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| Broadcast area | Central Jersey |
| Frequency | 101.5MHz (HD Radio) |
| Branding | New Jersey 101.5 |
| Programming | |
| Format |
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| Subchannels |
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| Ownership | |
| Owner |
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| WCHR,WPST,WNJE | |
| History | |
First air date | August 27, 1962; 63 years ago (1962-08-27) |
Former call signs |
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Call sign meaning | Two "W's" bookending "Kix" (former branding) |
| Technical information[1] | |
Licensing authority | FCC |
| Facility ID | 53458 |
| Class | B |
| ERP |
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| HAAT | 275 m (902 ft) |
Transmitter coordinates | 40°16′58.4″N74°41′9.6″W / 40.282889°N 74.686000°W /40.282889; -74.686000 (WKXW) |
| Links | |
Public license information | |
| Webcast | |
| Website | |
WKXW (101.5MHz, "New Jersey 101.5") is acommercial radio stationlicensed toTrenton, New Jersey. It is owned byTownsquare Media with studios and offices on Walters Avenue inEwing.[3] On weekdays, the station has atalk radio format. On weekends and major holidays, it switches toclassic hits.
WKXW is aClass B FM station with aneffective radiated power (ERP) of 16,500 watts. Itstransmitter tower is shared with 103.3WPRB and is near theQuaker Bridge Mall inLawrence Township.[4] WKXW broadcasts usingHD Radio technology and airsoldies on its HD2subchannel.
The stationsigned on the air on August 27, 1962.[5] Its originalcall sign was WBUD-FM, thesister station of WBUD 1260 AM (nowWFJS). WBUD-FM had anautomated easy listening format. The call letters changed in 1967 to WBJH.
The station's call sign changed to WTRT in 1979 and rebranded as"The New T-101 FM". In 1980, the station's call sign was changed to WKXW-FM, under its new owner Fidelity Communications. It was playing ahot adult contemporary format as"The All New Kix 101 & A 1/2 FM" and later"Kix 101.5". By the late 80s, the station evolved into agold-based adult contemporary format. Its weekend Saturday oldies show evolved into an all oldies format from the 1950s through early 70s on overnights and weekends.
In 1990, WKXW-FM was sold to Press Communications, parent company of theAsbury Park Press newspaper. On March 1, 1990, at 5 pm, "New Jersey 101.5" became the first full-time FM talk station in America targeted for a younger audience. The format was conceived by Walter Sabo, the CEO of Sabo Media. Mark Sheppard, who later went to middays, kicked off the format playing Bill Haley & The Comets' "Rock Around The Clock".
Since the 1990s, the station has a talk format during the week, witholdies music on the overnights and weekend. Initially, the oldiesplaylist was 1960s-based with a few pre-1964 oldies and a 1970s oldie or two each hour. By the early-to-mid-1990s, more 1970s music was added and by the early-2000s, 1980s music from 1980 to 1982 was added occasionally. Between 2000 and 2005, music from between 1986 and 1989 was added to the lineups. Gradually, at the same time, songs from 1964 and older were gradually reduced in the late-1990s and gone by 2000. In September 2007, 1960s music was removed from the "60s, 70s, and 80s" weekend music programming ID, and nearly all 1960s music had been removed from the playlist.
In the mid-to-late-1990s, music was ended on weekday overnights. That shift now has replays of daytime shows. Music is now heard only on weekends and some holidays.
The Millennium Radio Group acquired the station in 2001.[6] A decade later, in 2011, California-basedOaktree Capital signed a deal to buy the Millennium Radio Group. After taking over, Oaktree transferred the Millennium stations toTownsquare Media, the owner of multiple radio stations around the U.S.[7]
The station has, at times, provided asimulcast on various AM and FM stations in theAtlantic City area, beyond the reach of its main transmitter. The most recent simulcast ceased in June 2009 when 97.3 FM inMillville (nowWENJ) changed formats toESPN Sports Radio. WKXW-FM's morning show was also simulcast for a time on regional cable networkCN8 in the late 1990s and early 2000s. Cameras were mounted in the radio studio showing the station's personalities to TV viewers.
WKXW-FM is theflagship station of the "Townsquare New Jersey News Network" as heard on twelve radio stations throughout the state. The network consists ofWPST in Trenton,WOBM-FM in Toms River,WJLK (AM) in Lakewood,WCHR-FM in Manahawkin,WJLK-FM in Asbury Park,WOBM (AM) in Asbury Park,WFPG in Atlantic City,WSJO in Egg Harbor City,WPUR in Atlantic City, andWENJ in Atlantic City. Various bureaus throughout the state share stories with the Ewing headquarters.
In 2008, the station's parent companywas sued by a photographer forcopyright infringement, anddefamation with regards to the online posting of a photocopy of aNew Jersey Monthlymagazine photograph. Photographer Peter Murphy sent a notice ofcopyright infringement to the station to remove a photoCraig Carton and Ray Rossi, which had been photocopied from a March 2006 issue of the magazine; the station also posted edited versions of the picture that were submitted by listeners. While the station complied with the takedown request, Carton and Rossi complained on-air about Murphy's conduct, allegedly saying that Murphy was "not to be trusted" and that people "should avoid doing business" with him. Carton and Rossi also alleged that Murphy "was a homosexual."[8] In April 2008, Murphy brought suit for direct,contributory, andvicariouscopyright infringement, violation of theDMCA, anddefamation of character against Millennium Radio Group, Carton, and Rossi. The Third Circuit ruled that the station's actions did constitute both a violation of the DMCA and copyright infringement, whichvacated the district court's judgment.[9]
On July 26, 2018, the station came under fire after hosts Judi Franco and Dennis Malloy referred toNew Jersey Attorney GeneralGurbir Grewal as "turban man" while on air.[10] The hosts were suspended for 10 days.[11][12]
In December 2018, Judi Franco garnered controversy when called the state's"Move Over" law "silly" and unnecessary in an opinion piece she posted on the station's website under the headline "Dead cops make bad laws."[13]
Some of the station's personalities have garnered attention for their promotion ofanti-vaccination viewpoints (including opposition toCOVID-19 vaccines andCOVID-19 vaccine mandates), including morning hostBill Spadea, and host Dennis Malloy of the midday showThe Dennis & Judi Show.[14][15][16][17] In September 2022, Spadea and station owner Townsquare Media were sued for defamation by Steven Tobias—a child psychologist who had made appearances on the station to discuss the impact of the pandemic on schools—after Spadea called for him to be "indicted forchild abuse" for promoting the wearing offace masks in schools.[18]
The station strongly brands its New Jersey identity with its bumper messages intoning "Not New York. Not Philadelphia. Proud to be New Jersey!" It calls its traffic reportsNew Jersey Fast Traffic and weather forecasts areNew Jersey Instant Weather. In reporting traffic, the station refers 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/inbound" or "out of the city/outbound".Current temperatures of different towns in New Jersey are given after the weather reports.
Despite the station's branding, the 101.5 signal does not reach some parts of the state. Most ofCape May,Salem andSussex Counties are outside the station's signal. Coverage ofAtlantic,Bergen,Cumberland andHudson Counties is spotty at best. Listeners in New Jersey not in the signal range and even out-of-state listeners can hear the station via streaming.
On May 31, 2024, WKXW launched an oldies format branded "Beach Radio" on its HD2 subchannel.[20]
