WJNZ

Infobox Radio station
name = WJNZ


city = Kentwood, Michigan
area = [http://www.radio-locator.com/cgi-bin/pat?call=WJNZ&service=AM&status=L&hours=D]
branding = 1140 Jamz
slogan = Pulse of the City
airdate =
frequency = 1140 kHz
format = Urban AC
power = 5,000 watts
erp =
class = D
callsign_meaning = 1140 Jamz
former_callsigns = WKWM (6/21/99-6/16/03)
WXBV (10/15/98-6/21/99)
WKWM (?-10/15/98)
owner =
licensee = WJNZ Radio, LLC
webcast =
website = [http://www.wjnz.com/ http://www.wjnz.com/]
affiliations =

WJNZ (1140 AM, "1140 Jamz") is a radio station broadcasting a urban adult contemporary format. WJNZ is licensed to Kentwood, Michigan and serves the Grand Rapids market. The station broadcasts with 5,000 watts of power during the daytime hours but signs off at sunset to protect co-channel WRVA in Richmond, Virginia.

AM 1140 has a long history of serving the African-American community of Grand Rapids, originally as WKWM (the calls stood for the city of license, Kentwood, Michigan). In the fall of 1998, WKWM tried a syndicated talk format as WXBV. Since Grand Rapids already had several talk-oriented stations, WXBV's talk format was unsuccessful and the station tumbled out of the ratings. Less than a year later, the heritage WKWM calls were restored and the station returned to music, airing Westwood One's satellite-fed "Groovin' Oldies" package.

By the end of 2001, Westwood One had discontinued the "Groovin' Oldies" format, and WKWM had switched to adult standards with the Music of Your Life from Jones Radio Networks, to compete with 810 WMJH (which aired Westwood One's Adult Standards). However, WKWM remained mired near the bottom of the ratings, and neither WKWM nor WMJH was ultimately able to make enough money to stay afloat (WMJH has since switched to a Spanish-language format).

In June 2003, the WJNZ calls moved to AM 1140 from co-owned AM 1680, which switched to ABC's Radio Disney feed as WDSS. The following year, Mike St. Cyr, under the WJNZ Radio, LLC banner, acquired WJNZ-AM 1140 from Goodrich Radio.

In July 2008 WJNZ was purchased by station Program Director Robert "S" Womack.

WJNZ "1140 Jamz" bills itself as "The Pulse of the City" and "Grand Rapids' Only R&B Station." Programming is a combination of local hosts and ABC Radio's syndicated Urban AC format known as "The Touch" (or "Today's R&B and Old School"). WJNZ is also Grand Rapids' outlet for the popular Tom Joyner syndicated morning show.

Sources

* [http://www.michiguide.com/dials/rad-j/wjnz.html Michiguide.com - WJNZ History]

External links

*AMQ|WJNZ
*AML|WJNZ
*AMARB|WJNZ