[2] On March 17, 1997, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) announced that eighty-eight stations had been given permission to move to newly available "Expanded Band" transmitting frequencies, ranging from 1610 to 1700 kHz, with WDDD authorized to move from 810 to 1690 kHz.
[3] A construction permit for the expanded band station was assigned the call letters WHTE on June 5, 1998.
[4] The FCC's initial policy was that both the original station and its expanded band counterpart could operate simultaneously for up to five years, after which owners would have to turn in one of the two licenses, depending on whether they preferred the new assignment or elected to remain on the original frequency,[3] although this deadline was extended multiple times.
However, in 2003, the 1690 AM authorization, with the new call sign WRLL, was moved north 280 miles (450 km) by owner Clear Channel to Berwyn, Illinois, in order to take advantage of the Chicago region's greater population.
In 2008 Clear Channel requested a waiver in order to sell WDDD, but not the paired expanded band authorization, to Withers Broadcasting of Southern Illinois, LLC.