January 13, 1985 –
Logic says anyone serious about music would prefer to listen to a jazz station with a decent signal, no static and in stereo. Those are the reasons radio pundits say AM radio is losing out to FM stations, anyhow KPLU, even with its midnight sign-off, had a reasonably full broadcast day of jazz programs. With KJZZ gone, what will fill the void some jazz fans have felt? Not your other AM stations; but the FM stations.
KPLU, 88.5 mHz., has recently increased its weekend broadcast schedule so it is on 24 hours on Friday and Saturday. Mostly classical KUOW, 94.9 mHz., retains “Jazz at 11” at 11 p.m. Saturdays while KBCS, 91.3 mHz, Bellevue Community College’s student-run station, already mostly jazz, trimmed back Saturday folk music to introduce a six-hour segment at 2 p.m. called “Pop Jazz.” And KEZX, 98.9 mHz., finally came out of the closet. It has been playing mighty tasty jazz all along.
“We really haven’t known what to call ourselves,” Dave Littrell, KEZX manager, said. His usual response for a short descriptive format term had been to say what he’s not: “We’re not adult contemporary … we’re not album rock … we’re not easy listening …”
After KING-AM quashed “soft rock,” after KIXI-FM abandoned “soft rock and more,” along comes KEZX with an occasional bus card declaring itself “Soft Rock and Jazz.” (Even then, the deciding factor in adopting the new phrase came because a frustrated graphics person offered a calligraphic design that was too good to turn down. Artists likely to be featured regularly include Earl Klugh, George Winston, Larry Coryell, Bob James, John Klemmer, Dave Valentin, Grover Washington Jr., Wynton Marsalis, Paul Winter and Lee Ritenour _ surely familiar names to KEZX listeners.
Nancy Low, whose 7 p.m.-to-midnight shift wraps around the two-hour program, is host. “I’ve been looking forward to doing a show like this for a long time,” she said.
That’s not an unusual reaction. Most disc jockeys, no matter what form of music the format dictates, include jazz as their recreational music of choice.
Early angel of the morning
Merrilee Rush concluded a week and a half subbing on the morning show at KKMI-KXA. (Pat O’Day should be back at the mic Monday morning.)
“It was sort of a lost goal of mine,” Merrilee blushed. “In high school I used to hear KJR disc jockeys like Dick Stokke and Bob Salter. I thought, now that’s the kind of job I’d like. But in those days there weren’t women disc jockeys, so I got sidetracked.”
She wound up performing music _ letting male disc jockeys make the hits, including her 1960s hit, “Angel of the Morning.”
Twisting the radio dial
A.J. Roberts signed on this month as new afternoon-drive personality and program director at KHIT, 106.9 mHz. He reports to Bob Wikstrom, operations director, who previously picked the K-hits.
Marty Lachmann, promotions director, said Crazy Steve Randall was released, and Maury Shanahan was moved to morning drive to accommodate the new program director’s air shift.
KTOL, Olympia-Lacey, is one of the finalists in a facility award survey by Broadcast Management/Engineering magazine. KTOL, at 4414 Pacific Ave. in Lacey, welcomes visitors during normal business hours.
Rudy Perez, longtime weekend announcer at KIXI-AM, left the station to pursue other interests, including writing and translation work, in Paris. Perez is fluent in Spanish and French…. Paul Hagar, meteorologist, has moved his radio weather reports to KLSY, 92.5 mHz., weekdays in morning and afternoon drive segments. Hagar continues as weatherman for Channel 13.
November 1984–
KAGT/Anacortes changed call letters to KLKI. Don Chapman was morning man and co-owner, along with William Berry. Program Director was Bob Berry.
