3/1/87-KISW loads up personalities for rock war

VICTOR STREDICKE – March 1, 1987
A new morning team and some other new personalities will be evident tomorrow on KISW, as the area’s most popular album-rock station gets restaffed.
Five of KISW’s major personalities defected two months ago, to help a fledgling album-rock competitor, KXRX, begin an all-out rock war.

The morning team will be John Rody, from Dallas, and Peter B, from Chicago. Such is the perspective in rock radio that KISW didn’t know there already had been a Peter B at KVI, when it was a middle-of-the-road format station. Suffice to say, this B is class-A original, not an imitator of a long-gone Seattle man.

Dan Wilke continues as afternoon personality, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Steve Slaton, KISW’s longest employee, becomes permanent host of the afternoon slot, 2-6 p.m. Slaton’s previous shift was 7-midnight.

Carla Steele, from Boston, takes the 6-10 p.m. slot; Mike Jones and Kris Cook, both with previous work in Spokane, round out late-evening and overnight shifts.

Through the turmoil, Beau Phillips, station manager, has contended that KISW is the entity, not its staff. Thus, despite the talent and experience of the new staff, Phillips said, everyone was selected for team spirit. “There are no big egos here,” he said.

TILLING TERRA FIRMA

Northwest gardeners have two choices for audio gardening advice. Debbie Wetmore, horticulturist with Furney’s Nursery in Bellevue, shares gardening skills in the five-minute program, “Gardening Show,” at 2:55 p.m. Saturday on KGNW, 820 kHz.

Ed Hume continues his Saturday-morning series, “Gardening,” from 9-10 a.m. Saturday on KING-AM, 1090 kHz.

MAKING A LIGHT MOVE

Rob Conrad, bounced two weeks ago at KMGI, after bringing the new station on air two years ago, returned this week to KLTX, which as “K-Lite” still considers itself “Seattle’s new FM.”

Conrad hosts the morning program, 6-10 a.m., and will be program director for the station.

Mark Christopher, former morning host, moves to weekend work.

Ron Knowles, who had only a short term as KLTX operations director, has returned to Dallas.

MORE POWER

KCMU, station licensed to the Associated Students of the University of Washington, is ready to boost power. By mid-March the station will switch transmitters from the University District to the taller broadcast towers on Capitol Hill and jump from a meager 180 watts to a modest 400 watts (and almost incidentally move from 90.5 to 90.3 on the dial).

TWISTING THE DIAL

Sparky Taft, general manager of KRKO, is sometimes remembered as much for the plaid jackets he sports on sales calls or for the four rings on his fingers. So it’s not too much out of character to note that in a recent memo to ad agencies, he poked fun at himself, having to pungle up money to change his largest ring, diamond-and-sapphire studded KRFE to KRKO.

Dave Scott, former midday personality at KLSY, has landed a job as morning personality at KQSP, Spokane.

Mary Fain, former KING-FM announcer, has signed on as morning announcer at KFAC, Los Angeles classical-music station.

Bryan Lowe has the morning shift at KING-FM, now that Steve Hillard has given up broadcasting for Oregon farm life.