Jazz emphasizes improvisation, freedom, and emotional depth through its deep musical origins and soul. Jazz is America's classical music. WBGO FM is a wonderful non-profit radio station that not only represents the music of Jazz, but honors the artists and gives background stories and the history behind the music. That's a big plus. My sister, my hubby and I are all supporters and donate to WBGO FM. Here are a few famous jazz quotes from the legends: "Don't play what's there, play what's not there" - Miles Davis "If you have to ask what jazz is, you'll never know" - Louis Armstrong "Talking about music is like dancing about architecture" - Thelonius Monk "Jazz is a music made by and for people who have chosen to feel good in spite of conditions." -- Johnny Griffin "You can play a shoestring if you're sincere." -- John Coltrane Amen read more

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2026 & Felix is still my main man! Except now he also does Sundays 12pm-6pm. Prayers have been answered. I'm sorry new generation of music listeners who prefer no commercials or DJ chatter. WBGO doesn't have commercials because they are a public station. But the DJ's give you background & insight on the music they play. I live for that! And I love Jeh Johnson. He would do guest spots. He's Jeh Johnson former General Counsel of the Department of Defense! And he loves good music like us regular folk! Then they gave him some time of his own. Listen in. It's worth it! 1-31-2026 read more

Wbgo-Fm Jazz 88 - Huge fan since 1986! Best Public Radio Station hands down!! 1-24-2019 - Radio Stations Near Me - Newark, New Jersey

WBGO plays great jazz at all times of the day!! I especially love Gary Walkers show!! Plus the station promotes musicians who painstakingly record sonic treasures for our ears!! WBGO is a musician friendly hub for creative musical arts and the whole staff devoted their lives to uplifting the mission of jazz! read more

Wbgo-Fm Jazz 88 - Thank you WBGO for promoting my new album Sensual on New Day , New Play!!! This is a life changing opportunity! - Radio Stations Near Me - Newark, New Jersey

I've been listening to WBGO since 2020 while dealing with many stressful Life events during the Pandemic. I'm a newbie to the Jazz world & have not changed my radio station since realizing the various range & variety in vocal & instrumental sounds like scatting I'm in love with the sho be do do do bop bop I'm looking forward to receiving & wearing my WBGO HAT as a recent Donor read more

In college, I was assigned to photograph a jazz group for the newspaper and yearbook. Ugh! I was a rocker and jazz was old people's music. Man, was I wrong. I heard Take Five for the first time and have been a fan for nearly 50 years. WBGO is my go to jazz station with sharp DJs and a well curated mix of tunes. It's member supported so I subscribe and listen for my favorite shows. The Sunday morning show is relaxing and my favorite. Recommended. read more

They just don't have it anymore. Since going to longer DJ shifts weekdays the music mix is "broader" which translates to a lot of smooth/funk/world stuff that's not jazz plus lost of lounge worthy vocalists. The weekend? A waste of air time. Such a shame. read more

You don't have to say much when a radio station is epic and this one is. Such a sanctuary of sound in a world of madness.

When the days get shorter and the weather a little colder I start to get a craving for jazz. WBGO is the best jazz radio station in the country. The DJs are knowledgeable and have great radio voices. A great experience is a fall evening with WBGO on the car radio and rolling south on the turnpike between exits 16 and 11. The lights of Manhattan on the left and the glow of Newark and the refineries on the right. This is the landscape that has inspired generations of jazz greats. I think I will listen to Gary Walker tomorrow morning on the way to Newark Airport. read more

I have been listening to WBGO 88.2 Newark New Jersey online since around the time of Bob Parlocha's passing. Hand's down WBGO has continued to play an expansive selection of Jazz and Blues music. When KKJZ/KLON 88.1FM Long Beach, California started to drastically reduce their playlist, and played an extreme amount of pre-recorded programming, I began to look elsewhere. I'm glad it's available online. read more

This is truly the best Jazz station EVER! BGO has been on for years and years and is still going strong. This music is what plays in my house almost everyday, whenever I'm not listening to my own hand selected music or videos. Every kind of jazz, swing/big band music, blues in the afternoon on weekdays, classics, and soul classics on weekend afternoons. I think I even heard some doo wop on there a few times. Amazing! And they play ALL the legends. Every last one you can think of and a few that you didn't even know about.... This station also gives such a great education on jazz, jazz artists and the histories of both via the selections played and the little tidbits of info on the artists and the actual recording session the DJ's provide. You won't find better, I swear! Now, if the night time DJ would just get over his obsession with playing loud, blaring horn music on the late nights after 9pm. Dude is horn crazy and for me evenings should just have more mellow fare. I'm listening right now, and the last 11 out of 12 songs featured a strong lead tenor and even a soprano saxophone. omg, my ears are ringing!! I have to turn it down it's so blaring loud! And there's no break - it's one hard as hell horns selection after the next! How about some piano or guitar leads, DJ? Hell, some harp maybe? Vibes? That's my only gripe - too much loud as hell horn on the nighttime shows to the point where I have to turn it off sometimes. Yes, the selections are from the masters but still... More balance, less horn after 10pm = PERFECT! Still love this station, though! Don't know what I would do without it! read more

This has got to be the best Jazz radio station that I have ever heard. Not only is do they cover so many styles of Jazz, they also interview a ton of musicians, and you get to learn about their style of play and also a lot about Jazz history. On Saturday, from 10am to 2pm, they take requests for music. I only wish they would do it more often. This is one of those radio stations that get me through my day. For someone who works alone all day everyday, this station helps me remain relaxed. read more

I would like to thank Felix Hernandez for his pass show of the SOULS of the 60's, some people forget about us people who were Teenagers in the 60's and 50's Please keep playing the music of the 60's and 50's read more

The best jazz radio station in the world!!!! Check out Felix Hernandez on Saturday mornings for a dose of old time R&B......

Holy Shit I didn't know I could review a radio station! I love me some Wbgo. I have a second job driving around north Jersey, and I usually do my work Sunday morning. Love to just take it easy cruisin' to some 88.3 on your FM dial. Tuesday Latin Jazz Cruise has always been my jams. Like Patrick said these guys got radio friendly smooooth voices. It's like being in a Tarantino movie. Love it. read more

No, not the best radio station in the country. Not the best radio station in the world. The best radio station in the galaxy, hands down. I came across this radio station by accident in the 1990s. My college station was WHPK 88.5 FM in Chicago, and I always had the dial set to that. When I came back to NYC for the summer I just turned the boom box on and I heard some wonderful jazz, albeit a bit staticy. Fiddled with the dial a bit and realized that I was just a couple of digits off. I've rarely changed the station since and I've now been a member for 16 1/2 years. They play, as they say, Real Jazz, Right Now. That's all they do except for a few specialty shows like R&B, Blues, and some good local news programs, and a couple of syndicated NPR shows on weekday evenings. But for the most part, this is great jazz, straight ahead. Knowledgeable DJs who neither overwhelm you with banter nor have an annoying public radio drone, but just play great music, tell you something you didn't know, and drop the occasional bon mot. Reception may be tricky in some places, so if you for some reason aren't able to listen over the internet it can be tough. But if you like jazz or want to learn more about it, you can't do better than Jazz 88. Anywhere. read more

all jazz all day long. doesn't get better than this. they play just about every style of jazz imaginable. too bad i can't get a better reception in certain parts of nyc and long island. read more

The best jazz radio station in the US. Most of the other jazz stations are "elevator" music or bland "smooth jazz". But BGO has a great mix of old and new and their on-air people and show/music producers are really sophisticated and knowledgeable. It's important to keep this station alive and growing. I've been listening for over 20 years and every once in a while, donate as much as I can. read more

I like to listen to this station on line @ home once in awhile. A great blend of "straight ahead jazz" & "smooth jazz". Keep up the great work guy's! read more

A real must. I listen to this great station since years when in NYC. I always chose my hotel according to this one criteria: to be in reach of the Newark transmitter, but now that jazz lovers have helped raise the money needed to build an antenna on top of the Empire State Building no need to stay in Midtown anymore. I can stay in Chinatown and save a lot of money and still indulge in the pleasure if the wirkd's número UNO jazz station! read more

Overall WBGO is the worst NPR JAZZ Station in America. Regarding its regular programming and DJ's, WBGO sounds similar to an amateur Top 40 College Radio Station (that spins Jazz). Basically WBGO is an insult to Jazz Itself because there is NOTHING JAZZY ABOUT WBGO!! But worse than that is their DJs!! Totally amateur, with the exception of Bill Daughtery, Michael Bourne. Those cats are cool. They know what they're talking about and they give us non-commercial joints, which is the way a jazz station should be! Rhonda is ok too. But that Nicole Sweeney is like a robot. No imagination. Just horrible! Sweeney is a Total TurnOFF!! And Rob Crocker sounds spent. Like he's bored of his same 1 Day A Week gig for decades. What'up Crocker? You BORE us too! STAY OFF THE MIC! And FINALLY they canned Awilda Rivera!! What a relief for the Latin Jazz audience! Sanabria surely makes-up for Rivera's highschool level pseudo-broadcasting. Good Riddance Rivera! And the absolute worst so-called DJ is Sheila Anderson. Have you read her bio? Hilarious!! Comical excuse for having NO RESUME. She is as amateur as Rivera. NO PRO EXPERIENCE!! Worse than that is her voice and her annunciation. Are you kidding me!!?? How could a radio station hire someone who sounds like Anderson? It's unheard of that Sheila Anderson would be a broadcaster!! Her voice and presentation is literally described as, "disgusting". We met her at a show and she was the rudest, and most physically disgusting person. Sheila Anderson is a Nasty Bad News Rep for bgo fo' sho'! Can't believe that ANY radio station, even as UNprofessional as WBGO IS, hasn't canned Anderson yet! Thus, it's a known NYC Jazz Aficionado Fact that "WBGO HAS LOST ITS' AUDIENCE TO WKCR". WKCR has passionate hip Jazz DJs (ALL COLLEGE KIDS) who are open & knowledgeable, with Jazzy Improv Hip Programming. Yeah Man, those Columbia "Students" humbly "OUTSHINE" the DULLEST repetitive repetitive repetitive WBGO PROGRAMMING and the MOST NON-PRO MONOTONE WBGO DJs ever. CATS DON'T DIG WBGO NO 'MO. Our 1 Star rating is just for any NPR JAZZ Station ITSELF, NOT for little 'ol wbgo. 88.3 AIN'T WHAT IT USED TO BE. NOT Listened To On The NYC Dials. WBGO IS GONE FOR GOOD. Finito. read more

This radio station is easily the best jazz station in the world. The programming is perfect, the selection is amazing, the DJ's are great, they support the local community(Newark, New Jersey). WBGO has become a fundamental part of my life, the only radio station I listen to these days, no matter where I am in the world. A+ read more

WBGO FM, 88.3. Can't go wrong with this station. No annoying commercial, and nice to learn history of Jazz from the DJs. But, my favorite show WBGO is Felix Hernandez's "Rhythm Revue" on late Saturday morning! read more