KJET van

[valvashon]

Not sure of the year I took this or the location other than being along Lake Union. KJET signed off the same month I moved out here but I listened to it extensively when I moved my then girlfriend/now wife out here in 1986 so she could attend the UW. I am sure that KJET was off the air when I took this and thought it was still cool that somebody was still driving around in the KJET van. That's a Nissan Axxess under the red canopy in the background; this model was offered for approximately two years starting in 1990 so it's after that.

 

[The New Chico]

Hot damn! Thanks for the memories.

 

[Kelly A]

What a hooptie! Even by 80's/90's standards. Looks like someone installed that side window with a can opener.
If I ran that station back in the day, there would be no way I would allow that piece of junk to carry any form of station marketing.

 

[The New Chico]

Have to remember the ethos of that station- they bragged that they were automated overnight and even gave the automation an on-air name. They bragged that they were broadcasting in "magnificent mono." They were appealing to a pretty particular niche, and a rig like that rather matched up with the attitude.

That, or this was an unaffiliated dude with a wreck of a van who liked the station and decorated the van in honor.

Could go either way,

 

[Cobra14]

It’s missing the little round window and the flames down the side. 🔥🔥🔥

 

[boombox4]

The van fits the station's vibe. After all, KJET was alternative, not a high rated, slick pop station. Alternative people in the 80s and early 90s didn't drive a Lexus.

 

[Kelly A]

The van fits the station's vibe. After all, KJET was alternative, not a high rated, slick pop station. Alternative people in the 80s and early 90s didn't drive a Lexus.

The purpose of a 'promo vehicle' is to act as a rolling billboard, schlep around promotional materials, etc. When your billboard is an embarrassing hunk of junk, you generally don't see much benefit.

Many stations back in the day used to do lease/trade on promo vehicles from dealerships. Not only does it help bolster the relationship with a major local auto dealer, your promo vehicle is newer and more attractive because it's representing the station and the dealership/manufacturer.

 

[boombox4]

The purpose of a 'promo vehicle' is to act as a rolling billboard, schlep around promotional materials, etc. When your billboard is an embarrassing hunk of junk, you generally don't see much benefit.

Many stations back in the day used to do lease/trade on promo vehicles from dealerships. Not only does it help bolster the relationship with a major local auto dealer, your promo vehicle is newer and more attractive because it's representing the station and the dealership/manufacturer.

Alternative rock fans, including a lot of grungers and punkers who listened to KJET as well as KCMU (for lack of any other stations whose music fit their mold), wouldn't have been turned off by the van. They wouldn't have even thought of your take on it. A KJET Lexus wouldn't have impressed them. I am sure of this, as I hung out and worked with such people. Fancy, expensive stuff didn't impress them.

Looks to me as if the van in the pic were actually an official KJET promo vehicle, it was a cheap investment to have show up outside shows, and shlep promo materials, and keep the station in the minds of listeners and potential alt-rock listeners.

 

[Cobra14]

That and if someone crashed into something or something crashed into it after a night or day of listening to (insert KJETish band here) no big deal. In fact it probably make it look cooler and more grungier.

 

[boombox4]

I think KellyA's point is valid from a purely business perspective. He's looking at it from an ROI perspective, and maybe the van cost more than any business return on investment it gave the station (cluster, I think, KJET was KZOK's AM). Being that KJET was a budget operation, and most businesses can write of around 50% of their expenses in income taxes, maybe the stations got a deal on the van, and figured it was worth whatever money they put into it.

From a pure 'reaching out to your own target audience perspective', however, the van seems to fit the mold fairly well.

It would be interesting if an ex-KZOK person or ex_KJETer could give their take on it.

 

[Kelly A]

I think KellyA's point is valid from a purely business perspective. He's looking at it from an ROI perspective, and maybe the van cost more than any business return on investment it gave the station (cluster, I think, KJET was KZOK's AM). Being that KJET was a budget operation, and most businesses can write of around 50% of their expenses in income taxes, maybe the stations got a deal on the van, and figured it was worth whatever money they put into it.

From a pure 'reaching out to your own target audience perspective', however, the van seems to fit the mold fairly well.

It would be interesting if an ex-KZOK person or ex_KJETer could give their take on it.

Think about it for a second: How long was KJET around with that format verses, KZOK, KISW, or other legacy rock stations? If inferior is so cool, it doesn't seem to be cool for long. That's of course speaking in general, not just because they had a junky van.

 

[KilowattKat]

That van must have been used in late '88 or '89 till the format change, They used to identify as 16 KJET, but I remember reading a feature story in the Seattle P.I. back then about the Alternative format being in jeopardy. Management wanted KJET's ratings to get up to 0.5, or else. So one change they were making was to identify with the actual frequency 1590 KJET, due to more vehicles having an LED display tuner, and make it easier for listeners to find them on the dial.

I don't recall what else they did to try and turn things around. But it obviously didn't work, with 1590 flipping to 50's/60's Oldies.

 

[Cobra14]

I’ve seen worse looking promo vehicles for stations that were considered to be top of the ratings at the time. Won’t mention call letters or owners. Some of them had damage or looked like they hadn’t been washed in years.

 

[fordranger797]

What was the 1590 signal pattern like back then? Looking at the pattern in 2023, it doesn’t look all that great, but back then you could probably hear it okay in some of the outlying areas.

 

[boombox4]

What was the 1590 signal pattern like back then? Looking at the pattern in 2023, it doesn’t look all that great, but back then you could probably hear it okay in some of the outlying areas.

it was readable in SKC where I live, Renton, Kent, Tukwila, etc. It weakened a bit at night, seemed to come in a little better than 1590 does now, although 1590 is usually readable here now, too.

 

[LITTLEBOYBLUE]

What was the 1590 signal pattern like back then? Looking at the pattern in 2023, it doesn’t look all that great, but back then you could probably hear it okay in some of the outlying areas.

Their tower was in West Seattle where 1250 was (is? -- I lost track). Signal made it around most of the city -- but beyond that it was hit-and-miss. I was doing "live" news on KU-16 (predecessor to K-JET) and would tape-out later newscasts and as I drove up into Snohomish county would lose the signal quickly so never sure if everything ran OK!

 

[ContinuousWave]

That call sign was originally on 1380 in Beaumont Texas. Back in the '70s it was a daytimer only with what would be considered now an urban format, programming for black audiences..

 

[KilowattKat]

What was the 1590 signal pattern like back then? Looking at the pattern in 2023, it doesn’t look all that great, but back then you could probably hear it okay in some of the outlying areas.

Back then daytime power was 5kw. Salem, in their never ending quest to upgrade the signals of their AM's increased it to 20kw. But with the increased noise floor today, daytime coverage is essentially the same as it was back then.