| Community: | Boston | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Frequency: | 94.5 MHz | ||||
| Class: | B | ||||
| Ownership: | AMFM Radio Licenses, L.L.C. (Clear Channel Communications) |
||||
| Studio: | 10 Cabot Road, Suite 302 Medford, MA 02155-5173 |
||||
| Transmitter: | ATC Newton (FM-128) 1165 Chestnut St. Newton, MA 02464-1308 |
||||
| Phones: |
|
||||
| Format: |
|
||||
| Web site: | jamn.com |
WJMN transmits at 94.5 MHz with an effective radiated power of 9.2 kW (analogue) from a non-directional, circularly-polarized antenna 353 meters (1158 feet) above average terrain (394 m above sea level). The antenna is a two-bay ERI COGWHEEL 1084-2CP, and is mounted 364 m (1194 ft) above ground level; it is part of a master antenna system shared with WBZ-FM (98.5 Boston) and backup transmitters for WBOS (92.9 Brookline), WTKK (96.9 Boston), WKLB-FM (102.5 Waltham), WROR-FM (105.7 Framingham), WMJX (106.7 Boston), and WXKS-FM (107.9 Medford). The tower is known locally as “FM-128”, and is owned by American Tower.
WJMN has a licensed backup facility on the same tower, with 10 kW ERP from a two-bay Shively 6810 at 203 meters above average terrain. WJMN transmits a digital signal using iBiquity Digital Corp.'s “HD Radio” system.
WHDH-FM 94.5 signed on March 31, 1948, as the sister station of WHDH 850, the radio outlet of the Boston Herald-Traveler newspaper. For its first decade or so, WHDH-FM did little but simulcast the evening programming of WHDH, splitting off only in the late 1960s, when the FCC ordered major-market FM stations to stop simulcasting their sister AM stations. In the early 1970s, WHDH-FM became WCOZ, first as a “Cozy” beautiful-music outlet, and soon thereafter as an album-rock competitor to WBCN.
The Herald-Traveler lost the license to sister station WHDH-TV 5 in 1972, and subsequently sold its money-losing newspaper interests. As “WHDH, Inc.”, WHDH and WCOZ moved from the WHDH building at 50 Morrissey Boulevard to 441 Stuart Street, where the stations flourished during the 1970s and early 1980s. WHDH, Inc. was sold to Sconnix in the late 1970s.
Sconnix sold WCOZ to Ardman Broadcasting in late 1983, launching 94.5 on another series of radical changes. The calls were changed to WZOU, the format became hit radio, and the station moved to its current studio location in suburban Waltham. As “Z-94”, WZOU began a decade-long rivalry with WXKS-FM, or “Kiss 108”, for Boston's hit radio audience. WZOU launched Boston's first “Morning Zoo” radio show, and within months its bumper stickers were appearing everywhere in eastern Massachusetts.
After a decade, though, WZOU's management decided to take a different tack, and in 1993, the pop-oriented top 40 playlist was replaced with an urban-leaning format. The station's new moniker was “Jam'n 94.5”, and after a few days of trying to get the WJMZ calls, the station settled on WJMN.
The rivalry with Kiss 108 continued even after the format change, and intensified when WJMN began beating WXKS-FM in the ratings. In late 1994, WXKS-FM owner Pyramid Broadcasting put an end to the battle by purchasing WJMN from Ardman. The stations continued their on-air rivalry, especially between Jam'n morning host Baltazar and Kiss morning host Matty Siegel, but behind the scenes both stations were now operating in tandem. In early 1996, Pyramid was sold to Dallas-based Evergreen Media; in 1997 Evergreen merged with Chancellor Broadcasting to form Chancellor Media. Chancellor merged with Capstar in 1999 to become AMFM, which then merged with Clear Channel Communications in 2000.
In 2006, WJMN added an HD2 subchannel, programming “Old Skool Hip-Hop”.
This station profile was written by the editors of The Archives @ BostonRadio.org. We have no relationship with the station; please send any comments or questions about their programming directly to the station. Network connectivity courtesy of MIT CSAIL.