Sheet 1959 Detroit · Michigan

WJZZ

The World's Oldest Jazz Station

On AirBroadcasting Worldwide

42.3314° N · 83.0458° W · 89.7 FM · Est. 1959

Survey Index

Plate 01

Live from the Booth

Radio.co live transmission · VU-driven tuner

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Live Transmission · WJZZ Detroit

Plate 02

Current Playlist

Recently played · updates every 15 seconds

01Tuning in…WJZZ Detroit

Programming Index

On Air This Week

Monday · 5:00 – 8:00 PMGroovin' w JoanJoan Belgrave
Tuesday · 2:00 – 5:00 PMPreservation of JazzSky Covington
Tuesday · 5:00 – 8:00 PMThe Dr. Rose ShowDr. Rose
Wednesday · 5:00 – 8:00 PMThe Laid Back LoungeRobert Webb
Friday · Late NightCosmic JoyRadio Raheem

Full Schedule ›

Plate 00 · Around the Dial · Since 1959

Every hour, somebody in Detroit is listening.

Turn the dial through one broadcast day. Each hour has its own listener, its own corner of the city, and its own reason for staying on WJZZ.

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6:00 AM

The Kitchen Radio

The lifelong listener

She has had the dial on WJZZ for decades. Coffee, the morning paper, and a trumpet solo before the sun clears the east side.

Hosts she knows by voice, on the same days every week
Standards played start to finish, never clipped for time
A recently played list, so she can find the record later

2:00 PM

The Crate Digger

The new generation

He found Yusef Lateef inside a J Dilla beat. Now he wants the whole record, and the people who played on it.

The source recordings behind the samples he grew up on
Detroit sessions and the players who cut them
Hosts who explain why a record matters, in plain talk

On the dialPreservation of Jazz with Sky Covington · Tuesdays 2–5 PM

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5:00 PM

Drive Time on the Lodge

The commuter

Bumper to bumper at Davison. Three hours of somebody on the air who sounds glad you made it through the day.

A weekday evening anchor, Monday through Wednesday
One tap to stream from the phone to the car
An ON AIR light that shows who is behind the mic right now

On the dial · 5–8 PMMon Groovin' w Joan, Joan Belgrave
Tue The Dr. Rose Show, Dr. Rose
Wed The Laid Back Lounge, Robert Webb

Host schedule

9:00 PM

The Bandstand

Musicians and venues

A rhythm section loading in on Livernois at eight. They want the whole city to know they play tonight.

Live dates and venues read on the air and listed on the site
A route to airplay for Detroit players with new recordings
The Legacy Jazz Series, 2nd and 4th Fridays, May through September

Legacy Jazz Series

Late night

Detroit, Everywhere

Detroiters away from home

Moved to Atlanta years ago. Still puts the stream on every Friday night to hear home come through the speaker.

The worldwide stream, the same signal the city hears
Every show listed in Detroit time, with local time beside it
Late-night programming built for the long drive or the last hour up

On the dialCosmic Joy with Radio Raheem · Friday late night

6:00 AM, again

Keep the Signal On

Members and partners

Sixty-seven years on the air is paid for by people who decided it should keep going.

Members keep every hour above on the air
Partners reach the listener in the kitchen, the car, the club and the far city
Our Impact reports where the support goes

Become a member Partner with WJZZ

Plate 03 · Sonic Events Registry

Public Inspections Calendar

Upcoming performances, screenings and live broadcasts

Schedule of Inspections

September 2026

Live performanceScreeningBroadcastSeal

Series

WJZZ Presents

The Legacy Jazz Series

A concert series curated especially for jazz connoisseurs — exceptional artists at a stylish, cool venue, featuring The James Russell Project.

WhenEvery 2nd & 4th Friday · May through September
Time7:00 PM – 9:00 PM
WhereAretha's Jazz Cafe · Music Hall · 350 Madison St, Detroit

Get Tickets ›

Plate 04 · Historic Districts & Legendary Venues

Interactive Sonic Map

Tap a pin to open its Property Report

Plate 05

WJZZ Historical Survey

Sixty-seven years on the air, 1959 – 2026

1959

1959: The Inception

WJZZ signs on in Detroit as the world's first jazz radio station, founded by Drs. Haley Bell, Wendell Cox and Robert Bass.
Paradise Valley

Paradise Valley: The Golden Era

The station grows up alongside Black Bottom and Paradise Valley — the ballrooms, show bars and after-hours rooms that made Detroit a jazz capital.
2015

2015: The Restoration

Rodger Penzabene Jr. restores WJZZ as a global internet radio station, carrying the call letters to listeners worldwide.
Today

Today: World's Oldest Jazz Station

Sixty-seven years on the dial and the stream — live hosts, the Legacy Jazz Series and a Detroit sound that never went off the air.

Historical Record

Celebrating 67 years broadcasting the world's finest jazz from the Motor City

Founded in 1959 as the world's first jazz radio station by Drs. Haley Bell, Wendell Cox and Robert Bass. Restored in 2015 by Rodger Penzabene Jr. as a global internet radio station.

“Rodger Penzabene Jr. is the sonic architect behind the legendary sound of WJZZ Detroit Radio — a true pioneer in the control room, carrying the legacy of jazz, funk, and soul to listeners worldwide while defining its future.”
WJZZ Sonic Engineer Registry

Read the Full Record