KOOL 98.3 REFINES FORMAT FOR LISTENERS
Jerry BlavatWith a firm commitment to programming that’s both live and local seven days a week, Kool 98.3 (WTKU-FM) will re-launch August 1st, with a refined format of hit songs from the 1960s through the ‘80s played by a lineup of personalities whose names and voices are familiar to radio listeners in southern New Jersey and throughout the Delaware Valley, station officials announced today.
“Our goal is to position Kool 98.3 as South Jersey’s Greatest Hits Station among all age groups,” said Dave Coskey, president of Longport Media, LLC., which purchased Kool 98.3 along with four other local radio stations in May.
Paul Kelly, a respected broadcasting executive with extensive experience both as a programmer and behind the microphone, has been named Director of Operations for Longport Media and will oversee the development and rollout of the changes, Coskey added.
“One of our primary goals in creating the new format for Kool was to offer our listeners programming and a playlist that’s compelling,” Kelly said. “We want to become the station that people look forward to listening to not just during the work-week but on weekends, too.”
Kool 98.3’s new format will include an all-star team of area disc jockeys and on-air talent who are among the region’s most respected and recognizable radio personalities and who have entertained radio audiences for decades.
The Kool 98.3 Morning Wake Up with Dave & Tina is the perfect way to start your day - with a smile on your face. David Allen Pratt has been a part of South Jersey radio for over 20 years with his unique brand of humor and an uncanny knack for making his listeners a big part of his show. Now, Dave’s going back where he came from: To mornings on Kool 98.3. Count on Dave to bring a fresh and funny slant on the pertinent happenings of the day, like which celebrity was arrested the night before, or who Hugh Hefner's next special gal will be! Tina Owen, another South Jersey radio veteran and daughter of regional radio great Al Owen, joins Dave in the studio with updates on the local news everyone is talking about, plus a female perspective on Dave’s antics! Also featured on Morning Wake Up with Dave & Tina will be NBC40 chief meteorologist Dan Skeldon's exclusive weather forecasts, great prizes and giveaways. And we’ll wrap all of this around South Jersey’s Greatest Hits, all designed to get you up and going!
During the midday hours, seasoned radio veteran Jennifer Scott returns to KOOL weekdays from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Scott’s voice is as comfortable as an old friend - perfect for getting you through your work day.
Taking the reigns during the weekday afternoon drive from 3 p.m. to 7 p.m. is Jackson T. Chase, one of the area’s most recognized and familiar voices. Chase made his local radio debut in 1971 as the morning drive personality on WMID - The Jersey Giant - which was the region’s premier station of its time. Chase has enjoyed a long career in the market and remains one of the most trusted voices in South Jersey radio.
Finally, one of the most iconic figures in the history of Delaware Valley radio wraps up each weekday. Jerry Blavat, the legendary “Geator with the Heator,” slides behind the microphone and brings his inimitable style and encyclopedic knowledge of music to Kool 98.3 Monday through Friday from 7 p.m. to 9 p.m.
On weekends, Kool 98.3 is committed to offering a lineup that’s as strong as its weekdays, Kelly emphasized.
“So many stations have given up on live programming on weekends,” he said. “Yet weekends are when we have the most visitors in South Jersey. It’s when we’re out running errands, going to the beach or taking care of things around the house. We consider the weekends every bit as important as weekdays.”
To that end, KOOL 98.3 has recruited Dick Fennessy, whose resume includes stints at Philadelphia’s 1970s powerhouse WFIL along with stations at the Jersey Shore, to anchor Saturday and Sunday from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Then Mike Bowe, who spent more than 25 years as the morning and afternoon drive-time host on Philadelphia’s WMGK, will take the 2 p.m. to 7 p.m. shift.
“We’re reuniting Mike and Dick with the music that they know best,” Kelly added. “Their familiar voices and upbeat styles will be a welcome addition to everyone’s weekend.”
Kool 98.3’s listeners will wake up to another familiar voice every Saturday morning. After an extended side trip into the business world, Kim Martin returns to the South Jersey airwaves Saturday from 6 a.m. to 10 a.m. with her casual and conversational style.
And on the first Sunday of every month, from 7 p.m. to 9 p.m., another voice and face familiar to Delaware Valley radio and television audiences will see his broadcasting career come full circle. Atlantic City native Tom Lamaine, whose media career began at WOND in the early 1960s, will revive “Tom Lamaine’s Memory Lane,” the show that launched his radio career and continued when he took the program to WIP radio in Philadelphia in the late 1960s. Lamaine went on to enjoy a long career at KYW-TV CBS3’s “Eyewitness News” in Philadelphia, where he became the market’s first professional meteorologist to anchor the weather until his retirement from television last year.
Add national music hit-maker Casey Kasem’s American Top 40 Countdown The 70’s to the weekend line-up and its clear Kool 98.3’s weekends are just as powerful and entertaining as weekdays.
Kool 98.3 listeners will also hear ‘round-the-clock weather forecasts from meteorologist Dan Skeldon, whose reports will include daily beach reports with the UV tanning index, water temperatures, wave conditions and tide schedules - all the essentials for the well-prepared beach-goer. Boaters will also hear Skeldon’s marine forecasts and boating forecasts for local waters, too.
Additionally, Kool 98.3 will feature Curtain Call entertainment reports by Emmy-award winning journalist David Spatz, whose one-minute updates offer the inside scoop on entertainment in Atlantic City and throughout the region. It’s the go-to source for those looking to plan their week.
All of the programming will be wrapped around local headlines to create region’s most comprehensive radio source for information and entertainment.
“When we re-launch Kool 98.3, everyone from local residents to South Jersey visitors can tune in seven days a week and hear live and local content from some of the leading on-air personalities in our region,” Kelly said. “We’re going to be the most entertaining radio station in South Jersey.”
The KOOL 98.3 Line-Up
(Effective 8/1/11)
Monday through Friday
6a-10a KOOL 98.3’s Morning Wake-up with Dave & Tina
10a-3p Mid-days with Jennifer Scott
3p-7p Jackson T Chase
7p-9p Jerry Blavat
Saturdays
6a-10a Kim Martin
10a-2p Dick Fennessy
2p-7p Mike Bowe
7p-9p Jackson T Chase
9p-11p Jerry Blavat
Sundays
6a-7a The Beatle Years
7a-10a Casey Kasem’s American Top 40 the 70’s
10a-2p Dick Fennessy
2p-7p Mike Bowe
7P-9P Tom Lamaine’s Memory Lane (first Sunday of each month)
ABOUT LONGPORT MEDIA LLC.
Formed in May 2011, Longport Media, LLC, is a communications company owned and operated by investors from the Atlantic City and greater southern New Jersey area. Longport Media is committed to presenting quality programming that is informative, entertaining and provocative. There is a strong commitment to serve our community as responsible neighbors in part by giving a voice to non-profit groups and community organizations. Longport Media took control of radio stations WOND, WMGM, WTKU, WWAC and WBSS on May 13, 2011. Collectively, our stations inform and entertain virtually every demographic in southern South Jersey. These five stations are now programmed and broadcast live 24-hours a day from Green Broadcast Plaza in Linwood, N.J.
“Our goal is to position Kool 98.3 as South Jersey’s Greatest Hits Station among all age groups,” said Dave Coskey, president of Longport Media, LLC., which purchased Kool 98.3 along with four other local radio stations in May.
Paul Kelly, a respected broadcasting executive with extensive experience both as a programmer and behind the microphone, has been named Director of Operations for Longport Media and will oversee the development and rollout of the changes, Coskey added.
“One of our primary goals in creating the new format for Kool was to offer our listeners programming and a playlist that’s compelling,” Kelly said. “We want to become the station that people look forward to listening to not just during the work-week but on weekends, too.”
Kool 98.3’s new format will include an all-star team of area disc jockeys and on-air talent who are among the region’s most respected and recognizable radio personalities and who have entertained radio audiences for decades.
The Kool 98.3 Morning Wake Up with Dave & Tina is the perfect way to start your day - with a smile on your face. David Allen Pratt has been a part of South Jersey radio for over 20 years with his unique brand of humor and an uncanny knack for making his listeners a big part of his show. Now, Dave’s going back where he came from: To mornings on Kool 98.3. Count on Dave to bring a fresh and funny slant on the pertinent happenings of the day, like which celebrity was arrested the night before, or who Hugh Hefner's next special gal will be! Tina Owen, another South Jersey radio veteran and daughter of regional radio great Al Owen, joins Dave in the studio with updates on the local news everyone is talking about, plus a female perspective on Dave’s antics! Also featured on Morning Wake Up with Dave & Tina will be NBC40 chief meteorologist Dan Skeldon's exclusive weather forecasts, great prizes and giveaways. And we’ll wrap all of this around South Jersey’s Greatest Hits, all designed to get you up and going!
During the midday hours, seasoned radio veteran Jennifer Scott returns to KOOL weekdays from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Scott’s voice is as comfortable as an old friend - perfect for getting you through your work day.
Taking the reigns during the weekday afternoon drive from 3 p.m. to 7 p.m. is Jackson T. Chase, one of the area’s most recognized and familiar voices. Chase made his local radio debut in 1971 as the morning drive personality on WMID - The Jersey Giant - which was the region’s premier station of its time. Chase has enjoyed a long career in the market and remains one of the most trusted voices in South Jersey radio.
Finally, one of the most iconic figures in the history of Delaware Valley radio wraps up each weekday. Jerry Blavat, the legendary “Geator with the Heator,” slides behind the microphone and brings his inimitable style and encyclopedic knowledge of music to Kool 98.3 Monday through Friday from 7 p.m. to 9 p.m.
On weekends, Kool 98.3 is committed to offering a lineup that’s as strong as its weekdays, Kelly emphasized.
“So many stations have given up on live programming on weekends,” he said. “Yet weekends are when we have the most visitors in South Jersey. It’s when we’re out running errands, going to the beach or taking care of things around the house. We consider the weekends every bit as important as weekdays.”
To that end, KOOL 98.3 has recruited Dick Fennessy, whose resume includes stints at Philadelphia’s 1970s powerhouse WFIL along with stations at the Jersey Shore, to anchor Saturday and Sunday from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Then Mike Bowe, who spent more than 25 years as the morning and afternoon drive-time host on Philadelphia’s WMGK, will take the 2 p.m. to 7 p.m. shift.
“We’re reuniting Mike and Dick with the music that they know best,” Kelly added. “Their familiar voices and upbeat styles will be a welcome addition to everyone’s weekend.”
Kool 98.3’s listeners will wake up to another familiar voice every Saturday morning. After an extended side trip into the business world, Kim Martin returns to the South Jersey airwaves Saturday from 6 a.m. to 10 a.m. with her casual and conversational style.
And on the first Sunday of every month, from 7 p.m. to 9 p.m., another voice and face familiar to Delaware Valley radio and television audiences will see his broadcasting career come full circle. Atlantic City native Tom Lamaine, whose media career began at WOND in the early 1960s, will revive “Tom Lamaine’s Memory Lane,” the show that launched his radio career and continued when he took the program to WIP radio in Philadelphia in the late 1960s. Lamaine went on to enjoy a long career at KYW-TV CBS3’s “Eyewitness News” in Philadelphia, where he became the market’s first professional meteorologist to anchor the weather until his retirement from television last year.
Add national music hit-maker Casey Kasem’s American Top 40 Countdown The 70’s to the weekend line-up and its clear Kool 98.3’s weekends are just as powerful and entertaining as weekdays.
Kool 98.3 listeners will also hear ‘round-the-clock weather forecasts from meteorologist Dan Skeldon, whose reports will include daily beach reports with the UV tanning index, water temperatures, wave conditions and tide schedules - all the essentials for the well-prepared beach-goer. Boaters will also hear Skeldon’s marine forecasts and boating forecasts for local waters, too.
Additionally, Kool 98.3 will feature Curtain Call entertainment reports by Emmy-award winning journalist David Spatz, whose one-minute updates offer the inside scoop on entertainment in Atlantic City and throughout the region. It’s the go-to source for those looking to plan their week.
All of the programming will be wrapped around local headlines to create region’s most comprehensive radio source for information and entertainment.
“When we re-launch Kool 98.3, everyone from local residents to South Jersey visitors can tune in seven days a week and hear live and local content from some of the leading on-air personalities in our region,” Kelly said. “We’re going to be the most entertaining radio station in South Jersey.”
The KOOL 98.3 Line-Up
(Effective 8/1/11)
Monday through Friday
6a-10a KOOL 98.3’s Morning Wake-up with Dave & Tina
10a-3p Mid-days with Jennifer Scott
3p-7p Jackson T Chase
7p-9p Jerry Blavat
Saturdays
6a-10a Kim Martin
10a-2p Dick Fennessy
2p-7p Mike Bowe
7p-9p Jackson T Chase
9p-11p Jerry Blavat
Sundays
6a-7a The Beatle Years
7a-10a Casey Kasem’s American Top 40 the 70’s
10a-2p Dick Fennessy
2p-7p Mike Bowe
7P-9P Tom Lamaine’s Memory Lane (first Sunday of each month)
ABOUT LONGPORT MEDIA LLC.
Formed in May 2011, Longport Media, LLC, is a communications company owned and operated by investors from the Atlantic City and greater southern New Jersey area. Longport Media is committed to presenting quality programming that is informative, entertaining and provocative. There is a strong commitment to serve our community as responsible neighbors in part by giving a voice to non-profit groups and community organizations. Longport Media took control of radio stations WOND, WMGM, WTKU, WWAC and WBSS on May 13, 2011. Collectively, our stations inform and entertain virtually every demographic in southern South Jersey. These five stations are now programmed and broadcast live 24-hours a day from Green Broadcast Plaza in Linwood, N.J.
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