April 10, 1972
Stereo 90 goes live!
WJCT-FM went on the air as “Stereo 90,” broadcasting music, news and public affairs programming approximately 18 hours a day.
October 1973
First WJCT simulcast radio & TV broadcast
Eighteen months later, Channel 7 and Stereo 90 presented their first simulcast, broadcasting a concert by the Jacksonville Symphony Orchestra.
May 1980
100 Festival Park Ave
Construction of the future home of WJCT Public Broadcasting is underway!
May 1993
WJCT launches Radio Reading Service
Gil Manalli started the Radio Reading Service in May of 1993, the only newspaper reading service for the blind in NE Florida. In this 1993 photo, he’s seen (seated) with another WJCT manager, Ray Hickman.
September 1993
This is Jazz Launches
Hosted by Bob Bednar, This Is Jazz was launched in 1993 on WJCT 89.9 FM and would continue for more than two decades.
August 2, 1999
Stereo 90 changes daytime format to news
Stereo 90 replaced all of its daytime programming from classical music to news, including the nationally distributed public radio shows “The Diane Rehm Show”, “In the Public Interest” and “Talk of the Nation”. Classical music would continue to be broadcast overnight from 7 p.m. to 5 a.m.
March 2000
WJCT’s First News Director
Following 89.9 FM’s format change, Tom Patton joined WJCT as the station’s first news director, and during the following years built an award-winning news team. In this photo, Tom (left) is seen after speaking with Desmond Tutu (right).
December 7, 2004
Electro Lounge Launches
May 2006
WJCT launches 89.9 HD2 & 89.9 HD3
WJCT becomes the first Jacksonville radio station to launch HD subchannels. In addition to broadcasting its main station in high definition on 89.9 FM HD1, it launched WJCT Arts, an alternative classical music station on 89.9 HD2 and NOAA Weather Radio on 89.9 HD3.
January 2018
July 13, 2020
WJCT News 89.9 FM
WJCT-FM changes to an all news/talk format, and changes the radio station’s name to WJCT News 89.9.