WDBO (AM)
| Company type | Commercial radio station |
|---|---|
| Industry | Broadcasting |
| Founded | 1924-05-24 |
| Headquarters | Orlando, Florida , United States |
Area served | Greater Orlando area |
| Products | News and talk radio programming |
| Owner | Cox Media Group |
WDBO (580 AM) is a commercial news and talk radio station licensed to Orlando, Florida and owned by Cox Media Group. Its studios and administrative offices are situated on North John Young Parkway in Orlando.
Operating with a power of 5,000 watts, WDBO utilizes a non-directional antenna during daylight hours and switches to a directional two-tower system at night to prevent interference with other stations broadcasting on AM 580. The transmitter site is located near West Kennedy Boulevard in Maitland, Florida. Additionally, the station’s content is broadcast on FM translator W297BB at 107.3 MHz with an output of 250 watts.
Early years
As Orlando’s longest-running radio broadcaster, WDBO began transmissions on May 24, 1924, originally licensed to Rollins College in Winter Park. After undergoing multiple frequency adjustments, the station established itself on 580 kHz by 1933. In 1935, its transmission power was boosted from 250 to 1,000 watts. Under ownership of the Orlando Broadcasting Company, WDBO served as a CBS Radio network affiliate, delivering a variety of programming such as dramas, comedies, news, sports coverage, soap operas, and big band music during the golden era of radio.
The year 1949 saw the launch of WDBO-FM (92.3 FM), which initially simulcasted the AM station's content. Five years later, WDBO-TV commenced operations as Central Florida’s inaugural television station and primary CBS affiliate. In 1982, The Outlet Company sold WDBO-AM-FM to Katz Broadcasting; concurrently, the TV station was rebranded as WCPX (now WKMG-TV). Post-sale, WDBO-FM transitioned into a country music format branded as "K92FM" with the call letters WWKA.
MOR, AC and talk
During the 1950s, as television began to draw away network shows, WDBO adjusted its programming to a full-service middle of the road (MOR) format featuring adult-oriented music alongside news and sports. The station affiliated with ABC News Radio and gradually introduced talk segments. By the 1980s, "58 WDBO" scaled back MOR music and in 1984 shifted to adult contemporary while continuing news and sports coverage—this change was partly influenced by market dynamics such as Leesburg’s WHLY switching from adult contemporary to Top 40.
In the early 1990s, WDBO offered a mix of news, talk shows, and adult contemporary music but ceased music programming entirely in March 1991 to adopt a dedicated news/talk format under the branding "NewsTalk 580 WDBO," solidifying its position as Greater Orlando’s leading AM news/talk outlet. Cox Radio acquired both WDBO and WWKA in 1997. In August 2011, Cox discontinued classic rock on WHTQ (96.5 FM), rebranded it as WDBO-FM, and began simulcasting WDBO’s talk content previously available only on HD-2 channels. Subsequently, the station adopted the FM frequency branding exclusively as "NewsTalk 96-5 WDBO."
Switch to sports
On November 12, 2012, WDBO discontinued its simulcast with WDBO-FM and relaunched as a sports radio outlet affiliated with ESPN Radio, while WDBO-FM continued independently with news/talk programming. Prior to this change, ESPN Radio had been broadcast on WHOO (1080 AM), which then switched over to NBC Sports Radio.
WDBO aired ESPN’s complete programming lineup except for a local weekday afternoon show hosted by Scott Anez. The station also served as the flagship broadcaster for the Orlando Magic NBA franchise until iHeartMedia’s WYGM (740 AM) assumed that role starting with the 2018–2019 season.
Return to talk
On June 24, 2020, Cox Radio reformatted WDBO-FM to Spanish-language hot adult contemporary hits under the call sign WOEX and brand "Exitos 96.5." Concurrently, WDBO’s news/talk format was reinstated on the 580 AM frequency, replacing the sports programming. To preserve FM accessibility within Orlando and surrounding areas, Cox added an FM translator simulcast through W297BB (107.3 FM) on June 29 and rebranded as "WDBO 107.3 FM and 580 AM."
In September 2021, Cox Media implemented staff reductions at WDBO that included releasing morning anchor Ray Caputo, evening host Tony Marino, and late morning presenter Darrell Moody. Additionally, the noon newscast was replaced with talk programming.
Programming
The weekday lineup begins with the local news and interview segment Orlando's Morning News, presented by Scott Anez. Following this, the schedule consists of nationally syndicated talk shows including The Sean Hannity Show, Brian Kilmeade and Friends, The Erik Erickson Show, Markley, Van Camp & Robbins, and Fox Across America with Jimmy Failla.
On weekends, the content focuses on a variety of subjects such as finance, health, legal matters, pets, home renovation, gardening, automobiles, and cuisine. Sunday evenings feature a technology program hosted by Kim Komando. Certain weekend time slots are allocated to paid brokered content. Most hours commence with global and national news updates from ABC News Radio.
Up until 2024, a two-hour local news segment was broadcast at 5 p.m., and until 2022, the evening schedule included the local sports program Live, Local and Loud hosted by Nick Gryniewicz and Jerry Daniels. Both of these were eventually replaced by syndicated talk shows.