WRCJ-FM (90.9

MHz The hertz (symbol: Hz) is the unit of frequency in the International System of Units (SI), equivalent to one event (or cycle) per second. The hertz is an SI derived unit whose expression in terms of SI base units is s−1, meaning that one he ...

) is a classical/jazz radio station in

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. The station is the only classical music station in Detroit. The Detroit Educational Television Foundation, owners of PBS member station

WTVS WTVS (channel 56) is a PBS member television station in Detroit, Michigan, United States, owned by the Detroit Educational Television Foundation. Its main studios are located at the Riley Broadcast Center and HD Studios in Wixom, with an addi ...

, operates the public radio station for license holder Detroit Classical and Jazz Educational Radio LLC, which is owned by the Stanley and Judith Frankel Family Foundation. WRCJ transmits its signal with an

effective radiated power Effective radiated power (ERP), synonymous with equivalent radiated power, is an IEEE standardized definition of directional radio frequency (RF) power, such as that emitted by a radio transmitter. It is the total power in watts that would h ...

of 42,000

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s from an antenna 702 feet in height located in suburban Oak Park in

Oakland County Oakland County is a county in the U.S. state of Michigan. It is part of the metropolitan Detroit area, located northwest of the city. As of the 2020 Census, its population was 1,274,395, making it the second-most populous county in Michigan, b ...

, and has studios located at the

Detroit School of Arts The Detroit School of Arts (DSA), originally known as the Detroit High School for the Fine and Performing Arts, is a blue ribbon high school located in Midtown, Detroit, Midtown Detroit, Michigan.

History

WRCJ went on the air for the first time on January 8, 1948 as WDTR, a service of

Detroit Public Schools Detroit Public Schools Community District (DPSCD) is a school district that covers all of the city of Detroit, Michigan, United States and high school students in the insular city of Highland Park. The district, which replaced the original Detr ...

. It was Michigan's first educational FM station. By the dawn of the 21st century, the station's programming consisted largely of

urban contemporary Urban contemporary music, also known as urban music, hip hop, urban pop, or just simply urban, is a music radio format. The term was coined by New York radio DJ Frankie Crocker in the early to mid-1970s as a synonym for Black music. Urban conte ...

music with public affairs programs concerning the school district and a variety of specialty shows, including the "Old 'n' Gold" rare oldies show, Safe and Secure Detroit, a show dedicated to public safety, and Personal Security after the

September 11 attacks The September 11 attacks, commonly known as 9/11, were four coordinated suicide terrorist attacks carried out by al-Qaeda against the United States on Tuesday, September 11, 2001. That morning, nineteen terrorists hijacked four commer ...

, and the Sunday big band/nostalgia showcase "Somewhere In Time". WDTR changed its call letters to WRCJ on July 1, 2004 (currently, the

WDTR DTR may refer to: Technology * Data Terminal Ready, a control signal in RS-232 serial communications * Desktop replacement computer, portable, with desktop-like capabilities * Digital Tape Recorder in spacecraft of the Voyager program Others * ...

call letters are used by a Christian music station in

Imlay City, Michigan Imlay City is a city in Lapeer County in the U.S. state of Michigan. The population was 3,869 at the 2000 census and 3,585 at the 2020 census. History Imlay City was founded on April 1, 1850 by Charles Palmer, the chief engineer of the Port Huro ...

) and the station cut back its broadcast time to 8 AM to 5 PM weekdays only. At the same time, the school district announced it would draft a contract with a third party to operate the station while the school district continued to own the frequency. Accordingly, they put out an RFP (Request for Proposal), stipulating the station's format change to classical and jazz, to which several area organizations responded, including Ann Arbor’s NPR member station

WUOM Michigan Radio is a network of five FM public radio stations operated by the University of Michigan through its broadcasting arm, Michigan Public Media. The network is a founding member of National Public Radio and an affiliate of Public Radio ...

and Detroit’s PBS member station

. In April 2005, Detroit Public Schools announced that Detroit Public TV would take control of WRCJ in July. The change happened at noon on August 1, 2005. On January 11, 2017, it was announced that Detroit Public Schools would sell the station's license to the non-profit Detroit Classical and Jazz Educational Radio LLC, an entity owned by the Stanley and Judith Frankel Family Foundation, for $6 million. The deal received FCC approval on March 1 of that year; the new ownership maintained the operating agreement with Detroit Public TV.

Airstaff

In addition to Dave Wagner, Peter Whorf, Jack Goggin, Maxine Michaels, John Penney and Linda Yohn, substitute hosts include Ron Nolan, Davis Gloff, Cecelia Sharpe, Judy Adams, and Carl Grapentine, long time morning host at WFMT in Chicago.

References

Michiguide.com - WRCJ-FM History

External links

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FCC History Cards for WRCJ
{{Detroit Radio RCJ-FM Classical music radio stations in the United States Jazz radio stations in the United States Radio stations established in 1948