Radio WDEF-FM (Sunny 92.3)

WDEF-FM is a radio station serving the Chattanooga area, broadcasting on 92.3 FM. The station operates a Adult Contemporary format and is branded as Sunny 92.3 FM. They are owned by Bahakel Communications.

The FM is the sister station of WDEF-AM and was the sister station of WDEF-TV. The radio stations were spun off from the CBS affiliate in the 1990s.

Once a beautiful music outlet during the 1970s, WDEF has done successfully with its "Sunny AC" format since they made the transition in the early 1990s. One of the market's longest running disc jockeys, Luther Masingill, has been the station's morning host since December 31, 1940--one of the longest (if not the longest) runs on one time slot in the nation.

When Danny Howard (Skyler McKenzie on the air) joined WDEF-FM as program director in 1993, only Masingill was getting good ratings. Howard made changes that resulted in the station being "mainstream AC" and "not ... too soft or too hard." Hot adult contemporary included music from the '80s and '90s, while Bright AC included some 70s music but relied more on the on-air presentation--not "laid back" like so many soft adult contemporary stations. Howard said the 25 to 49 female listeners were not boring--the image AC programmers needed to avoid was "hair up in a bun ... white house with a picket fence ... no life."

The main competition was gold-based WLMX, where Howard had previously worked. WDEF-FM did more promotion than the CHR stations WZST and WKXJ. Howard also intended to go after country WUSY, since country music was in a decline at the time.