Newark's WBGO Radio Invests $15 Million to Move to New Headquarters by 2029

en.Wedoany.com Reported - WBGO, the jazz radio station in Newark, New Jersey, will move into a new headquarters designed by Meridian Design Associates, a project with a $15 million investment. The new location is within the ArtSide tower, currently under construction at the New Jersey Performing Arts Center (NJPAC), designed by SOM and part of a $336 million mixed-use development. The NJPAC project also involves design firms such as Weiss/Manfredi, OCA Architects, and Future Green Studio.

ArtSide is a 25-story mixed-use tower, and WBGO will occupy its bottom three floors, with a space of approximately 10,000 square feet, planned to include offices, broadcast studios, an archive, community meeting rooms, and a performance space accommodating 100 people. WBGO President and CEO Steven A. Williams stated that the new location gives the station an opportunity to "become more of an anchor in the community."

Williams noted that the station's current space is in an old building, not designed for public-facing broadcasting, with an existing performance area that holds only about 20 people and is not easily accessible to the public. The new studios will offer a unique perspective, allowing the public to see WBGO's daily operations firsthand, something not possible under current conditions.

Meridian Design Associates, headquartered in New York City and Miami, has previously designed New York's Hot 97 studios as well as production spaces for HBO, Warner Media, NBC, and ESPN. WBGO is an affiliate of Newark Public Radio, founded in 1979, and a member of the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, created by a group of activists dedicated to healing the city after the 1967 riots. The station collaborates with NPR and Jazz at Lincoln Center on programs such as "Jazz Night in America," reaching approximately 300,000 listeners weekly in New Jersey, New York, and globally. Since 1979, WBGO has been located in an old building at 54 Park Place in downtown Newark.

According to renderings, the new WBGO space will feature portraits of renowned jazz musicians on interior walls, radio hosts working in the studios, light-filled offices and flexible areas, with the station's logo appearing on multiple surfaces. The 100-seat performance space will host concerts as well as community and town hall meetings open to the public. Teaching spaces and high-tech video production areas will provide public access to media arts. Williams stated that beyond hardware and software upgrades, the move is also a morale boost for staff, with the new location providing "a psychological lift for those who will work in and enjoy the space."

Williams pointed out that young people can learn the fundamentals of broadcast and podcast production through career development workshops WBGO will offer free of charge in the new space. The station already provides workshops and programs for children, high school students, and adults, and the new custom-built space will offer more diverse content and open up new educational opportunities. Williams said, "Members of the general public can simply make an appointment, walk in, and learn the ins and outs of audio and video through workshops." He noted that underserved communities face the so-called digital divide, and the station has a "strong desire to create accessibility for people in those communities who otherwise wouldn't have access to these resources."

This is a $15 million capital campaign to finance the project, with $5 million raised so far. LMXD is managing design approvals and project financing; the firm is also involved in WORKac's People's Theater Project. Local consultant Tracey Kasper serves as project manager, with acoustic treatment handled by Walters-Storyk Design Group. The station expects to move into the new space before its 50th anniversary in 2029.