-
Get involved.
We want your input!
Apply for Membership and join the conversations about everything related to broadcasting.
After we receive your registration, a moderator will review it. After your registration is approved, you will be permitted to post.
If you use a disposable or false email address, your registration will be rejected.
After your membership is approved, please take a minute to tell us a little bit about yourself.
https://www.radiodiscussions.com/forums/introduce-yourself.1088/
Thanks in advance and have fun!
RadioDiscussions Administrators
You are using an out of date browser. It may not display this or other websites correctly.
You should upgrade or use an alternative browser.
You should upgrade or use an alternative browser.
WZVU 104.7
- Thread starter nd2023
- Start date
I remember hearing about the station when it was busted, although, I was not aware of it while it was active ...
The late Sal Anthony ran this station, using stolen equipment from then-WRLJ, 89.7, Freehold, where he was the PD ...
In fact, I was listening to 89.7, the day it abruptly went off the air in July 1996 ...
Didn't think nothing of it, of course - who knew what the real motive was ...
I forget the GM's name, but I did talk to him, during the downtime while 89.7 was trying to get themselves back on the air ...
Lots of internal drama, etc - but 89.7 was back on the air by December that year, as WPDQ ...
If I had known about 104.7 while it was on the air, no doubt I would've picked it up here in Toms River ...
The late Sal Anthony ran this station, using stolen equipment from then-WRLJ, 89.7, Freehold, where he was the PD ...
In fact, I was listening to 89.7, the day it abruptly went off the air in July 1996 ...
Didn't think nothing of it, of course - who knew what the real motive was ...
I forget the GM's name, but I did talk to him, during the downtime while 89.7 was trying to get themselves back on the air ...
Lots of internal drama, etc - but 89.7 was back on the air by December that year, as WPDQ ...
If I had known about 104.7 while it was on the air, no doubt I would've picked it up here in Toms River ...
At the time, Sal Anthony was also the PD at WCNJ - they were running an oldies format ...
Initially, 89.7 was simulcasting WCNJ, before splitting off and programming on their own ...
Initially, 89.7 was simulcasting WCNJ, before splitting off and programming on their own ...
njradionj said:This station was on around September 1997. Was it a fire house tower that had its antenna, not far from 89.7 Freehold's?
Yup...and he showed a fake license with the real call letters covered over in white out to get the antenna on the tower.
K
K-Tel
Guest
Found an interesting site about WZVU http://bobbyemmons.net/id7.html
I think I remember hearing at the time that heavily-armed Federal Marshalls accompanied the FCC inspectors at the time of the shutdown of the pirate "WZVU" 104.7. Not sure if that is true, but can you imagine that happening today at some of the pirate operations in some of the "less-than-desirable" cities and neighborhoods where many of these pirates operate from today? It would result in a full scale street war.
Re: the "pirate" 104.7 in Howell was shut down regarding interference complaints with 104.5 in Philadelphia and 104.9 in Egg Harbor City. Sal's 1300-watts got out pretty well including to the southwest resulting in complaints. Most of Monmouth County could be considered "fringe" areas for both of these stations. I used to be able to listen to both WSNI/WYXR (104.5) and WRDR (104.9) when I lived in Northern Monmouth with my Radio Shack DX-440 connected to an external yagi antenna aimed southwest.
-Mike
Re: the "pirate" 104.7 in Howell was shut down regarding interference complaints with 104.5 in Philadelphia and 104.9 in Egg Harbor City. Sal's 1300-watts got out pretty well including to the southwest resulting in complaints. Most of Monmouth County could be considered "fringe" areas for both of these stations. I used to be able to listen to both WSNI/WYXR (104.5) and WRDR (104.9) when I lived in Northern Monmouth with my Radio Shack DX-440 connected to an external yagi antenna aimed southwest.
-Mike
Dug into my archives and I found the article that was in the Asbury Park Press from September 5, 1997:
http://www.angelfire.com/nj2/piratejim/wzvuarticle.html
http://www.angelfire.com/nj2/piratejim/wzvuarticle.html
Just exactly what was he playing on WZVU that got the attention of everyone and how often was this pirate on during the days as in time slots? And how long was this station on the air before they got raided? Nowadays, pirates like Streetz 96, and 87.9 "Compact FM" (yes, they have a name, one hour of just their imaging) are on for years and still no raid.
"WZVU" was on the air 24/7 for about a month before they got raided ...
The station was oldies - but, the main complaint was that they were interfering with 104.5 from Philly and 104.9 from Egg Harbor City ...
The station was oldies - but, the main complaint was that they were interfering with 104.5 from Philly and 104.9 from Egg Harbor City ...
Sal Anthony after his WZVU pirate radio experience, did continue to broadcast as he brokered time on the Newark AM station once known as WNJR and did his oldies show one or two nights a week along with his sidekick known as Stick Shift Eddie. He pretty much did his show on this AM station until he could no longer physically do the show because of his cancer.
I will relate a funny story about the very last broadcast day of WZVU. My normal shift was Saturday nights, but Herb Ellis who did a disco dance party show on WZVU as well as being a successful attorney by day had asked me to fill in for him as he was attending the MTV award show taking place in NYC. IF memory serves me well, it was a Thursday evening, and while driving down to the station, I realized that we were off the air. I continued to drive down to the station thinking that if the engineers were able to correct the problem and WZVU was ready to go back on the air that I had to be ready to do a show.
I arrived at the WZVU studios in Howell, NJ and I find Sal Anthony and his wife just kind of sitting quietly in the main office. Sal looked at me and said "kid..what are you doing here?" I said I was filling in for Herb Ellis. Sal then said well we are off the air. I still didn't get it and responded that I knew we were off but I wanted to be ready for when the technical issue got resolved. Sal just looked at his wife, smiled, and said "well why don't you go into the studio and see if any progress was being made to being back on the air soon". I proceeded into the main control room and that's when the shocking reality hit me....there was no equipment left at all in the studio......it was ALL gone. WZVU wasn't coming back on soon or at all.
Sal laughed at me when I came back into the office to try and understand what was happening and that's when I first learned of the US Marshalls seizure of all of our broadcast equipment. Sal continued to profess his innocence and that he was going to fight this federal action to the very end and insisting that everything Sal was doing was indeed legal. I certainly hoped at the time that he was right.
It didn't turn out that way and thus the end had come to WZVU-FM and so goes another chapter of NJ radio history. Lucky for me my radio career was just beginning and my end was postponed for some time in the far away future hopefully.
Dave the Rave
www.davetherave.com
I will relate a funny story about the very last broadcast day of WZVU. My normal shift was Saturday nights, but Herb Ellis who did a disco dance party show on WZVU as well as being a successful attorney by day had asked me to fill in for him as he was attending the MTV award show taking place in NYC. IF memory serves me well, it was a Thursday evening, and while driving down to the station, I realized that we were off the air. I continued to drive down to the station thinking that if the engineers were able to correct the problem and WZVU was ready to go back on the air that I had to be ready to do a show.
I arrived at the WZVU studios in Howell, NJ and I find Sal Anthony and his wife just kind of sitting quietly in the main office. Sal looked at me and said "kid..what are you doing here?" I said I was filling in for Herb Ellis. Sal then said well we are off the air. I still didn't get it and responded that I knew we were off but I wanted to be ready for when the technical issue got resolved. Sal just looked at his wife, smiled, and said "well why don't you go into the studio and see if any progress was being made to being back on the air soon". I proceeded into the main control room and that's when the shocking reality hit me....there was no equipment left at all in the studio......it was ALL gone. WZVU wasn't coming back on soon or at all.
Sal laughed at me when I came back into the office to try and understand what was happening and that's when I first learned of the US Marshalls seizure of all of our broadcast equipment. Sal continued to profess his innocence and that he was going to fight this federal action to the very end and insisting that everything Sal was doing was indeed legal. I certainly hoped at the time that he was right.
It didn't turn out that way and thus the end had come to WZVU-FM and so goes another chapter of NJ radio history. Lucky for me my radio career was just beginning and my end was postponed for some time in the far away future hopefully.
Dave the Rave
www.davetherave.com
- Status
- This thread has been closed due to inactivity. You can create a new thread to discuss this topic.