Class A Frequency 88.7 MHz Format Campus radio, Variety | First air date May 13, 1969 HAAT 104 meters Facility ID 31478 Branding WJCU 88.7 FM | |
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Behind the scenes at wjcu s retro radio show part 1 of 3
WJCU (88.7 FM) – branded WJCU 88.7 FM – is a non-commercial educational college/variety radio station licensed to University Heights, Ohio, serving Greater Cleveland. The station is owned by John Carroll University, which operates it under the direction of the Department of Communications and Theatre Arts. The WJCU studios are located at the D.J. Lombardo Student Center on the campus of John Carroll, while the station transmitter resides atop Graselli Tower.
Contents
- Behind the scenes at wjcu s retro radio show part 1 of 3
- Behind the scenes at wjcu s retro radio show with joe madigan part 2 of 3
- History
- Current programming
- References
Behind the scenes at wjcu s retro radio show with joe madigan part 2 of 3
History
WJCU began as WABU on May 13, 1969 via a 10 watt signal at 88.9 MHz. That same year, the station adopted the callsign WUJC. In 1977, the station began broadcasting at 88.7 MHz. For less than one day, on September 24, 1982, the station carried the callsign WUJC-FM; that same day, the station re-adopted the WUJC callsign. On January 12, 1998, the station adopted the callsign WJCU. In the spring of 2006 the power was increased to 1,000 watts and by summer was up to its current output of 2,500 watts.
Current programming
WJCU features a weekday daytime format with eclectic and diversified block programming each evening and weekend. While many of the shows feature music, there are also a number of talk/spoken word programs, most of which are locally produced by community broadcasters. Sundays are the special province of ethnic/community shows with locally produced tastes of Jewish, Lithuanian, Italian, Hungarian, Armenian, Chinese, and Latina culture.
Students dominate the Heights, a weekday 6am - 6pm format mix of adult alternative music, with a little world & local news and community affairs in the mix. The station also carries some JCU Blue Streak varsity football and basketball broadcasts, with more extensive sports coverage provided on the WJCU Two web-only special event stream.
While some of the block-programmed weekly specialty shows are programmed by student show hosts, a number of community broadcasters host weekly shows, many of which have been long-running and have a considerable audience. Among these broadcasters is Bill Peters, whose show Metal on Metal has supported the Cleveland heavy metal scene along with WJCU and Cleveland college radio with regular benefit concerts since its first weekly broadcast in 1982. Following "Metal on Metal" is "the Mixing Bored" which a freeform music show which followed "Metal on Metal" back in the mid 1980s hosted by doc (a 15-year college radio veteran) who along with Razor Boy host the new edition which started back up in 2012.
The station has a number of long-running programs. Retro Radio is a tribute to Cleveland's legendary Top 40 station "WIXY-1260", Caribbean Groove occupies the longest contiguous time block on Saturday nights and features island beats, and author and poet George Bilgere hosts Wordplay, an aptly named take on the spoken word. Most of the specialty programming at the station enjoys both a national and international audience via the station's multi-format web streams.
Well known past programs include Kick Out the Jams, Music to Break Things By, Left of Center, -/syntax radio transmission, Lo-Fi, The Butters, and Atmospheres.