WBZC

WBZC (88.9 FM) was a radio station licensed to Burlington County College, now Rowan College in Pemberton, New Jersey, United States. At 10,000 watts, the station served Burlington County, Southern New Jersey and metro Philadelphia region, making it one of the most powerful college radio stations in the country. WBZC's frequency allocation was made possible after The University of Pennsylvania's WXPN in Philadelphia moved from 88.9 FM to its present frequency of 88.5 FM in 1991. The station is now fully owned by Four Rivers Broadcasting Corporation.

WBZC-FM
CityPemberton, New Jersey
Broadcast areaSouthern New Jersey, Metro Philadelphia and the Delaware Valley region
BrandingWord FM
SloganPositive & Uplifting
Frequency88.9 MHz
First air dateJanuary 1995
FormatContemporary Christian
ERP10,000 watts
HAAT67.0 meters
ClassB1
Facility ID7844
Transmitter coordinates39°50′34.00″N 74°32′40.00″W
OwnerFour Rivers Community Broadcasting Corporation
Sister stationsWBYO
Website

WBZC began broadcasting in January 1995, and in 1996 was named the number one college radio station in America based on listenership, large coverage area in the nation's fourth-largest radio market and unique programming and content, the award was bestowed by the National Association of College Broadcasters in Providence Rhode Island. The station was a platform launching many careers of prominent broadcasters in the industry today.

With the moving of the Pemberton campus of Burlington County College, the station ceased its regional programming and transmission on January 18, 2018.

After being sold to Four Rivers Community Broadcasting Corporation in March 2019, WBZC came back on the air with Word FM and Rowan College's part of the radio station becoming a popular online music and information radio station known as RCBC Radio with a downloadable app heard worldwide on TuneIn and Amazon Alexa. Today, WBZC-FM broadcasts 10,000 watts of Christian radio across the Delaware Valley. [1]

Programming

In its heyday, the 10,000-watt powerhouse WBZC was nominated for several awards including Best U.S. Dance station at the International Music Awards and became a six-time finalist at the Philadelphia Achievement Radio Awards, where the station competed against major US commercial stations. In 1996 the radio station was named number one college radio station in America by the National Association of College Broadcasters at the time, known for its news, talk and public service programming. Brett Holcomb was the Operations Manager and Program Director from 2005 to 2014. From 2014 until 2018, the station was programmed by Jay Varga, formally of Philadelphia's Rock station, 94 WYSP.

Transmitter and translators

In early 2007, the station completed a power upgrade, going from 7.5 kW vertical/350 watts horizontal to 10 kW vertical/470 watts horizontal, with a vertical directional antenna. The transmitter site was moved to a communications tower in Chatsworth, New Jersey, near the intersection of State Route 72 and County Route 563. In addition to the main transmitter, WBZC was relayed by two translators to widen its broadcast area; the W236AF translator operated at 95.1 MHz from high atop the Burlington-Bristol Bridge. Translator W264BH at 100.7 MHz, which was sold shortly before WBZC ceased broadcasting, was located prominently on the roof of Virtua Hospital in Mount Holly.

References and notes
  1. "WBZC Facility Record". United States Federal Communications Commission, audio division.


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