Like WNUA's Hansen and KKSF's Feinstein, WNWV founding PD Bernie Kimble's back- KKSF's 10 volumes of CD ground was in AOR, having programmed [l Bank of kinerite samplers for AIDS relief combined have sold hundreds of WCMF /Rochester, N.Y., in the '70s. As the last thousands of copies, scored No. PD to helm the venerable rocker in its heady, K 1 in local sales and raised free -form era -long after most progressive sta- . ' - r M millions of dollars for the San 0 LANE Francisco AIDS Foundation. In tions had morphed to formatted mainstream 7? MAIDEN CA 94108 SAN FRANCISCO. 1994, PD Steve Feinstein, far AOR- Kimble was responsible for breaking 788 - 2022 415 left, and VP/GM Dave Kendri numerous artists at 'CMF and even converted the .® $Z73, far right, presented a check 10 /24 $273,000 to foundation station's garage into a performance studio where /- . , executives. up- and -coming bands could play live on the air. T'ra11C1SC0 / Kimble's roots in eclectic genres still inform his musical sensibilities, and he has often been laud- Continued from page 13 KKSF's distinguished record of community ed for his great ears and programming ability, service began around 1988, when the impact of including Marconi Awards for jazz station of the fragmented market, you've got to know exactly AIDS assumed crisis proportions in the locale. year in 1995 and 2001. who you are. Being focused is all-important," "That's when the light went on," Kendrick re- Feinstein said in '94. "We have to touch people, calls. "If our special blend of music was working get under their skin and be more than a darned for Bay Area audiences, why not put the formu- Stick To Your Knitting good music service. We have to capture their la to work in the fight against AIDS ?" Kimble's radio career spans almost 38 years; it hearts as well as their ears. That's what it takes to KKSF's concept of a one -album project target- began before radio stations had specialists like PDs, survive the onslaught of eventual competitors." ed to raise $30,000 to $50,000 blossomed into a MDs or promotion directors and he learned to do KKSF launched auspiciously. "From day one, we 10 -album CD sampler series, selling hundreds of everything (including middays, until recently) knew we were on to something," Kendrick says. thousands of units and raising millions of dollars himself. In 2005, he told R &R that WNWV "Calls and letters from friends, family, competitors, for the San Francisco AIDS Foundation. doesn't have resources comparable to some other 16 clients and listeners poured in. Restaurants and 'To avoid major- market stations, so he devotes time and shops all over the city started playing us and the becoming considerable creative energy developing guerrilla jtremendous word -of-mouth advertising that is so yuppie Third In Line: Cleveland's Wave marketing tactics to make the station "sticky." important to this format began. The overwhelm- Muzak we The third venerable smooth jazz outlet celebrat- "I understand the pressure and what it's like to ing response was that our sound matched the strive for ing its 20th anniversary this year is Elyria -Lorain be in the box," Kimble said. mood of the city." music with Broadcasting's WNWV (the Wave) /Cleveland. WNWV and sisters WEOL -AM and WKFM/ KKSF decided not to embrace an on -air slogan, substance For the past two decades, the independently Huron, Ohio, and WXYZ /Crestline- Mansfield, as Feinstein explained: "We wanted the music to and character, owned station has had the distinction of consis- Ohio, remain under the same ownership since speak for itself," which along with "Music with- and avoid tently pulling the highest shares nationally in the being licensed in the late 1940s, while the rest of out borders" was the station's early off-air position - generic jazz smooth jazz format. Its highest 12+ share was 5.8 the Cleveland market is heavily consolidated. er. The words `jazz," "new age" and "relax" were fusion and in spring 2003, a 6.3 25 -54 in fall 2002 and a Elyria-Lorain's recently retired founding president banned from the airwaves and marketing materi- schmaltz.' whopping 8.1 in spring 2003. and GM Gary Kneisley outlined his management al. KKSF eschewed musical ID and "station voice" /Cleveland dropped its heavy metal philosophy for R &R in 1996: "We are pretty con- -Steve Feinstein in 1994 WCZR The station positioned listener benefits in mar- "Z- Rock" format in fall 1987 in favor of the servative in marketing and operations, but aggres- keting: escaping the routine, avoiding stress and Satellite Music Network's Wave light jazz /soft sive in our sales program and contemporary in our winding down. Feinstein said, "Our marketing rock /melodic new age format on the 107.3 fre- ptogramming.We stick to our knitting," he said. "I've strategy was threefold: Make the partisans feel quency with the call letters WNWV and the han- got a highly motivated staff that really wants to do important, target new listeners, and play a key role dle "Cleveland's Cool FM." A TV campaign fea- the right things to make the station succeed, and the in the community." turing superstar saxophonist David Sanborn corporate culture fosters that wish." KKSF staged dozens of free listener- heralded the change.Three years later, the station More recently, the Wave put its money where appreciation and rising-star parties. By 1996, it went live and local 24/7, kicking off with Larry its mouth is, advancing the cause of broadcast built a database of 120,000 subscribers to its quar- Carlton's buoyant "Smiles and Smiles to Go," fol- technology when it became the first station in terly magazine, Music Notes, thousands for its e- lowed by "It's a New Day for You" by Basia. Cleveland to broadcast in HD and to make mail service InterNotes and mailed more than Original weekday contests, which still run today, transmitter improvements to accommodate the 750,000 targeted direct -mail pieces containing included Anybody's Guess and Dream Sets. new technology. RE* audiotapes that defined the sound of the station and encouraged sampling. Strategic research also played a role from the start. In the early '90s, KKSF began using Broad- cast Architecture to refine its playlist, though "it was up to the staff to implement the results," Kendrick told R &R in 1996. "This entrepre- neurial spirit and freedom have created one of the most consistently and successfully programmed stations in the country." found' By the end of 1995, KKSF would rank as San Lora ,-. smootfl Francisco's No. l music station 25 -54 six times and Wave)/CT.' No. 1 overall 25 -54 once, besting perennial news/ Kirnóle, I: -f r/f talk giant KGO- AM.While no longer pulling box- Gar yKnéi5éy,nos had a loot} and pr car ratings, KKSF stands tall today as the market's sh{p No. 3 music station in persons 35 -64-in the gene spring '07 Arbitron and in a four-book average of foal) the past four quarterly surveys.

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