How did WHTG 106.3 FM take over the music world from a Jersey Shore house? Watch and see

Chris Jordan, Asbury Park Press
·1 min read

Do you remember when a little house at the Jersey Shore rocked the music world?

The crew at WHTG-FM (106.3) were on the vanguard of the alternative rock movement of the the '80s and '90s, playing songs by artists like the B-52s, the Smiths, the Cure, R.E.M., and Dramarama years before mainstream media picked up on it. The WHTG story is now told in this new documentary, featuring staffers, rockers, journalists and fans, by award-winning filmmaker Brian Johnston.

Watch the full documentary in the video player at the top of this article, or on your smart TV via the USA TODAY streaming channel.

“It's heartwarming to know that it had that effect on people,” says former program director Rich Robinson in the doc. “It got people to become musicians and follow up on whatever their passion was. It gave them the freedom to know that you're not weird if you like something different than other people, so it's a pretty good legacy to have.”

"WHTG: Modern Rock Radio and the House on Hope Road," a documentary by Brian Johnston of the Asbury Park Press, tells the story about the tiny modern rock station that changed the sound of radio in the U.S.
"WHTG: Modern Rock Radio and the House on Hope Road," a documentary by Brian Johnston of the Asbury Park Press, tells the story about the tiny modern rock station that changed the sound of radio in the U.S.

Station deejays Matt Pinfield, Mike Marrone, Loretta Windas, Michele Amabile and Rob Acampora are also featured. The disc jockeys spun the hits in a modest ranch home on Hope Road in Eatontown, and rocked the turntables at the Green Parrot in Neptune, too.

Music makers like Gwen Stefani, Jewel, Joey Ramone and more came to the studio. When the station made the switch from big band music to alt-rock in 1984, there were less than 10 alt-rock stations in the country. A decade later, the alternative rock format was mainstream, and WHTG-FM was cited as an industry leader by Rolling Stone.

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Chris Jordan, a Jersey Shore native, covers entertainment and features for the USA Today Network New Jersey. Contact him at @chrisfhjordan; cjordan@app.com.

Have a great story to tell? Contact filmmaker Brian Johnston on Twitter @bjohnstonAPP or via email at Bjohnston2@APP.com.

This article originally appeared on Asbury Park Press: Alternative music documentary shows how WHTG 106.3 FM led industry