WJZR

WJZR (105.9 FM) is a radio station in Rochester, New York, United States. It is owned by the WXXI Public Broadcasting Council, Rochester's primary public broadcaster. The station was started in January 1993 by North Coast Radio, Inc., and broadcast a smooth jazz format for 29 years before it was taken silent in July 2022. WXXI plans to use the frequency to carry its news/talk service, currently heard only on AM.

WJZR
Currently silent
Frequency105.9 MHz
Ownership
OwnerWXXI Public Broadcasting Council
History
First air date
January 22, 1993 (1993-01-22)
Technical information
Licensing authority
FCC
Facility ID49193
ClassA
ERP3,000 watts
HAAT55 meters (180 ft)
Transmitter coordinates
43°9′35″N 77°34′44″W
Links
Public license information

North Coast Radio

In November 1988, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) designated a series of 14 applications for comparative hearing in order to determine who should be awarded a construction permit to build a new radio station on 105.9 MHz in Rochester.[1] The commission awarded the permit to R. B. Lee Rust in December 1991. Rust was a second-generation station owner in Rochester; his father, Bill, had owned WHAM.[2]

WJZR began broadcasting on January 22, 1993, with an eclectic jazz format.[2] It was the second station Rust had managed with such a format, having set WGMC in Greece into the format previously in the 1990s.[3] Rust's own personal music collection set the tone for WJZR; he categorized songs by such factors as attitude and so-called "thump".[4] Rust also took the name North Coast Radio—which had been initially intended to refer only to the licensee—and used it as the station's overall brand instead of a set of call letters, feeling that it "makes Rochester sound more attractive, not just a cold, nondescript place".[5] The station also set itself apart by airing no prerecorded commercials; the station's air staff read commercials live, and there were only six such ads an hour.[6] Rapid consolidation of Rochester commercial radio stations meant that WJZR and Black-owned WDKX were the only independent outlets in the city by 1998; Rust rebuffed offers to sell his station.[7]

By 2013, WJZR was a completely automated operation, with Rust as chief engineer, programmer, and the station's imaging voice; its commercial status made it more unusual as the number of full-time jazz outlets dwindled yet Rochester still had two stations in the format.[8] Rust's extensive involvement in multiple facets of station operations also kept costs low.[9] After 29 years, Rust announced he would retire and take the station silent; the last song on WJZR, played on the evening of July 10, 2022, was "In a Silent Way" by Miles Davis.[10]

Sale to WXXI

On October 7, 2022, the WXXI Public Broadcasting Council announced it would purchase WJZR from Rust. The $1.2 million deal is structured as a $675,000 payment as well as an additional $525,000 donation by Rust to WXXI;[11] the acquisition was completed on January 24, 2023.[12] WXXI intends to return the station to service in 2023 on a noncommercial basis as the second FM frequency for its news/talk programming, currently heard on both WXXI (1370 AM) and its FM Translator station at WXXI (107.3 FM) , with a new call sign likely to be selected at that time.[13]

References
  1. "Notice of Hearing". Democrat and Chronicle. Rochester, New York. February 8, 1989. p. 5C. Retrieved October 8, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
  2. Orr, Jim (January 23, 1993). "The Larry King story: Geneva's WGVA gets WHAM'd". Democrat and Chronicle. Rochester, New York. p. 2C. Archived from the original on October 8, 2022. Retrieved October 8, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
  3. Netsky, Ron (August 21, 2002). "Smokin' signal: WGMC comes of age". City. Archived from the original on October 21, 2020. Retrieved October 8, 2022.
  4. Orr, Jim (February 23, 1993). "Jazz and more give a fresh sound to radio station WJZR". Democrat and Chronicle. Rochester, New York. p. 2C. Retrieved October 8, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
  5. Lovenheim, Peter (June 27, 1993). "I love living on 'the North Coast'". Democrat and Chronicle. Rochester, New York. p. 11A. Archived from the original on October 8, 2022. Retrieved October 8, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
  6. Marino, Eugene (November 9, 1994). "North Coast radio is tuned to a different wavelength". Democrat and Chronicle. Rochester, New York. p. 2C. Archived from the original on October 8, 2022. Retrieved October 8, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
  7. Marino, Eugene (March 29, 1998). "Radio daze: After a spate of corporate juggling, is local radio better—or middle-of-the-road mush?". Democrat and Chronicle. Rochester, New York. p. 1C, 6C. Archived from the original on October 8, 2022. Retrieved October 8, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
  8. Rosenberry, Jack (June 24, 2013). "Radio riffs in Rochester". 585 Magazine. Archived from the original on November 27, 2021. Retrieved October 8, 2022.
  9. LeBeau, Christina (February 2, 1994). "Radio insiders say market size limits formats". Rochester Business Journal. p. 1. ProQuest 235105705.
  10. Venta, Lance (July 11, 2022). "WJZR's Jazz Programming Comes To An End". RadioInsight. Archived from the original on July 11, 2022. Retrieved July 11, 2022.
  11. Venta, Lance. "Station Sales Week Of 10/7: WXXI Expands In Rochester". RadioInsight. Archived from the original on October 8, 2022. Retrieved October 7, 2022.
  12. Spevak, Jeff (January 24, 2023). "WXXI completes acquisition of WJZR-FM radio frequency". WXXI News. Retrieved February 23, 2023.
  13. "WXXI signals intention to acquire new FM radio frequency". WXXI News. October 7, 2022. Archived from the original on October 8, 2022. Retrieved October 7, 2022.
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