Old songs on WRNJ
Hi all,
I worked in Hackettstown from 2008 - 2019. My boss always had the local radio station going and they played all the old standards. From what I’ve heard WRNJ doesn’t spin them anymore. Does anybody know where I might find an alternative or perhaps a YouTube playlist that has some of them? Some of my searches bring up different eras.
Thanks
Mike If you want a true "oldies" station and want to use the actual radio AM band, then try 1470 WSAN out of Allentown. I know out near Great Meadows I can pull in their signal, not sure in Hackettstown if the signal reaches out that far. I know after sundown the signal will not have enough wattage to get to Hackettstown.
If you want to stream, I use BossRadio66 for a variety of songs from the 50-60's. It is sort of an Little Steven Underground Garage sounding channel.
WRNJ used to play some of their old time playlist on Sunday mornings, but they seem to have abandoned that for a more contemporary format.
On YouTube, I am sure a simple search will bring up numerous "oldies" mixes that you can play. I prefer the real deal, tuning in an actual physical radio connected to over the air AM or FM signal, complete with commercials. I don't know, I guess I just got old and streaming doesn't appeal to me so much!
Sadly, the "old songs" on AM or FM radio no longer draw the type of advertisers and revenue that can sustain radio station operations. Kudos for WRNJ for keeping the format as long as they did, but times change.....
The Rhyme Animal 
Jake54For oldies music on internet radio nothing beats Rewound Radio . On weekends it can get boring when DJs talk about the good old radio days when you would rather just hear the songs commercial free like during the week , but on holiday weekends like the upcoming July 4th weekend they play actual programs as they were broadcast back in the 60s/70s .
For example during one holiday weekend on a WABC rebroadcast the news was about Nixon sending troops into Cambodia with commercials from that era . Brings you back if you experienced those times .
https://rewoundradio.com/
97XBAM 1029whyl.com it's an oldies station from Carlyle, PA. There's no app but they have a listen live feature.
Scott Guillemin Absolutely agree on WHYL 960AM and 102.9 on FM. When I do my yearly car show out in Carlisle PA every June, I am tuned into that station from about where Interstates 78 and 81 meet, that is about where I can pick up their signal. (of course, streaming eliminates that need, but when driving an old car originally only equipped with an AM radio, it is sacrilege to use streaming, to me at least. )
Patti The Rhyme Animal
Back in the "old days" (early 70's) when I used to listen to them from Bucks Co., PA, WSAN was a pretty progressive station that often played protest music and a lot of unusual tunes, which was why I loved listening to it.
Phil D. WSAN Allentown in the 1970's was so wonderful. It was AM and I could tune it in on my little radio in my home in Newton. Later when I moved to Bethlehem for college it was on all the time my car, dorm room and sorority house. WSAN introduced me to so much of the music I still listen to all the time: prog (Genesis, Strawbs, Gentle Giant, Nektar, Yes) psychedelic, folk (Tom Rapp), world (Incredible String Band), ambient (Jade Warrior, Tangerine Dream) and other (Talking Heads, Ramones, Zappa) - I could go on and on. Just a few years later I heard they switched to an all-Country format and had a huge sale of all the great records they had. Sorry I missed that one! I don't really listen to the radio much except for WRNJ and the evil public station that bought the Centenary station. WRNJ is my only sour for local news, and they do play a few good tunes every once in a while, like Canned Heat in the middle of the night.
Wendy Too bad WRNJ changed formats as Doc South was treated horribly by the station and should be on there.
Meanwhile Joyce Estey continues to bobble news updates as her age continues to show and she is still there….
Joyce may fumble a word or two, but put a microphone in front of someone for 4 hours a day where they are required to speak to earn their money, and I think anyone would have a mis step or three!
She does have a great grasp on the local vibe and has the relationships with the various members of the Public Relations for various companies that she probably gets some info that others would not.
I am sure she will know when it is time to go. Doc South and station management do not seem to have any animosity that I have witnessed, having seen them both in the same public place and a pleasant conversation ensued.
Unfort, the free form part of WRNJ that we wish would emulate the old WNTI (before the college sold them off) is not going to happen. No money to be made in that anymore, sadly.
I find WDVR 89.7 (or 90.7 if your further west) to be the closest thing to Free Form that we currently have in over the air radio.
Of course, streaming radio is replacing all this someday anyhow, enjoy what we have while we do, as someday you may be wishing you heard someone like Joyce on the non-existent radio stations of the future.
Joyce needed to go… yesterday. She never hit the big time on a better radio station or on television, she is a has been and cannot formulate a sentence these days.
You don’t know if there is a good vibe between Doc and station management. If there were, he would have been put back on years ago. He was the only good thing about the station.
WDVR (89.7) is the best. It is relaxed, low key and quite listenable.
Doc South appeals to an age group that is beyond the targeted audience of commercial stations.
EVV I have a degree in Journalism and think Joyce is doing a fine job with the local news especially now that we no longer have any consistent print news sources. Are there any other radio stations that cover local news at all?
It is difficult listening to Joyce read the news unfortunetly. Never quite sure what she is trying to say.
happycamper Fans of oldies are “aging out” and, honestly, it’s kind of sad. My father is a big fan but he’s knocking on the door of 80 years old. When I was a kid everyone’s grandfather was a WW2 vet and sadly they are nearly all gone. Now the Vietnam era guys are the grandfathers. As the cycle continues, so does the art, music, interest in classic cars, etc. Guys my age are looking to restore GTi’s, RX7s, 300zx’s, 190e’s, e30 M3’s and the like. Someday, no one will care about those cars either.
I’ll never forget listening to 101.5 WPDH when I lived in Orange County NY 20-25 years ago. It was a “classic rock” station that played Zepplin and the like. The song Evenflow by Pearl Jam came on and I thought I’d accidentally changed the station. That song came out when I was a kid in 1991 or so but, eventually it became classic rock.
I still hear oldies at car shows but someday that music will be 90s rock and the best-in-show will be a fully restored Foxbody Mustang.
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