Staff of Denver’s R&B station shown door with switch to country
 
By Dick Kreck
Denver Post 
(December 19, 2005) From rhythm and blues to "Wide Open Country" at the flick of a switch.

Loyal listeners to KDJM 92.5-FM ("Jammin"'), the city's leading classic R&B radio outlet, were surprised Thursday morning to find the station reborn as WILLIE 92.5 Wide Open Country.

The seven-member on-air staff and management of KDJM, which primarily targeted Latino and African-American listeners, were dismissed abruptly at a meeting Wednesday. One who attended the meeting said everyone was told, "Get your check; pack up your stuff; turn in your security cards."

Don Howe, senior vice president for CBS Radio of Denver, which also owns KXKL 105.1-FM and KIMN 100.3-FM, said KDJM "was for six years the Little Engine That Could. It never got above 13th- or 14th- ranked. We let the audience vote in the (Arbitron) rankings, and it didn't work."

One of those let go was Gloria Neal, who left KOA 850-AM eight months ago to become "Jammin's" morning host. Neal and others blame the station's demise, in part, on the lack of promotion.

"There was absolutely no promotion, no marketing. It was pathetic," Neal said Thursday. She said she was proud of her role as "the only African-American woman on FM morning radio" in Denver.

"It's important," she said. "I accepted the responsibility that came with that. When you are playing R&B, it's about more than music. You have to be community-driven."

The switch puts WILLIE in direct competition with the city's perennial No.1 station, KYGO 98.5-FM, which also plays country. Howe said WILLIE's playlist will be broader.

WILLIE went on the air Thursday morning without deejays, but Howe said he expects to have the new station fully staffed with local personalities within 30 days.


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