WWZZ (Z104)
Encyclopedia
WWZZ/WWVZ was the Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as Washington, "the District", or simply D.C., is the capital of the United States. On July 16, 1790, the United States Congress approved the creation of a permanent national capital as permitted by the U.S. Constitution....

 metropolitan area's largest adult rock format radio station
Radio station
Radio broadcasting is a one-way wireless transmission over radio waves intended to reach a wide audience. Stations can be linked in radio networks to broadcast a common radio format, either in broadcast syndication or simulcast or both...

, owned by Bonneville International
Bonneville International
Bonneville International Corporation is a broadcasting company wholly owned by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints through its for-profit arm, Deseret Management Corporation...

. The station broadcast from Braddock Heights
Braddock Heights, Maryland
Braddock Heights is a census-designated place in Frederick County, Maryland, United States. The population was 4,627 at the 2000 census. Braddock Heights is part of the Middletown, Maryland School District...

, Maryland
Maryland
Maryland is a U.S. state located in the Mid Atlantic region of the United States, bordering Virginia, West Virginia, and the District of Columbia to its south and west; Pennsylvania to its north; and Delaware to its east...

 at 103.9 MHz FM
FM broadcasting
FM broadcasting is a broadcasting technology pioneered by Edwin Howard Armstrong which uses frequency modulation to provide high-fidelity sound over broadcast radio. The term "FM band" describes the "frequency band in which FM is used for broadcasting"...

 and from Waldorf
Waldorf, Maryland
Waldorf, Maryland is an unincorporated community and census-designated place in Charles County, Maryland, United States. It is south-southeast of Washington, D.C. The population of the census-designated area only was 67,752 at the 2010 census...

, Maryland, at 104.1 MHz FM. It was commonly known as Z104 with the slogan "Washington's Modern Music." The station was also known for its community efforts and donation drives for local charities. Furthermore, as a member of the Nationals Network, it offered radio coverage of a large portion of the Washington Nationals
Washington Nationals
The Washington Nationals are a professional baseball team based in Washington, D.C. The Nationals are a member of the Eastern Division of the National League of Major League Baseball . The team moved into the newly built Nationals Park in 2008, after playing their first three seasons in RFK Stadium...

 games.

History

The WWZZ/WWVZ simulcast was originally two separately owned and operated stations, starting with WXTR ("Xtra 104"), then Washington's heritage Oldies station. WXTR, which had been purchased by Liberty Broadcasting , was soon paired with the Frederick, Maryland
Frederick, Maryland
Frederick is a city in north-central Maryland. It is the county seat of Frederick County, the largest county by area in the state of Maryland. Frederick is an outlying community of the Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV Metropolitan Statistical Area, which is part of a greater...

-licensed WZYQ 103.9-FM - the original "Z-104", which had been doing a locally based CHR format in Frederick for years, in an attempt to attain better signal coverage for WXTR. From that point on, both stations operated as a simulcast throughout a variety of formats: first oldies
Oldies
Oldies is a term commonly used to describe a radio format that concentrates on music from a period of about 15 to 55 years before the present day....

, then all-seventies. Finally, Bonneville purchased the WXTR/WZYQ combo, and changed the format over to CHR
Contemporary hit radio
Contemporary hit radio is a radio format that is common in the United States, United Kingdom, Canada and Australia that focuses on playing current and recurrent popular music as determined by the Top 40 music charts...

 in the summer of 1996, as "Z-104" with the call letters WWZZ/WWVZ.

The music was highly researched with an upbeat, high energy presentation and was well-received by local audiences. Under consultant Dan Vallie and Program Director Dale O'Brian, Z=104 played a mix of well established top 40 hits along with the best of "Euro-Pop" dance music. Z-104 rocketed into the top 5 in the Washginton, DC ratings. The station was musically vibrant and over the years had some of the best air talent in country including Lisa Berigan, Matt Reid, Mathew Blades, Jo Jo Morales and Sean Sellers. O'Brian left the station in 2000 for WBTS in Atlanta, GA. He was replaced with Mike Edwards, known primarily for his tenure as Program Director of WDCG in Raleigh, NC.

The biggest test for Z104's longevity was the appearance of Clear Channel
Clear channel
A clear-channel station is an AM band Radio station in North America that has the highest protection from interference from other stations, particularly concerning night-time skywave propagation. Usually known as class A stations since 1982, they are occasionally still referred to by their former...

 station WIHT
WIHT
WIHT is a Top 40 formatted radio station that serves the greater Washington, DC metropolitan area. The station broadcasts 24 hours a day. WIHT is licensed to and owned by Clear Channel Communications...

 (Hot 99.5) which played a similar selection of hip-hop and modern R&B music. WIHT had a very strong signal that covered parts of West Virginia
West Virginia
West Virginia is a state in the Appalachian and Southeastern regions of the United States, bordered by Virginia to the southeast, Kentucky to the southwest, Ohio to the northwest, Pennsylvania to the northeast and Maryland to the east...

, Virginia
Virginia
The Commonwealth of Virginia , is a U.S. state on the Atlantic Coast of the Southern United States. Virginia is nicknamed the "Old Dominion" and sometimes the "Mother of Presidents" after the eight U.S. presidents born there...

, Washington, DC, and west/central Maryland
Maryland
Maryland is a U.S. state located in the Mid Atlantic region of the United States, bordering Virginia, West Virginia, and the District of Columbia to its south and west; Pennsylvania to its north; and Delaware to its east...

, much of the same area covered by Z104. WIHT also ran an advertising blitz in the area that included attack-style ads targeting Z104 specifically. In one notable incident, a man wearing a Z104 T-shirt knocked on doors in the DC area and introduced himself as a convicted animal sex offender, though it is unclear whether the stunt was authorized by WIHT management or if the individual was trying to win a position with the station.

Five months later, with their audience steadily switching to WIHT, Z104 had no choice but to change, and switched to a modern alternative rock format, playing music by the likes of Dave Matthews Band
Dave Matthews Band
Dave Matthews Band, sometimes shortened to DMB, is a U.S. rock band formed in Charlottesville, Virginia in 1991. The founding members were singer-songwriter and guitarist Dave Matthews, bassist Stefan Lessard, drummer/backing vocalist Carter Beauford and saxophonist LeRoi Moore. Boyd Tinsley was...

, Goo Goo Dolls
Goo Goo Dolls
The Goo Goo Dolls are a Grammy-nominated American rock band formed in 1986 in Buffalo, New York, by vocalist and guitarist John Rzeznik and vocalist and bass guitarist Robby Takac. Since the end of 1994, Mike Malinin has been the band's drummer, a position previously held by George Tutuska...

 and Third Eye Blind
Third Eye Blind
Third Eye Blind is an American alternative rock band formed in the early 1990s in San Francisco. The songwriting duo of Kevin Cadogan and Stephan Jenkins signed the band's first major label recording contract with Elektra records in 1996 resulting in two multi platinum albums. The band's lineup...

, in addition to less-frequent commercial breaks. The format proved an effective alternative to WIHT and to local stations WWDC
WWDC (FM)
WWDC is a commercial radio station in Washington, D.C., broadcasting to the Washington, DC-Baltimore, Maryland area. WWDC airs an alternative rock format on 101.1 FM branded as DC101.-History:WWDC-FM signed on in 1947 as a beautiful music station...

 (DC101) and WHFS
WHFS
WHFS was the call sign for three different FM stations in the Washington, D.C./Baltimore, Maryland markets on various frequencies for nearly 50 years. The first and longest run was a progressive rock station and was usually, and affectionately, referred to as 'HFS...

 (HFS 99.1), both of which specialized in hard rock
Hard rock
Hard rock is a loosely defined genre of rock music which has its earliest roots in mid-1960s garage rock, blues rock and psychedelic rock...

.

On January 4, 2006, at noon, WWZZ went off the air due to a multiple-station format change arranged by Bonneville International. One of the most popular stations in the Washington, D.C., area, newsradio station WTOP
WTOP-FM
WTOP is an all-news formatted broadcast radio station licensed to Washington, D.C., serving Metropolitan Washington, DC area. WTOP is owned by Hubbard Broadcasting.WTOP is one of two all-news stations in the Washington, D.C...

, expanded its reach by adding 103.5 to its collection, though a new radio station, "Washington Post Radio
Washington Post Radio
Washington Post Radio was a short-lived attempt by Bonneville Broadcasting and the Washington Post to create a commercial long-form all-news radio network in the style of National Public Radio...

", took over WTOP's previous frequencies on March 30, 2006. The previous occupant of 103.5, the classical music station WGMS, was moved to the Z104 frequency.

The 104.1 frequency for a short period aired a "Jack FM"-style variety hits format as "George FM" - but it was a placeholder format. The station is now owned by Radio One, which acquired the former WWZZ from Bonneville. The station is presently airing a black gospel format as "Praise 104.1."

Programming

Z104's weekday morning program included the Matthew Blades Radio Program on the McDonald's Morning Drive, led by its namesake, Matthew Blades. The show focused on a mix of music, celebrity
Celebrity
A celebrity, also referred to as a celeb in popular culture, is a person who has a prominent profile and commands a great degree of public fascination and influence in day-to-day media...

 gossip
Gossip
Gossip is idle talk or rumour, especially about the personal or private affairs of others, It is one of the oldest and most common means of sharing facts and views, but also has a reputation for the introduction of errors and variations into the information transmitted...

 and interviews, and listener interaction. Other prominent DJs affiliated with the station included Jenni Chase and Music Director Sean Sellers. During weekday evenings the station also broadcast features such as "Download or Delete It," which showcased the newest in music, and "DC Downloads," which lists the top 5 songs that were legally downloaded in the Washington DC area for that day. Weekends featured an hour of coverage dedicated to the local music scene in the Capital Scene program, hosted by Jenni Chase. The station's previous morning programs included one hosted by Billy Bush, the nephew of the 43rd President of the United States, who went on to TV fame as the host of the syndicated entertainment program "Access Hollywood", and one hosted by TV sportscaster Brett Haber. Haber was initially paired with female co-host Erin Carman on a program entitled "Haber & Erin in the Morning". When Carman was fired for insubordination towards station management in 2004, the title was changed to "Brett Haber in the Morning". Haber resigned from the station in mid-2004 to return to television as the Sports Director for Washington's CBS affiliate WUSA-TV.

The station also hosted a number of live events featuring prominent musicians. The Z104 Lounge programs featured performances and interviews in the Z104 studio itself. Tickets for these events were typically given out through other Z104 programs leading up to the event. Among the performers featured on the Z104 Lounge were Ben Folds
Ben Folds
Benjamin Scott "Ben" Folds is an American singer-songwriter, record producer, and television personality. From 1995-2000, Folds was the frontman and pianist of the alternative rock band Ben Folds Five. Since the group disbanded, Folds has performed as a solo artist and has toured all over the world...

, Alanis Morissette
Alanis Morissette
Alanis Nadine Morissette is a Canadian-American singer-songwriter, guitarist, record producer, and actress. She has won 16 Juno Awards and seven Grammy Awards, was nominated for two Golden Globe Awards and also shortlisted for an Academy Award nomination...

 and Gavin DeGraw
Gavin DeGraw
Gavin Shane DeGraw is an American musician and singer-songwriter. He is known for his songs "Chariot", "Follow Through", "I Don't Want to Be" , "In Love with a Girl", and "Not Over You".-Early life:DeGraw grew up in the Catskills in South Fallsburg,...

. Audio clips from the Lounge programs were then played back during predetermined weekend hours. In December 2001, Z104 attempted to compete with local radio festivals like the DC101 Chili Cook-Off
DC101 Chili Cook-Off
The DC101 Chili Cook-Off is an annual chili cookoff and rock concert sponsored by Washington, D.C. / Baltimore, Maryland radio station WWDC . Proceeds from the cookoff, traditionally held in Washington, D.C...

 and HFStival
HFStival
The HFStival is an annual Washington, D.C. / Baltimore, Maryland rock festival. Held every summer from 1990 through 2006 by radio station WHFS, and annually since 2010 in commemoration of the now-defunct station's legacy, the HFStival was at its peak the largest yearly music festival on the East...

 with the one-time Z104 Subway Snowball, which was held at George Mason University
George Mason University
George Mason University is a public university based in unincorporated Fairfax County, Virginia, United States, south of and adjacent to the city of Fairfax. Additional campuses are located nearby in Arlington County, Prince William County, and Loudoun County...

's Patriot Center
Patriot Center
The Patriot Center is a 10,000-seat arena in Fairfax, Virginia. It is located on the campus of George Mason University , and has attracted 9.6 million people to over 2,958 events. In 2010, the Patriot Center was ranked No. 7 nationwide and No...

 and featured performances by Five for Fighting
Five for Fighting
Five for Fighting is the stage name of American singer-songwriter John Ondrasik. He is best known for his piano-based rock, such as the Top 40 songs "Superman " , "100 Years" , and "The Riddle" .-Early years:...

, The Calling
The Calling
The Calling is an American rock band from Los Angeles, California, best known for their hit single, "Wherever You Will Go." The group formed in 2000 and have released two albums. They have been on an indefinite hiatus since 2005.-Band history:...

, Train
Train (band)
Train is an American pop rock band from San Francisco, California, formed in 1994. The band currently comprises a core trio of Patrick Monahan , Jimmy Stafford and Scott Underwood ....

 and Barenaked Ladies
Barenaked Ladies
Barenaked Ladies is a Canadian alternative rock band. The band is currently composed of Jim Creeggan, Kevin Hearn, Ed Robertson, and Tyler Stewart. Barenaked Ladies formed in 1988 in Scarborough, Ontario, then a suburban municipality outside the City of Toronto...

. The Z104 Bosom Ball was held in 2003 at Washington's famed 9:30 Club
9:30 Club
Foo Fighters Promise to come back to D.C. and play the 9:30 ClubNightclub 9:30 is a nightclub and concert venue in Washington, D.C. Originally located at 930 F Street, NW, Washington, D.C., in the 1970s it was called the "Atlantis Club", and hosted primarily rock, New Wave, and punk bands...

, benefiting George Washington University
George Washington University
The George Washington University is a private, coeducational comprehensive university located in Washington, D.C. in the United States...

's mobile mammogram program and featuring performances by Guster
Guster
Guster is an American alternative rock band from Boston, Massachusetts. Formed in 1991, the group is known for its live performances and humor, founding members Adam Gardner, Ryan Miller, and Brian Rosenworcel came about to begin practice sessions while attending Tufts University in Medford,...

 and Third Eye Blind
Third Eye Blind
Third Eye Blind is an American alternative rock band formed in the early 1990s in San Francisco. The songwriting duo of Kevin Cadogan and Stephan Jenkins signed the band's first major label recording contract with Elektra records in 1996 resulting in two multi platinum albums. The band's lineup...

. A follow-up in 2004 featured Pat McGee Band
Pat McGee Band
The Pat McGee Band is a rock band from Richmond, Virginia. Formed by frontman Pat McGee, who attended Longwood University in Farmville, VA. On the heels of his solo release From the Wood in 1995, the Pat McGee Band signed with Warner Bros. Records subsidiary Giant Records in 1999...

 and Bowling for Soup
Bowling for Soup
Bowling for Soup is an American pop-punk band which originally formed in Wichita Falls, Texas in 1994...

, and the third and final incarnation in 2005 featured Better Than Ezra
Better Than Ezra
Better Than Ezra is an American alternative rock trio based in New Orleans, Louisiana.-Formation and early success:Better Than Ezra was formed in 1988 by its four original members - vocalist and guitarist Kevin Griffin; Joel Rundell, the lead guitarist; bassist Tom Drummond; and drummer, Cary...

, Vertical Horizon
Vertical Horizon
Vertical Horizon is an American alternative rock band formed at Georgetown University in Washington, D.C. in 1991. The band is best known for a string of hits in 1999 and early 2000s, including "You're a God", "Everything You Want", and "Best I Ever Had ". Their most recent album, Burning the...

 and Hootie and the Blowfish.

In October 2002, following the Beltway Sniper attacks
Beltway sniper attacks
The Washington sniper attacks took place during three weeks in October 2002 in Washington, D.C., Maryland, and Virginia. Ten people were killed and three others critically injured in various locations throughout the Washington Metropolitan Area and along Interstate 95 in Virginia...

 that terrorized the Washington area for weeks, Z104 held a 24-hour Request-a-Thon to raise money for the victims and/or their families. Listeners would call in with a request for any song of any genre and pledge a minimum of $25 to the Salvation Army
The Salvation Army
The Salvation Army is a Protestant Christian church known for its thrift stores and charity work. It is an international movement that currently works in over a hundred countries....

. The event was such a success that it became an annual happening, with future Request-a-Thons benefiting Ronald McDonald House, plus a special one held after Hurricane Katrina
Hurricane Katrina
Hurricane Katrina of the 2005 Atlantic hurricane season was a powerful Atlantic hurricane. It is the costliest natural disaster, as well as one of the five deadliest hurricanes, in the history of the United States. Among recorded Atlantic hurricanes, it was the sixth strongest overall...

 in September 2005 for the victims of that catastrophe (the minimum donation was raised from 2003 onward to $500 for unsigned local bands seeking an avenue of exposure).

Themes

Broadcasts on each day of the week had a certain theme associated with them, which changed the music played throughout the day.
  • New Release Mondays - Featured tracks from newly released albums
  • Storyteller Tuesdays - Featured a selection of short interviews with popular musicians
  • Wayback Wednesdays - Featured an interspersing of a selection of songs from the 1980s and 1990s with usual programming
  • Artist of the Month Thursdays - Featured music from an artist that the station had decided to focus on for the month
  • Z104 Lounge Weekends - Featured clips from live performances at 11 a.m. and 4 p.m. on Fridays, 12 p.m. and 5 p.m. on Saturdays, and 1 p.m. and 6 p.m. on Sundays


Their weekend tagline was "It's the weekend and you gotta be on the Z, Z104!!"

Original schedule 1996-1998

  • 05:30 a.m. - 10:00 a.m. George McFly Morning Show (Billy Bush took over Morning Drive approx 6 months after the station launched.)
  • 10:00 a.m. - 02:00 p.m. Lisa Beragan
  • 12:00 p.m. - 01:00 p.m. Lisa's Lunch Time Workout with DJ Soho 1998-2001
  • 02:00 p.m. - 06:00 p.m. Matthew "L.A." Reid
  • 04:00 p.m. - 06:00 p.m. L.A. Reid Counts Down to the Weekend with the DZ Top 20 and DJ Milkman on the 1 and 2's
  • 06:00 p.m. - 10:00 p.m. Jo Jo Morales
  • 10:00 p.m. - 02:00 a.m. Tammi Rush

Weekly schedule 1999-2001

  • 5:30 a.m. - 10:00 a.m. Billy Bush and the Bush League Morning Show
  • 10:00 a.m. - 3:00 p.m. Lisa Beragan 1999–2000 Jenni Chase 2000-2006
  • 12:00 p.m. - 1:00 p.m. Lisa's Lunch Time Work Out with DJ Soho 1998-2001
  • 3:00 p.m. - 7:00 p.m. Sean Sellers
  • 5:00 p.m. - 6:00 p.m. Disk Drive @ 5 with Sean Sellers and DJ Soho 1999-2001
  • 7:00 p.m. - 12:00 a.m. Matthew Blades and the Matthew Blades Radio Program
  • 9:00 p.m. - 9:30 p.m. Top 5 at 9 with Matthew Blades
  • 12:00 a.m. - 5:30 a.m. All Night Cafe with Matthew Reid (syndicated by SupeRadio)
  • 10:00 p.m. - 12:00 a.m. Bedtime Groove with various DJs including DJ Fadi, DJ Self, Bobby D, DJ Soho, DJ Spin. [Friday Night Only]
  • 11:00 p.m. - 12 a.m. Bedtime Groove with various DJs including DJ Fadi, DJ Self, Bobby D, DJ Soho, DJ Spin and DJ Milkman [Mondays-Thursdays]

Final weekday schedule

  • 5:30 a.m. - 10:00 a.m.: Matthew Blades Radio Program: Matthew Blades, Whitney, J.C. Fernandez
  • 10:00 a.m. - 3:00 p.m.: Jenni Chase
  • 3:00 p.m. - 7:00 p.m.: Sean Sellers
  • 7:00 p.m. - 12:00 a.m.: All Night Long with JV - JV
  • Late Nights: Matt Simon

External links

The source of this article is wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.  The text of this article is licensed under the GFDL.
 
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