WJUX
Encyclopedia
WJUX is a radio station
broadcasting a Christian radio
format. Licensed to Monticello, New York
, USA. The station is currently owned by Bridgelight, LLC.
The programming consists of Contemporary Rhythmic Praise and Worship Music, Christian preaching and teaching and features some children's programming. The station is affiliated with the Christian Denomination known as Calvary Chapel
. In addition, WJUX simulcasts on translators
on 98.9 FM Poughkeepsie, New York
, 94.3 FM in Rockland County, New York
and 103.1 Fm in Fort Lee, NJ and on full power non commercial station WRDR
89.7 in Monmouth County, New Jersey
. WRDR is the primary station while WJUX and the translators are secondary stations.
" and originally played Traditional Big Band Music in 1993 then evolved to more of an adult standards format by 1995. By then, WJUX-FM 99.7 Monticello, New York
began simulcasting "Jukebox Radio" and it began commercial operation. The station evolved into to Oldies
in 1997. The station switched back to Adult Standards but emphasising more baby boomer pop in 2000. Due to unfounded legal issues, Jukebox Radio was forced to sell the stations in 2003 and today a Christian Teaching/Preaching/Praise & Worship Music format called "The Bridge occupies the dial positions.
Originally licensed as a Non-Commercial station "Jukebox Radio" hit the air on March 5, 1993 on low power station 103.1 FM with DJs Lee Martin (Morning and Afternoon Drive), Matthew Borzi (Mid-days) and Larry Hopper (Evenings). The station was owned by Gerry Turro. Gerry Turro was the chief engineer of 1130 WNEW
New York City
from the 1980s until 1992 when WNEW folded. That station also had a big band/adult standards format from 1981 to 1992. Jerry purchased WNEW's music library at the end of 1992 for use on Jukebox Radio.
Jukebox radio's music was originally a blend of traditional adult standards and big bands from the 1930s, 1940s and early 1950s. Core artists originally included Frank Sinatra
, Tommy Dorsey
, Mills Brothers
, Peggy Lee
, Ella Fitzgerald
, Louis Armstrong
, Andrews Sisters, Artie Shaw
, Bing Crosby
, Duke Ellington
, and others. The station, initially, only played a handful of sings newer than 1955 and sounded similar to the 1981 version of 1130 WNEW.
In 1994, more easy listening artists such as Nat King Cole
, Tony Bennett
, Ray Charles
, Lettermen, Perry Como
, Jerry Vale
, pre-1970 Barbra Streisand
, and others were added and Jukebox began playing more of the 1960s non rock songs but no baby boomer pop just yet. Jukebox Radio was commercial free originally but each hour was underwritten by various sponsors. In 1995, WJUX was able to become a commercial station when buying commercial license 99.7 FM in Monticello, New York
, which was nearly 100 miles away, becoming WJUX-FM. WJUX-LP 103.1 in Bergen County became a translator station for WJUX. But what was unusual was that the station's studios and offices and announcers were all based in Bergen County. The station transmitted from the 103.1 frequency and sent the signal through fiber optic cable to WJUX-FM in Monticello which rebroadcast the signal to the north-western section of The Hudson Valley. At this point, Jukebox Radio became a commercial station.
This radio station is famous in the broadcast radio industry, due to Gerry Turro (former chief engineer of WNEW, New York), who thought that he figured out how to legally operate an FM translator, commercially, in the #1 Market in the world, New York City. Unfortunately jealous nearby competition ( WVNJ ) did not think it was legal. Miriam Warshaw, owner of AM stand-alone station 1160 WVNJ
filed a lawsuit in federal court claiming that Jukebox Radio's signal was illegal because the low power station was run as the main station while the full power station was a translator. Also since the signals had little if any overlap, WJUX 99.7 Monticello was not receiving the signal from 103.1 but through fiber optic cables. The suit also claimed that 99.7 was designated to serve the Northwestern Hudson Valley and the southern Catskills and not Bergen County, but all its programming aimed at Bergen County and all its advertisers were based out of Bergen County. WVNJ had an R & B Oldies format at the time WJUX went commercial in 1995.
Jukebox Radio won the first round of proceedings, but WVNJ appealed the decision to the federal appellate court. Throughout 1997, Jukebox Radio began emphasising more baby boomer pop music. Big Band artists like Tommy Dorsey and old time crooners like Bing Crosby were gone. Artists like Frank Sinatra, The Lettermen, and Johnny Mathis would remain but now shared airtime with softer songs by artists like The Beatles
, Elvis Presley
, The Carpenters
, Dion
, Fats Domino
, Everly Brothers, James Taylor
, Paul Anka
, Commodores
, Kenny Rogers
, The Beach Boys
, Dionne Warwick
, The Association
, and many others. By 1998 classic rockers like The Rolling Stones
, The Doors
, Billy Joel
, The Doobie Brothers
and others were mixed in. Most of the pop standards staples were eliminated. Also, more Motown artists like Stevie Wonder
, Four Tops
, The Miracles
, the Supremes
, The Temptations
, and others were added. By the spring of 1998, Jukebox Radio was a broad based oldies outlet focusing on the music of 1964 to 1979 with a sprinkling of big hits from the 1980s and the 1955-1963 era.
Over the years, radio greats Chuck Leonard
, Jimmy Howes
, Lee Arnold, Bill Owen, Stan Martin
, Mike Egan, Mark Summers, Nick Straka, Bob Bober, and Bobby Ryan worked at the Jukebox. In terms of selling advertising, Jukebox was very successful. Jimmy Howes, Stan Martin, Lee Arnold and Mark Summers have received Marconi Award honors. Chuck Leonard is now in the Radio Hall of Fame and was the first African American DJ breaking the color barrier in New York City, working at 77-WABC Radio 1965-1979. Local News was delivered by Mike Prelee (WNEW-AM) and David Matthau (son of Walter Matthau).
In June 2000, with an announcement several weeks before, Jukebox Radio flipped back to adult standards
from Oldies. This standards format would focus on the Sinatra type artists but would also mix in a lot of softer songs by rock and roll oldies artists and some soft AC cuts. The station was about half baby boomer pop and half traditional standards. The station played few big bands at this point. The station would stay with thin format until it would be sold in 2004.
In 2002, WVNJ lost its legal battle and later appealed to have Jukebox Radio taken off the air. Gerry Turro decided that Jukebox Radio would be worth more if it were sold. The translator was sold for 2.2 million dollars. WVNJ has never been able to make their station a success in Bergen County. They spent millions of dollars trying to get the FCC to revoke the Jukebox Radio license, It didn't work. The FCC found that Jukebox Radio had operated legally. Unfortunately the big losers in this battle were the residents of Bergen County.
Before going dark, Juke Box Radio was one of the most listened to radio stations in New Jersey. The station on 99.7 and the 103.1 translator was sold to a religious broadcaster. In October 2004, Jukebox Radio signed off for the last time and a religious format consisting of Praise & Worship Music, Christian Preaching, Teaching, and features replaced Jukebox Radio.
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...
broadcasting a Christian radio
Christian radio
Christian radio is a category of radio formats that focus on transmitting programming with a Christian message. In the United States, where it is more established, many such broadcasters play popular music of Christian influence, though many programs have talk or news programming covering...
format. Licensed to Monticello, New York
Monticello, New York
Monticello is a village located in the Town of Thompson in Sullivan County, New York, United States. The population was 6,512 at the 2000 census. It is the seat for the Town of Thompson and the county seat of Sullivan County...
, USA. The station is currently owned by Bridgelight, LLC.
The programming consists of Contemporary Rhythmic Praise and Worship Music, Christian preaching and teaching and features some children's programming. The station is affiliated with the Christian Denomination known as Calvary Chapel
Calvary Chapel
Calvary Chapel is an evangelical association of Christian churches with over one thousand congregations worldwide. Calvary Chapel also maintains a number of radio stations around the world and operates many local Calvary Chapel Bible College programs. It presents itself as a "fellowship of...
. In addition, WJUX simulcasts on translators
Broadcast relay station
A broadcast relay station, relay transmitter, broadcast translator , rebroadcaster , or repeater is a broadcast transmitter which relays, repeats, or reflects the signal of another radio station or television station, usually to an area not covered by the signal of the originating station...
on 98.9 FM Poughkeepsie, New York
Poughkeepsie (city), New York
Poughkeepsie is a city in the state of New York, United States, which serves as the county seat of Dutchess County. Poughkeepsie is located in the Hudson River Valley midway between New York City and Albany...
, 94.3 FM in Rockland County, New York
Rockland County, New York
Rockland County is a suburban county 15 miles to the northwest of Manhattan and part of the New York City Metropolitan Area, in the U.S. state of New York. It is the southernmost county in New York west of the Hudson River, and the smallest county in New York outside of New York City. The...
and 103.1 Fm in Fort Lee, NJ and on full power non commercial station WRDR
WRDR
WRDR is a radio station broadcasting a Religious format. Licensed to Freehold Township, New Jersey, it serves the New York area. The station is currently owned by Bridgelight, L.L.C.....
89.7 in Monmouth County, New Jersey
Monmouth County, New Jersey
Monmouth County is a county located in the U.S. state of New Jersey, within the New York metropolitan area. As of the 2010 Census, the population was 630,380, up from 615,301 at the 2000 census. Its county seat is Freehold Borough. The most populous municipality is Middletown Township with...
. WRDR is the primary station while WJUX and the translators are secondary stations.
History
WJUX 103.1 from 1993 to 2004 was known as "Jukebox RadioJukebox Radio
Jukebox Radio was a low power FM radio station in Dumont, New Jersey from 1993 to 2003 with the call letters W276AQ on 103.1 FM. In addition, "Jukebox radio" was heard on a Full Power Class A FM station, WJUX-FM 99.7 from Monticello, New York from 1995 until 2004. These two stations simulcast...
" and originally played Traditional Big Band Music in 1993 then evolved to more of an adult standards format by 1995. By then, WJUX-FM 99.7 Monticello, New York
Monticello, New York
Monticello is a village located in the Town of Thompson in Sullivan County, New York, United States. The population was 6,512 at the 2000 census. It is the seat for the Town of Thompson and the county seat of Sullivan County...
began simulcasting "Jukebox Radio" and it began commercial operation. The station evolved into to 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....
in 1997. The station switched back to Adult Standards but emphasising more baby boomer pop in 2000. Due to unfounded legal issues, Jukebox Radio was forced to sell the stations in 2003 and today a Christian Teaching/Preaching/Praise & Worship Music format called "The Bridge occupies the dial positions.
Originally licensed as a Non-Commercial station "Jukebox Radio" hit the air on March 5, 1993 on low power station 103.1 FM with DJs Lee Martin (Morning and Afternoon Drive), Matthew Borzi (Mid-days) and Larry Hopper (Evenings). The station was owned by Gerry Turro. Gerry Turro was the chief engineer of 1130 WNEW
WBBR
WBBR is a radio station broadcasting at 1130 AM in New York City. It airs Bloomberg Radio, a service of Bloomberg L.P. WBBR's format is general and financial news, offering local, national and international news reports along with financial market updates and interviews with corporate executives,...
New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
from the 1980s until 1992 when WNEW folded. That station also had a big band/adult standards format from 1981 to 1992. Jerry purchased WNEW's music library at the end of 1992 for use on Jukebox Radio.
Jukebox radio's music was originally a blend of traditional adult standards and big bands from the 1930s, 1940s and early 1950s. Core artists originally included Frank Sinatra
Frank Sinatra
Francis Albert "Frank" Sinatra was an American singer and actor.Beginning his musical career in the swing era with Harry James and Tommy Dorsey, Sinatra became an unprecedentedly successful solo artist in the early to mid-1940s, after being signed to Columbia Records in 1943. Being the idol of the...
, Tommy Dorsey
Tommy Dorsey
Thomas Francis "Tommy" Dorsey, Jr. was an American jazz trombonist, trumpeter, composer, and bandleader of the Big Band era. He was known as "The Sentimental Gentleman of Swing", due to his smooth-toned trombone playing. He was the younger brother of bandleader Jimmy Dorsey...
, Mills Brothers
Mills Brothers
The Mills Brothers, sometimes billed as The Four Mills Brothers, were an American jazz and pop vocal quartet of the 20th century who made more than 2,000 recordings that combined sold more than 50 million copies, and garnered at least three dozen gold records...
, Peggy Lee
Peggy Lee
Peggy Lee was an American jazz and popular music singer, songwriter, composer, and actress in a career spanning six decades. From her beginning as a vocalist on local radio to singing with Benny Goodman's big band, she forged a sophisticated persona, evolving into a multi-faceted artist and...
, Ella Fitzgerald
Ella Fitzgerald
Ella Jane Fitzgerald , also known as the "First Lady of Song" and "Lady Ella," was an American jazz and song vocalist...
, Louis Armstrong
Louis Armstrong
Louis Armstrong , nicknamed Satchmo or Pops, was an American jazz trumpeter and singer from New Orleans, Louisiana....
, Andrews Sisters, Artie Shaw
Artie Shaw
Arthur Jacob Arshawsky , better known as Artie Shaw, was an American jazz clarinetist, composer, and bandleader. He was also the author of both fiction and non-fiction writings....
, Bing Crosby
Bing Crosby
Harry Lillis "Bing" Crosby was an American singer and actor. Crosby's trademark bass-baritone voice made him one of the best-selling recording artists of the 20th century, with over half a billion records in circulation....
, Duke Ellington
Duke Ellington
Edward Kennedy "Duke" Ellington was an American composer, pianist, and big band leader. Ellington wrote over 1,000 compositions...
, and others. The station, initially, only played a handful of sings newer than 1955 and sounded similar to the 1981 version of 1130 WNEW.
In 1994, more easy listening artists such as Nat King Cole
Nat King Cole
Nathaniel Adams Coles , known professionally as Nat King Cole, was an American musician who first came to prominence as a leading jazz pianist. Although an accomplished pianist, he owes most of his popular musical fame to his soft baritone voice, which he used to perform in big band and jazz genres...
, Tony Bennett
Tony Bennett
Tony Bennett is an American singer of popular music, standards, show tunes, and jazz....
, Ray Charles
Ray Charles
Ray Charles Robinson , known by his shortened stage name Ray Charles, was an American musician. He was a pioneer in the genre of soul music during the 1950s by fusing rhythm and blues, gospel, and blues styles into his early recordings with Atlantic Records...
, Lettermen, Perry Como
Perry Como
Pierino Ronald "Perry" Como was an American singer and television personality. During a career spanning more than half a century he recorded exclusively for the RCA Victor label after signing with them in 1943. "Mr...
, Jerry Vale
Jerry Vale
Jerry Vale is an American singer.-Career:In high school, in order to make some money, he took a job shining shoes in a barbershop in New York City. He sang while he shined shoes, and his boss liked the sound so well that he paid for music lessons for the boy...
, pre-1970 Barbra Streisand
Barbra Streisand
Barbra Joan Streisand is an American singer, actress, film producer and director. She has won two Academy Awards, eight Grammy Awards, four Emmy Awards, a Special Tony Award, an American Film Institute award, a Peabody Award, and is one of the few entertainers who have won an Oscar, Emmy, Grammy,...
, and others were added and Jukebox began playing more of the 1960s non rock songs but no baby boomer pop just yet. Jukebox Radio was commercial free originally but each hour was underwritten by various sponsors. In 1995, WJUX was able to become a commercial station when buying commercial license 99.7 FM in Monticello, New York
Monticello, New York
Monticello is a village located in the Town of Thompson in Sullivan County, New York, United States. The population was 6,512 at the 2000 census. It is the seat for the Town of Thompson and the county seat of Sullivan County...
, which was nearly 100 miles away, becoming WJUX-FM. WJUX-LP 103.1 in Bergen County became a translator station for WJUX. But what was unusual was that the station's studios and offices and announcers were all based in Bergen County. The station transmitted from the 103.1 frequency and sent the signal through fiber optic cable to WJUX-FM in Monticello which rebroadcast the signal to the north-western section of The Hudson Valley. At this point, Jukebox Radio became a commercial station.
This radio station is famous in the broadcast radio industry, due to Gerry Turro (former chief engineer of WNEW, New York), who thought that he figured out how to legally operate an FM translator, commercially, in the #1 Market in the world, New York City. Unfortunately jealous nearby competition ( WVNJ ) did not think it was legal. Miriam Warshaw, owner of AM stand-alone station 1160 WVNJ
WVNJ
WVNJ is radio station licensed to Oakland, New Jersey, serving Bergen County, New Jersey and parts of the New York City metropolitan area. The station employs a brokered programming format and is owned by Universal Broadcasting headed by Miriam Warshaw...
filed a lawsuit in federal court claiming that Jukebox Radio's signal was illegal because the low power station was run as the main station while the full power station was a translator. Also since the signals had little if any overlap, WJUX 99.7 Monticello was not receiving the signal from 103.1 but through fiber optic cables. The suit also claimed that 99.7 was designated to serve the Northwestern Hudson Valley and the southern Catskills and not Bergen County, but all its programming aimed at Bergen County and all its advertisers were based out of Bergen County. WVNJ had an R & B Oldies format at the time WJUX went commercial in 1995.
Jukebox Radio won the first round of proceedings, but WVNJ appealed the decision to the federal appellate court. Throughout 1997, Jukebox Radio began emphasising more baby boomer pop music. Big Band artists like Tommy Dorsey and old time crooners like Bing Crosby were gone. Artists like Frank Sinatra, The Lettermen, and Johnny Mathis would remain but now shared airtime with softer songs by artists like The Beatles
The Beatles
The Beatles were an English rock band, active throughout the 1960s and one of the most commercially successful and critically acclaimed acts in the history of popular music. Formed in Liverpool, by 1962 the group consisted of John Lennon , Paul McCartney , George Harrison and Ringo Starr...
, Elvis Presley
Elvis Presley
Elvis Aaron Presley was one of the most popular American singers of the 20th century. A cultural icon, he is widely known by the single name Elvis. He is often referred to as the "King of Rock and Roll" or simply "the King"....
, The Carpenters
The Carpenters
Carpenters were an American vocal and instrumental duo, consisting of sister Karen and brother Richard Carpenter. The Carpenters were the #1 selling American music act of the 1970s. Though often referred to by the public as "The Carpenters", the duo's official name on authorized recordings and...
, Dion
Dion DiMucci
Dion Francis DiMucci , better known as Dion, is an American singer-songwriter whose work has incorporated elements of doo-wop, pop oldies music, rock and R&B styles....
, Fats Domino
Fats Domino
Antoine Dominique "Fats" Domino, Jr. is an American R&B and rock and roll pianist and singer-songwriter. He was born and raised in New Orleans, Louisiana, and Creole was his first language....
, Everly Brothers, James Taylor
James Taylor
James Vernon Taylor is an American singer-songwriter and guitarist. A five-time Grammy Award winner, Taylor was inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 2000....
, Paul Anka
Paul Anka
Paul Albert Anka, is a Canadian singer, songwriter, and actor.Anka first became famous as a teen idol in the late 1950s and 1960s with hit songs like "Diana'", "Lonely Boy", and "Put Your Head on My Shoulder"...
, Commodores
Commodores
The Commodores are an American funk/soul band of the 1970s and 1980s. The members of the group met as mostly freshmen at Tuskegee Institute in 1968, and signed with Motown in November 1972, having first caught the public eye opening for The Jackson 5 while on tour...
, Kenny Rogers
Kenny Rogers
Kenneth Donald "Kenny" Rogers is an American singer-songwriter, photographer, record producer, actor, and entrepreneur...
, The Beach Boys
The Beach Boys
The Beach Boys are an American rock band, formed in 1961 in Hawthorne, California. The group was initially composed of brothers Brian, Dennis and Carl Wilson, their cousin Mike Love, and friend Al Jardine. Managed by the Wilsons' father Murry, The Beach Boys signed to Capitol Records in 1962...
, Dionne Warwick
Dionne Warwick
Dionne Warwick is an American singer, actress and TV show host, who became a United Nations Global Ambassador for the Food and Agriculture Organization, and a United States Ambassador of Health....
, The Association
The Association
The Association is a pop music band from California in the folk rock or soft rock genre. During the 1960s, they had numerous hits at or near the top of the Billboard charts and were the lead-off band at 1967's Monterey Pop Festival...
, and many others. By 1998 classic rockers like The Rolling Stones
The Rolling Stones
The Rolling Stones are an English rock band, formed in London in April 1962 by Brian Jones , Ian Stewart , Mick Jagger , and Keith Richards . Bassist Bill Wyman and drummer Charlie Watts completed the early line-up...
, The Doors
The Doors
The Doors were an American rock band formed in 1965 in Los Angeles, California, with vocalist Jim Morrison, keyboardist Ray Manzarek, drummer John Densmore, and guitarist Robby Krieger...
, Billy Joel
Billy Joel
William Martin "Billy" Joel is an American musician and pianist, singer-songwriter, and classical composer. Since releasing his first hit song, "Piano Man", in 1973, Joel has become the sixth best-selling recording artist and the third best-selling solo artist in the United States, according to...
, The Doobie Brothers
The Doobie Brothers
The Doobie Brothers are an American rock band. The group has sold over 40 million units worldwide throughout their career. The Doobie Brothers were inducted into The Vocal Group Hall of Fame in 2004.-Original incarnation:...
and others were mixed in. Most of the pop standards staples were eliminated. Also, more Motown artists like Stevie Wonder
Stevie Wonder
Stevland Hardaway Morris , better known by his stage name Stevie Wonder, is an American singer-songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, record producer and activist...
, Four Tops
Four Tops
The Four Tops are an American vocal quartet, whose repertoire has included doo-wop, jazz, soul music, R&B, disco, adult contemporary, hard rock, and showtunes...
, The Miracles
The Miracles
The Miracles are an American rhythm and blues group from Detroit, Michigan, notable as the first successful group act for Berry Gordy's Motown Record Corporation . Their single "Shop Around" was Motown's first million-selling hit record, and the group went on to become one of Motown's signature...
, the Supremes
The Supremes
The Supremes, an American female singing group, were the premier act of Motown Records during the 1960s.Originally founded as The Primettes in Detroit, Michigan, in 1959, The Supremes' repertoire included doo-wop, pop, soul, Broadway show tunes, psychedelic soul, and disco...
, The Temptations
The Temptations
The Temptations is an American vocal group having achieved fame as one of the most successful acts to record for Motown Records. The group's repertoire has included, at various times during its five-decade career, R&B, doo-wop, funk, disco, soul, and adult contemporary music.Formed in Detroit,...
, and others were added. By the spring of 1998, Jukebox Radio was a broad based oldies outlet focusing on the music of 1964 to 1979 with a sprinkling of big hits from the 1980s and the 1955-1963 era.
Over the years, radio greats Chuck Leonard
Chuck Leonard
Charles Wesley "Chuck" Leonard was an American radio personality at WABC in New York City during the 1960s and 1970s. His deep voice and smoothness resonated across 38 states for 14 years at ABC...
, Jimmy Howes
Jimmy Howes
Jimmy Howes is a radio disc jockey and talk show host, stand-up comic. New York City On-Air Radio Host under dozens of different synonyms. Morning Show Host on Jukebox Radio, New York City, Mid-Day host with WVNJ, Program Director and a morning show host of WGHT...
, Lee Arnold, Bill Owen, Stan Martin
Stan Martin
Stan Martin was an Australian rules footballer who played with University in the Victorian Football League. A bayonet instructor during World War I, he played in the Services game in London, but was later killed in action.-Sources:...
, Mike Egan, Mark Summers, Nick Straka, Bob Bober, and Bobby Ryan worked at the Jukebox. In terms of selling advertising, Jukebox was very successful. Jimmy Howes, Stan Martin, Lee Arnold and Mark Summers have received Marconi Award honors. Chuck Leonard is now in the Radio Hall of Fame and was the first African American DJ breaking the color barrier in New York City, working at 77-WABC Radio 1965-1979. Local News was delivered by Mike Prelee (WNEW-AM) and David Matthau (son of Walter Matthau).
In June 2000, with an announcement several weeks before, Jukebox Radio flipped back to adult standards
Adult standards
Adult standards is a North American radio format heard primarily on AM or class A FM stations.Adult standards is aimed at "mature" adults, meaning mainly those persons over 50 years of age, but it is mostly targeted for senior citizens...
from Oldies. This standards format would focus on the Sinatra type artists but would also mix in a lot of softer songs by rock and roll oldies artists and some soft AC cuts. The station was about half baby boomer pop and half traditional standards. The station played few big bands at this point. The station would stay with thin format until it would be sold in 2004.
In 2002, WVNJ lost its legal battle and later appealed to have Jukebox Radio taken off the air. Gerry Turro decided that Jukebox Radio would be worth more if it were sold. The translator was sold for 2.2 million dollars. WVNJ has never been able to make their station a success in Bergen County. They spent millions of dollars trying to get the FCC to revoke the Jukebox Radio license, It didn't work. The FCC found that Jukebox Radio had operated legally. Unfortunately the big losers in this battle were the residents of Bergen County.
Before going dark, Juke Box Radio was one of the most listened to radio stations in New Jersey. The station on 99.7 and the 103.1 translator was sold to a religious broadcaster. In October 2004, Jukebox Radio signed off for the last time and a religious format consisting of Praise & Worship Music, Christian Preaching, Teaching, and features replaced Jukebox Radio.