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WJRH 104.9

M

mrwattson

I have been waiting for months to post something meaningful on these boards.

There is a little treasure in Easton, Pa and it is 104.9.

I am pretty much addicted to WJRH 104.9 lately and for good reason. If you live in Easton and Phillipsburg, you are lucky to be able to hear oldies you never ever hear on commercial radio. Keep up the good work Bill Charles and company. I understand you will be on the radio for the summer.

Also, the weekend mix is fantastic with true and I mean true variety, not to mention every night of the week.

It is frustrating that the translator for WXPN is on the same frequency. There are parts of Palmer Township where both signals come in. It makes me wonder why WJRH ever had to go to 104.9 when years ago they were down in the lower end of the tuner as most college stations are today. If WJRH were on another frequency that was clear of interference, its 8 watts could go out a bit farther without the competition of the XPN 13 watt translator in North Whitehall.

Anyone know why WJRH's frequency was changed to 104.9?

No matter, I just wanted to say that for the summer months, at least, this is a station that offers real variety to its listeners!
 
:mad: I’ve tried to listen. I can’t take it. They sound worse than the college students. If you want to hear experienced DJs who know what they are doing or even have a clue that’s NOT the place. People who try at being a DJ should not try at all. Some play oldies. I don’t know where they get the music from?? Some songs sound so bad the crackles and pops are louder than the music, some of them are sped up and some are not the original recordings, why play oldies if you’re going to play a Re-Recording of the song? If you can’t find a good copy, DON’T play it! Bottom line, if you want to hear the worst live radio has to offer WJRH is it. At least WDIY sounds like they know what they’re doing.
 
i am pretty open minded when it comes to rinky dink radio but i have to agree that WJRH is embarrassing ... at least the few times I heard it ... or should i say "not" heard it since the last time i drove through easton, they were airing a dead carrier. is that even allowed? then the other time i heard it, it sounded like a cd player on random shuffle. the one time i actually heard a DJ, it made WGPA's dj's sound like new york city big time pros. in all fairness, maybe they cleaned up their act lately to warrant the praise in this thread, but i sure didn't hear anything worth writing about as recently as a year ago.
 
I'll chime in with what I know....Feel free to correct me if I'm not explaining the technical end of this correctly.

JRH is one of the few Class D non-comm licenses left out there. I remember Jon Link (a former engineer/PD who hired me back in 1996) telling me that in the early 90s the FCC gave all the Class D's a mandate: Raise the power above 10 watts at their present location, or move into the commerical band. For whatever reason the college declined and they were forced to move from 90.5 to 104.9. The 90.5 signal actually made it out of Easton into Bethlehem, but on the current frequency you're limited to about a 4 mile radius from the campus due to the XPN translator. As far as I know JRH operates with 8 watts from the top of Pardee Hall. It's the same site at DIY's 93.9 translator and Mercer County's 92.7 translator.

Now to the fun radio geek stuff :)

The studios were in the basement of Hogg Hall right on the Quad, next to the Farinon Center. I was fortunate enough to volunteer there from 1996 to around 2000. It was the first place I cracked a microphone (at the age of 14) and where I learned to mix records on the air. I did various Friday and Saturday night shifts and the Summers were always the best. If no one was on the air you were free to go in and do a show. More than once I remember packing my backpack full of records (and biking up from Bethlehem before I could drive) to do a show. The studios were actually in pretty good shape and we even had dj set up with turntables and a mixer. It was also my first and last experience with carts. Sorry I'm 26... and spoiled with Prophet on a daily basis.

There was a fun crew of radio geeks that used to roam the halls. We had an incredibly talented advisor by the name of Dr. Allen who also mixed records on Friday nights. That guy was amazing behind two turntables and the rumors always were that he spun a few guest sets at Studio 54 back in the day and was even offered a gig mixing on KTU. He would spin everything from disco up to current dance. Someone mentioned Bill Charles as well. Man did that guy know his oldies. You could sense the passion he had for music. I met OSU and DJ Whills, two students who taught me to DJ and who I still speak to on a regular basis. Big John Haney taught me a ton about mixing and had an amazing voice too...I never would have thought he was white!! It's still great to hear John on LVR when I'm home. Without him and Jon Link I wouldn't have a full time job in radio today.

I should also mention it was the first station I was fired from. At some point someone at the college got wind that a 17 year old non student was on the air and I was kicked off. Oh well, wasn't the last gig (paid or unpaid) that I got canned from. That's radio.

I can't vouch for the current condition of the station but if Bill and company are keeping it on the air for the Summer than good for them! I know last Summer it was the first thing I checked on when I got into town, and I noted nothing but a dead carrier. If any of you guys are reading this, I'd love to cover a Saturday night next time I'm in town :) Send me a PM or track me down online.

Thanks for the memories JRH, I'll never forget it!
-Grooves
Nights/Mixer
Hot 99.5 Washington, DC
 
not only is the XPN translator a problem... the slightest tropo action will bring in WSJO.
 
i'm happy for you grooves.not easy to break in so called "real" radio anymore! and dispite not pleasing everyone we are kicking butt! thanks to the students for having just 4 of us from town on the air makes a big differance.the random mix of songs fine too.it's not easy fiding the real versions of oldies! i play "real oldies" as much as i can.and a few worn out 45's.BTW i've been a DJ for 40 years.and broadcasting at WMUH since 1981.bill charles,big john haney and stewart brodian...yes the same stew from WDIY! are doing a great job.as for me??? can't say it's not been an adventure here all summer....in some ways it has.if you can make new friends and please just "ONE" listener then we have done our job!!!
 
Stewart is a legend. I was informed about his current stin on JRH by the man himself. He had a big smile on his face as he informed of his involvement with this station.
 
I did a mix show at WJRH in the late 80's early 90's with some of the Lafayette Basketball players. I was still in Easton High at the time. T Rich Lafayette women with broke South Side Easton boys those were the good old days.
 
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