WAWZ#History

WAWZ was founded in 1931 by Pillar of Fire, a small Christian denomination started in Colorado.{{Cite news |last=Stein |first=Robin |date=May 11, 2003 |title=How One Radio Station Made the Conversion |work=The New York Times |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2003/05/11/nyregion/how-one-radio-station-made-the-conversion.html |access-date=December 2, 2023}} It became the second station owned by the Pillar of Fire Church, with KPOF in Denver, Colorado, being the first. The call letters for WAWZ were chosen to honor Bishop Alma White, the founder of the Pillar of Fire Church, and Zarephath, its community of license.{{Cite news |last=Otterman |first=Sharon |date=September 15, 2017 |title=A Booming Church and Its Complicated, Ugly Past |language=en-US |work=The New York Times |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2017/09/15/nyregion/zarephath-christian-church-new-jersey-pillar-of-fire.html |access-date=December 2, 2023 |issn=0362-4331}}

The station was first assigned a frequency of 1350 AM, sharing time equally with three other stations: WCDA, WBNX, and WMSG. In later years,The Founding and Operation of WAWZ Radio, V. Capolunghi, Masters Thesis, Kean University, 1977 at 1380 AM, it shared time with WBNX in New York City.

In the 1920s, 1930s, and 1940s, the organization was vocal in its support of the Ku Klux Klan, which was unique for a religious denomination. Alma White extensively spoke and wrote about both her and the Pillar of Fire Church's support of the Klan and many of its principles, including anti-Catholicism, white supremacy, antisemitism, nativism, and temperance.{{cite journal |doi=10.1017/S0009640709000523 |first=Lynn |last=Neal |title=Christianizing the Klan: Alma White, Branford Clarke, and the Art of Religious Intolerance |quote=White's words and Clarke's imagery were combined in various ways as a means to spread a message of religious intolerance which was both persuasive and powerful. |journal=Church History: Studies in Christianity and Culture |date=June 2009 |volume=78 |issue=2 |pages=350–378 |s2cid=162426152 }}{{cite journal |first=Kristen |last=Kandt |title=Historical Essay: In the Name of God; An American Story of Feminism, Racism, and Religious Intolerance: The Story of Alma Bridwell White |url=http://www.law.georgetown.edu/glh/publishedlist.htm |quote=Alma White and the Pillar of Fire were unique, however, because of their public alliance with the Ku Klux Klan. In fact, the Pillar of Fire was the only religious group which publicly associated itself with the Klan. |journal=Journal of Gender, Social Policy & the Law |year=2000 |access-date=September 16, 2009 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090316225516/https://www.law.georgetown.edu/glh/publishedlist.htm |archive-date=March 16, 2009 |url-status=dead }}{{cite book |first=Kathleen |last=Blee |title=Women of the Klan |url= https://books.google.com/books?id=tcEyMwIpgRMC&q=women+of+the+klan |quote=Bishop White's transformation from minister to Klan propagandist is detailed in voluminous autobiographical and political writings. [Bishop] White's anti-Catholic, anti-semitic, and racist message fit well into the Klan's efforts to convince white Protestant women that their collective interests as women. ... were best served by joining the Klan. |year=1991 |publisher=University of California Press |isbn=978-0-520-07876-5 }}{{cite book |first=Alma |last=White |title=Heroes of the Fiery Cross |quote=I believe in white supremacy. |year=1928 |publisher=The Good Citizen |title-link=Heroes of the Fiery Cross }}

In 1954, the station purchased its spot on the FM dial for approximately $5,000. The modern value of that frequency is estimated to be more than $60 million.

On September 1, 1984, WAWZ sold its part-time AM operation to New York station WBNX. On WAWZ's final day, they produced a special program recalling the station's 53 years of religious broadcasting and, via electrical transcriptions, once again featured the voice of Alma White.{{cite web |title=New Jersey AM Radio History - Page 8 |url=http://www.angelfire.com/nj2/piratejim/njamhistory8.html |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20020309182559/http://www.angelfire.com/nj2/piratejim/njamhistory8.html |archive-date=March 9, 2002}}{{Cite web |title=Call Sign History |url=https://licensing.fcc.gov/cgi-bin/ws.exe/prod/cdbs/pubacc/prod/call_hist.pl?Facility_id=52601&Callsign=WAWZ52601 |website=licensing.fcc.gov}}

WAWZ began airing its current format of contemporary Christian music and gospel as "STAR 99.1" in 2003. Previously, the station played traditional Christian music and church services as well as Christian programs. By the mid 1980's the music evolved to a mix of traditional and softer contemporary Christian music and by the 1990s evolved to soft adult contemporary Christian music along with worship contemporary music.

On August 1, 2014, Pillar of Fire began leasing WLIR-FM (107.1) in Hampton Bays, New York, bringing WAWZ's programming to the East End of Long Island. WLIR-FM was rebranded as "Star 107.1". The lease ended in April 2015, and WLIR-FM reverted to the Christian-formatted "Hope Radio" until early 2015, when the station was sold.

WAWZ received "Station of the Year" awards from National Religious Broadcasters in 2007{{cite web|url=http://www.radioworld.com/pages/s.0105/t.935.html|title=WAWZ, WAVA Are Honored by NRB |date=January 26, 2007 |work=Radio World}} and 2008,{{cite web|url=http://www.radioandrecords.com/RRWebSite/NewsStoryPage.aspx?ContentID=y%2B8OeTqe6yU%3D&|title=WAWZ Wins NRB Award|last=Peterson|first=Kevin |work=Radio and Records}} and the "Crystal Radio Award" from the National Association of Broadcasters in 2008 for its contributions to the community.{{cite news|url=http://www.nab.org/xert/xertimages/corpcomm/pressrel/040408_WAWZ_FM.htm|title=NAB CRYSTAL RADIO AWARD PRESENTED TO WAWZ-FM|last=Jones|first=Kristopher |date=April 15, 2008|work=NAB Press Release}}

WAWZ broadcasts in HD Radio with its HD1, HD2, and HD3 channels, providing Artist Experience data, including song titles, artists, and albums on compatible radios. Over the years, 99.1 FM has hosted various formats on its HD sub-channels. The current HD sub-channel formats are:

• HD2 - Gospel songs (replaced Christian teaching subchannel in early 2016)
• HD3 - The Energy (Christian rock and hip hop) (Launched in 2007 to coincide with the station-sponsored annual youth festival, "Autumn Blaze 2007"). The Energy ceased transmissions in 2014 but resumed in early 2015. It was changed to FLO Positive Hip Hop in January 2025.

• HD2 - Christian teaching (The eight-hour block of teaching programs, which first signed in April 2006, resembled the station's mid-1990s format, including the use of the former tagline, "WAWZ – Your Voice of Faith and Inspiration.")

{{Reflist}}

• {{Official website|www.star991.com|STAR 99.1 FM's Official Website}}

{{FM station data|52601|WAWZ}}

• [https://cdbs.recnet.com/corres/?doc=79881 FCC History Cards for WAWZ] (covering 1953-1981 as WAWZ-FM)
• [https://cdbs.recnet.com/corres/?doc=49887 FCC History Cards for WAWZ (AM)] (covering 1927-1978 as WBNY / WAWZ)

{{Middlesex-Somerset-Union Radio}}

{{Radio in New York City}}

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Category:Pillar of Fire International

AWZ

Category:Zarephath, New Jersey

Category:Contemporary Christian radio stations in the United States

Category:Gospel radio stations in the United States

Category:Radio stations established in 1954

Category:1954 establishments in New Jersey