> > So I'm listening to an aircheck I got some time ago, just
> > got around to hearing it now, of Z-100's first day or two
> on
> > the air in '83...
>
> do you know where i can get this aircheck?
Actually WVNJ AM 620 and FM 100.3 studios and offices were behind an office building just 200 yards off Route 10 in Livingston, NJ. Now houses are there.
Also I last heard WVNJ FM on July 31 on SUnday evening and they were playing elevator music at that point the full day. The VNJazz format running 8 PM-6 AM that they picked up from WRVR 106.7 (when they flipped to WKHK Country) back in 1980 was already dropped earlier in July of 1983. Also for a few days in mid July WNVJ FM simulcast WVNJ 620 but returned to elevator music a few days later. WVNJ AM 620 was doing a Big Band format playing very deep Big Band Classics middays with dannny Stiles. The rest of the time they played a tiny bit of Soft AC Anne Murray/Carpenters stuff mixed into their standards format.
Anyhow by the last week of July WVNJ was doing the elevator music format the full day playing less vocals than WRFM or WPAT but still playing a couple an hour.
Now what I dont know....How did WVNJ FM become Z 100? I had heard they remained on the air August 1 as WVNJ FM playing the instrumental format. Here is what I do not know...Did they stay on the air until Z 100 took over the dial??? or did they sign off the evening before??? or earlier??
What I do know is when Z 100 signed on August 2 the studios were in Secaucus. There was indeed construction going on and the product was not completely ready. The sign on occurred days earlier than they anticipated. The sale became final pretty quickly. But Z 100 was never in WVNJ's studios.
Their transmitter was in West Orange in the same complex as WFME 94.7, 91 WFMU. Initially Z 100 did use this facility for a week or 2 until their New York City transmitter was ready. The WVNJ FM transmitter's location was on Mt Pleasant Avenue right after Route 10 ends (New Jersey only pays for the road up to the intersection by the WFME facilities. Essex County pays for the road till its end in downtown West Orange). WFME's studios are also in that location.
By the way WVNJ FM had an inferior signal to other FM stations in the New York City area. The reason was they were only able to transmit 5000 watts on that tower giving them about a 15,000 watt EFP. It would be more expensinve to boost that power to 20,000 watts giving them 50,000 watts EFP. On the Empire state or WOrld Trade building a New York City Class B FM station only needs to transmit 5,000 watts to get an EFP of 50,000. WVNJ FM's transmitter would have needed to be replaced to put out more power so Malrite determined it would be cheaper to just replace the location as well as the transmitter.
WFME 94.7 though puts out about 20,000 watts and has the EFP of close to 50,000. Also they reach Manhattan as well as any other FM station in the city. They also reach much of Long Island. If they were sold it would be possible to not move their facilities and get the same signal as anyone else.
AM 620 WVNJ was sold to Spanish Broadcasting Company in October. They did run the Elevator music format during certain hours till the end. SBS would make the station WSKQ and make them Suave radio a Spanish AC format. I am unsure if they remained in Livingston for a while eventually moving to Manhattan or did they move right away? They did keep the transmitter there however.
Eventually in 1988 SBS would buy AM 1050 playing Non commercial Spanish music until they could swap it in January 1989 for 97.9 FM. Then AM 1050 became WEVD picking the intellectual unit of 97.9 FM while SBS would move the Spanish AC Suave format to 97.9 FM making them WSKQ FM.
WSKQ 620 would flip to a Spanish Oldies/Talk format. In 1993 WSKQ FM would flip to a Tropical format and teh Sueve AC Spanish format would move to AM 620. In 1996 SBS would buy WPAT FM 93.1 and move the Spanish AC format there. AM 620 would change calls and become a Mexican format. Eventually AM 620 would be sold to One On One Sports and then sold again.
