On October 14, 1961, the station signed on as KHFR. The call sign stood for "Ken's Hi Fi Radio". From 1966 to 1968, the station held the KMBY-FM call sign, as a sister station to KMBY (1240 AM). Beginning in 1969, the station's call sign became KWAV. It aired a easy listening format, which evolved into the AC format in the first quarter of the 1980s.
In the mid-1990s, KWAV's slogan was "Today's Hits, Yesterday's Favorites." The Adult Contemporary music mix was upbeat, featuring an R&B-leaning playlist with Cher, Mariah Carey, Gloria Estefan, Janet Jackson, Whitney Houston, Paula Abdul, The Pointer Sisters, Vanessa Williams, Brian McKnight, Lionel Richie, Stevie Wonder, Michael Jackson, Madonna, Smokey Robinson, Timmy T, Stevie B, Expose, and Ace of Base as core artists. Other core artists included Amy Grant, Bryan Adams, Rod Stewart, Sting, Michael Bolton, Billy Joel, Richard Marx, Paul Young, Restless Heart, Don Hensley, Foreigner, Bonnie Raitt, Bruce Hornsby, Huey Lewis, Heart, Roxette, Basia, and Swingout Sister. Also included were numerous pop/alternative crossover tracks by Melissa Etheridge, Duran Duran, Carrie Underwood, Lisa Loeb, Hootie & The Blowfish, Meatloaf, and Dionne Farris. By early 1996, the music mix became very upbeat - almost Hot Adult Contemporary in nature - and included songs by Blues Traveler, Gin Blossoms and The Cranberries.[original research?]
In February 1996, the station revamped its image, becoming "Soft Rock Favorites" and flipped to Soft AC, which is workplace-oriented.
In March 1999, the station dropped its "Love Songs Til Midnight" all-request call-in program in favor of the nationally syndicated Delilah program. "LSTM" host Candy James subsequently moved to middays.
From 2000 to 2005, the station's music mix included numerous R&B oldies by Al Green, The Supremes, The Spinners, and The Four Tops.
In 2003, local TV personality Barry Brown and Karen Hamilton joined as hosts of the morning program (5:30 to 9:00).
In 2005, the station shifted its playlist to include fewer oldies and more of the upbeat 1980s and 1990s R&B-leaning tracks it used to play in the mid-1990s. The station also began adding 1970s-era R&B/disco tracks by artists such as Earth Wind & Fire, Diana Ross, Gloria Gaynor, and The Beegees. The branding remains "Soft Rock Favorites."
In 2007, the station began to broadcast in HD Radio. Its HD3 digital subchannel rebroadcasts the Internet radio station smoothjazz.com.
On July 1, 2019, Mapleton Communications announced its intent to sell its remaining 37 stations to Stephens Media Group.[5] Stephens began operating the station that same day. The sale was consummated on September 30, 2019.[6]
1983 studio shooting
On October 21, 1983, Sandy Shore, the disc jockey for KWAV, was set to play "Who Can It Be Now?" by Men At Work after finishing off Cliff Richard's "Never Say Die (Give a Little Bit More)", until the station immediately went off the air for three hours after a man with a 12-gauge shotgun entered the KWAV building and fired 58 shots into the studio equipment, destroying the station's equipment and the Cliff Richard record, causing an estimate $200,000 in damage. The suspect was identified as 41-year-old Norbert Shenk, a resident of Scotts Valley, California, just outside Santa Cruz. Nobody was reported killed or injured, as Shore thought that Norbert was going to kill himself.[7]
In court, Norbert entered no plea when he was arraigned for felony charges of vandalism, burglary, and discharging a firearm at a public place a day after the shooting. Monterey Police according to Radio & Records said that Norbert had broken into KWAV's studio during early morning hours in order to avoid hurting anyone. Norbert was ordered to undergo psychiatric tests while being held in jail in lieu of a $100,000 bail. In January of 1984, court reconvened and the judge ruled that Norbert was deemed mentally unfit. He was then transported to Atascadero State Hospital in Atascadero for treatment.[8]
Former DJs
Vic Johnson, Bob March, Teddy Greene, Michael Redding, Jerry Connelly, John Van Camp, Dean Knox, Greg Dean, Jeff Powers, Dennis Miller, Bo Woods, Alan Richmond, Sandy Shore, John Garabo, Gary Russell, Sebastian Thomas, Debi McCallister (now at KQFC in Boise, Idaho), Jack Peterson, Jane Grigsby (Jane Holladay) and the team of Barry Brown, Jay Peterson and Karen Hamilton. Afternoon drive and Production Director Gary Summers.
Related Research Articles
WYJB is a commercial radio station licensed to Albany, New York, and serving the Capital District, including Schenectady and Troy. The station is owned by Pamal Broadcasting and broadcasts an adult contemporary radio format, switching to Christmas music for much of November and December. On weekday evenings, WYJB carries the nationally syndicated call-in and dedications show hosted by Delilah. The station's radio studios and offices are on Johnson Road in Latham.
KSNE-FM is a radio station broadcasting an adult contemporary music format. Licensed to Las Vegas, Nevada, United States, the station serves the Las Vegas area. The station is owned by iHeartMedia. Its studios are in Las Vegas a mile west of the Strip and its transmitter is on Black Mountain in Henderson.
WLTW is an adult contemporary radio station licensed to New York City and serving the New York metropolitan area. WLTW is owned by iHeartMedia and broadcasts from studios in the former AT&T Building in the Tribeca neighborhood of Manhattan; its transmitter is located at the Empire State Building.
WLIT-FM is a radio station in Chicago, Illinois. Owned by iHeartMedia, it broadcasts a soft adult contemporary format. Its studios are located at the Illinois Center complex in the Chicago Loop, while the station transmitter is on top of the Willis Tower.
KOAI is a commercial radio station, licensed to Sun City West, Arizona, and serving the Phoenix metropolitan area. The station is owned by Riviera Broadcasting, an subsidiary of the Yucaipa Companies. It broadcasts an oldies and classic hits radio format, featuring mostly hits from the 1960s, 70s and 80s. It primarily competes with Audacy-owned 94.5 KOOL-FM, which concentrates on 1980s hits, with some 70s and 90s titles.
KKMJ-FM is a commercial radio station in Austin, Texas. It is owned by Audacy, Inc. and airs an adult contemporary radio format. The station has studios and offices on Westbank Drive, off Loop 360, near Westlake High School. The transmitter is off Buckman Mountain Road in Austin, amid numerous towers for other FM and TV stations. Like many AC stations, KKMJ flips to all-Christmas music from mid-November to Christmas Day. It uses the slogan "The Majic of Christmas."
WDUV is a commercial radio station licensed to New Port Richey, Florida and serving the Tampa Bay Area. Owned by Cox Radio, it broadcasts a soft adult contemporary format. It switches to all-Christmas music from mid-November to December 25. WDUV's studios and offices are located in St. Petersburg. The transmitter site is off Dartmouth Drive in Holiday.
KQXT-FM is a commercial radio station in San Antonio, Texas. The station is owned by iHeartMedia, airing an adult contemporary radio format, switching to Christmas music for much of November and December. On weekdays, it carries the syndicated Kidd Kradick Morning Show from co-owned KHKS Dallas as well as Ellen K on Saturday mornings. KQXT's studios are in Stone Oak.
WEJZ is a commercial radio station licensed to Jacksonville, Florida. It is owned by Renda Broadcasting and airs a mainstream adult contemporary radio format. WEJZ is the Jacksonville affiliate for the syndicated Delilah and John Tesh. Between mid-November and December 26 each year, the station switches to all-Christmas music.
KABX-FM is an adult contemporary formatted radio station in Merced, California. KABX-FM is owned by Stephens Media Group, through licensee SMG-Merced, LLC. Its studios are in Merced and its transmitter is southwest of Mount Bullion. KABX-FM can be heard in large areas of central California from approximately Modesto, to south of Fresno. It sometimes can be heard as far north as the eastern portions of the San Francisco Bay Area.
KBEB is a commercial FM radio station in Sacramento, California, calling itself "92.5 The Breeze." It is owned by iHeartMedia and airs a soft adult contemporary format. KBEB carries the syndicated "Delilah" call-in and request show in the evening. The studios are in North Sacramento near Arden Fair Mall.
KHIP is a commercial radio station in Gonzales, California, broadcasting to the Santa Cruz-Monterey-Salinas, California area on 104.3 FM. Its studios are in Monterey while its transmitter is located east of Salinas.
KCDU is a commercial radio station in Carmel, California, broadcasting to the Santa Cruz-Monterey-Salinas, California, area on 101.7 FM. Its studios are in Monterey while its transmitter is located east of the city.
KKHK is a commercial radio station in Carmel, California, broadcasting to the Santa Cruz-Monterey-Salinas, California area. Owned by Stephens Media Group, through licensee SMG-Monterey, LLC, it broadcasts an alternative rock format. Its studios are in Monterey while its transmitter is located east of the city.
WTRV is a commercial radio station broadcasting a classic hits-leaning soft adult contemporary radio format. The station is licensed to Walker, Michigan, and serves the Grand Rapids metropolitan area radio market. WTRV is a Class A station, so it is limited to 3,000 watts. Its signal can be heard as far south as Otsego, far east as Ionia, and as far north as Fremont.
KDFG is a non-commercial classical music radio station in Seaside, California, broadcasting to the Santa Cruz-Carmel-Salinas, California, area on 103.9 FM. Owned by the University of Southern California, the station broadcasts a classical music format as a full-time simulcast of KDFC in San Francisco.
KOCN is a rhythmic AC radio station licensed to Salinas, California. It has been owned by iHeartMedia, Inc. since 1997. Its studios are in Salinas, and the transmitter is just east of Monterey.
KMBY is a radio station licensed to Monterey, California and serving the Santa Cruz and Monterey areas. The station is owned by Hanford Youth Services and broadcasts an oldies format.
Mapleton Communications (MC) was a media company. It was formed in May 2001 to acquire and operate radio stations in mid-sized markets in the western United States. Mapleton owned and operated 41 radio stations in California, Oregon and Washington State. It was based in Monterey, California.
Stephens Media Group is an Oklahoma based radio broadcaster that owns 75 radio stations particularly in small to mid-size markets. Its flagship stations are at its headquarters in Tulsa. Stephens refers to itself as "A portfolio of People", referencing the team members who work for the company.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply. Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.
