KJAQ

KJAQ (96.5 FM) is a commercial radio station located in Seattle, Washington. KJAQ airs an adult hits music format branded as "Jack FM". KJAQ broadcasts on a frequency of 96.5 mHz with an ERP of 52,000 watts through a transmitter near Issaquah, Washington on Tiger Mountain, and operates from studios in Seattle near Lake Union.

History

What is now KJAQ signed on the air in 1959 as KLSN, an instrumental music station broadcasting from the University Village shopping center. From the early 1970s (employing the quadraphonic sound for a short time) until 1977, the station's format was R&B as KYAC with the tagline "The Soul of the Sound." In 1977, the call letters switched to KYYX and ran as a Top-40 station until late 1982, when the station shifted to new wave and adding an emphasis on newer music. The station was called "96.5 The Wave" and featured radio personalities Mike "Beaver" Bell, Damien, Stephen Rabow, John Langan, and Van Johnson. The station's moniker was "The Rock of The 80s". On March 26, 1984, the call letters and format changed yet again, this time to enter the popular, yet crowded, soft AC format as KKMI. The station shifted to "Quality Hits KQ-96" as KQKT in 1985. Early in 1987, 96.5 flipped to KXRX, a personality-driven album rock station featuring Robin & Maynard in morning drive, Larry Snyder mid-days, Crow & West in afternoon drive, Beau Roberts in evenings, and Scott Vanderpool in overnights.