WKXW

This is the article about NJ 101.5 in Trenton. For the former NJ 101.5 in Atlantic City, please refer to WXKW.

WKXW

Trenton, New Jersey
Frequency	101.5 MHz
Branding	New Jersey 101.5
Programming
Format	Talk/Oldies/News
Ownership
Owner	Millennium Radio Group (Millennium Central New Jersey License Holdco, LLC)
History
First air date	August 27, 1962
Technical information
Facility ID	53458
Class	B
ERP	15,500 watts
HAAT	275 m (902 ft)
Transmitter coordinates	40°16′58″N 74°41′11″W
Links
Webcast	Listen Live
Website	nj1015.com

WKXW (101.5 FM, "New Jersey 101.5") is a radio station in New Jersey. Recent Arbitron ratings suggest it is second and even third in some key New Jersey markets. Licensed to serve the Trenton area on 101.5 MHz FM, it was also simulcast on WXKW (formerly known as WIXM) 97.3 MHz FM in southern New Jersey until June 1st, 2009.and can be heard live online on the station's website. It is owned by Millennium Radio Group. Its transmitter is located near the Quaker Bridge Mall in Lawrence Township in Mercer County, New Jersey.

History

The station went on the air on August 27, 1962, as WBUD-FM and was owned by Dick Hardin. Its call letters subsequently changed to WBJH, which stood for Bill and Joy Hardin, the son and daughter-in-law of the owner. About 1977, the station changed calls to WTRT and called itself "T-101." In 1980, the station became WKXW, under its new owner Fidelity Communications. It was playing an adult contemporary format as "Kicks 101 and a half" before the change to its current talk format. The sale to Millennium Radio Group took place in 2001.

Prominent radio personalities who have worked at the station include Philadelphia radio Hall of Famer Hy Lit[1] and his son Sam Lit, who anchored the air staff in the early 80s, John and Ken (now at KFI Los Angeles), Scott and Casey (Scott currently at WMVN/WARH St. Louis, and Casey returned to NJ101.5), Craig Carton (former Jersey Guys co-host now at WFAN in New York), Deminski and Doyle (now at WCSX-FM Detroit), Brooke and Roberta (who left for greener pastures but never recaptured their 101.5 magic), and Mary Walter.

Since March 1, 1990, the station has a talk and news format during the week, with oldies on the weekend (as of mid September 2007, "60s" has been removed from the "60s, 70s, and 80s" week end music programming ID, and nearly all "60s" music has been removed from the play list).

New Jersey-centric branding

The station has strongly branded its New Jersey-ness, with its announcers frequently self-identifying "New Jersey 101.5" and with its bumper message intoning “Not New York … Not Philadelphia … Proud to be New Jersey!” In addition it's known for New Jersey Fast Traffic every fifteen minutes around the clock as well as New Jersey Instant Weather every 10 minutes. The New Jersey-centric nature of the station is emphasized in the traffic reports, in that they refer 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" or "out of the city". As well, current temperatures of different samples of towns in New Jersey are given after the weather reports.

Ratings

New Jersey 101.5's ratings success can be attributed to several factors, including:

• Radio stations in New York City and Philadelphia tend to avoid New Jersey issues, news, politics, etc.
• New Jersey has only two commercial network television affiliates, WMGM-TV, Atlantic City and WWOR-TV, Secaucus
• New Jersey has no other centrally located high power radio station

This leaves New Jersey 101.5 with a virtual monopoly of New Jersey listeners who are not served by any other broadcast outlet. No other radio station, neither any in New York City nor any in Philadelphia, is listened-to by more people in New Jersey than New Jersey 101.5.

Millennium Radio News Network

The station is the flagship broadcasting arm of the Millennium Radio News Network as heard on twelve different radio stations throughout New Jersey. The network consists of WOBM-FM in Toms River, WOBM-AM in Lakewood, WCHR-FM in southern Ocean County, WJLK-FM in Asbury Park, WADB-AM in Monmouth County, WFPG-FM in South Jersey, WSJO-FM in South Jersey, WXKW-FM in South Jersey, WPUR-FM in Atlantic City, WBUD-AM in Trenton and WENJ-FM in Atlantic City. Various bureaus throughout the state share stories with the Ewing headquarters. Eric Scott is the current news director.

Format

The station's unique format was created in 1990. It was programmed by Jay Sorensen and Perry Michael Simon, Press Broadcasting chief Bob McAllan, and then-GM John Dziuba. Radio consulantant Walter Sabo also had a major part in the station's creation and continues to consult them today. Subsequent program directors include Leigh Jacobs (now an executive at Clear Channel Communications' research operation) and Eric Johnson.

Sorensen moved to concentrate on on-air duties and later left to do talk shows in Philadelphia and Dallas; Simon (later at KLSX and Y-107 Los Angeles, now a consultant, writer, and editor at AllAccess.com) moved into the PD slot from his corporate position, then left in 1994, replaced as program director by Leigh Jacobs (now with Critical Mass Media); after Jacobs left, Eric Johnson took over and is the current PD.

Current on-air personalities

• Jim Gearhart - This morning drive show is hosted by deep-voiced populist Jim Gearhart. The show has reverb added and was simulcast on Comcast's CN8 cable television network from 1996 to 2004. The show's web page describes Gearhart as "Watchdog for the people of New Jersey. Jim is a veteran broadcaster that is never afraid to rattle some cages. Whether it's politics, taxes, or SUV's...Jim tells it like it is, desperately attempting to rationalize why New Jersey is in a hand basket and where it's going!"

• "Dennis and Michele" - A mid-day show which mixes a variety of topics from serious New Jersey state government and political issues to more mundane, irreverant issues. Hosted by Dennis Malloy and Michele Pilenza, the show's run began on December 1, 2008 when Judi Franco, Malloy's co-host on the "Dennis and Judi" show for the previous eleven years, left the station to devote more time to her family. Malloy started in radio at the age of 18 at a small station in Hammonton, NJ. He is a veteran of numerous radio programs in the Philadelphia radio market. Malloy is an avid striped bass fisherman who talks about fishing, his South Philadelphia Italian-American upbringing, and food, from eating, to cooking, to restaurants.

• "The Jersey Guys" - An afternoon drive show that ranges from political discussions and activism to humor. The program is hosted by Ray Rossi and Casey Bartholomew. WKXW's central position in New Jersey has allowed the show to have significant influence on state politics.

• "After Hours with Michelle Jerson" - A lifestyle and relationship talk show. Jerson began her second stint at WKXW as the new host of this show following former-host Michele Pilenza's move to the midday slot. During her first run at the station, Jerson was simply known on-air by her first name, Michelle.

• "Jersey Late Nights with Tommy G." - A late night talk show focusing on a variety of topics. The show's web page describes is as "Tommy G. shares his trials and tribulations of everyday life in New Jersey. Sprinkle in a common sense approach to topics with passion and humor and that's what Jersey Late Night's with Tommy G. is all about!"!” By day, Tommy G. is a movie producer currently working on the movie RoboDoc starring Alan Thicke, David Faustino, and Michael Winslow. Tommy G. was commended by the Old Bridge, NJ police department for assisting in finding a missing elderly person on February 10, 2009 .

Big Joe Henry hosting his annual Talent Show finals, Point Pleasant Beach, August 2008

• Big Joe Henry - Big Joe Henry is an Oldies music retro disc jockey with reverb, corny jokes and sound effects. Big Joe Henry is a very large man and his motto is "Livin' large and lovin' life."

Supporting personalities include Eric Scott on news, Alan Kasper on weather, Bob Williams, Jill Myra, "Tom Rivers" (aka Matt Ward from 1010 WINS), Jeff McKay, and Bernie Wagenblast for traffic. Ward's on-air pseudonym is the last vestige of a failed experiement where the station's traffic reporters were given names that suggested New Jersey towns; in Ward's case, "Tom Rivers" is meant to evoke Toms River.

Controversy

• Craig Carton earned controversy in 2005 when the New Jersey Acting Governor Richard Codey physically confronted Carton for disparaging remarks that Carton had made about Codey's wife suffering from postpartum depression, a hormonal disorder that causes women to become moody and irritable. The governor never apologized for this incident and Craig Carton refused to apologize for his comments.
• Carton and Rossi were criticized later in the same year for derogatory remarks in regards to Jun Choi, the 2005 Democratic candidate for Mayor of Edison Township.
• The station offered former New Jersey Governor James McGreevey his own show. The offer was made when McGreevey was in the middle of his divorce trial. McGreevey had said during testimony at the trial that he's "unemployable." McGreevey turned down the station's offer.

External links

• WKXW official website
• New Jersey FM Radio History
• Facility details for Facility ID WKXW ({{{2}}}) in the FCC Licensing and Management System
• {{{2}}} in Nielsen Audio's FM station database