSARY OF WDEL RADIO

Mr. CARPER. Mr. President, I rise today on behalf of Delaware's congressional delegation in honor of the 100th anniversary of Delaware's first radio station, WDEL. The station was born on July 22, 1922, when amateur radio operator and shop owner Willard Wilson aired the first news reports and music out of his home in Wilmington, DE, on what was then WHAV. Over the years, the station changed its call letters to WDEL and moved out of Wilson's home to various spaces in downtown Wilmington, where listeners could tune in to hear many famous

``big bands'' live from the Gold Ballroom of the Hotel Du Pont. Today, the station has a home on Shipley Road and has grown to provide local news, talk and traffic reports, with thousands of listeners from Delaware and our surrounding States tuning in daily to hear from WDEL's recognizable voices on the airwaves.

Just like our home State's motto, WDEL has been ``first'' many times when it comes to broadcasting. In 1933, WDEL became one of the first radio affiliates for Major League Baseball, airing the Philadelphia A's games. Today, you can still catch the crack of the bat on its signals 101.7 FM or 1150 AM during the Philadelphia Phillies season. WDEL was also the first in Delaware to provide real-time, locally produced traffic reports, filling a need when other stations weren't covering the busy roads in the Delaware region. The station also was one of the first stations to hire women for on-air positions when it wasn't popular to do so.

Over the years, WDEL has covered many historic moments in Delaware, including Presidential visits from Harry Truman, John Kennedy, Lyndon Johnson, Richard Nixon, George W. Bush, Barack Obama, and, of course, Delaware's own Joe Biden. WDEL has also covered the moments that capture the cultural fabric of Delaware, including broadcasts from the Greek, Italian, and Polish festivals, as well as the Wilmington Flower Market, and has a long history of giving back to the community by supporting Nemours Children's Hospital, Ronald McDonald House, Sunday Breakfast Mission, and many other children's charities, shelters, and soup kitchens.

WDEL's dedication to its listeners was awarded numerous times over the years. WDEL was named Medium Market Station of the Year by the National Association of Broadcasters--NAB--named News Operation of the Year by the Chesapeake AP Broadcasters Association several times, and was honored with the Edward R. Murrow Award for Overall Excellence twice, and the NAB's prestigious Crystal Award for public service.

On behalf of both U.S. Senator Chris Coons and U.S. Representative Lisa Blunt Rochester, I rise today to honor WDEL radio on a century of hard work and dedication to serving the community. The station that started as just one among 100 in the country has withstood a century of change and innovation and has been recognized as among the best in the Nation. We wish its employees and listeners many more years of this incredible news service on the airwaves.

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SOURCE: Congressional Record Vol. 168, No. 121

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