WHTZ startte officieel op 2 augustus 1983 en zond tot 30 juli jazz muziek uit.
In de vooravond van 1 augustus was er een test uitzending met Scott Shannon en werd de studio in orde gebracht om de volgende dag officieel te kunnen starten.
Under construction en alles stond opgesteld in een kamertje van 3 op 3 in afwachting van het nieuwe meubel en alles moest manueel gestart worden.
Een beller op antenne halen betekende de hoorn tegen de microfoon houden !
In de studio stonden 8 cartmachines, Auditronics mengtafel, 3 Shure sm7 mikes, telefoontoestel, en 1 taperecorder.
Processing bestond uit een Optimod 8100 in combinatie met een aantal andere toestellen waar een donkere plexi plaat voor stond om nieuwsgierigen en pottekijkers te ontmoedigen. De Z sound was uniek in de 80's in vergelijking met andere New Yorkse radiostations.

Z100 haar studio's bevonden zich op 40 minuten met de wagen van Manhattan, in New Jersey maar de antennes stonden (naderhand) wel opgesteld op de Empire State Building.

WHT Z-100 klom van de allerlaatste plaats in de Arbitron ratings naar de 1 ste plaats op 74 dagen tijd en draaide in de beginperiode op een library van nog geen 50 titels.

TEST TRANSMISSIONS WHTZ

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The station began as WMGM-FM, which played easy listening music. They would change hands to local owners in the 60's and become WVNJ-FM. The station had a beautiful music format playing instrumental pop versions of songs, as the station was known as "WVNJoy". The station was licensed to Newark, New Jersey but its studios were off Route 10 in Livingston, New Jersey, while their transmitter was on Mt Pleasant Avenue in West Orange, New Jersey. At the time, they had a effective power of about 20,000 watts, and they put out 5,000 actual watts. The station would target Northern New Jersey, since radio listeners in New York City would listen to WPAT AM, WPAT-FM and WFRM.

In 1980 WVNJ-FM start playing jazz music, which would air after 8 PM. They became nown as "VNJoy by day VNJazz By Night". In May of 1983, plans were made for 100.3 FM to be purchased to a new owner.

The new owner would let the station sign on in a studio in Secaucus, New Jersey and move the transmitter to the top of the Empire State Building. In addition, the new owner announced plans for a top 40 format.
The sale became final on August 1, 1983, and WVNJ-FM would end broadcasts on 100.3 that night.

The station, which now had the callsign WHTZ, went on the air at 6:08 AM on August 2, 1983, with little to no fanfare.
The first song ever played on the station was "Eye of the Tiger" by Survivor. They signed on from their new and still incomplete studio in Seacaucus, as their signal wouldn't transmit from the top of the Empire State Building until later that August. They did not begin calling themselves "Z-100" until a few days later.

Within 74 days of signing on, the station had climbed FROM LAST PLACE TO FIRST in the New York Arbitron ratings book.

The station repeatedly noted this on the air during late 1983 and early 1984 with the slogan "From Worst to First."