WKXW

Last updated

WKXW
Broadcast area New Jersey
Frequency 101.5MHz (HD Radio)
BrandingNew Jersey 101.5
Programming
Format News/Talk (weekdays)
Classic Hits (weekends)
Subchannels HD2: Beach Radio (oldies)
Ownership
Owner
WCHR, WPST, WNJE
History
First air date
August 27, 1962;62 years ago (1962-08-27)
Former call signs
  • WBUD-FM (1962–1967)
  • WBJH (1967–1979)
  • WTRT (1979–1980)
  • WKXW-FM (1980–1981)
  • WKXW (1981–2002)
  • WKXW-FM (2002–2006)
Call sign meaning
Two "W's" bookending "Kix" (former branding)
Technical information [1]
Licensing authority
 FCC
Facility ID 53458
Class B
ERP
  • 15,500 watts (analog)
  • 617 watts (digital) [2]
HAAT 275 m (902 ft)
Transmitter coordinates
 40°16′58.4″N74°41′9.6″W / 40.282889°N 74.686000°W / 40.282889; -74.686000 (WKXW)
Links
Public license information
Webcast
Website

WKXW (101.5 FM, "New Jersey 101.5") is a commercial FM radio station licensed to Trenton, and broadcasting to most of the state of New Jersey. It is owned by Townsquare Media with studios and offices on Walters Avenue in Ewing. [3] On weekdays, the station has a talk radio format, sometimes bordering on hot talk. On weekends and major holidays, it switches to classic hits.

Contents

WKXW is a Class B FM station with an effective radiated power (ERP) of 16,500 watts. Its transmitter tower is shared with 103.3 WPRB and is near the Quaker Bridge Mall in Lawrence Township in Mercer County, New Jersey. [4] WKXW broadcasts using HD Radio technology and airs oldies on its HD2 subchannel.

History

Easy Listening, AC and Oldies

The station signed on the air on August 27, 1962;62 years ago. [5] Its original call sign was WBUD-FM, the sister station of WBUD 1260 AM (now WFJS). WBUD-FM had an automated easy listening format. The call letters changed in 1967 to WBJH, which stood for Bill and Joy Hardin,[ citation needed ] the son and daughter-in-law of the owner.

The station's call sign changed to WTRT in 1979 and rebranded as "The New T-101 FM". In 1980, the station's call sign was changed to WKXW-FM, under its new owner Fidelity Communications. It was playing a hot adult contemporary format as "The All New Kix 101 & A 1/2 FM" and later "Kix 101.5". By the late 80s, the station evolved into a gold-based adult contemporary format. Its weekend Saturday oldies show evolved into an all oldies format from the 1950s through early 70s on overnights and weekends.

Switch to Talk

NJ 101.5 news van 2024-11-15 12 15 56 Van for New Jersey 101.5 at the Townsquare Media Trenton office in Ewing Township, Mercer County, New Jersey.jpg
NJ 101.5 news van

In 1990, WKXW-FM was sold to Press Communications, parent company of the Asbury Park Press newspaper. On March 1, 1990, at 5 pm, "New Jersey 101.5" became the first full-time FM talk station in America targeted for a younger audience. The format was conceived by Walter Sabo, the CEO of Sabo Media. Mark Sheppard, who later went to middays, kicked off the format playing Bill Haley & The Comets' "Rock Around The Clock".

Since the 1990s, the station has a talk format during the week, with oldies music on the overnights and weekend. Initially, the oldies playlist was 1960s-based with a few pre-1964 oldies and a 1970s oldie or two each hour. By the early-to-mid-1990s, more 1970s music was added and by the early-2000s, 1980s music from 1980 to 1982 was added occasionally. Between 2000 and 2005, music from between 1986 and 1989 was added to the lineups. Gradually, at the same time, songs from 1964 and older were gradually reduced in the late-1990s and gone by 2000. In September 2007, 1960s music was removed from the "60s, 70s, and 80s" weekend music programming ID, and nearly all 1960s music had been removed from the playlist.

In the mid-to-late-1990s, music was ended on weekday overnights. That shift now has replays of daytime shows. Music is now heard only on weekends and some holidays.

The Millennium Radio Group acquired the station in 2001. [6] A decade later, in 2011, California-based Oaktree Capital signed a deal to buy the Millennium Radio Group. After taking over, Oaktree transferred the Millennium stations to Townsquare Media, the owner of multiple radio stations around the U.S. [7]

Simulcasts and news network

The station has, at times, provided a simulcast on various AM and FM stations in the Atlantic City area, beyond the reach of its main transmitter. The most recent simulcast ceased in June 2009 when 97.3 FM in Millville (now WENJ) changed formats to ESPN Sports Radio. WKXW-FM's morning show was also simulcast for a time on regional cable network CN8 in the late 1990s and early 2000s. Cameras were mounted in the radio studio showing the station's personalities to TV viewers.

WKXW-FM is the flagship station of the "Townsquare New Jersey News Network" as heard on twelve radio stations throughout the state. The network consists of WPST in Trenton, WOBM-FM in Toms River, WJLK (AM) in Lakewood, WCHR-FM in Manahawkin, WJLK-FM in Asbury Park, WOBM (AM) in Asbury Park, WFPG in Atlantic City, WSJO in Egg Harbor City, WPUR in Atlantic City, and WENJ in Atlantic City. Various bureaus throughout the state share stories with the Ewing headquarters.

Controversies

In 2008, the station's parent company was sued by a photographer for copyright infringement, and defamation with regards to the online posting of a photocopy of a New Jersey Monthly magazine photograph. Photographer Peter Murphy sent a notice of copyright infringement to the station to remove a photo Craig Carton and Ray Rossi, which had been photocopied from a March 2006 issue of the magazine; the station also posted edited versions of the picture that were submitted by listeners. While the station complied with the takedown request, Carton and Rossi complained on-air about Murphy's conduct, allegedly saying that Murphy was "not to be trusted" and that people "should avoid doing business" with him. Carton and Rossi also alleged that Murphy "was a homosexual." [8] In April 2008, Murphy brought suit for direct, contributory, and vicarious copyright infringement, violation of the DMCA, and defamation of character against Millennium Radio Group, Carton, and Rossi. The Third Circuit ruled that the station's actions did constitute both a violation of the DMCA and copyright infringement, which vacated the district court's judgment. [9]

On July 26, 2018, the station came under fire after hosts Judi Franco and Dennis Malloy referred to New Jersey Attorney General Gurbir Grewal as "turban man" while on air. [10] The hosts were suspended for 10 days. [11] [12]

In December 2018, Judi Franco garnered controversy when called the state's "Move Over" law "silly" and unnecessary in an opinion piece she posted on the station's website under the headline "Dead cops make bad laws." [13]

Some of the station's personalities have garnered attention for their promotion of anti-vaccination viewpoints (including opposition to COVID-19 vaccines and COVID-19 vaccine mandates), including morning host Bill Spadea, and host Dennis Malloy of the midday show The Dennis & Judi Show. [14] [15] [16] [17] In September 2022, Spadea and station owner Townsquare Media were sued for defamation by Steven Tobias—a child psychologist who had made appearances on the station to discuss the impact of the pandemic on schools—after Spadea called for him to be "indicted for child abuse" for promoting the wearing of face masks in schools. [18]

New Jersey-centric branding

The NJ 101.5 studios are at the Townsquare Media office in Ewing, co-located with the studios for 94.5 WPST, 1040 WCHR and 920 WNJE 2024-11-15 12 14 23 The Townsquare Media Trenton offices in Ewing Township, Mercer County, New Jersey.jpg
The NJ 101.5 studios are at the Townsquare Media office in Ewing, co-located with the studios for 94.5 WPST, 1040 WCHR and 920 WNJE

The station strongly brands its New Jersey identity with its bumper messages intoning "Not New York. Not Philadelphia. Proud to be New Jersey!" It calls its traffic reports New Jersey Fast Traffic and weather forecasts are New Jersey Instant Weather. In reporting traffic, the station refers to traffic direction on bridges and tunnels as "entering New Jersey" or "leaving New Jersey" instead of the more traditional designations of "into the city/inbound" or "out of the city/outbound". Current temperatures of different towns in New Jersey are given after the weather reports.

Despite the station's branding, the 101.5 signal does not reach some parts of the state. Most of Cape May, Salem and Sussex Counties are outside the station's signal. Coverage of Atlantic, Bergen, Cumberland and Hudson Counties is spotty at best. Listeners in New Jersey not in the signal range and even out-of-state listeners can hear the station via streaming.

Big Joe Henry hosting his annual Talent Show finals, Point Pleasant Beach, August 2008 BigJoeHenryTalentShow2008.jpg
Big Joe Henry hosting his annual Talent Show finals, Point Pleasant Beach, August 2008

Notable alumni

HD Radio

On May 31, 2024, WKXW launched an oldies format branded "Beach Radio" on its HD2 subchannel. [20]

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<i>Murphy v. Millennium Radio Group LLC</i>

Murphy v. Millennium Radio Group LLC is a 2011 U.S. Third Circuit Court of Appeals case concerning the Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA), copyright infringement, and defamation with regards to the online posting of a photocopy of a magazine photograph. After New Jersey radio station WKXW 101.5 copied onto its website a magazine picture of two of the station's talk show hosts, Craig Carton and Ray Rossi, the photographer of the picture, Peter Murphy, brought a suit against station owner Millennium Radio Group, as well as Carton and Rossi. The Third Circuit ruled that the station's actions did constitute both a violation of the DMCA and copyright infringement, which vacated the district court's judgment.

References

  1. ↑ "Facility Technical Data for WKXW". Licensing and Management System. Federal Communications Commission.
  2. ↑ "FCC 335-FM Digital Notification [WKXW]". fcc.gov. Federal Communications Commission. September 11, 2013. Retrieved June 2, 2018.
  3. ↑ "N.J. 101.5FM studio is renamed after longtime radio personality Jim Gearhart". The Star-Ledger. November 2, 2010. Retrieved June 27, 2013.
  4. ↑ "FM Query Results for WKXW". fcc.gov. Federal Communications Commission . Retrieved June 2, 2018.
  5. ↑ Broadcasting Yearbook 1965 page B-97. Retrieved Jan. 22, 2025.
  6. ↑ Broadcasting & Cable Yearbook 2010 page D-364. Retrieved Jan. 22, 2025.
  7. ↑ "Oaktree closes on Millennium-NJ, files to transfer stations to Townsquare Media". Radio-Info.com. July 21, 2011. Retrieved July 21, 2011.
  8. ↑ Murphy v. Millennium Radio Group LLC , 08-1743 (US District Court, D. New Jersey2010).
  9. ↑ Murphy v. Millennium Radio Group LLC , 10-2163 (3rd Circuit2011).
  10. ↑ Lartey, Jamiles (July 26, 2018). "New Jersey radio hosts suspended for calling attorney general 'turban man'". The Guardian.
  11. ↑ The Latest: Sikh group says radio station should apologize - AP NEWS
  12. ↑ "NJ 101.5 suspends hosts after they called NJ Attorney General Gurbir Grewal 'turban man'".
  13. ↑ Cervenka, Susanne (December 5, 2018). "NJ 101.5 host Judi Franco 'trampling on the graves' of police, trooper union says". Asbury Park Press. Retrieved December 6, 2018.
  14. ↑ Tully, Tracey; Otterman, Sharon; Hoffman, Jan (January 16, 2020). "How Anti-Vaccine Activists Doomed a Bill in New Jersey". The New York Times.
  15. ↑ Diamond, Michael L. "No, the COVID vaccine doesn't have a microchip. How NJ doctors are fighting misinformation". Asbury Park Press. Retrieved June 23, 2022.
  16. ↑ "Cryan, slate win in District 20". New Jersey Globe. June 9, 2021. Retrieved June 23, 2022.
  17. ↑ Nelson, Blake (July 18, 2021). "Twitter suspends N.J. lawmaker for questioning vaccine mandates. He wants an apology". The Star-Ledger. Retrieved September 22, 2022.
  18. ↑ "Child Psychologist Sues 'NJ 101.5' And Host Bill Spadea". Insideradio.com. September 16, 2022. Retrieved September 22, 2022.
  19. ↑ InsideRadio.com "NJ Gubernatorial Candidate Bill Spedea to Step Down from NJ 101.5 Morning Show" Jan. 21, 2025
  20. ↑ Beach Radio Heads to Trenton Radioinsight - May 31, 2024
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