SYRACUSE - The Beat of Syracuse, Z89 (WJPZ) is celebrating its 24th birthday this weekend, with a special on-air birthday celebration this evening, and a banquet tomorrow night with SU alum Elvis Duran, currently host of "the real Z Morning Zoo" at Z-100 WHTZ in New York City.
Rush Limbaugh celebrated 20 years of being syndicated nationwide earlier this year. And Newsradio 570 WSYR's Alex Silverman had a chance to attend a celebration in Austin, Texas.
WFAN-AM New York morning host Craig Carton will be the keynote speaker at WJPZ's 23rd annual "Birthday Bash" in March 1, according to the SU student-run station's Alumni Association. The first induction class into the newly-created "WJPZ Hall of Fame" will also take place at the banquet.
Z89 (WJPZ) unveils a slightly new format today. After playing Michael Jackson's "Beat It" for 24 hours non-stop on Monday, the Syracuse University student-run station played a heart-beat most of the day Tuesday. At 8:09pm, they launched their new format, "The Beat of Syracuse." It's similar to the old Top 40 format, but leans more rythmic. The station also boasts a new request line and a new website at www.z89online.com.
Lee Abrams, chief programming officer at XM Satellite Radio, will be the keynote speaker at this year's annual WJPZ Radio Birthday Banquet. The event is scheduled for March 2 at the Syracuse University Sheraton. For additional information, call Scott Meach at (888) 323-2257.
Syracuse University's multimedia center at 316 Waverly Ave. was rededicated Thursday as the Robert B. Menschel Media Center. In addition to the student-run radio station WJPZ FM, the $3.2 million reconstruction also includes improvements to photographic darkroom facilities, University Union Television, and a convenience store.