Every year as this website grows older, we reflect upon the accomplishments, impact, and incredible growth of WDWNT. It has now been 7 years since WDW News Today launched on July 8th, 2007. What was founded on the website you see before you and built on the back of daily news and information about Walt Disney World is now a vibrant collection of websites, podcasts, radio programs, streaming original programming, & more. The last year in particular has been a memorable one, as we moved WDW News Today: The Radio show to primetime on Thursdays and completed the amazing coverage of the New Fantasyland project which we started in 2009. We even set new records in traffic for our websites and podcasts this year, as well as brought you the best live coverage of many big events. Oh, and did I mention the $3,674.09 total we raised for Toys for Tots in the last year bringing our fundraising total to $15,194.84 over the past several years?

In the world of Disney, our site has covered huge stories such as the 2013 D23 Expo, the Friday the 13th “Unleash the Villains” event, the opening of Princess Fairytale Hall and the Seven Dwarfs Mine Train in New Fantasyland, the controversial roll-out of the disability access service,  the arrival of Glow with the Show mouse ears in Florida, Mickey Mouse’s first spoken words to guests at Town Square Theater, the opening of the Villas at the Grand Floridian, the incredible arrival and popularity of Frozen in the parks, the debut of Disney’s Festival of Fantasy Parade, Festival of the Lion King roaring into the new Harambe Theatre, and of course, the incredibly important soda flavor changes at Epcot”s Club Cool. We also said goodbye to the Celebrate a Dream Come True Parade and Mickey’s Jammin’ Jungle Parade after 13 years. We even celebrated the 25th anniversary of Disney’s Hollywood Studios along with WDWCelebrations and have continued to present a fascinating podcast & radio show segments celebrating a quarter of a century of the park formerly known as the Disney-MGM Studios.

Tonight, we will continue our annual tradition of presenting a special anniversary edition of the WDWNT Live! show on WDWNTunes.com. The show begins at 9PM EST and will last until 12PM EST. During this show, we will be making several major announcements about the future of WDWNT including the return of several beloved programs throughout our summer-long celebration of seven years. We’ll be interacting with you live through our live chat-room, taking any questions you may have about the Disney Parks, the Walt Disney Company, or about what we do at WDWNT. Unlike years past, we will be sharing never-before-heard stories and insight as opposed to a collection of segments, so think of it as Part 2 of WDWNT: The Documentary. We hope you will join us for that tonight as it is always a very fun event!

On a personal note, the 7 year journey of this website, the podcast, and the entire family that makes up WDWNT has been the greatest experience of my life. I’d like to thank the incredible volunteer staff of over 50 people that have worked tirelessly to get us where we are today and the loyal readers & listeners who are to thank for our great success. I am very proud of what we have accomplished in the last 7 years and amazed at where it has taken me today. I’m looking forward to many more years of “Bridging the Gaps Between You and the Disney World”. As a great song once said, “We’ve just begun to dream!”

Tom Corless
CEO & Founder of WDW News Today