WHTZ

100.3 MHz was initially home to New York's fourth FM radio station, which signed on the air June 1, 1942 as W63NY at 46.3 MHz in the old FM band. The station (by this time broadcasting on 100.3 and known as WHNF) was co-owned with WHN, played easy listening music. After WHN changed its call-sign to WMGM in 1948, WHNF followed suit by changing their call letters to WMGM-FM. The station shut down in February 1955 and surrendered its license to the Federal Communications Commission.

In 1958, Newark Broadcasting, owner of WVNJ (620 AM), filed with the FCC for a new FM station on 100.3 MHz at Newark. It came up against a competing application for the frequency from none other than WMGM, proposing operation in New York City. The FCC opted to award the station to Newark, as it found that a second major FM service for Newark was more equitable than a 14th for New York City.[5] On June 1, 1961,[1] WVNJ-FM signed on from the AM site in Livingston, New Jersey, moving a few years later to West Orange, New Jersey.[6]

The station, using the moniker "WVNJoy", focused on serving northern New Jersey rather than New York City. It featured an instrumentally based easy listening format (also known as beautiful music or, more commonly, "elevator music") consisting of instrumental versions of familiar songs with several soft vocal hits added per hour.

In 1980, when WRVR changed from jazz to country music, WVNJ began playing jazz music after 8 PM. Its slogan was "WVNJoy's beautiful music by day, jazz by night". In May 1983, plans were made for 100.3 FM to be purchased by Cleveland-based Malrite Communications. Malrite moved the station's studios to Secaucus, New Jersey and the transmitter to the Empire State Building.[7] In addition, new management announced plans for a top 40 format. The sale became final on August 1, 1983, and WVNJ-FM ceased broadcasting on 100.3 that night.

The station, which now had the callsign WHTZ, went back on the air at 6:08 a.m. on August 2, 1983 with new program director and morning jock Scott Shannon. The first two songs ever played on the station were "Eye of the Tiger" by Survivor, and "America" by Neil Diamond.[8] The station's call sign represents the word "hits" with a Z, a fact pointed out in an early station advertising campaign where it was proclaimed that 'finally, there's a new way to spell Hitz!' to advertise the new format.[9][10]

Within 74 days of signing on, in autumn 1983, WHTZ had climbed from last place to first in the New York Arbitron ratings book.[11] Over the years, Z100 stayed with a top 40 format, while maintaining high ratings. Scott Shannon left Z100 on January 27, 1989 to start "Pirate Radio" in Los Angeles, which was part of Westwood One Inc.'s new radio division.[11] Steve Kingston assumed programming/operations manager duties, Frankie Blue became assistant programming director, and Brian Wilson took over mornings.

In 1983, Sean "Hollywood" Hamilton was brought in to be WHTZ's first night jock. His show became a huge success, mainly due to his feature called "Hollywood's Midnight Lovelines".[11] On November 8, 2019, Hamilton was inducted into the National Radio Hall of Fame.[12]

On August 28, 1987, Epic Records sued WHTZ for playing Michael Jackson's song "I Just Can't Stop Loving You" the day before it was supposed to debut. The song was supposed to be released on July 21, 1987, but WHTZ played it on the afternoon of July 20.[13]

Wilson was replaced in July 1990 with Gary Bryan, who came over from WPLJ.[14][15][16]

On June 6, 1991, WHTZ was accused of making sexist and racist comments when Steve Kingston told listeners to "be a JAP (Jewish-American princess) for a day." The station also played games with viewers such as "JAP trivia" and they also created a JAP Rap that they would play. While The Anti-Defamation League criticized The Morning Zoo for their anti-semitic and sexist comments, Kingston defended the station by saying the statements were harmless.[17]

By 1991, the top 40 format nationwide was in an identity crisis due to the rise of alternative rock, hip hop and country. A major sign of this crisis came when WPLJ moved to a hot adult contemporary format by 1992. Z100 responded to this by adding some older songs and introducing an evening talk show called "Love Phones", which began on November 2, 1992.[18] Ratings gradually dropped during this time. In March 1993, Malrite (Z100's owners) announced it would merge with Shamrock Broadcasting, with the sale closing that August.[19] In November 1993, John Lander became morning show host.[20] Also that year, Z100 dropped the older songs and began mixing in a moderate amount of rock music which wasn't normally being played on top 40 stations. Initially, the station had a rock lean, but during the course of 1994, alternative rock began to become prevalent on the station.

By the end of 1994, the majority of the station's music consisted of alternative rock with only a few non-modern-rock-based songs per hour (mostly the big current hits). The station still played the current popular hits by mainstream artists such as Madonna, TLC, Janet Jackson, Mariah Carey, Seal, Bon Jovi, and others; notably, though, Z100 snubbed several big pop hits in 1995 such as "Have You Ever Really Loved a Woman?" by Bryan Adams, "You Are Not Alone" by Michael Jackson, and "I Could Fall in Love" by Selena. The station also snubbed some dance hits as well, except during their Saturday night dance show, Planet Z. During this time, the station also underwent numerous airstaff and management changes; Frankie Blue left in 1995 and Sam Milkman moved up to his position. Also in 1995, Z100 stopped using the "Morning Zoo" title, which was simply renamed "The Morning Show." Morning host John Lander left in November 1995 due to his contract not being renewed, with more airstaff gradually leaving the station shortly thereafter.

Ratings, though nowhere near the top anymore, remained steady at the station during much of the mid-1990s. However, by March 1996, there was a steep drop after WKTU signed on at 103.5 FM with a dance music format, and WXRK adapted a full-time alternative-leaning active rock format; both stations took listeners from Z100. Steve Kingston and his assistant Sam Milkman left Z100 for WXRK in spring 1996, while music director Andy Shane left for WKTU, joining another former Z100 music director, Frankie Blue.[21] In January 1996, Steve Cochran arrived to do mornings, but by mid-April, he was gone.[22] Z100 was undergoing a crisis at this point. The station was sold in a corporate deal to Chancellor Media.

In April 1996, the station brought in Tom Poleman as its new programming director. Initially, at that point, Z100 dropped all non-modern rock titles and began playing strictly pop alternative. (In addition, "Planet Z" became a new wave show as well.) By May 1996, Z100 began gradually replacing its on-air staff, and the harder alternative songs were phased out. Though it initially seemed that Z100 was becoming a modern AC station, beginning that summer, the station gradually began to move back to a mainstream Top 40 format, as it added pop music from such formats as R&B, rap, and adult contemporary. Late in July 1996, Dance music returned to "Planet Z."

One of Poleman's biggest moves was to switch DJ Elvis Duran from afternoons to the "Z Morning Zoo" (which was known as "The Morning Show" for the last year), Z100's popular morning show, on April 22 of that year. Despite having shared the post with other hosts (such as Elliot Segal, now at WWDC) through the years, Duran remains the "Head Zookeeper" to this day. By December 1996, Z100 was a full-time Top 40 station again. Chancellor merged with Evergreen in 1997, making WKTU a sister station of Z100. Still, both stations continued on the same courses, moderately overlapping with music.

In a 1999 merger, Z100's parent company, Chancellor, acquired Capstar, forming AMFM Inc. Shortly after the merger was finalized, AMFM was bought by Clear Channel Communications.

In 2001, Clear Channel entered into an agreement with XM Satellite Radio to carry WHTZ on the satellite radio service.[3]

The station used to broadcast "mini-mixes" by DJ Spinbad, a well-known DJ who created a nightly mash-up mix of the day's top songs, playing them all together, mixing, for instance, the lyrics of one with the music of another. This often lasted 15–20 minutes, and was played at seven o'clock and ten o'clock Monday through Friday. Spinbad's mix was also a part of the weekly 5 O'Clock Whistle, a tradition started in 1986 to celebrate the end of the work week.

In early 2006, Z100 launched an HD Radio station that plays songs by bands who have not gone mainstream, or have very little exposure. Currently, it is the only New York City area HD2 station that features DJs.

In October 2007, after years of hovering near the top, Z100 once again became the highest-rated station in New York City, scoring a 5.1 rating in persons 12+ in the Summer book. That marked the first number-one finish for the station since the 1980s, according to Clear Channel New York programming guru Tom Poleman. It also scored a first-place among the 18-34 demographic in the book, as well as a second place in the 25–54 demo.

In 2008, remixer Jason Nevins joined Z100 for the "Remix at 6 with Jason Nevins", where one of Jason's remixes is played every night at 6pm. The programming follows the Z100 playlist and gives listeners a "you heard it here first" mix premiere of projects that come straight from Jason's studio.

During the 2000s, Z100's slogan "New York's #1 Hit Music Station", used in tandem on-air with "All The Hits." The long-running "#1" part of the slogan was removed in 2007, then brought back during spring 2014. Another former slogan was "Today's Best Music".

WHTZ-HD2 was the flagship station for Nick Radio,[23] a top 40 station aimed at children and pre-teens which broadcasts nationwide through iHeartRadio's app and uses WHTZ personnel. The station was launched in late September 2013 and was quietly shut down in late July 2019.

On September 16, 2014, Clear Channel, WHTZ's owners, renamed themselves to their current name of iHeartMedia after its increasingly successful iHeartRadio Internet radio platform.

Mark Medina, program director of WHTZ, has been named top pop programmer of the year by Billboard. He succeeded programmer Sharon Dastur, as Dastur took on a position at iHeartRadio, Z100's parent company.[24]

On June 18, 2020, satellite radio provider Sirius XM dropped WHTZ from its main receiver-based service, offering it only via streaming options (channel 769). PopRocks took over Z100's slot on channel 12.[4] (Sister station KIIS-FM remains as the only iHeartMedia terrestrial station still available on Sirius XM, on channel 11.)

Float at Stonewall 50 – WorldPride NYC 2019

Z100 broadcasts a mainstream Top 40 format. A majority of the music played on Z100 tends to be pop, R&B, alternative, hip-hop, rock, EDM, and dance. On Air with Ryan Seacrest, syndicated nationally via Premiere Networks, is heard daily. The station is also the New York home for American Top 40, which is also hosted by Seacrest and syndicated by Premiere Networks and airs Sunday mornings. While radio personality Mo' Bounce was originally on Z100 from 6 to 10 pm, today he can be heard on the station from 2-6 pm due to staff changes.[25] Radio personality Maxwell now takes over Z100 at night due to these staff changes.

WHTZ local on air personalities are referred to as "ZJ's".