WJZJ

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WJZJ 95.5 in Glen Arbor, Michigan is an American radio station, which airs a modern rock format branded as The Zone. The station serves a small portion of the Traverse City-Petoskey radio market. The radio station's signal carries across the waters of Lake Michigan, and can frequently heard in Manitowoc, Wisconsin.

The station, along with WAVC 93.9 in Mio and WLJZ 94.5 in Mackinaw City, MI, launched The Zone in 1998, replacing the low-rated satellite-delivered smooth jazz format "Coast-FM". Previous to being "Coast FM," WLJZ 94.5 had operated on 94.3 FM as hot AC station WFGE, "Fudgie 94."

The Zone was originally adult-leaning, whose core artists included Jewel, Paula Cole, Barenaked Ladies and The Goo Goo Dolls. However, the station, which positioned itself as "Modern Rock" even while it continued to play primarily adult alternative and pop crossover material, received criticism for not including harder-edged artists such as KoRn and Limp Bizkit, whose music was rarely played on classic rock-leaning rival WKLT. It was not until 2000 that "The Zone" became a true "modern rock" radio station. The Zone's "modern rock" format borrows from both "alternative" and "active" rock formats.

After the format change, ratings improved dramatically, but once again soon fell, partially due to a translator station launched on 95.5 in Boyne City, Michigan, only slightly outside 95.5 Glen Arbor's protected signal contour. The Boyne City station relays Classic Hits-formatted competitor "The Fox" (WFCX-FM 94.3/WFDX-FM 92.5).

WAVC dropped out of The Zone's simulcast in 2000, choosing to simulcast the country station WMKC (102.9 FM, St. Ignace, "Big Country 102.9 & 93.9").

On June 5, 2006, the station became an affiliate of Waitt Radio Networks. As a result, the only live and local program the station now carries is Brian "Cartman" Pfiffer's morning show, while the station uses Waitt's "Alternative Now" format the rest of the day. However, most of the station's jocks have been reassigned to other positions in the company instead of being let go. On June 26, WJZJ became the sole carrier of The Zone as WLJZ flipped to hot adult contemporary fed from Waitt ("AC Active") as Star 94.5, Today's Best Variety.

[edit] External links

• The Zone