THE REBIRTH OF CD101.9 SMOOTH JAZZ IN NEW YORK...MAYBE!

If you were a fan of New York’s CD101.9 Smooth Jazz…well now there is a rumor that the station (or a variation of the former) may be on its way back. Based on yesterday’s registrations of 1063NewYork.com and CD1063NewYork.com the return of Smooth AC could be in the offing. The CD moniker was used on Emmis’ Smooth Jazz/AC “CD 101.9” WQCD from 1988 until 2008 when it switched to Rock WRXP. With this new signal covering much of New York’s commercial district, the format will help flank top ranked “106.7 Lite-FM” from a potential full-powered competitor. Here is some background…a translator that has been shuffling across the New York area in recent months has finally gained approval to reach its intended final destination. 106.5 W293BU Union City, NJ has gained a Construction Permit to relocate to 106.3 and broadcast from 4 Times Square with 99 watts covering much of Manhattan as well as portions of Brooklyn, Queens, and New Jersey. The translator has been rebroadcasting Country programming from the HD2 subchannel of Clear Channel’s 106.7 WLTW in recent weeks, something that will continue once the station moves to 106.3 and increases power. It does appear a new old format is in line for the move.

A bit of history…WQCD ran an experiment from November 22, 2004 until August 2005, when the station's playlist included chill music, a form of relaxing music based on the music found in the beaches of Ibiza. Their ratings were not satisfactory, and the experiment ended. The station retained the tagline, "CD101.9, Your Chill-Out Station" during its successful transition back to the standard smooth jazz format.WQCD's on-air staff remained unusually stable in the generally volatile radio climate, led by morning host Dennis Quinn. Midday host Deborah Rath had been with parent company Emmis since 1988, as a veteran of both WRKS and WQHT's original incarnation "Hot 103.5". Afternoon drive host Paul Cavalconte was a veteran of New York jazz, classical and rock stations, including WQCD's generational predecessor WNEW. Evening host Sharon Davis called WQCD home for nearly a decade as well, but on February 5, 2008, CD101.9 and Smooth Jazz all came to an end.