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WKXW (101.5 FM, "New Jersey 101.5") is a
commercial Commercial may refer to: * (adjective for) commerce, a system of voluntary exchange of products and services ** (adjective for) trade, the trading of something of economic value such as goods, services, information or money * a dose of advertising ...
FM
radio station Radio broadcasting is the broadcasting of audio (sound), sometimes with related metadata, by radio waves to radio receivers belonging to a public audience. In terrestrial radio broadcasting the radio waves are broadcast by a land-based rad ...
licensed to Trenton, and broadcasting to most of the state of
New Jersey New Jersey is a U.S. state, state located in both the Mid-Atlantic States, Mid-Atlantic and Northeastern United States, Northeastern regions of the United States. Located at the geographic hub of the urban area, heavily urbanized Northeas ...
. It is owned by
Townsquare Media Townsquare Media, Inc. (formerly Regent Communications until 2010) is an American radio network and media company based in Purchase, New York. The company started in radio and expanded into digital media toward the end of the 2000s, starting wit ...
with studios and offices on Walters Avenue in Ewing. On weekdays, the station has a
talk radio Talk radio is a radio format containing discussion about topical issues and consisting entirely or almost entirely of original spoken word content rather than outside music. They may feature monologues, dialogues between the hosts, Interview (jo ...
format, sometimes bordering on
hot talk Talk radio is a radio format containing discussion about topical issues and consisting entirely or almost entirely of original spoken word content rather than outside music. They may feature monologues, dialogues between the hosts, Interview (jo ...
. On weekends and major holidays, it switches to classic hits. WKXW is a Class B FM station with an
effective radiated power Effective radiated power (ERP), synonymous with equivalent radiated power, is an IEEE standardized definition of directional radio frequency (RF) power, such as that emitted by a radio transmitter. It is the total power in watts that would ha ...
(ERP) of 16,500
watt The watt (symbol: W) is the unit of Power (physics), power or radiant flux in the International System of Units (SI), equal to 1 joule per second or 1 kg⋅m2⋅s−3. It is used to quantification (science), quantify the rate of Work ...
s. Its
transmitter In electronics and telecommunications, a radio transmitter or just transmitter (often abbreviated as XMTR or TX in technical documents) is an electronic device which produces radio waves with an antenna (radio), antenna with the purpose of sig ...
tower A tower is a tall Nonbuilding structure, structure, taller than it is wide, often by a significant factor. Towers are distinguished from guyed mast, masts by their lack of guy-wires and are therefore, along with tall buildings, self-supporting ...
is shared with 103.3 WPRB and is near the Quaker Bridge Mall in Lawrence Township in
Mercer County, New Jersey Mercer County is a county located in the U.S. state of New Jersey. Its county seat is Trenton, also the state capital, but also directly borders the Philadelphia metropolitan area and is included within the Federal Communications Commission's ...
. WKXW broadcasts using
HD Radio HD Radio (HDR) is a trademark for in-band on-channel (IBOC) digital radio broadcast technology. HD radio generally simulcast, simulcasts an existing analog radio station in digital format with less noise and with additional text information. HD R ...
technology and airs
oldies Oldies is a term for musical genres such as pop music, rock and roll, doo-wop, surf music from the second half of the 20th century, specifically from around the mid-1950s to the 1980s, as well as for a radio format playing this music. Since 2 ...
on its HD2
subchannel In broadcasting, digital subchannels are a method of transmitting more than one independent program stream simultaneously from the same digital radio or television station on the same radio frequency channel. This is done by using data compressi ...
.


History


Easy Listening, AC and Oldies

The station
signed on A sign-on (or start-up in Commonwealth countries except Canada) is the beginning of operations for a radio broadcasting, radio or television station, generally at the start of each day. It is the opposite of a sign-off (or closedown in Commonw ...
the air on . Its original
call sign In broadcasting and radio communications, a call sign (also known as a call name or call letters—and historically as a call signal—or abbreviated as a call) is a unique identifier for a transmitter station. A call sign can be formally as ...
was WBUD-FM, the
sister station In broadcasting, sister stations or sister channels are radio or television stations operated by the same company, either by direct ownership or through a management agreement. Radio sister stations will often have different formats, and somet ...
of WBUD 1260 AM (now WFJS). WBUD-FM had an
automated Automation describes a wide range of technologies that reduce human intervention in processes, mainly by predetermining decision criteria, subprocess relationships, and related actions, as well as embodying those predeterminations in machine ...
easy listening Easy listening (including mood music) is a popular music genre and radio format that was most popular during the 1950s to the 1970s. It is related to middle of the road (MOR) music and encompasses instrumental recordings of standards, hit s ...
format. The call letters changed in 1967 to WBJH, which stood for Bill and Joy Hardin, 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 Adult contemporary music (AC) is a form of radio-played popular music, ranging from 1960s vocal and 1970s soft rock music to predominantly ballad-heavy music of the 1980s to the present day, with varying degrees of easy listening, pop, soul ...
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 Adult contemporary music (AC) is a form of radio-played popular music, ranging from 1960s vocal and 1970s soft rock music to predominantly ballad-heavy music of the 1980s to the present day, with varying degrees of easy listening, pop, soul ...
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

In 1990, WKXW-FM was sold to Press Communications, parent company of the ''
Asbury Park Press The ''Asbury Park Press'', formerly known as the ''Shore Press'', ''Daily Press'', ''Asbury Park Daily Press'', and ''Asbury Park Evening Press'', is the third largest daily newspaper in the state of New Jersey. Established in 1879, it has been o ...
'' 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 Oldies is a term for musical genres such as pop music, rock and roll, doo-wop, surf music from the second half of the 20th century, specifically from around the mid-1950s to the 1980s, as well as for a radio format playing this music. Since 2 ...
music on the overnights and weekend. Initially, the oldies
playlist A playlist is a list of video or audio files that can be played back on a media player, either sequentially or in a shuffled order. In its most general form, an audio playlist is simply a list of songs that can be played once or in a loop. ...
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.''Broadcasting & Cable Yearbook 2010'' page D-364. Retrieved Jan. 22, 2025.
/REF> 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 Townsquare Media, Inc. (formerly Regent Communications until 2010) is an American radio network and media company based in Purchase, New York. The company started in radio and expanded into digital media toward the end of the 2000s, starting wit ...
, the owner of multiple radio stations around the U.S.


Simulcasts and news network

The station has, at times, provided a
simulcast Simulcast (a portmanteau of "simultaneous broadcast") is the broadcasting of programs or events across more than one resolution, bitrate or medium, or more than one service on the same medium, at exactly the same time (that is, simultaneously) ...
on various AM and FM stations in the
Atlantic City Atlantic City, sometimes referred to by its initials A.C., is a Jersey Shore seaside resort city in Atlantic County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. Atlantic City comprises the second half of the Atlantic City- Hammonton metropolitan sta ...
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 In broadcasting, a flagship (also known as a flagship station or key station) is the broadcast station which originates a television network, or a particular radio or television program that plays a key role in the branding of and consumer loyal ...
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 WCHR-FM (105.7 MHz), known as "105.7 The Hawk", is a radio station in Manahawkin, New Jersey, with a classic rock radio format. It is owned by Townsquare Media. Coverage area WCHR-FM is the most powerful FM station in the Monmouth/Ocean market ...
in Manahawkin,
WJLK-FM WJLK-FM (94.3 FM broadcasting, FM; "The Point") is a Commercial broadcasting, commercial radio station city of license, licensed to Asbury Park, New Jersey, and serving Monmouth County, Ocean County, New Jersey, Northern Ocean County and Middles ...
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 Copyright infringement (at times referred to as piracy) is the use of Copyright#Scope, works protected by copyright without permission for a usage where such permission is required, thereby infringing certain exclusive rights granted to the c ...
, and
defamation Defamation is a communication that injures a third party's reputation and causes a legally redressable injury. The precise legal definition of defamation varies from country to country. It is not necessarily restricted to making assertions ...
with regards to the online posting of a photocopy of a ''
New Jersey Monthly ''New Jersey Monthly'' is an American monthly magazine featuring issues of possible interest to residents of New Jersey New Jersey is a U.S. state, state located in both the Mid-Atlantic States, Mid-Atlantic and Northeastern United St ...
''magazine photograph. Photographer Peter Murphy sent a notice of
copyright infringement Copyright infringement (at times referred to as piracy) is the use of Copyright#Scope, works protected by copyright without permission for a usage where such permission is required, thereby infringing certain exclusive rights granted to the c ...
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." In April 2008, Murphy brought suit for direct, contributory, and
vicarious Vicarious may refer to: * Vicariousness, experiencing through another person * Vicarious learning, observational learning In law * Vicarious liability, a term in common law * Vicarious liability (criminal), a term in criminal law Religion * Subst ...
copyright infringement Copyright infringement (at times referred to as piracy) is the use of Copyright#Scope, works protected by copyright without permission for a usage where such permission is required, thereby infringing certain exclusive rights granted to the c ...
, violation of the
DMCA The Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA) is a 1998 United States copyright law that implements two 1996 treaties of the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO). It criminalizes production and dissemination of technology, devices, or ...
, 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. On July 26, 2018, the station came under fire after hosts Judi Franco and Dennis Malloy referred to
New Jersey Attorney General The attorney general of New Jersey is a member of the executive cabinet of the state and oversees the New Jersey Department of Law and Public Safety, Department of Law and Public Safety. The office is appointed by the governor of New Jersey, confi ...
Gurbir Grewal as "turban man" while on air. The hosts were suspended for 10 days. 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." Some of the station's personalities have garnered attention for their promotion of anti-vaccination viewpoints (including opposition to
COVID-19 vaccine A COVID19 vaccine is a vaccine intended to provide acquired immunity against severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), the virus that causes coronavirus disease 2019 ( COVID19). Knowledge about the structure and fun ...
s and COVID-19 vaccine mandates), including morning host Bill Spadea, and host Dennis Malloy of the midday show ''The Dennis & Judi Show''. 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 Child abuse (also called child endangerment or child maltreatment) is physical abuse, physical, child sexual abuse, sexual, emotional and/or psychological abuse, psychological maltreatment or Child neglect, neglect of a child, especially by a p ...
" for promoting the wearing of face masks in schools.


New Jersey-centric branding

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 Cape May consists of a peninsula and barrier island system in the U.S. state of New Jersey. It is roughly coterminous with Cape May County and runs southwards from the New Jersey mainland, separating Delaware Bay from the Atlantic Ocean. Th ...
, Salem and Sussex Counties are outside the station's signal. Coverage of
Atlantic The Atlantic Ocean is the second largest of the world's five oceanic divisions, with an area of about . It covers approximately 17% of Earth's surface and about 24% of its water surface area. During the Age of Discovery, it was known for se ...
,
Bergen Bergen (, ) is a city and municipalities of Norway, municipality in Vestland county on the Western Norway, west coast of Norway. Bergen is the list of towns and cities in Norway, second-largest city in Norway after the capital Oslo. By May 20 ...
,
Cumberland Cumberland ( ) is an area of North West England which was historically a county. The county was bordered by Northumberland to the north-east, County Durham to the east, Westmorland to the south-east, Lancashire to the south, and the Scottish ...
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.


Notable alumni

* Craig Carton, former member of ''The Jersey Guys'', later co-host of '' Boomer and Carton in the Morning'' at
WFAN WFAN may refer to: * WFAN (AM) WFAN (660 AM) is a commercial radio station licensed to New York, New York, with a sports radio format, branded "Sports Radio 66 AM and 101.9 FM" or "The Fan". Owned by Audacy, Inc., the station serves the New Y ...
in New York and
CBS Sports Network CBS Sports Network (a.k.a. CBSSN) is an American digital cable and satellite television network owned by the CBS Entertainment Group unit of Paramount Global. When it launched in 2002 as the National College Sports Network (later College Sports ...
* '' John and Ken'' (John Kobylt and Ken Chiampou, later at KFI
Los Angeles Los Angeles, often referred to by its initials L.A., is the List of municipalities in California, most populous city in the U.S. state of California, and the commercial, Financial District, Los Angeles, financial, and Culture of Los Angeles, ...
) * Philadelphia radio Hall of Famer Hy Lit and his son Sam Lit, who anchored the air staff in the early 80s * Ray Rossi, teamed with Craig Carton in afternoons and later heard in evenings * Bill Spadea, morning host and political candidateInsideRadio.com "NJ Gubernatorial Candidate Bill Spedea to Step Down from NJ 101.5 Morning Show" Jan. 21, 2025
/REF>


HD Radio

On May 31, 2024, WKXW launched an oldies format branded "Beach Radio" on its HD2 subchannel.Beach Radio Heads to Trenton
Radioinsight - May 31, 2024


References


External links

* {{Trenton, New Jersey, state=collapsed 1962 establishments in New Jersey Ewing Township, New Jersey Lawrence Township, Mercer County, New Jersey News and talk radio stations in the United States Oldies radio stations in the United States Radio stations established in 1962 KXW Townsquare Media radio stations Trenton, New Jersey