astronomy

WJPZ-FM

WJPZ-FM is a astronomy topic covered in the lgStudy science library. This page brings together a partial reference excerpt, illustrations, worked examples, real-world applications and a short study plan, so you can understand WJPZ-FM rather than just read about it. In short: WJPZ-FM (89.1 FM) – branded Z89 – is a radio station in Syracuse, New York. It broadcasts on 89.1 MHz with an effective radiated power of 1,000 watts, and can be heard throughout Syracuse.

Key takeaways

WJPZ-FM belongs to astronomy; place it in that map before memorising details.
Learn the definition first, then one example that makes the definition concrete.
Connect WJPZ-FM to a quantity you can measure, compute or draw — that is where exam questions come from.
Reproduce the core statement of WJPZ-FM from memory before moving on to harder problems.

Reference excerpt

WJPZ-FM (89.1 FM) – branded Z89 – is a radio station in Syracuse, New York. It broadcasts on 89.1 MHz with an effective radiated power of 1,000 watts, and can be heard throughout Syracuse. WJPZ primarily programs a contemporary hit radio (CHR) format. A notable amount of airtime during the academic year is devoted to sports talk and live play-by-play coverage of select local sporting events.

Ownership Although operated by students, it is an independent organization which is incorporated and licensed by the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) as WJPZ Radio, Inc and leases studio and transmitter facilities on Syracuse University property. WJPZ broadcasts 14 hours of sports talk radio and provides game broadcasts for Central New York high school football, Syracuse Orange women's basketball, and Syracuse women's lacrosse.

History WJPZ was founded by a group of Syracuse University students including Craig Fox and Bill Bleyle in late 1972. The unlicensed station initially broadcast with a power of one-tenth of a watt, and played Top 40 hits on 1200 AM. The makeshift studio was located in the attic of a building at 100 Waverly Avenue, which housed a campus record store. According to one story, the WJPZ call letters were chosen because the students liked the call letter rhyme scheme for WABC in New York City, while Bill Bleyle has maintained that the letters were chosen at random.

After construction of the Newhouse 2 building in 1972, university-supported WAER radio moved into a brand-new facility and discarded equipment that had been in use since 1946. These discarded turntables and parts were salvaged by Fox and Bleyle. WAER was more academically focused and students wanting freedom to learn other aspects tuned in to WJPZ. In 1974, WJPZ relocated to the basement of 821 University Avenue (now the Sheraton Hotel). The station branded itself WJPZ 1200 Z-Rock "Non-Stop Rock," playing a "tasteful blend of Top 40 music and popular album cuts" for a college-age audience 24 hours a day. However, the station was not a fully recognized student organization, and did not have a license because the station's low-power signal did not require one under Part 15 of the FCC's rules. The university wanted a faculty advisor for the station and suggested Dr. Roosevelt "Rick" Wright Jr. Wright, who became the station's biggest champion and helped it grow into a successful student-run and operated operation. In 1985, the station rebranded Z89 when it acquired an FM license and began broadcasting with 100 watts of effective radiated power. With WAER becoming a "public radio" station and National Public Radio affiliate, the Student Government Association encouraged WJPZ to move to the FM dial. At the time, it was the first and only student-owned and operated FM station in the United States. In the fall of 1997, WJPZ was placed into receivership for several reasons, but survived. In early 2001, the station moved temporarily into an off-campus house on Ostrom Avenue, and that fall settled into the Menchel Media Center inside Watson Hall, where it broadcasts from today. On June 29, 2017, the station increased power to 1,000 watts. Currently WJPZ broadcasts as part of Syracuse University's student media organization. The WJPZ Alumni Association organizes events and curates a Hall of Fame wall.

Greatest Media Classroom and WJPZ at 50 In 2014, WJPZ alumnus Scott MacFarlane produced Greatest Media Classroom documentary film to chronicle the 40-year history of WJPZ. The film showcased the students' ambition and self-reliance in creating and running the station, as well as their ability to handle tragic events such as the Pan Am Flight 103 tragedy in 1988. It was commissioned by the WJPZ Alumni Association. In 2023, a new podcast "WJPZ at 50" was created and produced by WJPZ to mark the station's 50th anniversary. It consists of 50 episodes. Hosted by Jon "JAG" Gay, a Class of 2002 alumnus, the podcast featured interviews with current and former staffers about their experiences at SU and the station. Notable guests included CBS News Correspondent Scott MacFarlane and ESPN Radio's Mike Couzens, as well as business owners and communicators from the radio industry.

References

External links

Official website Facility details for Facility ID 73148 (WJPZ-FM) in the FCC Licensing and Management System WJPZ in Nielsen Audio's FM station database "WJPZ at 50 Podcast".

Illustrations

Wordmark for WJPZ (AM 1200) Non-Stop-Rock (c. 1975).

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with WJPZ-FM

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what WJPZ-FM claims or describes in one sentence, then invent the smallest concrete situation in which that sentence is true. In astronomy, the smallest case is usually a single object, a single equation or a single measurement. Check that every symbol or term in your sentence has a meaning in that case.

Example 2 — changing one variable

Take the situation from Example 1 and change exactly one quantity: double it, halve it, or set it to zero. Predict what should happen to WJPZ-FM before you calculate. Comparing your prediction with the result is the fastest way to find out whether you understand the idea or only the words.

Example 3 — an exam-style question

Typical questions about WJPZ-FM ask you to (a) state it precisely, (b) apply it to given data, and (c) explain a limitation. Practise writing all three answers in under five minutes; the third part is what separates a full-mark answer from an average one.

Applications of WJPZ-FM

In research: WJPZ-FM appears in astronomy research whenever the underlying quantities have to be modelled precisely. Papers usually cite it as a starting assumption and then explore where it breaks down.
In technology and industry: Engineering practice reuses WJPZ-FM in design rules, simulations and safety margins. Knowing the idea lets you read a specification sheet and understand why the numbers look the way they do.
In the classroom: WJPZ-FM is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics 1974 establishments in New York (state), College radio stations in New York (state), HD Radio stations, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life: Look for WJPZ-FM outside the textbook — in sport, cooking, traffic, electronics or the sky above you. An example you found yourself is remembered far longer than one you were given.

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How to study WJPZ-FM in 20 minutes

Read the reference excerpt below once, without taking notes.
Close the page and write down what WJPZ-FM means in your own words.
Compare your version with the excerpt and mark what you missed.
Work through the three examples above with pen and paper.
Explain WJPZ-FM out loud to somebody else — or to Teacher Smith in the lgStudy chat.

Frequently asked questions

What is WJPZ-FM in simple terms?

WJPZ-FM (89.1 FM) – branded Z89 – is a radio station in Syracuse, New York. It broadcasts on 89.1 MHz with an effective radiated power of 1,000 watts, and can be heard throughout Syracuse.

Why does WJPZ-FM matter?

Because it connects several astronomy ideas at once: it gives you a definition you can apply, a quantity you can calculate, and a way to check whether a result is plausible.

How should I study WJPZ-FM?

Read the excerpt, restate it from memory, then work through the examples and applications listed on this page. The five-step study plan above takes about twenty minutes.

What does this page cover?

It gives you a compact reference excerpt plus original lgStudy explanations, examples, applications and study material on WJPZ-FM.