KZAM-AM always seemed edgier than KJET would later be, good doses of punk rock (Sex Pistols, Ramones, Television, Patti Smith) were mixed in with the more new-waveish Elvis Costello, Blondie, Cars, Ian Gomm, etc. tunes.
When KZAM-AM flipped to KJZZ, I was really bummed. But I also have a soft spot for jazz too and that kept 1540 in mind long after KPLU flipped from classical to jazz. As KJZZ, it played a format that could be considered the very best prototype of what was later to be known "Smooth Jazz", only KJZZ didn't rely so much on saxophone players like KWJZ. It also featured some AC vocals (Joni Mitchell was often played on KJZZ) and some blues (Legend has it Stevie Ray Vaughn once showed up for an intoxicated on air interview/acoustic session on KJZZ. I would LOVE to hear that tape, if it was ever recorded....)
As KLSY-AM, 1540 at first ran a separate automated format that was a little hotter than KLSY-FM (at least I found KLSY-AM far more listenable because KLSY-FM in the mid-'80s actually slowed down the pitch a tad on many upbeat songs while KLSY-AM kept everything at normal pitch.) By 1986, KLSY AM & FM were 100% simulcasted until 1992 when Sandusky picked up KIXI and in turn, 1540 was sold to The Country Gold Network and renamed KBLV. In 1995. a short lived "Motivational Radio" network had picked up 1540 and renamed it "KXPA, Your Personal Achievement Station", which consisted of talks from motivational speakers like Norman Vincent Peale, Robert Schuller, Deepak Chopra, Anthony Robbins, etc.) When Personal Achievement drifted off to a higher plane of conscious than radio, KXPA was bought by Multicultural Radio where it is today.....
