Jax Radio: WJCT Drops Classical Overnights For 'Relax Radio'

Starting Friday, Jacksonville’s Relax Radio expands its high-definition digital station’s easy-listening sound to WJCT-FM’s overnight programming on Friday, replacing the public radio station’s usual classical music broadcasts.

Along with being heard daily on WJCT 89.9 FM’s HD3 digital FM station Relax Radio will now be played from midnight to 5 a.m. every night on WJCT’s broadcast FM band to celebrate its 1-year anniversary.

The public radio station initially added easy listening programming to its HD frequencies a year ago after realizing that listeners had been missing that style of music since Jones College Radio shifted away from it to Christian programming. Now Relax Radio will replace 89.9 FM’s After Hours programming block, which had been classical music during the overnight hours, to draw in audience that doesn’t have an HD Radio.

“After 15 years of running classical music overnight, the ratings were marginal, so we decided to put our ‘Relax Radio’ service on the main channel so we can reach more of the community,” WJCT-FM music director David Luckin said. “It is all about the mission of providing programming. And we are not taking away classical music because if you get an HD radio, you can listen to it 24 hours a day [on WJCT-FM HD2].”