One-time Rocker turned CHR, then Hip Hop & R&B station KMEL began embracing what was known in the early 90s as “New Jack Swing” – a fusion genre of Hip Hop and mix/samples which really has become more mainstream over the years in the Hip Hop world. With that background, here’s the first morning of KMEL‘s “New Jack Zoo” morning show.
Bill Lee (WTIC-FM, WCBS-FM), was a veteran of San Francisco’s airwaves for much of the first half of the 1980s on the one station nobody could beat until just before its demise as a Top 40 station – the great 610 KFRC. Lee alludes to this fact without naming the call letters early on in this aircheck. Also featured are “Renel” and Lisa St. Regis.
After researching KMEL for a while, I still can’t figure out the correct start date for the New Jack Zoo. I’m sure someone out there knows and hopefully will comment. Till then, I’ll simply guess that this is around 1992 or so.
Be sure to listen to this, its not so much about the music (there’s not much), but the show itself – something terribly lacking on today’s lackluster radio landscape.
Courtesy of Robyn Watts and “East Coast Airchecks” tape #84, side B.
Great aircheck…But where’s the phone bit referred to in the above description?
The date was April 1, 1991.
Where on earth did you find this? I don’t even have a copy! First day. We had just met on Saturday(this was bright and early Monday morning). We were unprepared and the timing was so off it was painful, but we pushed through, added some friends and grew a successful show. If anyone has the full aircheck or any from that time, please send them my way. I would so appreciate the memories. Thanks!
Uh Steve Renel Is Her Real Name & Her Last Name Was Lewis.