Newark Public Radio, WBGO 88.3FM was the brainchild of an urban think tank that came together in the 1970s to affect change after the rebellion of 1967. Marshalling an extraordinary group of activists, and with the help of the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, they established the first public radio station in New Jersey in 1979 on the underutilized frequency originally licensed by the Newark Public Schools.
In forming, WBGO committed to becoming an independent, community licensed, not-for-profit, public radio station that would champion jazz - an American art form that is also an important chapter in Newark's cultural history. WBGO affiliated with NPR, and went to a 24-hour broadcast day in 1980 when the only other full-time jazz station in the New York Metro market changed its format.
WBGO’s sound can be easily identified by the passionate, extremely knowledgeable and idiosyncratic on-air hosts, live broadcasts and interviews with today's most significant jazz and blues artists, and a news department whose drive time news reports are frequently recognized for their reporting excellence.
In 1985, WBGO became a producer of nationally syndicated programming, expanding its impact tremendously, and has a significant history of success, most notably for over 20 years as the producer of Jazz Set. It was one of the first stations to begin to stream its programming over the internet, which enabled a global footprint. In October 2014, WBGO launched Jazz Night in America, a ground-breaking program hosted by Grammy-award winning bassist Christian McBride in collaboration with NPR Music and Jazz at Lincoln Center. Each episode invites the audience to listen and engage with jazz musicians of today, while giving insight to the music through intimate conversations and rare archival tape woven throughout, bringing attention to the local jazz scenes around the U.S., as well as from Jazz at Lincoln Center. The program may be heard on more than 200 public radio stations across the country and delivers the most diverse audience of any NPR program. In January 2017, WBGO further expanded its voice with the launch of reenvisioned website, WBGO.org, and the hiring of its first ever Director of Editorial Content, jazz author and critic Nate Chinen. These strategic programming efforts have made WBGO the flagship jazz content provider for NPR and are a major component of its strategies to bring new audiences to this music. WBGO voices will now be heard regularly by millions on NPR flagship programs such as Morning Edition and All Things Considered. WBGO is now the most listened to NPR Jazz station in the United States.
WBGO’s dedication to preserving arts and culture for future generations spawned the WBGO Kids Jazz Concert Series, launched in 1994. WBGO’s in-school engagement program, Kids Jazz @ Play, brings live jazz into public schools. The program is an interactive multi-media program that profoundly connects music and literacy to emotions and feelings, making it a vital resource for today’s youth.
The WBGO Arts Calendar, which launched in 2015, is the definitive location for all the cultural offerings Newark has to offer. The calendar is a vital community service, working to sustain the local creative economy by supporting arts organizations, artists, and patrons, and projecting a positive view of our community to our listeners around the globe not found in the mainstream media.
WBGO’s studios are located in the heart of downtown Newark, New Jersey. The transmission antenna and tower are located at 4 Times Square. Since 1996, WBGO has streamed its signal over the Internet on wbgo.org and has become a true oasis to thousands of listeners worldwide. Starting in 2009, the WBGO mobile app became available for download.
Operating as a 501c3 organization with more than 50 full and part time staff members, WBGO is funded by more than 16,000 members each year, and by a combination of corporate, business, foundation, and governmental grants.
