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WWDX (New Jersey)

former radio station in Paterson, New Jersey

Architectural plans, a scale model, maps and brass measuring instruments
Places and architectureInterpretive dossier study · Crown Archives visual atlas
Record originEnglish Wikipedia
Text licenseCC BY-SA 4.0
Source revisionSep 10, 2026
Entity authorityQ65058001 ↗
Source-derived summary

WWDX was a short-lived commercial FM radio station in Paterson, New Jersey, which operated from late 1947 until January 9, 1949. During this time station licensees were not allowed to have more than one FM station in a given community, so WWDX was shut down after its owners made arrangements to purchase a more powerful station, WNNJ, also located in Paterson.

History

WWDX was owned by the Passaic Herald-News, which was controlled by the Dow H. Drukker family. The station, assigned to 107.1 MHz, began test broadcasts in mid-December 1947 from a temporary studio located at its Garret Mountain transmitter site.

In mid-1948 the newspaper purchased a 90 percent interest in AM station WPAT, which also held a construction permit for a Class B FM station, WNNJ, on 103.5 MHz. This sale was approved by the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) in December 1948. At this time FCC regulations did not permit licensees to operate more than one FM station in a given community. WWDX was only authorized to transmit with 190 watts, while WNNJ was authorized for 8,000 watts. The decision was made to shut down WWDX, which made its final broadcast on January 9, 1949, with station management reporting that the "outstanding program features [of WWDX] will be incorporated into the schedule of WNNJ". WWDX was formally deleted on January 18, 1949, "in fulfillment of condition to grant of purchase by Daily News of WPAT (AM) and WNNJ (FM) Paterson".

Editorial summary

The public source identifies “WWDX (New Jersey)” as former radio station in Paterson, New Jersey. This brief keeps that definition visible, then builds a research path around WWDX, Jersey and former.

Editorial reviewA valuable geographic starting point for tracing changing names, boundaries, uses and administrative responsibility. The current lead gives the account dated anchors—1947, 1949, 1948—that can be checked directly. The selected authority fields contribute no independent date. Its value is orientation rather than verdict, with WWDX, Jersey and former providing the first useful test.
Editorial analysis

Why this record matters

A short description can identify a subject without explaining its stakes. For “WWDX (New Jersey)”, the useful work is to connect “former radio station in Paterson, New Jersey” to the records capable of establishing context and consequence.

Evidence profile

The strongest evidence will usually combine a dated visual record with documents produced by the authority responsible for the place. The source revision retrieved here is dated Sep 10, 2026. The linked authority identifier is Q65058001. None of the 0 selected statements returned an explicit reference. The first chronological checks are 1947, 1949 and 1948.

Critical limits

Architectural summaries often privilege surviving fabric and can understate demolished phases, contested use or displaced communities. The lead is largely declarative, so disagreement and counter-evidence require a deliberate search beyond the opening account. Authority statements aid reconciliation but still require their own references, qualifiers and ranks to be checked.

How to read it

Treat names, boundaries and functions as historically changeable. Maps, plans, inventories and administrative records can clarify what the place meant at different dates.

Best used for
  • Historic place names
  • Jurisdictional context
  • Routes into maps and plans
Verify next

Contemporary maps, plans, listed-building records, estate papers and the responsible local or national archive.

Three-step research path

  1. Establish the record: confirm the title “WWDX (New Jersey)”, its source revision and the description used here.
  2. Expand the search: follow WWDX (New Jersey) primary sources, WWDX (New Jersey) archive and WWDX research across catalogues and specialist indexes.
  3. Test the account: compare the strongest cited source with the responsible institution’s current record and note any disagreement.

Questions for further research

  1. Which source most directly establishes the central claim about “WWDX (New Jersey)”?
  2. Which earlier names or jurisdictions may reveal additional records?
  3. What physical evidence or contemporary plan supports the description?
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Source & attribution

This entry incorporates text from “WWDX (New Jersey)” on English Wikipedia. Contributors are listed in the page history. Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Selected authority identifiers and statements are retrieved from Wikidata under CC0; their references and qualifiers remain part of the verification path.