Where would the world of radio be without nicknames?
It would be a lot less colorful, that's for sure.Although there has been a recent decline in their use, nicknames still add plenty of glitter to the radio waves, not only with on-air personalities, but with station names as well.
When the Federal Communications Commission loosened up on station name restrictions a few years ago, there was a big surge in the use of nicknames as another means of station identification. That is, until, some confusion developed among listeners.
"The current trend in radio is going back
to call letters," Ken Bell, promotions director for KCPX (FM-98.7) said. "For example we've de-emphasized our use of `Power-99,' in favor of K-C-P-X. We still use it, but not as much."
Bell said that recent research by the Arbitron radio ratings service revealed that it really is important from a business standpoint for a radio station to be identified by its official call letters and not just by a colorful nickname.
Also, since there are more digital radio sets in use today (and they require an EXACT radio dial setting), stations are also stating their FULL frequency numbers more often instead of just rounding them off (for example, KCPX FM-98.7 instead of just FM-99).
Bell also believes that there are indeed fewer radio nicknames in use today than in the past. He said more and more deejays (also called "D.J.'s," radio personalities or disc jockeys) are simply using their real names on the air. KCPX is no exception to this trend and only the station's newest acquisition, morning personality Jerry Lousteau, has a nickname:"Ugly Jerry."
Still another variation is using only part of a radio personality's real name, like the first and middle names only. Not using a surname is the case for quite a few Utah deejays, including Bob Lee (KSL), Brad Stone (KLCY/KALL) and Scott Mack (KCPX). (If their unusual last names were printed, we'd all understand why they aren't used.)
Like the TV and movie world, there are undoubtedly many stage names in radio where legal names have been changed to make them easier to pronounce and sometimes shorter. But that would be another story. . . .
Nationally, "Wolfman Jack," who seems to have no other real name now, is the classic example of a nickname turned golden.
There are a few nicknames that are actually legends in Utah radio. Probably the two most enduring veteran deejays with personal nicknames are "Wooley Waldron" (alias, Gary Waldron, KISN, FM-97.1, afternoon deejay, program director) and "Skinny" Johnny Mitchell (KRSP-AM, the "Top 12 at 12" show).
Waldron said that he received his nickname in 1965 at the old KNAK because of his hair, considered long at the time.
Mitchell, who also started in Utah radio in the 1960s, even coined a classic phrase with "Skinny loves your neck."
Three other prominent Utah radio personalities with nicknames are: "Country Joe" (Joe Flint, mornings on KSOP, AM-1570/FM-104.3), "Peter B" (Peter Boam, afternoons on KALL, AM-910) and "T.J. Evans," (Kristen Evans, 10 a.m. until 2 p.m. on KKAT FM-101.9).
Some deejays don't seem to have ever needed nicknames. For example, take KALL's Danny Kramer and Tom Barberi. Mention the name "Danny" or "Tom" in radio circles and people know who you mean.
Still another radio trend involves the personal approach of using first names or last names only for radio personality teamups. For example, one of the best-known Utah morning radio teams is "Fisher and Todd" (KISN FM-97.1). The name comes from Scott Fisher and Todd Collard.
Also, the new KRSP (FM-103.5) morning team is simply "Dean & Roger" (alias Dean Myers and Roger Beaty).
On Sept. 21, Dan Bammes and Jon Carter will return to KLZX (FM-93.3) where their new title is "Jon and Dan" (They were the "Dawn Patrol" while at KRSP-FM).
Stationwise, Utah also has some nicknames that exist besides "Power-99."
Maybe the best example of a station nickname is `WKRP.' The station has official FCC call letters of KRPN (FM-107.9).
Two other examples are KKWY (FM-97.9), which goes by "Y-98" and KSFI (FM-100.3), which is much better known as "FM-100.
Remember these local radio nicknames?
- "Janna Bannana" (Janna Blake, formerly KBER, KRSP and KCPX).
- "Straight Arrow" (Arlis Tramner, KCPX, now at a Boise radio station).
- "The REAL Rob Branch" (Rob Branch, KALL).
- "The Fun Pigs" (Kerry Jackson and Bill Allred, KJQN).
- "The Party Animals" (Stan Main and Phil Conrad, KCPX).
- "The Breakfast Bunch" (Andy Barber and Sheila Balistreri).
- "Z-Morning Zoo" (with Dan McKay, KLRZ).
- "JazzBo" (Al Collins, KALL.)
- "The Breakfast Flakes" (Jim Abens and Jeff Olson, KDAB).
- "Myriah" (Jordan Musaeus, KFMY).
Some Current Station nicknames:
- "The Bear," KBER
- "K-Talk," KTKK.
- "KAT," KKAT.
- "K-Star," KSRR.
- "Love-99.5," KLVV.
- "Rock-103," KRSP-FM.
- "Magic 107.5," KMGR.
- "Power 99," KCPX-FM
Remember these station nicknames from Utah's radio past?
- "Z-95," KLZR.
- "K-PIX," the old KCPX-AM.
- "K-96," KFMY.
- "K-Lite," KLTQ.
- "KARGO," KRGO.
- "K-107," KFRZ.
- "K-Laugh," KLAF.
-SOME STATIONS DON'T SEEM to need nicknames. For example, Price's KOAL is a pretty obvious variation of coal, a rich resource for that area of the state. KISN, "Kiss-N," too, seems to pretty much stand out on its own.
Also, the state's two stations with only three letters in their call-letter titles - KSL and KLO - are pretty solid standouts as well.
KSL is obviously an S.L. abbreviation of Salt Lake. Examples of a few other Utah stations that have city abbreviations in their call letters are Logan's KLGN (AM-1390), Tooele's KTLE (AM-1010), Manti's KMTI (AM-1590) and a host of high school stations like Orem High's KOHS (FM-91.7).
Still other stations like to shorten their official call letters. For example, KJQN likes to go by just "KJQ."
Some other local stations like KBYU and KUSU have obvious call letters that are just abbreviations for the universities that own and operate them.
Wonder Whys:
Ever wonder why KUER, the University of Utah station, didn't get the call letters "KUOU" instead? (KUER had the call letters "KFUT" in the 1920s.)
And why didn't Weber State College's KWCR acquire "KWSC" as its title? Both the KUOU and KWSC call letters are currently NOT is use.
Also, why didn't KUTR go for the call letters of "KLDS" since the letters have never been in use? (The original manager of KUTR, Dick Elliot of Sunrise Communications, did at least consider that bold name option.)
The FCC will obviously not allow certain call letters considered obscene or controversial. (For example there is no "KGOD")
-Intriguing call letters for current out-of-state radio stations :
- KENO, Las Vegas.
- KLAV, Las Vegas
- KBIG, Los Angeles.
- KFOG San Francisco.
- KOST, Los Angeles
- KISS, San Antonio.
- KOOL, Phoenix.
- KTOP, Topeka, Kan.
- WACO, Waco, Texas.
- WELY, Ely, Minn.
- WIND, Chicago.
- WEST, Easton, Pa.
- WKRP, Dallas, Ga.
- WOW, Omaha, Neb.
- KLOV, Loveland, Colo.
-Some other station call letters are acronyms. For example, Chicago's WLS, really stands for "World's Largest Store," alias the station's owner, Sears.
An AM/FM station in Casa Grande, Ariz., has the call letters KFAS for Francis Albert Sinatra "Old Blue Eyes" Sinatra, the station's owner.