This page will attempt to showcase the histories of New Jersey FM Radio stations,
past and present.
Please feel free to e-mail me with any information you would like to contribute to this page and
you will be credited.
Some information provided by:
Bruce Elving's FMedia! newsletters, 1986-present
Dave Hughes' NYRTV website (no longer online)
Tom "LavPass"
Do you, or anyone you know, work in NJ radio, either now or in the past?
Then...
is looking for you!
WNJZ - 90.3 FM, Cape May Ct. House
WNJZ simulcasts WNJT as part of the NJN Radio Network.
90.3 was granted the WNJZ calls on April 26, 1996. WRPR - 90.3 FM, Mahwah
WRPR, from Ramapo College, started broadcasting on July 15, 1980.
Calls were assigned on October 9, 1979.
The original incarnation of WRPR in the mid 1970's, which only broadcasted on-campus, the calls stood for "Ramapo People's Radio."
The WRPR calls now stand for "Ramapo Power Radio" and currently features a mix of rock and specialty programming.
(Old WRPR logos courtesy of Bryan Vargo)
(Thanks to Jim O'Brien, Ramapo Class of 1974, for some of this information)
WVHP - 90.3 FM, Highland Park
WVHP was a 10 watt station that broadcasted from Highland Park High School, and went on the air in January 1973.
Calls stood for the "Voice Of Highland Park."
The station shared time with WVPH, 90.3 in Piscataway (see below.)
WVHP was deleted by the FCC in April 1993. WVPH - 90.3 FM, Piscataway
WVPH, from Piscataway High School, started broadcasting in May 1976.
Calls stand for the "Voice Of Piscataway High."
WVPH shared time with WVHP, 90.3 in Highland Park (see above) until April 1993, at which point, WVPH became a full-time station.
In 1999, Rutgers University's Livingston College and Piscataway High School merged to oversee WVPH.
More recently, WVPH has called themselves, "The Pulse Of Piscataway."
(Thanks to Stephen Yanick for providing the WVPH logos) WNJO - 90.3 FM, Toms River
90.3 was granted the WNJO calls on August 11, 2008.
This station is expected to simulcast WNJT, Trenton, as part of the NJN Radio Network.
WNJO's transmitter is located in South Seaside Park NJ.
WNJO was on the air between September 3 and September 6, 2008, presumedly as a test.
WNJO resumed broadcasting in early October 2008. WKNJ - 90.3 FM, Union Twsp.
WKNJ, from Kean University (formerly "College",) started broadcasting in January 1980.
The station currently features a mix of rock and specialty programming. WMSC - 90.3 FM, Upper Montclair
WMSC broadcasts from Montclair State University (formerly College).
The station began operations in 1966 as carrier current station WVMS "The Voice Of Montclair State."
In 1973, WMSC went on the air on 90.3 FM.
On January 3, 1984, WMSC moved from 90.3 to 101.5, in order to "break up" the college band on the lower end of the dial.
Apparently, the FCC noticed that many college stations were bunched together in one spot on the dial, and they moved some around, either by raising the wattage, lowering the wattage, or simply moving the station somewhere else on the dial, which was WMSC's fate.
Originally, the FCC planned on raising WMSC's wattage from 10 to 100, but that plan fell through due to tower restrictions and regulations.
In 1992, WKXW "New Jersey 101.5" in Trenton originally complained to the FCC about WMSC interferring with them in West Orange, at which time, the FCC informed WKXW that WMSC was not in violation of any broadcast laws and WKXW had no legal right to protect that area, as it was outside their FCC-protected radius.
Then in February 1994, WKXW struck a $175,000 deal with Montclair State (not the station) which moved the station back to 90.3 FM.
$100,000 was received for "services" (which the radio station never saw), $50,000 was received in grant form (which the station never saw) and up to $25,000 was received for the cost of changing frequencies (which only totaled around $15,000 and the other $10,000 was never seen).
The station currently features a very diversified format including ska, punk, hardcore and reggae.
(Thanks to "DJ Wuss" at WMSC & WMSC GM Anthony Mennuti for some of this information) WWFP - 90.5 FM, Brigantine
90.5 was granted calls WWFP on February 4, 2003.
The station is owned by CSN International.
In January 2006, WWFP went on the air featuring religious and contemporary Christian programming, simulcasted from WGPS, 88.3 in Elizabeth City NC.
In June 2009, it was announced that Hope Christian Church Of Marlton would purchase WWFP for $50,000. WXGN - 90.5 FM, Egg Harbor
WXGN went on the air with their Contemporary Christian format on October 22, 2000.
90.5 was granted the WXGN calls on April 12, 1996. WCVH - 90.5 FM, Flemington
WCVH, broadcasting from Hunterdon Central Regional High School, first went on the air in April 1974.
Calls stand for "Community Voice of Hunterdon (county)."
The station featured a mix of rock and specialty programming.
In August 2007, the format switched to country. WBJB - 90.5 FM, Lincroft
WBJB, broadcasting from Brookdale Community College, went on the air January 13, 1975 featuring an AOR format, which ultimately lasted until 1980.
In the early days of WBJB, Pete Fornatale (of WNEW-FM fame) was involved with the station as a guest lecturer and guidance counselor.
The station then switched to a jazz format, using the slogan "Jazz And More For The Jersey Shore."
Ken Pauli became the stations first paid Program Director in the 1980's.
From 1986 to 1989, Kevin Dunn was WBJB's PD.
In January 2000, they switched to an "AAA" (Adult Album Alternative) format and was renamed "90.5 The Night."
Actually, "The Night" was originally one of the specialty programs that 90.5 aired on weekends during their jazz format days.
The WBJB calls stand for "Brookdale Jersey Blues." (school mascot)
(Thanks to Kevin Dunn, Ken Pauli & Rich Robinson for some of this information) WVBV - 90.5 FM, Medford Lakes
90.5 was granted the WVBV calls on December 3, 2002.
The station is owned by Hope Christian Church of Marlton, Inc.
WVBV signed on in November 2005 featuring a 50/50 mix of gospel music and bible teaching.
(Thanks to Bill Luebkemann for some of this information)
WJSV - 90.5 FM, Morristown
WJSV first started broadcasting on February 22, 1971 from Morristown High School.
For a period of time in the 1970's and 1980's, WJSV shared time with WHPH (see below).
The station features a mix of rock and specialty programming.
WHPH - 90.5 FM, Whippany
WHPH started out on 90.3 on April 18, 1966, licensed to Hanover.
It was only the second high school FM station in NJ, the first being 88.7 WRRH in Franklin Lakes.
An aircheck of WHPH's sign on (read live in the studio by Ted Schober) and sign off (via tape by Al Rettig) in April 1966 can be heard here.
WHPH began with a "flamethrowing" 10 watts out of a single-ring antenna on the Hanover Twsp. Municipal Building in Whippany.
It was on remote control from Hanover Park Regional High School in East Hanover.
Kicking on the carrier consisted of throwing a single toggle switch in the bomb shelter-sized studio at the high school.
The prime technical force behind getting WHPH on FM was Ted Schober, who was a 1st Phone licensee before he was out of high school.
He did the frequency search and all the requisite paperwork himself, and was in his junior or senior year when he signed the station on.
The station was highly supported by then-Principal Gerhard V. Kellner, who positively loved radio and was a fellow alumnus of Hammond High School's Jean Shepherd.
The first news director at the station was Tony Russomanno.
At the time, WHPH had tried (and failed) to get the Associated Press to donate a news teletype to the station, so Tony would buy the New York Times from his Uncle Charlie's ice cream store in Whippany (the only store in the area to carry the Times) and read news stories from the paper, over the air.
Some famous people who got their start at WHPH include Andrew Orgel, John "Paul Henderson" Sliwa, Alan Parnow and the late Ron "LaFong" Maher, who was a naturally talented performer, who became a selfless supporter of community theater in Florida.
In the 1970's, Whippany Park High School was built and a modest radio studio was designed into it so that they, too, could also originate WHPH programming live via the Municipal Building's transmitter.
However, in 1971, WJSV (see above) signed on at 90.5 from Morristown and given the receiver technology at the time, WHPH was all but silenced, unless you were within a half-mile of the Municipal Building.
Somehow, WHPH and WJSV worked out a share-time deal on the Morristown transmitter at 90.5, at which point WHPH abandoned the then-virtually useless 90.3.
The share-time arrangement had its advantages, as it helped both school systems to maintain more airtime, and meet the revised FCC requirements for weekly hours on the air.
This was all well and good until the Hanover Park Regional School Board decided that it wanted to eliminate a faculty advisor position, and for purely nasty, pecuniary political reasons, took WHPH off the air once and for all in the late 1980's.
The FCC officially deleted this station in April 1990.
Over the years, the station featured an Adult Contemporary and AOR format.
(Thanks to Ed Montgomery, Rich Phoenix and Tony Russomanno for some of this information)
(Special Thanks to Ed Krush for digging up an old WHPH logo and for supplying a vintage aircheck) WYRS - 90.7 FM, Manahawkin
WYRS first went on the air on March 27, 1995 with their mix of Christian and community programming.
When they first started out, they broadcasted in mono and were only on the air on a part-time schedule.
The original schedule was: 4:30p-11p (Mon-Fri)/12:30p-10:30p (Sat)/3p-11p (Sun)
During the summer of 1996, they expanded their broadcast hours to 7a-12mid daily.
And, by the summer of 1997, they were broadcasting 24 hours a day - in stereo.
Some slogans that WYRS uses are "Community Radio With A Christian Persepctive" and "We're Your Radio Station."
Programming is mostly satellite, but there are some locally produced programs mixed in, such as "Refelctions", a show hosted by Bob Wick, the GM of WYRS, on Saturday eveneings.
WYRS also hosts live remote broadcasts each year from Manahawkin Founder's Day.
90.7 was originally given the WAGB calls on December 17, 1993 and then switched to WYRS on Janaury 31, 1994.
(The WYRS "yellow" logo - from my own personal collection) WWNJ - 91.1 FM, Toms River Twsp.
WWNJ is part of The Classical Network simulcasting WWFM, 89.1 from Trenton.
91.1 originally signed on in July 1989 as WKTW (calls granted on March 13, 1987) with an "overnight" classical format.
(Overnight because the station was only on from 10pm to 10am - it wasn't on during the rest of the day.)
On November 12, 1991, calls were changed to WWNJ and on December 24, 1991 started the WWFM simulcast.
WWNJ's transmitter is located on a water tower in Lavellette.
Another interesting bit of trivia about this station is that it was originally supposed to be owned by Ocean County College, but they backed out at the last minute.
Because of WWNJ's close proximity to WFMU in East Orange (see below), both stations have had to adjust their power accordingly.
Interesting to note is that when WWNJ (and WWFM) used to sign off at midnight each night, WFMU boomed in loud and clear here in Toms River. WFMU - 91.1 FM, East Orange
WFMU signed on in 1958 and became one of the first "freeform" radio stations - playing just about anything under the sun.
The station originally was from Upsala College, but when the college went belly up in 1995, the radio station was the only thing left standing, so to speak.
WFMU now broadcasts from a building in downtown Jersey City and is owned by Auricle Communications, a non-profit organization run by current and former staff members of WFMU.
Some now-famous New York radio personalities got their start on WFMU, such as Vin Scelsa in the late 1960's.
WFMU's Jersey City location can be seen by clicking here. WRTQ - 91.3 FM, Ocean City
WRTQ went on the air in September 1997, simulcasting the classical/jazz format from WRTI, 90.1 in Philadelphia.
91.3 was originally given the WJTF calls on March 12, 1993 and then on May 5, 1993, the WRTQ calls were granted. WTSR - 91.3 FM, Trenton
WTSR, broadcasting from The College Of New Jersey (formerly Trenton State College,) first went on the air in September 1966.
The station features a mix of rock and specialty programming. WDBK - 91.5 FM, Blackwood
WDBK, from Camden County College, first went on the air on June 7, 1979.
They currently feature a mix of Dance CHR and Modern Rock.
WLNJ - 91.7 FM, Lakehurst
91.7 was granted an allocation in Lakehurst on January 29, 2009 - and on February 6, 2009, received call letters of WLNJ.
WLNJ is owned by WYRS Broadcasting, owners of 90.7 in Manahawkin. WLFR - 91.7 FM, Pomona
WLFR, broadcasting from Stockton State College, started broadcasting on October 16, 1984, just a couple of weeks after having been granted their calls on October 3, 1984.
They have had a wide range of formats from rock to country to alternative.
The WLFR calls stand for "Lake Fred Radio." WBNJ - 91.9 FM, Barnegat
This station, owned by WWN Educational Radio Corp., was granted the WBNJ calls on October 23, 2007.
It is expected to feature an Adult Standards format, when it signs on in Fall 2009. WBGD - 91.9 FM, Brick
WBGD, broadcasting from Brick Memorial High School, went on the air in June 1975.
They were once a very active station, featuring a mix of CHR and alternative music.
However, in recent times, the station is off the air more than it's on.
Their broadcast day used to be from 7am to 4:30pm, while school was in session, but they haven't stuck to that schedule for quite some time now.
It seems to me that the Brick Twsp. school district is focusing their attention on the new TV studio they have in the high schools and ignoring the radio station.
The WBGD calls stand for "Brick Green Dragons", which is the mascot for the OTHER high school in Brick, Brick High School.
In December 2003, WBGD returned to the air after a long hiatus, initially playing nothing but a Peter Cetera CD on repeat.
By February 2004, pre-recorded shows by the students were being mixed in.
By late 2006, WBGD was on the air 24/7.
WBGD has now been silent since early July 2007. WNTI - 91.9 FM, Hackettstown
WNTI, broadcasting from Centenary College, first went on the air December 5, 1957.
They currently feature a "freeform" format, similar to WFMU in East Orange.
The WNTI calls stand for "NineTy 1", however the original origin of the calls were derived from Centenary College's motto, "Nocte te ipsum" (know thyself).
(Thanks to Doug Douglass & Fred Lerner for info on the call sign origin) WVRM - 91.9 FM, Montclair
With it's first broadcast in June of 1997, Regional Broadcasting Services began serving the Montclair area with it's flagship station, WVRM, Village Radio Montclair.
Due to the phenomenal growth and overwhelming positive response from listeners, we now reach over 100,000 people locally and millions worldwide.
Playing the best mix of the greatest music has helped the station grow.
If you loved WABC and WMCA in NY in the late sixties and early seventies then you'll love Village Radio.
Our collection of classic rock, blended with the raw soul of the great STAX artists, the smooth R&B of Motown, and the driving force of great dance records provides the freshest, most exciting mix on the radio.
Programmed by real people who love music regardless of category, WVRM is radio the way it used to be, dare we say, the way it's supposed to be.
Besides the great music, Village Radio broadcasts all kinds of interesting programming from local church services on Sunday Mornings to high school sporting events, call in talk shows to songwriters programs.
(Thanks to the WVRM website for this information)
