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Airchecks: KEZX

S

spiritof67

In the 1980's KEZX Seattle offered a unique mix of AC, "Westcoast" singer-songwriter pop, AOR, and contemporary jazz. It was an early version of what evolved into the AAA format.

I was aware of the station in 1988, but never had the chance to hear it. Recently I received several hours of airchecks of KEZX from someone who lived in Seattle, and had the forethought to roll tape on the station. I was given the OK to post these recordings on his behalf.

If there is anyone else who enjoyed this station and rolled tape, please send me a PM, or post them on the board.

The files are 128/44.1 and can be found here:

http://www.4shared.com/folder/qlxDmwhH/KEZX_Files.html
 
O...M...G....

This is going to be FUN.

KEZX (along with KINK and KFOG) were indeed the first pioneers of West Coast AAA. And pretty much AAA itself.

KEZX was always heavier on the singer/songwriter selections (as well as Northwest based artists of that genre.) Uncle Bonsai owes their entire career to KEZX.

I ESPECIALLY love how they're UNSCOPED.

This is AWESOME. I'm listening now and I can't tell you how much I've missed KEZX since they disappeared. 98.9 MHz has never sounded better before (and CERTAINLY after....)

Thank you SO MUCH. You made my whole year!
 
I sure miss KWJZ as well. What a great Smooth Jazz station that used to be. Now we are reaching the 1-year anniversary of Click 98.9 FM, something I don't listen to. KUJJ is one of the few ways out right now, online. Last month KLCK scored a 2.8 on the PPM, still not a great number. Before PPM, KWJZ had HUGE ratings.

-crainbebo
 
Does Jay Phillips know about this yet? Most of what I heard so far here are his KEZX shows......
 
I worked for KEZX in 1988, after leaving KJR. Peyton Mays hired me, very nice man. I didn't know a lot of the artists they played, so the station introduced some different music to me. It was a chill place to work with nice studios. I remember we had a computer showing temps in cities all over the world. When I did the weather I would always say it's 82 in Antigua, or somewhere else that sounded interesting, and 63 in Seattle. As I recall, we were encouraged to do that. It was a nice experience in my long radio road. Don't think I have any old airchecks on tape.
 
Could that be Janet Wilson? If so, what happened after KJR and KEZX?
 
Want to thank Spirit of 67 for posting my tapes where everyone can hear them after all of these years. He has access to a faster upload route than I have. Will be shippiing more to him soon and hope that he can also put those up as well.

I really miss KEZX. My wife and I moved to Seattle in mid-83 and it quickly became part of our life; I would listen to it, and to CBC 690 from Vancouver, to hear Radio as it should be done. Rolled tape in Summer of 88 when I learned that we would be returning to Oregon for a few years. Wanted to make sure that we would have something worth listening to.

First 14 in the series are from the original EZX format, and the rest through #30 are from the late night Soft Space. #31 and on are some of the Christmas Specials.

al7mo
 
Did you ever get any early KWJZ airchecks, or did you move to OR by then?

-crainbebo
 
Yep it's me. Left KEZX to go to Magic 108 FM in 1989. That was fun, but got booted when a new PD came in. Made a stop at K106 in around 1990 and did AM/PM traffic - killer split shift. Went to KJR in 1994 for a short stint on weekends. Was hired by Scott Ingram. After he left and I got a call that I was being put on-call. I think I may still be on-call & am sure KJR will call me any day. Dropped out of radio for 3 years. Met Dave Wingert from KLSY in 1997 and he said I should apply for work there. Joined the KLSY airstaff PT in 1997, then KIXI a few months later. Stayed at Sandusky for 11 years. KIXI let the air staff go in 2006. I loved the KIXI format and our very loyal listeners, a wonderfully rewarding experience. Applied to the Music of Your Life network and got on there weekends in Fall 2007, putting me back on KIXI - very cool. Loved hearing from all over the U.S. and saved those emails. Quit MOYL in April 2008 due to change in ownership. Also worked for Metro Traffic from June 2007 to summer 2010 doing traffic mainly on KIRO-FM.

So sad to see so many truly talented radio jocks lose their jobs in the past several years. I'm grateful for a longer career than I ever expected. Worked with some incredible people along the way including Jim Lange, Gary Lockwood and Marty Riemer. I'm now a sometime Open Mic stand up comedienne and budding entrepreneur taking care of animals. Thanks for letting me stroll down memory lane.
 
hey ya janet- i called you a couple or so times when you worked the allnighter shift at KMPS, somewheres in the mid 80's, i think. i was a young feller then around 20 years old. i'd be gettin off my machine operator job at around midnight. you may remember me as the one who said "janet, you should check out, and get a job at KEZX". at any rate, you were the personable, personality. unlike all the other lame generic vanilla card/logo/motto readers to occupy the air room chair. i remember you tellin' me that them bosses only wanted liner card readers, and no personality radio, on the allnighter. as that was reserved for the morning drive teams. yep, you then brought your natural charms to KEZX on the weekends for a short spell.

im a tough critic, and most likely more known as a "mr negative radio rant" on this board, but every now and then im able to actually find something good to say about someone, some station, or something..ya!

if you have any old airchecks, lets let the board hear em. you did one hell of a job on-air girl!!!!
 
Janet W said:
I got a call that I was being put on-call. I think I may still be on-call & am sure KJR will call me any day.
Click to expand...

I had similar experience second KJR stint ... also 1994. It felt like they were saying "we are lucky to have you" and "get the hell out" all in the same sentence -- it happened so quickly.
 
Sorry, moved back to the Oregon Coast in 88, so wasn't in Seattle when KEZX died, nor when it became KWJZ. Did get about an hour's worth of KWJZ one early morning several years ago by recording from their internet stream. Moved to Anchorage in 90, then back to the States in 96, but in the Southeast, not the NW.

al7mo
 
scott salvatori said:
hey ya janet- i called you a couple or so times when you worked the allnighter shift at KMPS, somewheres in the mid 80's, i think. i was a young feller then around 20 years old. i'd be gettin off my machine operator job at around midnight. you may remember me as the one who said "janet, you should check out, and get a job at KEZX". at any rate, you were the personable, personality. unlike all the other lame generic vanilla card/logo/motto readers to occupy the air room chair. i remember you tellin' me that them bosses only wanted liner card readers, and no personality radio, on the allnighter. as that was reserved for the morning drive teams. yep, you then brought your natural charms to KEZX on the weekends for a short spell.

im a tough critic, and most likely more known as a "mr negative radio rant" on this board, but every now and then im able to actually find something good to say about someone, some station, or something..ya!

if you have any old airchecks, lets let the board hear em. you did one hell of a job on-air girl!!!!
Click to expand...


Thank you for the kind words Scott. I also was in my 20's when I was at KMPS in 1984. Now I am only in my 20's in my head :) KMPS was the first station I worked at in Seattle, after moving from San Francisco. I had worked for 4 years in S.F. radio. Ron Norwood, longtime PD hired me at KMPS - such a great guy. That was a fun crew. It's funny that one of the reasons I switched from KEZX to Magic 108FM was because I felt I didn't know the music well enough at KEZX to be a DJ there. But when I got to Magic 108FM I ended up reading liner cards. The only station in my career where I had to do that. Should have stayed at KEZX. I grew up listening to personality radio in San Francisco, giants like Don Sherwood, Dr. Don Rose and Russ the Moose Syracuse. I was influenced by these personalities and wanted to do the same kind of radio. Luckily I did get to do this kind of format at KMPX S.F., KJR AM, KLSY, KIXI and the Music of Your Life network. Never made much money in radio, but the feedback from listeners made the struggles worth it. Loved playing music and telling stories.

I have a box of cassette airchecks from many stations buried deep somewhere, not sure in which closet. I did put a brief combo KLSY (2003)/KIXI (2006) aircheck online several years ago on the my space page that I no longer visit. www.myspace.com/janetwilson. I'm afraid I borrowed from the great Jimi Hendrix to name my page. Then a few years ago I ran across this online. Someone airchecked Seattle radio over the years and they got me too. Wish I had known, I would have been smoother that night. This is from KJR, 1986. http://www.rainierradio.org/player.php?ID=11117&u=cfcd208495d565ef66e7dff9f98764da

The state of radio is so bad. Listened to Danny Bonaduce the other day and was not impressed. I guess I am not in the demo KZOK is going for.
 
Janet W said:
Also worked for Metro Traffic from June 2007 to summer 2010 doing traffic mainly on KIRO-FM.
Click to expand...

I always enjoyed your traffic reports. I seem to remember you being one of the few people that would squeeze in border wait times for those of us heading up north (or back) to B.C.
 
Just wondering...does anyone have any airchecks of Seattle's former smooth jazz stations, either KNUA, KKNW or KWJZ? If so that would be very nice to hear. It's going on 1 year since we lost KWJZ.

-crainbebo
 
Janet W said:
I worked for KEZX in 1988, after leaving KJR. Peyton Mays hired me, very nice man. I didn't know a lot of the artists they played, so the station introduced some different music to me. It was a chill place to work with nice studios. I remember we had a computer showing temps in cities all over the world. When I did the weather I would always say it's 82 in Antigua, or somewhere else that sounded interesting, and 63 in Seattle. As I recall, we were encouraged to do that. It was a nice experience in my long radio road. Don't think I have any old airchecks on tape.
Click to expand...

I always loved how KEZX did their weather. A couple local current temp readings, then one from the edge of their signal (usually in Canada, but sometimes, Grays Harbor, Tenino and even Astoria, OR were mentioned as I remember.) But that was back when the FM dial was nowhere near as congested as today (there were still gaps on the Puget Sound FM dial you could drive a truck through back then) And they did have a good 100,000 watt signal on Cougar Mountain.

As for Smooth Jazz itself, well, I'm forced to agree with Indigo Coyote. Don't get me wrong, there are still fans. But they're as welcome as a case of swine flu to the bean counters.......
 
Smooth jazz, IMO, is not going to come back to terrestrial radio. Unless if there is a change in PPM and maybe some more hardcore advertising for the format, then I can see a revival. I'm all in favor of a return of the format. But, I don't think a lot of companies really care anymore. It's all about the $$$ and screwing over the listeners with crappy programming...on the other hand, Click is good with me!
 
I have added several hours of additional files from KEZX today (22 December 2011) at the same folder link, courtesy of AL7MO. I have enjoyed listening to these recordings, and hope you have as well.
 
spiritof67 said:
I have added several hours of additional files from KEZX today (22 December 2011) at the same folder link, courtesy of AL7MO. I have enjoyed listening to these recordings, and hope you have as well.
Click to expand...

Thank you. If nobody else here will, then I thank you personally.

...and Merry Christmas.

These are precious moments in Seattle radio history that should NEVER be lost.

Thank you for saving them......
 
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