WEZN-FM
 | |
| |
|---|---|
| Broadcast area | Southern Connecticut |
| Frequency | 99.9 MHz (HD Radio) |
| Branding | Star 99.9 |
| Programming | |
| Format | Hot adult contemporary |
| Ownership | |
| Owner |
|
| WEBE, WFOX, WICC, WPLR, WYBC-FM | |
| History | |
First air date | October 24, 1960 (as WJZZ) |
Former call signs |
|
Call sign meaning | "Easy" (refers to previous easy listening format) |
| Technical information[2] | |
Licensing authority | FCC |
| Facility ID | 48721 |
| Class | B |
| ERP | 27,500 watts |
| HAAT | 204 meters (669 ft) |
Transmitter coordinates | 41°16′44″N 73°11′8″W / 41.27889°N 73.18556°W |
| Links | |
Public license information | |
| Webcast | Listen live (via TuneIn) |
| Website | www |
WEZN-FM (99.9 MHz, "Star 99.9") is a commercial FM radio station, licensed to Bridgeport, Connecticut, and serving Southern Connecticut. The station is owned by Connoisseur Media and it airs a hot adult contemporary radio format. The WEZN studios are located on Wheelers Farms Road in Milford; the station's transmitter is on Green Haven Road in Trumbull.[3]
WEZN has a strong signal which reaches north of Hartford, Connecticut, and into southern Hampden County, Massachusetts. The signal is heard in Suffolk and Nassau counties on Long Island to the south and into Westchester County, New York, to the west. It can be heard in Monmouth County, New Jersey.[citation needed]
History
On October 24, 1960, the station first signed on the air as WJZZ, the FM sister station of WICC.[4] As the call letters imply, the station started out as a jazz outlet. It was the first station to be assigned the WJZZ call sign followed by 105.9 FM in Detroit, Michigan (now WDMK), and 107.5 FM in Atlanta, Georgia (now WAMJ).[5] There were few FM radios in the 1960s and the all-jazz format was not financially viable. For a time, WICC simulcast the programming from AM 600 on FM 99.9. WICC sold the station after several years.
The station was later bought by Williams Broadcasting, carrying a beautiful music format and changing its call letters to WEZN to reflect its easy listening sound. While WEZN was a popular and profitable station, the audience wanting to hear mostly orchestras and instrumental music was aging. So in the 1990s, WEZN gradually added more soft adult contemporary vocals until it made the switch to full-time adult contemporary. At the same time, 107.9 WDJF in nearby Westport, Connecticut, also moved to an adult contemporary format, so WEZN went a step further, implementing a hot adult contemporary format.
Despite the format changes, the station has kept its WEZN call sign; however, outside of hourly station identifications, it rarely says those call letters on the air, preferring the handle "Star 99.9."
The station was purchased from Cox Radio by Connoisseur Media along with sister stations WFOX and WPLR, at a purchase price of $40 million. Connoisseur Media took ownership on May 10, 2013.[6]
Past radio hosts have included Randye Kaye.[7]
References
- ^ "Call Sign History". CDBS Public Access Database. FCC Media Bureau. Retrieved April 24, 2013.
- ^ "Facility Technical Data for WEZN-FM". Licensing and Management System. Federal Communications Commission.
- ^ "Radio-Locator Predicted Coverage Area for WEZN 99.9 FM, Bridgeport, Connecticut". radio-locator.com. Retrieved October 29, 2016.
- ^ Broadcasting Yearbook 1977 page C-35
- ^ Collins, Michael. "Part Two: Time Line For Connecticut Broadcasting". WUUH.org. Retrieved April 24, 2013.
- ^ Venta, Lance (May 6, 2013). "Cox Sells Stations In Six Markets To Two Groups". RadioInsight. Retrieved May 28, 2013.
- ^ "Randye Kaye". Edge Studio. Retrieved 2011-05-18.
External links
- Star 99.9 official website
- Facility details for Facility ID WEZN ({{{2}}}) in the FCC Licensing and Management System
- {{{2}}} in Nielsen Audio's FM station database
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