| City | Jacksonville, Florida |
|---|---|
| Broadcast area | Jacksonville metropolitan area |
| Frequency | 96.1 MHz |
| Branding | 96.1 WEJZ (96.1 EJZ) |
| Slogan | "Today's Variety and Yesterday's Favorites" |
| Programming | |
| Format | Adult contemporary |
| Ownership | |
| Owner | Renda Broadcasting (Renda Broadcasting Corp. of Nevada) |
| WGNE-FM | |
| History | |
First air date | 1948 (as WMBR-FM) |
Former call signs | WMBR-FM (1948-1965) WKTZ-FM (1965-1985) WLCS-FM (1985-1986) WLCS (1986-1987) |
| Technical information | |
| Facility ID | 55706 |
| Class | C0 |
| ERP | 100,000 watts |
| HAAT | 300 meters (984 ft) |
| Links | |
| Webcast | Listen Live |
| Website | WEJZ.com |
WEJZ (96.1 MHz) is a commercial FM radio station licensed to Jacksonville, Florida.[1] It is owned by Renda Broadcasting and airs a mainstream adult contemporary radio format. WEJZ carries the syndicated Delilah show evenings (except Saturdays), John Tesh is on Sunday Morning. Between mid-November and December 26 each year, the station switches to all-Christmas music.
WEJZ's studios and offices are located on Atlantic Boulevard in the Arlington district of Jacksonville, and the transmitter is downtown, on a tower also used by Channel 12 WTLV and other radio and TV stations.[2] WEJZ is a Class C radio station, broadcasting at 100,000 watts effective radiated power (ERP) from an antenna at nearly 1000 feet, height above average terrain (HAAT). The signal stretches from Brunswick, Georgia, to Gainesville, Florida.
History
In 1948, the station first signed on as WMBR-FM, sister station to AM 1460 WMBR (now WQOP).[3] It was owned by the Florida Broadcasting Company, which the following year put Channel 4 WMBR-TV on the air, the second TV station in Florida (now WJXT). WMBR-FM simulcast the programming on its AM counterpart.
In the 1950s, the Washington Post bought the TV station, while the radio stations came under the ownership of WMBR, Incorporated.[4] In 1965, 96.1 became WKTZ-FM, when it was bought by Jones College, and was paired with AM 1220 WKTZ. The two stations aired a beautiful music format of soft instrumentals, with limited talk and commercials.
On October 1, 1985, 96.1 was bought by the Kravis Company, which already owned AM 930 WRXJ (now WFXJ).[5] The call sign became WLCS-FM, airing a soft adult contemporary sound. Meanwhile, WKTZ-FM, still owned by Jones College, became non-commercial, moving to 90.9 MHz (now K-Love station WJKV).
On June 21, 1987, WLCS was bought by WIN Communications.[6] The new owners changed the call letters to the current WEJZ, continuing its Soft AC format and calling the station "Lite 96.1."
In June 1990, the station was acquired by Renda Broadcasting. In January 2015, WEJZ dropped the "Lite" in its name, switching to "96.1 WEJZ." It moved to a more upbeat playlist of mainstream adult contemporary songs from the 1980s to current hits.[7]
References
- ^ "WEJZ Facility Record". United States Federal Communications Commission, audio division.
- ^ Radio-Locator.com/WEJZ-FM
- ^ Broadcasting Yearbook 1951 page 111
- ^ Broadcasting Yearbook 1963 page B-39
- ^ Broadcasting Yearbook 1987 page B-61
- ^ Broadcasting Yearbook 1990 page B-67
- ^ "WEJZ Call Sign History". United States Federal Communications Commission, audio division.
External links
- WEJZ official website
- WEJZ in the FCC's FM station database
- WEJZ on Radio-Locator
- WEJZ in Nielsen Audio's FM station database