WBGO Jazz 88.3FM

88.3FM ON THE DIAL AND WORLDWIDE AT WBGO.ORG

WBGO Jazz 88 is an amazing Jazz station based in Newark, New Jersey.  I've heard in the past they are one of the best stations dedicated to Jazz in North America.  Many stations which present Jazz may only have a weekend Jazz show or a daily time slot dedicated to Jazz but WBGO is all Jazz, all the time.  Well, to correct that slightly, they do their fair share of news and traffic during the NYC morning and evening commutes and they have a half hour news program at 7:30PM EST, but otherwise, they play Jazz.

My favorite of their DJ's is Gary Walker who is on mornings from 6AM - 10AM EST. If you can tolerate traffic reports and frequent news, Gary Walker plays many top Jazz musicians from past and present in a friendly manner appealing to a casual Jazz listener while at the same time solid music a more avid follower would enjoy as well. Otherwise, whoever is on now (9:00PM EST on Wednesday) is also very good without many musical interruptions.  It's been my experience with Jazz 88 and other stations that the Monday to Friday daytime regulars are geared to a wider audience and the DJ's on during other time slots can be for more discerning ears.

WBGO.org is also an excellent resource.  Besides in depth information about the station, DJ's, programming and events, there are also links to podcasts, playlists and their very own blog.  Oh yeah, and the two most important features of the website include the "Listen Now" button and "Contribute Now" button.  WBGO as a public radio station depends on listener contributions to keep the music playing.

WBGO Jazz 88 Website