Tuning in with Delmarva Public Radio

Listen up Delmarva! If you have been listening to the radio recently and the broadcasts just aren’t cutting it, we suggest changing your tune, literally, by tuning in to Delmarva Public Radio. ShoreBread recently got the chance to sit down and chat with DPR’s News Director, Don Rush, to pick his brain about this specialized, local radio station.

Delmarva Public Radio was founded in 1987 and has since gained over forty thousand regular listeners spanning across all of Delmarva and over the bridge to the Western Shore of Maryland. The station runs programs 24-hours a day and includes live internet streaming as well. But more importantly, it is DPR’s content that makes it a valued part of our community.

“The station was made to enrich locals with information they may not get elsewhere and also provide a “localness” to the station that caters to the needs of the community,” Rush told us. One program that specifically focuses on our area is Delmarva Today, which you can also catch on local TV news stations. “Some of the stories that they cover on Delmarva Today are about local events and people and can include interviews with people from the Shore. One interview series is the “Writers Edition” where local writers come on the show and speak about their work. This particularly relates with the audience because of the large writing community that we have on the Shore.”

The two channels that make up DPR cover a wide range of topics. If you tune into WSCL in the mornings and afternoons you can hear Rush giving you news updates, (Rush is a bit of a mystery man who uses the aforementioned name as an alias!) This channel also plays classical music for the remainder of the day. WSDL is more of an NPR (National Public Radio) style talk show station, also playing music. Rush told us that “we’ve recently been expanding our audience by playing eclectic music styles, such as folk music, in our evening broadcast.”

DPR will also record live concerts and then play them on air. So if you feel like you are missing out on the symphony performances that a big city has to offer, just turn your dial to DPR. The station not only tries to relate to our community but culturally enrich it with these features promoting the fine arts. Listeners can also tune into broadcasts from NPR and learn from the informative broadcasts. Have you ever listened to an NPR show? It is an amazing learning experience that makes you feel like your IQ is growing as you listen!

After listening to our summer beach playlist, ShoreBread plans on tuning in to DPR on road trips and on our way to work. It’ll be a great way to stay informed and learn about the community, while supporting local radio.