WDON-AM

Everett L. Dillard had a vision. He dreamed of bringing radio to the Washington metropolitan area. On December 4, 1953, that dream came to life with WDON-AM in Wheaton, Maryland. WDON-AM originally broadcast with a power of 250 watts. This small but mighty station brought a unique blend of programming to the airwaves. WDON-AM began its life as a daytime-only station, powered at 5,000 watts. It used a non-directional antenna, reaching listeners as far north as Frederick County, Maryland, and as far south as Stafford and Prince William Counties in Virginia. However, the station had to sign off at night. This was to avoid interference with Class A stations KXEL in Waterloo, Iowa, and ZNS-1 in Nassau, Bahamas, which shared the same frequency. The call letters WDON were a tribute to Dillard’s son, Don. Don Dillard became a DJ at the station. He is credited with introducing rock and roll to Washington radio, playing a mix of rhythm and blues, doo-wop, and rockabilly. His shows were incredibly popular among white teenagers in Northwest Washington and the surrounding suburbs of Montgomery County, Maryland. WDON-AM transitioned to country music in the early 1960s. It increased its power to 1,000 watts in 1962. In 1974, Dillard sold WDON-AM to Horizon Communications Corporation. The station’s format changed again, first to oldies, then briefly to disco under the moniker “Disco D-O-N”. By 1981, WDON-AM had adopted a religious programming format. WDON-AM’s journey took another turn when its call sign changed to WMDO in 1981. It was then purchased by Lotus Communications and launched a full-time Spanish-language format, “Radio Mundo”. This catered to the growing Central and South American immigrant community in the Washington area. In later years, the station was even co-owned with the Washington market’s first Univision television station, now WMDO-CD. The station’s story continued to evolve with ownership changes, format shifts, and even a return to its original call letters. Today, WDON-AM is known as Radio Vida en Abundancia (Life in Abundance Radio). It continues to serve the Washington metropolitan area with Spanish-language Catholic radio programming under the ownership of Renovaciόn Media Group. WDON-AM stands as a testament to the enduring power of radio. It has adapted and thrived through changing times, consistently providing a voice and a connection to its community.