On October 12, 1925, WMAL signed on the air for the very first time. One hundred years later, we celebrate the station’s remarkable history with three longtime fixtures: Midday host Tom Gauger, Chief Engineer David Sproul, and General Manager Tom Bresnahan.

In this special anniversary episode, they share what WMAL sounded like in its earliest days, the revolt that led to hiring Harden and Weaver, and how the foundation was laid for the station to become one of Washington’s great radio institutions. We revisit the personalities who defined WMAL through the decades, John Lyon, Trumbull and Core, Felix Grant, Bill Mayhugh, Ken Beatrice, and of course, Harden and Weaver.

You’ll hear the inside story of the FCC fine that Harden and Weaver received, the impact of Rush Limbaugh’s arrival on the lineup, how the station changed after Jackson Weaver’s passing, and the big move from AM to FM .It’s a lively and fascinating look back at a station that has been part of Washington life for a century.

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For 37 years, Barry Lee was the friendly voice waking up the Shenandoah Valley on WINC-FM.

On this episode, Barry looks back at how he started in radio, the story of crossing the street from 99.3 WFFV to 92.5 WINC, and what it was like replacing a legendary morning show at WINC.

Barry shares the challenges of being a new morning host, working with multiple co-hosts over the years, and the secret to surviving two owners, and multiple GMs, and PDs.

Barry also reflects on the major changes WINC underwent — from the Lewis family selling to Centennial to surviving the 2008 financial crisis and the pandemic.

He talks candidly about what it felt like watching the station get sold, moved, and reinvented, and why he ultimately decided to retire after 37 years.

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We sit down with Scott Woodside, half of the legendary Elliott and Woodside morning show that dominated Washington radio in the 1970s and '80s. 

Scott takes us behind the scenes of one of the most iconic duos in DC radio history.

We talk about how he and Jim Elliott got paired up, the creative chemistry that helped them build a massive following, and the behind-the-scenes story of jumping from WPGC to Q107. 

Scott opens up about the show's meteoric rise and eventual decline, reflecting on the impact of Jim Elliott's substance abuse, the slipping ratings, and how the partnership ultimately came to an end.

Scott also shares what he did after the show wrapped, and how he looks back on that chapter of his broadcasting career.

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In this episode, we sit down with Fred Manning, the man behind some of the most recognizable radio brands in Frederick and Hagerstown—KEY 103, 106.9 The Eagle, MAX Country, and FRED FM.

Fred shares the secret to his long-running success: keeping radio live, local, and deeply connected to the community.

Fred talks about recruiting DC radio legend Jack Diamond for mornings on 106.9 The Eagle and hiring a young Ron Ross decades ago, later bringing him back for afternoons on KEY 103.

He also tells the behind-the-scenes story of selling his stations to Nassau Broadcasting—and repurchasing them when Nassau went bankrupt a few years later.

Fred talks about how he’s using HD signals and translators to build new locally programmed stations, plus how he’s expanding into on-demand audio with a growing podcast network.

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Jon Leiberman takes us behind the scenes of working at Baltimore's FOX 45 and 98 ROCK and how he transitioned from Baltimore to the national stage as one of the main correspondents on America’s Most Wanted. He later spent a decade working on The Howard Stern Show.

• We talk about what it was like to be a reporter on his hometown TV station, FOX 45
• His run at 98 Rock — working alongside Kirk, Mark, and Lopez while Lopez was battling cancer.
• America’s Most Wanted  — Jon tells the incredible story of going from an off-air producer to an on-air correspondent.
• Howard Stern Show — including how his completely blown audition ended with him getting the job anyway.

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David Edgar was at Top 40 WAVA for six of its eight-year history.

On this episode, we discuss some of the incredible personalities who worked at the station, including Don Geronimio, Shadow Smith, Sandy Weaver, Jim Elliott, Charlie and Herrigan, JJ McKay, Mark Mitchell, Greg Thunder, George McFly, and Gene Baxter.

David talks about starting at the station as a high school intern, working his way up to weekend airshifts, to full-time overnights, and eventually becoming Production Director.

We talk about Don Geronimo programming WAVA for a period, and Geronimo moving from afternoons to mornings to team up with Mike O'Meara to start the Morning Zoo with Don and Mike.

David shares the story of Elvis Duran doing an audition show on the station, and the incredible talents of George McFly and Greg Thunder.

David also talks about the incredible radio created in the last six months of the station's life and the Final Hour of WAVA that David produced to reflect on the station's life.

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Uncle Johnny is a legend in DC radio.

In the 1980s, he hosted nights at Q107 (WRQX).

On this episode, Uncle Johnny talks about working nights at Q107 for four or five years and tells the story of getting rehired after leaving for a brief period.

We also walk through his career and figure out how he jumped from a few small market radio stations to Washington, DC.

We also talk about how he got the name Uncle Johnny and why he decided to transition to doing mornings.

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In 1996, a new Top 40 station launched in Washington.

Z104 was upbeat and fun and did very well in the ratings for many years. Mathew Blades worked nights at the station for its first four years and later returned as its last morning host.

On this episode of the DCRTV Podcast, Mathew talks about what made Z104 such a great radio station and why it eventually failed.

Mathew also shares how he was fired twice from the radio station and learned, from a listener calling the request line, that the station was getting ready to flip formats.

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Chris Core was on Washington radio for 44 years, including over 20 years co-hosting the Trumbull and Core show on WMAL.

On this episode of the DCRTV Podcast, Chris talks about how he got hired at WMAL and ended up hosting afternoons with Bill Trumbull.

We discuss how he teamed up with Brooke Stevens after Bill retired and why that partnership ended.

Chris also talks about why he got fired from WMAL and how he ended up at WTOP.

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The world was very different in 1991; there was no internet, no smartphones, and if you wanted local news, you had to wait for a live newscast from channels 4, 5, 7, or 9 or read it the next day in The Washington Post.

Allbritton Communications, which owned Channel 7 (WJLA) at the time, saw an opportunity for a hyper-local 24/7 all-news TV Station, and NewsChannel 8 was born.

Wayne Lynch was hired as the station's first News Director and was tasked with building out the television station's programming.

On this episode, Wayne takes us behind the scenes in the early days of News Channel 8.

We talk about the founding of the station, some of the anchors and reporters who worked for Wayne, the concept of zoned news - where they aired different newscasts in DC, Virginia, and Maryland, and what led to the ultimate downfall of the station.

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