WJPZ
Encyclopedia
WJPZ-FM is a college radio station owned and operated entirely by students at Syracuse University
in New York
. It broadcasts at 89.1 FM at an effective radiated power of 100 watt
s and can be heard throughout Syracuse, the rest of Onondaga County, and beyond to the north and east. WJPZ programs a tight CHR (Contemporary Hit Radio, or Top 40) radio format. Although operated by students, it is an independent organization which is incorporated and licensed by the FCC as WJPZ Radio, Inc. It is neither owned nor controlled by Syracuse University, but it does lease studio and transmitter facilities on Syracuse University property.
The station's bylaws define its purpose as "to provide professional quality air product; to provide an educational medium for those Syracuse University students interested in learning professional radio; and to satisfy and serve the diverse needs of Syracuse University students and the residents of Central New York to the extent congruous with professional air quality and financial stability." There are currently more than 100 students on the WJPZ staff.
, which at that time programmed a freeform
radio format and was operated by students. The call letters were selected for their similarity in sound to those of New York's WABC, at that time the nation's premier Top-40 station. WJPZ first broadcast on a frequency of 1200 kHz in the AM band with 100 milliwatts (1/10 watt) of power which had good coverage of the university campus and nearby residential areas of Syracuse. The station's AM antenna was located atop Day Hall, the same site that WJPZ (FM) currently utilizes. The station's radio format was Top 40 music, and served a dual purpose of providing programming to the student community and giving vocational training in the radio broadcasting field to students at the University's S.I. Newhouse School of Public Communications. The station later also broadcast its audio over campus television monitors through the facilities of CitrusTV
, then UUTV, as well as a channel on the citywide cable television system with a blank screen. This arrangement continued for some time after WJPZ moved to the FM dial.
In 1983, after operations of WAER were taken over by the university administration and the radio format was changed to jazz and NPR
News, the management of WJPZ endeavored to move the station to the FM band, where it could broadcast with more power. At 6:00 p.m. on February 2, 1985, WJPZ began broadcasting at 89.1 FM. At that time, the radio format was Top 40 with a heavy emphasis on imported and domestic dance music
. The first "official" song played on the station was a 45 rpm record of "Why" by Bronski Beat
. However, several other records were played several days earlier during brief transmitter test broadcasts.
Since that time, the station has experimented with playing different genres of music. The station played "modern rock
" for a few years in the 1990s as 89.1 the Pulse, which began in December 1995. During the Pulse period, WJPZ stayed within a Top 40 style of a limited playlist of frequently rotated songs. In 1997, WJPZ reverted back to a CHR radio format.
On January 22, 2008, after two days of stunting, WJPZ underwent a shift toward a Rhythmic CHR radio format and adopted the slogan "The Beat Of Syracuse". Today, the station continues the "Beat of Syracuse" Top-40 format with a slightly rhythmic lean. Despite being a Rhythmic, it does have competition with WWHT, who had debuted with a Rhythmic-leaning Mainstream Top 40 direction in 1996 until it went Rhythmic Top 40 fulltime in 2011.
A staple of Z89's afternoon drive programming is known as the "Drive @ 5" with DJ Maestro. Z89 features the MyPod all request hour at noon, and the "Z8 @ 9," a countdown of the eight most-requested songs of the day Monday through Friday at 9:00 pm.
The "Friday Night Football" broadcast package features one to two high school games of the week, as well as live reports from other games around the Central New York region. This, in addition to its real-time high school football blog at syracuse.com, provides listeners and viewers with the most comprehensive high school football coverage in Central New York.
WJPZ has broadcast Syracuse University Women's basketball since the station's move to the FM dial in 1985. WJPZ currently broadcasts every regular-season and postseason game, home or away. In 2008-2009, WJPZ celebrated the 25th season of Orange Women's Basketball on Z89.
WJPZ has also broadcast Syracuse Women's Lacrosse since 2000. It has been the flagship station for SU women's lacrosse since 2007, meaning it is the team's official broadcaster. WJPZ is the only station to broadcast SU women's lacrosse, and the only media outlet to cover every game, home or away.
In 2008-2009, WJPZ broadcast a select slate of games from the inaugural season of Syracuse Women's Ice Hockey.
In addition to its real-time Friday Night Football blog on syracuse.com, WJPZ also posts game recaps on syracuse.com from every SU women's basketball and women's lacrosse game. It also provides in-game updates and information from all its broadcasts on its Twitter and Facebook, Z89Sports. WJPZ also posts its game highlights from every broadcast on Twitter after every game.
The station also boasts 14 hours of sports talk programming per week at the following times:
as its keynote speaker. Its keynote speaker for 2010 was Kid Kelly from Backtrax USA. In 2011, its keynote speaker was ESPN Fantasy Sports Analyst and WJPZ alum Matthew Berry '92.
Notable alumni include:
Syracuse University
Syracuse University is a private research university located in Syracuse, New York, United States. Its roots can be traced back to Genesee Wesleyan Seminary, founded by the Methodist Episcopal Church in 1832, which also later founded Genesee College...
in New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
. It broadcasts at 89.1 FM at an effective radiated power of 100 watt
Watt
The watt is a derived unit of power in the International System of Units , named after the Scottish engineer James Watt . The unit, defined as one joule per second, measures the rate of energy conversion.-Definition:...
s and can be heard throughout Syracuse, the rest of Onondaga County, and beyond to the north and east. WJPZ programs a tight CHR (Contemporary Hit Radio, or Top 40) radio format. Although operated by students, it is an independent organization which is incorporated and licensed by the FCC as WJPZ Radio, Inc. It is neither owned nor controlled by Syracuse University, but it does lease studio and transmitter facilities on Syracuse University property.
The station's bylaws define its purpose as "to provide professional quality air product; to provide an educational medium for those Syracuse University students interested in learning professional radio; and to satisfy and serve the diverse needs of Syracuse University students and the residents of Central New York to the extent congruous with professional air quality and financial stability." There are currently more than 100 students on the WJPZ staff.
Station history
The station was established in 1974 as an alternative to the Syracuse University-owned FM station, WAERWAER
WAER is a radio station in Syracuse, New York. It is located on the campus of Syracuse University, and is an auxiliary service of the school. The station features a jazz music and National Public Radio format, with a news and music staff providing programming around the clock...
, which at that time programmed a freeform
Freeform
The word freeform may refer to:* Freeform , an alias used by experimental/IDM producer Simon Pyke* Freeform Style of Hardcore Techno influenced by trance.* Freeform Five, UK electro-house band...
radio format and was operated by students. The call letters were selected for their similarity in sound to those of New York's WABC, at that time the nation's premier Top-40 station. WJPZ first broadcast on a frequency of 1200 kHz in the AM band with 100 milliwatts (1/10 watt) of power which had good coverage of the university campus and nearby residential areas of Syracuse. The station's AM antenna was located atop Day Hall, the same site that WJPZ (FM) currently utilizes. The station's radio format was Top 40 music, and served a dual purpose of providing programming to the student community and giving vocational training in the radio broadcasting field to students at the University's S.I. Newhouse School of Public Communications. The station later also broadcast its audio over campus television monitors through the facilities of CitrusTV
CitrusTV
CitrusTV is the completely student-run television studio of Syracuse University and the State University of New York College of Environmental Science and Forestry in Syracuse, New York. It was founded in 1970 and has around 350 student members....
, then UUTV, as well as a channel on the citywide cable television system with a blank screen. This arrangement continued for some time after WJPZ moved to the FM dial.
In 1983, after operations of WAER were taken over by the university administration and the radio format was changed to jazz and NPR
NPR
NPR, formerly National Public Radio, is a privately and publicly funded non-profit membership media organization that serves as a national syndicator to a network of 900 public radio stations in the United States. NPR was created in 1970, following congressional passage of the Public Broadcasting...
News, the management of WJPZ endeavored to move the station to the FM band, where it could broadcast with more power. At 6:00 p.m. on February 2, 1985, WJPZ began broadcasting at 89.1 FM. At that time, the radio format was Top 40 with a heavy emphasis on imported and domestic dance music
Dance music
Dance music is music composed specifically to facilitate or accompany dancing. It can be either a whole musical piece or part of a larger musical arrangement...
. The first "official" song played on the station was a 45 rpm record of "Why" by Bronski Beat
Bronski Beat
Bronski Beat were a popular British synthpop trio who achieved success in the mid 1980s, particularly with the 1984 chart hit "Smalltown Boy". All members of the group were openly homosexual and their songs reflected this, often containing political commentary on gay-related issues...
. However, several other records were played several days earlier during brief transmitter test broadcasts.
Since that time, the station has experimented with playing different genres of music. The station played "modern rock
Modern rock
Modern rock is a rock format commonly found on commercial radio; the format consists primarily of the alternative rock genre...
" for a few years in the 1990s as 89.1 the Pulse, which began in December 1995. During the Pulse period, WJPZ stayed within a Top 40 style of a limited playlist of frequently rotated songs. In 1997, WJPZ reverted back to a CHR radio format.
On January 22, 2008, after two days of stunting, WJPZ underwent a shift toward a Rhythmic CHR radio format and adopted the slogan "The Beat Of Syracuse". Today, the station continues the "Beat of Syracuse" Top-40 format with a slightly rhythmic lean. Despite being a Rhythmic, it does have competition with WWHT, who had debuted with a Rhythmic-leaning Mainstream Top 40 direction in 1996 until it went Rhythmic Top 40 fulltime in 2011.
Music
Monday through Friday, WJPZ features a tightly-formatted Top-40 playlist with DJs working two- or three-hour shifts. The station's morning show is known as the "Z Morning Zoo," and features a rotating slate of hosts Monday through Friday from 6-10 am, including "Mondays with Fran" and the "Hump Day Zoo" with Grant Ryan and V Ripson.A staple of Z89's afternoon drive programming is known as the "Drive @ 5" with DJ Maestro. Z89 features the MyPod all request hour at noon, and the "Z8 @ 9," a countdown of the eight most-requested songs of the day Monday through Friday at 9:00 pm.
Sports
WJPZ features a very active sports department, led by Sports Director Eric Silverman. The station presents live play-by-play broadcasts of high school football, Syracuse University Women's Basketball, and Syracuse University Women's Lacrosse, in addition to 14 hours of weekend sports talk.The "Friday Night Football" broadcast package features one to two high school games of the week, as well as live reports from other games around the Central New York region. This, in addition to its real-time high school football blog at syracuse.com, provides listeners and viewers with the most comprehensive high school football coverage in Central New York.
WJPZ has broadcast Syracuse University Women's basketball since the station's move to the FM dial in 1985. WJPZ currently broadcasts every regular-season and postseason game, home or away. In 2008-2009, WJPZ celebrated the 25th season of Orange Women's Basketball on Z89.
WJPZ has also broadcast Syracuse Women's Lacrosse since 2000. It has been the flagship station for SU women's lacrosse since 2007, meaning it is the team's official broadcaster. WJPZ is the only station to broadcast SU women's lacrosse, and the only media outlet to cover every game, home or away.
In 2008-2009, WJPZ broadcast a select slate of games from the inaugural season of Syracuse Women's Ice Hockey.
In addition to its real-time Friday Night Football blog on syracuse.com, WJPZ also posts game recaps on syracuse.com from every SU women's basketball and women's lacrosse game. It also provides in-game updates and information from all its broadcasts on its Twitter and Facebook, Z89Sports. WJPZ also posts its game highlights from every broadcast on Twitter after every game.
The station also boasts 14 hours of sports talk programming per week at the following times:
- Weekend Wake-up Call - Saturday 8-10 am
- The Saturday Morning Quarterbacks - Saturday 10 am-Noon
- The Wiseguys - Saturday Noon-2 pm
- On the Hill- Sunday 8-10 am
- Sportsline 89 - Sunday 10 am-Noon
- Talkin' Smack - Sunday Noon-2 pm
- Call It A Wrap - Sunday 11 pm-1 am
News
WJPZ's news department produces "89 Second News Updates" which air every afternoon at 5:00 pm. The department also produces "Orange State," a weekly news talk show which airs every Friday from Noon to 1:00 pm. The department also produces a second talk show on Tuesdays from 7 pm- 8 pm called the Red Carpet Report Blog which focuses on entertainment news.Specialty Programming
WJPZ airs the following specialty shows on weekends:- Off The Hook w/ R Source -Sunday 8 pm-10 pm
- The Island Ride - Friday 10 pm-Midnight
- Backspin - Saturday 3-6 pm
- The Grind - Saturday 6-9 pm
- The Sauce - Sunday 2-3 pm
- Weekend Spectacular - Sunday 3-6 pm
- Classic Rock Block - Sunday 6-8 pm
- Altered State - Sunday 8-11 pm
- Midnight Snack - Sunday 11 pm-Midnight
Executive Staff
Members of the WJPZ Executive Staff generally serve one-year terms and are elected by the members of the prior year's executive staff.Current Executive Staff
- General Manager - Craig Hoffman
- Vice President of Operations - Eric Zeleznik
- Vice President of Programming/Mix Show Coordinator - Rashaud Thomas
- Vice President of Business/Promotions Director - Andrew Wynschenk
- Sports Director - Eric Silverman
- Music Director/Internal Relations Director - Neph Rivera
- News Director - Matt Phifer
- Legal Director/Office Manager - Alyssa Norwin
- Web Director - Ben Romy
- Social Media Director - Kearney Erhard
- Research Director - Kevin Fitzgerald
- Z Morning Zoo Producer- Liz Doyon
- Broadcast Consultant - Alex Brewer
Alumni
WJPZ has a very active alumni association that meets annually in Syracuse each spring. On February 28, 2009, WJPZ held its 24th annual Birthday Banquet, featuring syndicated morning show host Elvis DuranElvis Duran
Elvis Duran is the host of the Elvis Duran and the Morning Show in New York on Z100 and in syndication on Premiere Radio Networks.Duran's show is now heard live in over 40 markets including New York, Philadelphia, Miami, Cleveland, Tampa, Syracuse, Atlanta, & Des Moines.Before his current job at...
as its keynote speaker. Its keynote speaker for 2010 was Kid Kelly from Backtrax USA. In 2011, its keynote speaker was ESPN Fantasy Sports Analyst and WJPZ alum Matthew Berry '92.
Notable alumni include:
- Dave Gorab - VP/Talk Programming, Sirius/XM Radio
- Sam Roberts- Producer, The Opie & Anthony Show, Sirius/XM Radio
- Rich Davis - Host, Sirius/XM Radio - Morning Mash Up
- Ryan Sampson - Host, Sirius/XM Radio - Morning Mash Up
- Steve Donovan - Morning Host, WXLOWXLOWXLO is a Hot Adult Contemporary radio station that serves the Worcester, Massachusetts market, broadcasting on the FM band at a frequency of 104.5 MHz. The station is licensed in Fitchburg, Massachusetts to Cumulus Media...
WorcesterWorcesterThe City of Worcester, commonly known as Worcester, , is a city and county town of Worcestershire in the West Midlands of England. Worcester is situated some southwest of Birmingham and north of Gloucester, and has an approximate population of 94,000 people. The River Severn runs through the...
, MA - Danno Wolkoff - Founder, Envision Radio Networks
- Rocco Macri - Co-Founder, PromoSuite
- Chris Bungo - Co-Founder, PromoSuite
- Ed LaComb - President, Digital Sound & Video, Inc.
- Shanti DasShanti DasShanti Das is a music industry executive, marketing consultant, entrepreneur, philanthropist and author...
- Universal Motown - Executive Vice President of Urban Marketing and Artist Development - Matt DelSignore - News Anchor, KDKA - Pittsburgh
- Alex Silverman - News Anchor/Reporter - WCBS 880, New York City
- Ian Eagle - CBS Sports Play-By-Play Announcer
- Rob "Rusty" Berrell - General Sales Manager, CBS Radio, Minneapolis
- Craig Carton - Morning Host, WFAN - New York
- Dion Summers - Sirius XM Radio
- Father Dave Dwyer - Talk Show Host, Sirius XM Radio
- Dan Klass - Actor, Podcasting pioneer, Author
- Mark ZitoMark ZitoMark Zito is an American entertainer from East Greenwich, RI. Zito graduated East Greenwich High School in 2006 and Syracuse University in 2010. To date, Zito has worked predominantly in radio working for Clear Channel Communications, Shovio.com, and hosting his own show on college networks and...
- Sirius/XM Radio - Richard Goldner - News Director, KTLA-TV, Los Angeles
- Scott MacFarlane - Reporter, Cox Broadcasting - Washington
- Matt Friedman - Partner, Tanner Friedman Communications - Detroit
- Kevin Rich - Account Manager, On-Air Personality, Citadel Radio, Syracuse, NY
- BB Good - DJ, Radio Disney
- Carl Wiser - Founder, songfacts.com
- Jennifer Nycz - Reporter for the Washington Business Journal
- Dr. Roosevelt "Rick" Wright, Jr. - On-Air Personality, WPHR
- James Leatherman - actor in MantecozaMantecozaMantecoza is a steampunk-fantasy web series which premiered at the Phoenix ComiCon on Saturday, May 28, 2011. It centers on the character of Sebastian King, an average office worker, who is suddenly thrust into the neo-Victorian world of Mantecoza, where he struggles to learn how to be a wizard in...
- Dana Dieterle - Assistant News Director, WOIO/WUAB-TV - Cleveland
- Ryan McNaughton - Sports Reporter, News 10 Now - Syracuse
- Mike Murphy - Play by Play Voice of the Double-A New Hampshire Fisher Cats
- Phil Schoener - Sports Reporter, WBRE - Scranton
- Eric Stangel - Head Writer/Producer - The Late Show With David Letterman
- John Beck - Writer/Producer - "According to Jim"
- Michael Konner - Coordinating Producer - "MLB Network"
- Brian Gewirtz - Head Writer - World Wrestling Entertainment
- Zachary Kineke - Morning producer, WIVB/WNLO-TV Buffalo
- J. Michael Mendel - Film/TV Producer (The Simpsons)
- Jeff Tourial - Director of Communications and New Media, West Coast Conference
- Ryan Johnston - Boston's Sports Hub and WCAP, Lowell
- Paul Loeffler - play-by-play, Fresno State and National Spelling Bee on ABC
- Jeff RossenJeff RossenJeff Rossen is an American television journalist who is currently employed by NBC News. He joined the network in September 2008. Rossen contributes to all NBC News programs and platforms, including "NBC Nightly News with Brian Williams," and "TODAY." Rossen also fills in at the anchor desk for...
- Reporter, NBC news and WNBC, New York - Jim Chairusmi - Reporter, Wall Street Journal
- Mark Verone - Director Partner Marketing Operations, Orbitz Worldwide, Chicago, IL
- Chris Villani - Play by Play for Harvard Men's Basketball, Sports Talk/Update Anchor at WEEI-Boston
- Alex Vispoli - Play by Play Voice of the Single-A Winston-Salem Dash
- Joel Godett - Play by Play Voice of the Single-A Bradenton Marauders
- Tom Gelehrter - Play by Play for Women's Basketball and Sidelines for Football - University of Cincinnati
- Mike Janela - Guinness Book of World Records Adjudicator
- Chris Glorioso - Reporter, WNBC New York, NY