The Cincinnati Enquirer du lieu suivant : Cincinnati, Ohio • Page 52

THE ENQUIRER D4 SUNDAY, AUGUST 21, 2005 COVER STORY "WVXU-FM was considered the crazy aunt in the closet, because it didn't fit the mold. But people liked it. It worked." James King, former WVXU director Radio classics will fade away WVXU FROM PAGE D1 he had assembled since taking over a 10-watt student station in 1976. King has retired, rather than teach this fall at Xavier, as he announced in December. "WVXU-FM was considered the crazy aunt in the closet, because it didn't fit the mold.

But people liked it. It worked," King said. Roberts, a 15-year listener, said: "I loved the variety. I kept WVXU-FM on all day." King brought the "Riders In The Sky" comedy cowboys to town, taped their shows, and syndicated them nationally. He filled daytime airwaves with local antiques, fitness and real estate call-in shows.

The station aired live radio dramas, and produced Christmas jazz albums. It carried Xavier basketball and Mighty Ducks hockey games for several years, when commercial stations didn't want them. The Enquirer's Jim Borgman drew cartoons of Red Barber, Bob Edwards and other NPR personalities for fund-drive premiums. But King's passion, imbued in coworkers, was old-time radio. Fourteen hours a week were devoted to "Mystery Playhouse," "X-Minus One," Jack Benny, Grou-cho Marx, Bob Hope, George Burns, Grade Allen and others.

While commercial radio stations ignore their rich history in hopes of attracting younger listeners, WVXU-FM collected it and celebrated it. The station's 12-hour "D-Day Plus 50" documentary in 1994 replaying the World War II invasion reports won a prestigious Peabody Award. WVXU-FM also produced documentaries about Barber, the Hall of Fame sports- Mournful WVXU-FM members sent thank-yous to staffers. A steady stream of long-time listeners came to the station, as if it were a funeral home, to see the people they've heard for years and wish them well. At least one person brought flowers to the Herald Avenue studios on Xavier's campus in Evanston, which will be stripped after operations move Monday into WGUC-FM in the West End.

"I just wanted to say goodbye," said Joan Roberts, 50, of Clermont County's Union Township, as she toured the station with her sons, Brian, 12, and Aaron, 11. Her boys liked hearing Jack Benny's radio shows, which first aired before their mother was born. "I'm just devastated. I don't know what I'm going to do," said Karen Shaw, in her early 50s, who visited two weeks ago. No other station in Cincinnati sounded like WVXU-FM.

Few in the nation did. While stations today commit to one format rock, oldies, talk, sports WVXU-FM offered a crazy variety every few hours. You'd hear everything from cooking to Count Basie, pet talk to "A Prairie Home Companion." An NPR spokesman called WVXU-FM's format "unique and quite unusual among our 780 member stations." "We bucked the trend in radio research. We did what no else said could be done," said James King, 60, who quit as general manager in December rather than help Xa-vier sell the seven-station network life Vy jpx v-- 'A i A 7 A)v' kr. tSi The Enquirer Keli Dailey Mike Martini, WVXU's outgoing assistant operations director, with some of the radio memorabilia on the station's walls.

will use the cash for the new James E. Hoff Academic Quadrangle on campus. The outpouring of emotion surprised WVXU-FM staffers, and tempered their bitterness and anger over the sale, Zahn says. Only six of the 21 employees were hired by Cincinnati Public Radio. The rest had to remain at the station for five months until the last day, or forfeit about half of Xavier's severance package, says Mike Martini, assistant operations director, caster, Cincinnati TV-radio personality Ruth Lyons and the early days of Cincinnati radio.

"There is no doubt that the 'Golden Age of Radio' has taken place right here and now in Cincinnati," said Shaw, the Sharon-ville listener. The long farewell began in March, after Cincinnati Public Radio announced it was buying WVXU-FM and the six other X-Star Network stations in Ohio and Michigan for $15 million. Xavier writer and producer. "When you speak into a microphone in an empty studio, you don't get a sense of who's listening and what they think about," said veteran newsman Steve Hirschb-erg, who is looking for work. "And my goodness, we've learned that we've touched people's lives so much that they wanted to come see us and say goodbye." Format stresses news and information next month.

The good news: Jazz expert Oscar Tread-well, a 22-year WGUC-FM fixture, comes out of retirement next Sunday, WVXU-FM listeners will hear more na-" tional and local news. WNKU-FM's The new WVXU-FM (91.7) will sound much like a typical, big-city National Public Radio news and information station on Monday. NPR's Talk of the Nation," "Day to Day" and "All Things Considered" replace afternoon "Audiosyncracies" music, local call-in shows and a rebroadcast of Channel 9's 6 award-winning Maryanne Zeleznik and Jay Hanselman join WVXU-FM's Mark Heyne and Ann Thompson for hourly local news 5 a.m.-9 p.m. Channel 9's Clyde Gray VJ. V-n-'A also will provide two afternoon updates.

A weekend "Cincinnati Edition" news maga Maryanne Zeleznik Mark Heyne Jay Hanselman p.m. news. "Nationally, this is a successful format It's proven to attract a significant audience," says Richard Eiswerth, Cincinnati Public Radio president and CEO. "All Things Considered" and "Car Talk" leave WGUC-FM (90.9) so it can be a full-time classical music outlet, the reason Eiswerth wanted the Xavier station. The new "VXU-FM will keep some old-time radio, and a little music, "to retain an identity," he says.

"It's not going to be a cookie-cutter. I think we've taken the best of national and the best of local." Old-time radio which vanished July 31 when Xavier's contract expired returns Monday with "Gunsmoke" and the "Jack Benny zine will air 7-8 a.m. with reports from longtime WVXU-FM voice Chris DeSimio. Local fitness expert Julie Isphording, whose show was canceled last week, decided Friday not to join "Cincinnati Edition," as previously announced. Eiswerth knows some WVXU-FM supporters won't like what they hear Monday.

There is going to be turmoil. Change is painful, and some people will be upset," he says. The majority of the audience will be satisfied, because the majority listens to the programs we're keeping." John Kieiewetter Show." The new format includes seven hours of the "Golden Age of Radio" half the old a-mount with two half-hour shows 9-10 p.m. weekdays, and four shows 8-10 p.m. Saturday.

WGUC-FM has purchased the syndicated "When Radio Was" series hosted by comedian Stan Freberg for the classic radio time period. Titles include "Suspense," "The Shadow," "The Fred Allen Show," "Adventures of Superman," "Father Knows Best," "The Whistler," "Calling All Cars" and "Jack Benny." "Old-time is important to us," Eiswerth says. A spring survey of WVXU members revealed that old radio ranked a distant second to NPR shows, but ahead of music and local talk. So local talk was canceled, and music cut from 58 to seven hours a week. Two locals shows, "Simply Money" with Nathan Bachrach and "Real Life Real Estate" with Vena Jones-Cox will move to Northern Kentucky's WNKU- A FIRST-BALLOT HALL OF FAME SEX COMEDY' Devin Gordon Humor, drama and mystery.

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