TJ Taormina has returned to New York City radio in a way that few could ever achieve – with his own station. TJ98.7, which was introduced on WEPN by Emmis Corporation over the Labor Day weekend, is a “pop-up” station dedicated to the Z100 alum.
WEPN started stunting Hot AC music and the new moniker on August 31 at midnight. The product is a result of a partnership between Emmis, who is still seeking a buyer for the signal, and United Stations Radio Networks, who syndicate Taormina’s TJ Show, which leads the format.
As a morning man, Taormina will now be temporarily competing directly with his old boss in the market, Elvis Duran.
Other contributing voices to the station include Jai Kershner and famed voiceover talent Steve Kamer. Local and national programming for TJ98.7 is driven by Radio.Cloud’s cloud-based automation technology.
This follows Good Karma Brands’ decision to not renew their Local Marketing Agreement with Emmis, instead leasing the WCBS-AM signal from Audacy, leading to a format change for the All-News station starting August 26.
United Stations COO Charles Steinhauer stated, “I want to thank Emmis Corporation for helping us continue our long standing commitment to fun and new ideas in the audio space. The TJ Show has been growing in each market of operation – it’s unique and joyful and I’m looking forward to the reaction of the NYC audience.”
