Blue Skies Airwaves

by Josef Woodard

PROUDLY LEFT OF THE DIAL: What was this,
Kenny G being played on KCSB last
week? It was an oxymoronic “what’s wrong with this picture?” moment
on the airwaves, hearing the king of anti-jazz cheese being spun on
one of the West Coast’s most proudly independent — and
alternative-minded — non-commercial stations. No worries: DJ
Sarvatma was playing G as a ploy to hector
listeners into calling and pledging $$ during the station’s annual
pledge drive. Soon, real music returned, such as the mind-altering
Gonzalo Rubalcaba version (or remake) of “Besame
Mucho.” This kind of great music is exactly what
alternative radio is made for.

Pledge-drive time for non-commercial stations can instill fear
and avoidance for many listeners, but it is also a time when a
station like KCSB can rightfully toot its horn and tout its
virtues. KCSB is an especially strong and free-range alternative
station in Southern California, with a delightful blur of diverse
programming compared to many more patternized left-end
stations.