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WBWZ (93.3
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 ...
"Z93") is a
commercial Commercial may refer to: * a dose of advertising conveyed through media (such as - for example - radio or television) ** Radio advertisement ** Television advertisement * (adjective for:) commerce, a system of voluntary exchange of products and s ...
FM
radio station Radio broadcasting is transmission of audio (sound), sometimes with related metadata, by radio waves to radio receivers belonging to a public audience. In terrestrial radio broadcasting the radio waves are broadcast by a land-based radio ...
licensed A license (or licence) is an official permission or permit to do, use, or own something (as well as the document of that permission or permit). A license is granted by a party (licensor) to another party (licensee) as an element of an agreeme ...
to
New Paltz, New York New Paltz () is an incorporated U.S. town in Ulster County, New York. The population was 14,003 at the 2010 U.S. Census. The town is located in the southeastern part of the county and is south of Kingston. New Paltz contains a village, also wit ...
and serving the Mid-
Hudson Valley The Hudson Valley (also known as the Hudson River Valley) comprises the valley of the Hudson River and its adjacent communities in the U.S. state of New York. The region stretches from the Capital District including Albany and Troy south to ...
of
New York state New York, officially the State of New York, is a state in the Northeastern United States. It is often called New York State to distinguish it from its largest city, New York City. With a total area of , New York is the 27th-largest U.S. stat ...
. The station is owned by
iHeartMedia, Inc. iHeartMedia, Inc., formerly CC Media Holdings, Inc., is an American mass media corporation headquartered in San Antonio, Texas. It is the holding company of iHeartCommunications, Inc. (formerly Clear Channel Communications, Inc.), a company fou ...
Its
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 hav ...
(ERP) is 330
watt The watt (symbol: W) is the unit of power or radiant flux in the International System of Units (SI), equal to 1 joule per second or 1 kg⋅m2⋅s−3. It is used to quantify the rate of energy transfer. The watt is named after James Wa ...
s, broadcasting from a
transmitter In electronics and telecommunications, a radio transmitter or just transmitter is an electronic device which produces radio waves with an antenna (radio), antenna. The transmitter itself generates a radio frequency alternating current, which i ...
near
Illinois Mountain Illinois Mountain is a mountain located south of the Catskill Mountains of New York west of Poughkeepsie Poughkeepsie ( ), officially the City of Poughkeepsie, separate from the Town of Poughkeepsie around it) is a city in the U.S. state ...
in
Marlborough, New York Marlborough is a town in Ulster County, New York, United States, in the southeastern corner of the county. The population was 8,808 at the 2010 census. U.S. Route 9W passes through the eastern part of the town. US Route 44 and NY 55 cross the no ...
, on a tower shared with longtime
sister station In broadcasting, sister stations or sister channels are radio or television stations operated by the same company, either by direct ownership or through a management agreement. Radio sister stations will often have different formats, and somet ...
107.3
WRWD-FM WRWD-FM (107.3 MHz, "Country 107.3") is a country music radio station licensed to Highland, New York and primarily serving the mid-Hudson Valley of New York. The station broadcasts at 330 watts ERP from a tower near Illinois Mountain in Marlbor ...
. Z93 calls itself "Today's Classic Rock". It primarily plays harder-edged
classic rock Classic rock is a US radio format which developed from the album-oriented rock (AOR) format in the early 1980s. In the United States, the classic rock format comprises rock music ranging generally from the mid-1960s through the mid 1990s, primar ...
titles with some
active rock Active rock is a radio format used by many commercial radio stations across the United States and Canada. Active rock stations play a balance of new hard rock songs with valued classic rock favorites, normally with an emphasis on the harder edge o ...
songs from the 1990s and 2000s that are not usually heard on Classic Rock stations. Its main competition is 101.5
WPDH WPDH (101.5 FM) is a commercial radio station licensed to Poughkeepsie, New York, and serving the Hudson Valley and Catskills. The station is owned by Townsquare Media and broadcasts a classic rock radio format. Its studios and offices are on Pe ...
in
Poughkeepsie Poughkeepsie ( ), officially the City of Poughkeepsie, separate from the Town of Poughkeepsie around it) is a city in the U.S. state of New York. It is the county seat of Dutchess County, with a 2020 census population of 31,577. Poughkeepsi ...
, which also leans to classic rock but not as hard-edged.


History

WBWZ's
construction permit Planning permission or developmental approval refers to the approval needed for construction or expansion (including significant renovation), and sometimes for demolition, in some jurisdictions. It is usually given in the form of a building perm ...
was awarded by the
Federal Communications Commission The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) is an independent agency of the United States federal government that regulates communications by radio, television, wire, satellite, and cable across the United States. The FCC maintains jurisdiction ...
(FCC) in 1991 to Betty Walker, the mother of then-WRWD owner William H. ("Bud") Walker. She also owned a local apple orchard. Prior to
sign-on A sign-on (or start-up in Commonwealth countries except Canada) is the beginning of operations for a radio or television station, generally at the start of each day. It is the opposite of a sign-off (or closedown in Commonwealth countries exce ...
, the younger Walker signed an agreement to operate WBWZ with WRWD from the company's studios in
Highland Highlands or uplands are areas of high elevation such as a mountainous region, elevated mountainous plateau or high hills. Generally speaking, upland (or uplands) refers to ranges of hills, typically from up to while highland (or highlands) is ...
. After testing for the first part of December 1992, WBWZ formally signed on the air on December 20, 1992. At first, it carried
ABC ABC are the first three letters of the Latin script known as the alphabet. ABC or abc may also refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Broadcasting * American Broadcasting Company, a commercial U.S. TV broadcaster ** Disney–ABC Television ...
's "
Z Rock Z Rock was a nationally syndicated radio network based in Dallas, Texas, United States that, from the mid-1980s through the mid-1990s, played heavy metal and hard rock music. The format was one of several 24-hour satellite-delivered music for ...
" satellite-delivered
hard rock Hard rock or heavy rock is a loosely defined subgenre of rock music typified by aggressive vocals and distorted electric guitars. Hard rock began in the mid-1960s with the garage, psychedelic and blues rock movements. Some of the earliest hard ...
format. The station called itself "Z-Rock 93.3." With limited outside promotion and no rock station targeting younger audiences, WBWZ entered the Top 10 of the Poughkeepsie ratings in its first two books. While WBWZ had a loyal audience and good numbers, the Walkers found it hard to sell WBWZ to advertisers, alongside the
country music Country (also called country and western) is a genre of popular music that originated in the Southern and Southwestern United States in the early 1920s. It primarily derives from blues, church music such as Southern gospel and spirituals, ...
format of WRWD. Coupled with the decline of hard rock and the rise of
alternative rock Alternative rock, or alt-rock, is a category of rock music that emerged from the independent music underground of the 1970s and became widely popular in the 1990s. "Alternative" refers to the genre's distinction from Popular culture, mainstre ...
, the Walkers decided Z-Rock 93.3 needed to change its format. In February 1995 the station flipped to a satellite-fed 1970s music format as "Z-93." The station had an initial surge of listeners. But then the ratings began to fall again. Shortly after the format change, Bud Walker bought the license of WBWZ after the loosening of FCC regulations, permitting one company to own more than one FM station in a region. In early 1996, Walker decided to leave radio to pursue a career in politics. He sold WBWZ, WRWD, and
WWLE WWLE (1170 AM) is a radio station broadcasting a Regional Mexican format. Licensed to Cornwall, New York, United States, the station serves the Newburgh-Middletown area. 1170 AM is a United States clear-channel frequency, on which WWVA and K ...
to Hudson Valley Radio Partners, a short-term holding company. In November 1996, with the ownership change, WBWZ's format switched to a locally-run
Hot Adult Contemporary Adult contemporary music (AC) is a form of radio-played popular music, ranging from 1960s vocal and 1970s soft rock music to predominantly ballad-heavy music of the present day, with varying degrees of easy listening, pop, soul, R&B, quiet ...
format while keeping the Z-93 name. Within a month, the station hired morning host Mark Bolger, who had recently exited
Top 40 In the music industry, the Top 40 is the current, 40 most-popular songs in a particular genre. It is the best-selling or most frequently broadcast popular music. Record charts have traditionally consisted of a total of 40 songs. "Top 40" or " con ...
station 104.7
WSPK WSPK (104.7 FM, "K-104") is a contemporary hit radio (CHR) station licensed to Poughkeepsie, New York. Its studios are located on NY 52 Business in the town of Fishkill (with a Beacon address). It is owned by Pamal Broadcasting and transmits fr ...
. His newscaster/co-host Dawn Spicer was also hired. However, their non-compete clauses with WSPK barred them from the air until mid-1997. Shortly after taking the air, Hudson Valley Radio Partners was sold to California-based
Roberts Radio Roberts Radio is a British consumer electronics company that produces radios and related audio equipment. Based in Mexborough, the company has been making radios since its foundation in 1932 and claim to be the oldest active radio manufacturer i ...
. Bolger's presence proved to be key for the station as WBWZ soon saw an increase in the ratings (at its peak being behind only 104.7 WSPK and 101.5
WPDH WPDH (101.5 FM) is a commercial radio station licensed to Poughkeepsie, New York, and serving the Hudson Valley and Catskills. The station is owned by Townsquare Media and broadcasts a classic rock radio format. Its studios and offices are on Pe ...
, both more powerful stations). WBWZ also became #1 in morning
drive time Drive time is the daypart in which radio broadcasters can reach the most people who listen to car radios while driving, usually to and from work, or on public transportation. Drive-time periods are when the number of radio listeners in this c ...
. WBWZ added more market veterans and targeted former WSPK listeners. In 2000, Roberts Radio was bought by
Clear Channel Communications iHeartMedia, Inc., formerly CC Media Holdings, Inc., is an American mass media corporation headquartered in San Antonio, Texas. It is the holding company of iHeartCommunications, Inc. (formerly Clear Channel Communications, Inc.), a company fou ...
with Clear Channel taking control that November. Though WBWZ was aided by the elimination of rival 96.1 WCTJ (now
WPKF WPKF (96.1 FM, "Kiss FM") is a Contemporary hit radio, Top 40 (CHR) radio station licensed to Poughkeepsie (city), New York, Poughkeepsie, New York and serving the Mid-Hudson Valley of New York state. The station is owned by iHeartMedia, Inc. and ...
), its ratings soon began to slip to levels not seen since prior to the Hot AC format. After the decline stretched several years, the station's operations were taken over by WPKF program director Jimi Jamm (Jim Collins). On June 30, 2003, Z-93 was replaced by the more CHR-leaning "Star 93.3." Bolger remained in mornings, while Dawn Spicer left for WGY in
Schenectady Schenectady () is a city in Schenectady County, New York, United States, of which it is the county seat. As of the 2020 census, the city's population of 67,047 made it the state's ninth-largest city by population. The city is in eastern New Y ...
in April 2005. In December 2010, Clear Channel replaced Bolger with WPKF Program Director Chris Marino. In 2011, as an economy move, Clear Channel switched many of its Hudson Valley stations to national
Premium Choice The majority of programming syndicated by iHeartMedia is distributed through its subsidiary, Premiere Networks, owned by the company since 1999 and purchased by antecedent Jacor in 1997. However, several music and talk shows originated on iHeartM ...
formats, eliminating local DJs and locally programmed music. On March 14, 2012, at 4 pm, WBWZ changed its format to
classic rock Classic rock is a US radio format which developed from the album-oriented rock (AOR) format in the early 1980s. In the United States, the classic rock format comprises rock music ranging generally from the mid-1960s through the mid 1990s, primar ...
, branded as "Rock 93.3." On July 11, 2012, Gary Cee, formerly of 101.5 WPDH, became the first local DJ on Rock 93.3, hosting middays 10 a.m to 3 p.m. On October 3, 2016, WBWZ rebranded as "Z93".Rock 93.3 Poughkeepsie Rebrands
Radioinsight - October 4, 2016


Previous logo


References


External links


Z93 website
* {{coord, 41.700, N, 74.003, W, type:landmark_region:US_source:FCC, display=title Mass media in Ulster County, New York Radio stations established in 1991 BWZ 1991 establishments in New York (state) IHeartMedia radio stations