Orlando Radio: Dave Wahl Signs Off At WDBO

Dave Wahl

Friday marked the final day at Orlando radio station WDBO 96.5 FM for Dave Wahl after nearly 25 years.

A story in the Orlando Sentinel says the 62-year-old Wahl had a nuts-and-bolts way of describing his role as managing news editor: "I go on the air. I wear all hats. I anchor, I report, I order people around."

In a 42-year career, Wahl has worked at radio stations in Detroit; Rochester, N.Y.; and Cleveland before arriving in Orlando. No place is quite like Central Florida.

"What area of the country do you have such variety?" Wahl asks. "Casey Anthony, Aileen Wuornos, theme parks, the space shuttle. Central Florida has such a cast of news characters. You couldn't ask for anything better."



Wahl takes pride in working for WDBO, saying it always maintained its news leader image. "Consistency is the hallmark of a successful product," he says. "The radio station serves the public interest. We do it under the clock."

Radio news stands at the crossroads, he says. "It's difficult to compete with Twitter. Click on it and there's the story."

But he adds, "If everybody tweets the same damn thing, you've got to have something that people will come to you for."

Radio may be a 20th century phenomenon, he says, yet one thing never changes: "You've got to have content. That's the hallmark of TV, radio, newspapers. You have to have what nobody else does. That's what I've tried to do."

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