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| Broadcast area | Sussex County, New Jersey |
|---|---|
| Frequency | 102.3MHz |
| Branding | 102.3 WSUS |
| Programming | |
| Format | Adult contemporary |
| Affiliations | Premiere Networks |
| Ownership | |
| Owner |
|
| WNNJ,WHCY | |
| History | |
First air date | February 28, 1965; 60 years ago (1965-02-28) (as WLVP) |
Former call signs | WLVP (1965–1971) |
Call sign meaning | Sussex County |
| Technical information[1] | |
Licensing authority | FCC |
| Facility ID | 74077 |
| Class | A |
| ERP | 590watts |
| HAAT | 218meters (715 ft) |
Transmitter coordinates | 41°08′35″N74°32′20″W / 41.143°N 74.539°W /41.143; -74.539 |
| Links | |
Public license information | |
| Webcast | Listen Live |
| Website | wsus1023 |
WSUS (102.3MHz) is acommercialFMradio stationlicensed toFranklin, New Jersey, and serving theSussex County area ofNorth Jersey. It is owned byiHeartMedia, Inc., and has anadult contemporaryradio format, switching toChristmas music for much of November and December.[2] The station is consistently the number one radio station in Sussex County. It carries thesyndicatedDelilah call-in and request show on weeknights,Ellen K on Saturday mornings and classicAmerican Top 40 withCasey Kasem shows on Sunday mornings.
WSUS has aneffective radiated power (ERP) of 590watts, making it a class A station. Thetransmitter is on Esto Lane inHardyston Township, New Jersey and the studios are on Mitchell Avenue in Franklin.[3]
The stationsigned on the air on February 28, 1965; 60 years ago (1965-02-28). Its originalcall sign was WLVP, named for Louis VanderPlatte, the station's founder. The studio, transmitter, and VanderPlatte's house were atopHamburg Mountain, overlooking Franklin and Sussex County's central valleys. The station's power was 360 watts, and it initially had aCountry andSouthern Gospel format.[4]
In 1971, WLVP was sold for $75,000 to Peter Bardach, an advertising executive who lived in New Jersey and worked onMadison Avenue. Bardach changed the station'scall letters to WSUS. (Bardach's company was Sussex County Stereo, even though WSUS itself broadcast a mono signal for several years before actually going stereo.) James Normoyle, a veterandisc jockey who used the name Jay Edwards, was hired as Sales Manager in 1972 and later became General Manager and part owner with Bardach. Normoyle eventually became the full owner.
The station had aTop 40/Country hybrid format called "Town & Country". Half the songs played were current Top 40 Hits, and half the songs were country, including current hits and older songs. In 1975 WSUS changed its nighttime format to Top 40/Rock, mixing Top 40 and Rock cuts both old and new. During the day, it continued the Top 40/Country hybrid format.
In 1973 the station moved its studios from the mountaintop to 75 Main Street in Franklin. The transmitter remained on the mountain and the power was eventually raised to the current level of 590 watts.
WSUS slogans included "All Hit Music" and "Dependable WSUS". The station had half-hourly newscasts on weekdays, known as "First Report News". WSUS consistently was at or near the top when ratings are measured. Sussex County occasionally was a rated market when WSUS and WNNJ would payArbitron to measure listenership in Sussex County. This is known as "Buying the Book". In such a practice, local stations in an area pay in order to get rated for their home county.
In the winter of 1982, WSUS dropped the Top 40/Country hybrid format during the day and the Top 40/Rock format at night. It became anadult contemporary radio station. The station became a slightly hotter AC by the late 1980s. The station continued with weekend specialty shows as well.
In 1991, WSUS gradually moved into a regular mainstream adult contemporary format. In 1997 Jay Edwards sold WSUS toNassau Broadcasting Partners, and channeled his earnings into a brief career in harness racing. He died in 2002. Early in 1998 Nassau took over the station and revamped the format. The station used the slogan "The Best Variety ofSoft Rock". It addedDelilah, a syndicatedlove songs show, in the 7 p.m.-to-midnight time slot. The station also added newjingles as well. By now, the market was rated twice a year. In all but a few books, WSUS has been the number one station in the area. Occasionally now co-ownedclassic rock stationWNNJ was on top.
In the winter of 2001Clear Channel Communications purchased all the Nassau Broadcasting stations in the Sussex/Warren/Monroe County cluster except forWVPO,WSBG, and AM 960 located inStroudsburg, Pennsylvania. The deal included WSUS,WHCY, WNNJ (AM) (nowWTOC (AM)),WNNJ (FM), and local marketing agreements forWDLC andWTSX (which would end in the fall of 2004). WSUS remained an AC station with no changes. In exchange for these stations, Nassau was paid a good sum of cash plusWEEX andWODE-FM in the Lehigh Valley (which Clear Channel had to sell due to the merger with AM/FM/Chancellor).[5]
Clear Channel consolidated the studios of the Sussex and Warren County stations, all at 45 Ed Mitchell Avenue in Franklin. In 2014, Clear Channel changed its name to iHeartMedia.
