Radio This Week Back Then #12: April 7-13
Same Week, Different Year: WWZZ/WWVZ "Z104" Washington DC and WPST "97.5PST" Trenton
What was on the radio this week…back then. If you enjoy these weekly audio rewinds, please do me a favor, subscribe, and share and pass it on. Thank you!
To keep the length manageable, I split this week’s edition in two. ICYMI, a market sweep of the Dallas/Fort Worth dial from this week in 1987 was posted earlier this week.
My parents moved to Washington DC in the 1990s, so I made a lot of trips to the DC area to visit them, and we often did some side trips around the region. As Easter can fall between March 22 and April 25, I made a lot of flights in the month of April over the years.
So, this week, that gives us the chance to listen to do a little “same time, different year” visits with Washington DC’s WWZZ/WWVZ “Z104” and Trenton’s WPST “97.5PST,” which I taped on some day trips up to Philly to the visit the Barnes Foundation, as my parents always loved trips to art museums.
Then, Again: WWZZ 104.1./WWVZ 103.9 Washington DC - 1997, 1998, 2004
Licensed to Waldorf MD and with a tower location just east of there, the 104.1 signal rimshoots Washington from the southeast. With 103.5 Washington DC (now WTOP) broadcasting from a site in northwest DC, like most of the major FM and TV outlets, the 104.1 facility cannot be relocated closer. As such, the 104.1 facility has always lacked a city grade signal to the north and west of DC to cover the market in full. In the mid-1990s, to help compensate for coverage for the Maryland suburbs up Interstate 270, Frederick MD market top 40 WZYQ “Z104” Braddock Heights MD was purchased and turned into a repeater of the 104.1 signal.
In 1996, the 104.1/103.9 pair flipped from classic hits WXTR-FM/WXVR “Xtra 104” to top 40 WWZZ/WWVZ “Z104, Today’s Hit Music.” The top 40 format lasted until October 1 2001, when the pair flipped to modern AC. It initially kept the “Z104” handle, but phased it out in favor of just “104” and then restoring the “Z104” brand on April 8 2004.
For this edition, we have three airchecks from this week to hear the evolution of Z104 — one from 1997 during its early top 40 run, one from a year later in 1998, and the other from its modern AC format in 2004, a day after it returned to the “Z104” handle.
Saturday, April 12 1997: Top 40 “Z104, Today’s Hit Music”
This is a Saturday evening aircheck with DJ Marky Mark.
UB40/”The Way You Do The Things You Do”
Crystal Waters/”100% Pure Love”
Blackstreet/”No Diggity”
Planet Soul/”Set U Free”
Sheryl Crow/”Everyday Is A Winding Road”
PM Dawn/”Looking Through Patient Eyes”
Gina G/”Ooh Aah…Just A Little Bit”
Brandy/”Sittin’ Up In My Room”
DJ Kool/”Let Me Clear My Thoat”
Legal ID: WWVZ 103.9 Braddock Heights MD-Frederick MD/WWZZ 104.1 Waldorf MD-Washington DC
Saturday, April 11 1998: Top 40 “Z104, Today’s Hit Music”
One year later with DJ Zach Stone.
TLC/”Creep”
Legal ID: WWVZ 103.9 Braddock Heights MD-Frederick MD/WWZZ 104.1 Waldorf MD-Washington DC
Usher/”Nice & Slow”
Brooklyn Bounce/”Get Ready To Bounce”
Natalie Imbruglia/”Torn”
K-Ci & JoJo/”All My Life”
Real McCoy/”Another Night”
Matchbox Twenty/”Push”
Janet Jackson/”Together Again”
Coolio/”1, 2, 3, 4”
Blair/”Have Fun, Go Mad”
Smash Mouth/”Walkin’ On The Sun”
Will Smith/”Gettin’ Jiggy Wit It”
Legal ID: WWVZ 103.9 Braddock Heights MD-Frederick MD/WWZZ 104.1 Waldorf MD-Washington DC
Robyn/”Do You Really Want Me (Show Respect)”
En Vogue/”Free Your Mind”
Madonna/”Frozen”
Paula Cole/”I Don’t Want To Wait”
Haddaway/”Life”
Dru Hill/”5 Steps”
Usher/”You Make Me Wanna…”
Luscious Jackson/”Naked Eye”
Friday, April 9 2004: Modern AC “Z104, Today’s Best Music”
Phil Martin is the DJ for this Friday evening aircheck during Z104’s modern AC days.
Coldplay/”In My Place”
Fuel/”Falls On Me”
Los Lonely Boys/”Heaven”
Evanescence (Featuring Paul McCoy)/“Bring Me To Life”
Midnight Oil/“Beds Are Burning”
3 Doors Down/”Away From The Sun”
Dido/”White Flag”
Third Eye Blind/”Jumper”
Five For Fighting/”100 Years”
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Then, Again: WPST 97.5 Trenton - 1997, 1998
Since 2005, WPST has been running top 40 on the 94.5 facility licensed to Trenton. Prior to then, it was on its previous longtime home at 97.5.
On February 14 2005, classic rock WTHK 94.5 and WPST 97.5 swapped calls and formats with 97.5 becoming classic rock WTHK “97.5 the Hawk” and 94.5 becoming top 40 WPST “94.5PST.” As part of a two-step process moving the 97.5 facility directly into the Philly market, the 97.5 facility changed city of license to Burlington NJ in August 2005, which allowed a transmitter move to make it a metro Philadelphia signal, enabling it to be sold as a more valuable facility.
Friday, April 11 1997: Top 40 “97-5PST, Real Music Variety”
This is a Friday PM drive aircheck with DJ Joel Katz.
Counting Crows/”A Long December”
No Doubt/”Don’t Speak”
UB40/”Here I Am (Come And Take Me)”
White Town/”Your Woman”
Legal ID: WPST 97.5 Trenton-Philadelphia
The Cardigans/”Lovefool”
U2/”Pride (In The Name Of Love)”
Gina G/”Ooh Aah…Just A Little Bit”
Donna Lewis/”Without Love”
Mark Morrison/”Return Of The Mack”
Savage Garden/”I Want You”
Sheryl Crow/”If It Makes You Happy”
Paula Cole/”Where Have All The Cowboys Gone?”
Gin Blossoms/”Til I Hear It From You”
Spice Girls/”Say You’ll Be There”
Legal ID: WPST 97.5 Trenton-Philadelphia
Hanson/”Mmmbop”
Modern English/”I Melt With You”
Duncan Sheik/”Barely Breathing”
The Cranberries/”Free To Decide”
Le Click/”Call Me”
Saturday, April 11 1998: Top 40 “97-5PST, Real Music Variety”
Exactly one year later, this is a Saturday afternoon aircheck with DJ Debbie Mazella.
Robyn/”Do You Really Want Me (Show Respect)”
Sarah McLachlan/”Building A Mystery”
Legal ID: WPST 97.5 Trenton-Philadelphia
Third Eye Blind/”How’s It Going To Be”
The B52s/”Love Shack”
K-Ci & JoJo/”All My Life”
Alanis Morissette/”Ironic”
The Wallflowers/“One Headlight”
Céline Dion/”My Heart Will Go On”
Deep Blue Something/”Breakfast At Tiffany’s”
Le Click/”Tonight Is The Night”
Vonda Shepard/”Searchin’ My Soul”
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