WKXW
WKXW-FM, better known as New Jersey 101.5, is a New Jersey radio station, licensed to Trenton on 101.5 MHz FM. It is also simulcast on WXKW (formerly known as WIXM) 97.3 MHz FM in southern New Jersey and can be heard live online on the station's website. It is owned by Millennium Radio Group. Its transmitter is located in Lawrence Township, New Jersey.
The station has a talk and news format during the week, with oldies on the weekend. It is typically New Jersey's highest-rated radio station. Since this format was adopted in 1990, 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 101.5!”
The station had its greatest influence in 1991 when it helped lead a taxpayer revolt against then-Governor James Florio's pushing through of substantial tax increases. Florio was defeated for re-election two years later.
Current on-air personalities include:
- Jim Gearhart – morning drive, deep-voiced radio populist, reverb added, simulcast on Comcast's CN8 cable television network from 1996 to 2004
- "Dennis and Judi" - 10am - 2pm, Midday personalities for the past eight years.
- "The Jersey Guys" Craig Carton and Ray Rossi – afternoon drive, guy talk and shock jock
- "Under the Boardwalk" Dena Blizzard
- "Jersey Late Nights with Tommy G."
- Big Joe Henry – oldies music Friday nights and weekends, retro disc jockey with reverb, corny jokes, sound effects, "Livin' large and lovin' life"
The station carries detailed traffic reports every 15 minutes, usually with separate reports for north and south Jersey. Weather forecasts come from Alan Kasper during the week, and Joe Cioffi on the weekends. During winter storms, both increase in frequency along with long lists of school closings.
A station at the 101.5 frequency first went on the air in 1962 as WBUD and was owned by Dick Hardin. Its call letters subsequently changed to WBJH and then WTRT before becoming WKXW in 1980 under owner Fidelity Communications. It was playing an adult contemporary format before the change to its current talk format. The sale to Millennium Radio Group took place in 2001.
Prominent radio personalities that have worked at the station include John and Ken (now at KFI Los Angeles), Scott and Casey (now at KTRS St. Louis), Deminski and Doyle (now at WKRK Detroit), Brooke and Roberta (who left for greener pastures but never recaptured their 101.5 magic), and Mary Walter. The station's unique format was created in 1990 by consultant and New Jersey native Walter Sabo with programmers Jay Sorensen and Perry Michael Simon, Press Broadcasting chief Bob McAllan, and then-GM John Dziuba. Subsequent program directors include Leigh Jacobs and Eric Johnson.
Controversy
- Carton earned controversy in 2005 when New Jersey Acting Governor Richard Codey physically confronted Carton for disparaging remarks the Carton had made about Codey's wife's battles with postpartum depression. [1]
- Carton and Rossi were criticized later in the same year for derogatory remarks about Asian Americans [2] regarding Jun Choi, the 2005 Democratic candidate for Mayor of Edison Township.