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From Bing to Ozzy, Nugent and Creed, new rock station broadcasting in Cache Valley By
Scott Garrard
The transition from Bing Crosby to Ozzy Osborne has apparently been a smooth one for a new radio station broadcasting in Cache Valley. At the frequency of 95.9-FM, KLZX began its initial broadcast on Nov. 1, playing nothing but Christmas music 24 hours a day, seven days a week. It took only a few days for the word to spread throughout Northern Utah. "It caught a lot of people off guard," Program Director Bill Walter stated. "Some people fell in love with it immediately, while others were not quite as receptive. Playing Christmas music got everyone's attention, and that was exactly what we were trying to do." The mission of grabbing attention was easily accomplished. The next step was a little more difficult. "We received a lot of questions as to what was going to happen on Dec. 26," Walter added, "KLZX used to be the call letters of a great classic rock station in Salt Lake City. When we acquired the rights to those letters, it was obvious as to what direction we needed to take this station." "Rock 95.9" kicked off its classic rock format on midnight, Dec. 26 by fittingly playing R-O-C-K in the USA by John Cougar Mellencamp. In the month following, the station has acquired quite an audience. That may be due to the variety of music that the station plays. Walter stated that the station is not necessarily your average classic rock radio station. "We have adjusted our format to fit a wider audience. Instead of playing all classic rock, we switch to more of a Active Rock/Alternative format at night to attract a younger demographic." Translation? "Well for example, you may hear Cat Scratch Fever by Ted Nugent, followed up by Higher by Creed. It's a combination of classic hits mixed in with some current hits. More classics play during the day whereas more currents play at night." This type of format is one that is fairly new to the radio world, but is gaining in popularity. "Rock 95.9" was developed to attract individuals who want to hear current rock songs, much like Kryptonite by 3 Doors Down, without being followed by the Backstreet Boys. With those current songs thrown in with classic rock hits from the '70s and '80s, KLZX has been gaining popularity with those that have found its signal. "It is great," stated Jenny Gillen, a student at Utah State University. "The station just plays great songs without stupid D.J.'s or those long boring newscasts. Its like a jukebox, music non-stop." KLZX agrees. It has no stupid D.J.'s. In fact it has no D.J.'s at all. Walter acknowledged that, but added that the station is not in any hurry to add D.J.'s to the air. "We will add some on-air people eventually, but right now no time line has been set. We just want to get all kinks worked out before we get to that step." Station officials still consider KLZX a work in progress. "We are getting there," said Scott Miller, assistant program director. "We still need to tweak some things, but overall this has been a huge success. We have a lot of great things planned in the future for this station." Miller would not clarify exactly what those planned "things" were, but simply added that it was along the lines of some big contests and other promotional activities. KLZX is a member of the Cache Valley Radio Group, which consists of five other radio stations. The station is licenced in Weston, Idaho, but is operated in Logan.
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