KLYT
Encyclopedia
KLYT is a radio station
broadcasting a Christian rock
format. Licensed to Albuquerque, New Mexico
, USA, the station serves the New Mexico area. The station is currently owned by Calvary Chapel of Albuquerque, Inc. Marketed as "Static Radio," the station's format targets listeners ranging from middle school through college with a mix of Christian rock, pop and hip hop. The station is heard via its main transmitter atop Sandia Peak
, throughout New Mexico and portions of southern Colorado through a network of 15 translators, and around the world via Internet streaming.
KLYT signed on the air in 1975 with a light contemporary Christian music format under the auspices of the newly formed Christian Broadcasting Academy. The vision of CBA founders, including Rev. Raymond Franks of Albuquerque's Evangel Temple Assembly of God, Paul Lehrman as Program manager, and Dave Briggs as Chief Engineer, was to train Christians for careers in secular and religious broadcasting.
The station went on the air with a 24 hours/7 days a week format, even though there were originally only 6 or 7 disc jockeys to man the studio. Mike Haverland, Donna Neff, Jeff Simon, Ron Parks, and John Duffy played records, made Christian message spots on 8 track cartridges and gleaned news from the Albuquerque newspapers for broadcast. In the beginning, KLYT was commercial free and the staff largely unpaid. Early brochures show CBA students working with television cameras and in the radio station. KLYT-FM was licensed by the FCC as a non-profit, educational outlet for CBA, and volunteers operating the station were drawn directly from its classes. John Duffy was among the first paid staff members for the station, which only broadcast only a few miles over Albuquerque's Northeast area at the time.
The Emert Experiment
Good Friday, 1978 marked the first major turning point for the young station. A University of Texas graduate and New York City broadcaster named Victor R. Emert was introduced to the KLYT staff as the new General Manager. He had recently resigned as Executive Director of Drug Addicts Recovery Enterprises, a local, faith-based substance abuse treatment center for heroin addicts. Among the discussion topics during Emert's introductory staff meeting was the desire by the announcers to play the growing supply of rock, country and blues-based "Jesus Music" produced by artists such as Resurrection Band
, Michael Omartian
, Randy Stonehill
and Larry Norman
. Emert enthusiastically agreed to guide them in building the station into the premier "Christian Rock" station in the country. During this period, the station also helped book live performances by bands such a Mustard Seed Faith, Parable, Keith Green
, 2nd Chapter of Acts
and Phil Keaggy
, whose records were a staple of KLYT programming.
Within a year, the station had a new Board of Directors. It also had a new transmitter located high above the city on Sandia Peak, thanks to a daring one day adventure carried out by Dave Briggs and Jeff Simon. The new transmitter expanded KLYT's listening range from 10 to 100 miles. The studios moved to new facilities on Eubank Avenue.
Over the next few years, Christian rock began to play a larger role in KLYT's playlist, culminating with the launch of the "Christian Oriented Rock" (C.O.R.) format in 1982. Under the leadership of Emert, Program Director Rudy Grande and Production Director Mike Scott the station emerged as an influential force on Albuquerque's religious scene and on the national Christian broadcasting scene. KLYT was named "Contemporary Christian Radio Station of the Year" in 1983 by the Gospel Music Association.
Through a partnership with Mountaintop Promotions, KLYT brought in monthly concerts by emerging Christian rock artists such as Keith Green
, Randy Matthews
, Daniel Amos
, Petra
, DeGarmo and Key
, and other key players in the burgeoning Christian music industry. Students at area public schools would often hear KLYT during lunchtime in the school cafeteria as it was played in rotation with popular non-religious music stations.
The station's playlist during this period reflected a growing trend among artists that had already achieved fame in the secular music arena. Bob Dylan's albums were a mainstay (a very large poster for Dylan's Infidels LP filled the wall of Emert's office). KLYT listeners during the early 1980s also heard a broad range of Christian groups and solo artists that had hits on secular stations across the dial. Among them were Donna Summer
, Michael McDonald
(Doobie Brothers, Steely Dan
), Kerry Livgren
(Kansas
), Mark Farner (Grand Funk Railroad
), Philip Bailey
(Earth Wind & Fire), Al Green
, Dan Peek (America
), along with New Wave bands U2
, After the Fire
and Kajagoogoo
. Each of these artists crossing over from the secular realm had their Christian music channeled and tracked through the religious music industry. However, there was debate among the station's leadership on whether the station should play music from groups at the edge of the Christian music scene, including U2
and Vinyl Confessions
-era Kansas
. Though some of these groups never made the airwaves, KLYT released positive music reviews of their albums and discussions of the topic in the station's monthly newspaper, the Sonlyght Special.
In addition to KLYT's music programming, listeners were also offered teaching programs. This included the "Rock and Religion" program produced in Sacramento, California and hosted by Mary Neely (Mike Roe of 77's fame was a young producer on the show). Other shows included "The Glory of Man," hosted by Joyce Emert, the general manager's wife and a highly regarded professor of English and Religious Studies at the University of New Mexico
.1 Emert, Duffy, Grande, Scott and others also taught classes in broadcasting at the parent CBA.
During this period, the bulk of the station's disk jockeys came from CBA's basic broadcasting class. Many aspiring broadcasters were able to obtain their Third Class Radio Operator's Permit through the CBA class, and gained valuable on-air experience hosting programs and producing shows for the station. The station also grew in stature within the Christian music industry, becoming a leader in youth-oriented music formatting and the development of relationships between the station's management and prominent artists.
A Time of Uncertainty
By the mid-1980s the station began to experience trouble. KLYT's programming veered away from its roots as a Christian music station. Attempts to rebrand KLYT as a "positive" music station without a distinctly religious orientation were not well received by KLYT's listener and contributor base. Vic and Joyce Emert's marriage dissolved during this period. The net result was that the ministry's financial support base severely diminished between 1985 and 1986, bringing on the danger of bankruptcy.
With the departure of Emert, Grande and other core members of the staff, the station's board was left to make critical decision regarding the future of KLYT and CBA. An interim program director was appointed, and the station struggled to meet the paychecks of the diminishing staff. The board made the decision to attempt a revival of the station, focusing on what it was best known for, youth-oriented Christian music programming.
The Rich Administration
In 1986, CBA's board of directors elevated member Randy Rich to General Manager. Rich had served on the board since 1982, and had previously managed another Christian radio station in Albuquerque, KKIM-AM. However, Rich's claim to fame was his experience as an NFL player. After playing for the University of New Mexico Lobos, he went on to a career with several professional teams, including the Cleveland Browns
, Detroit Lions
and the Denver Broncos
. Rich played the position of safety in the 1978 Super Bowl
between the Broncos and Dallas Cowboys
.2
To help facilitate KLYT's recovery, Rich brought on Tucson talk show and sports host Mark Gilman (KNST) to head up programming and host the morning show, as well as develop a new high school sports broadcasting ministry.
The High on Sports program became Albuquerque's best-known high school sports show, and included coverage of the state playoffs at least three nights a week. The concept was that the sports programming was a sure-fire way to be on campus every week, giving KLYT better access for ministry to youth. It was also designed to encourage students and parents to check out KLYTs non-sports programming in other dayparts.3 High on Sports also became a great source of grant revenue for the station. However, Gilman attributed the brutal schedule between his sports and morning show on-air duties as a factor in his divorce in 1988.
KLYT-sponsored concerts rebounded in the late-80's. The station's management regarded them as a particularly effective outreach for young people. Though popular and successful, there were some infamous highlights including outdoor concerts with Degarmo and Key during a 80 mile-per-hour windstorm, and a Daniel Amos
concert overlooking a malfunctioning, "pea-green soup" waterpark pool (D.A. lead-singer Terry Scott Taylor
refers the show as one of the worst concert experiences of his life). More successful concerts (Bryan Duncan
, Kenny Marks
, Kim Boyce, Resurrection Band
) renewed the events as a hallmark of the KLYT legacy.
However, as KLYT regained ministry ground externally, Gilman decided to leave due to an inability to meet the schedule demands. Other stable and popular programs remained such as The Calvary Connection and All-Request Fridays with Dave Warner. Eventually, another Tucson import named Tom Terry (KVOI) was brought in to take over operations and programming.
Later, Rich brought aboard popular KOB-FM
personalty Peter Benson as Program Director and Heidi Chavez as Sales Director, along with and other key staff members as the station continued to strengthen its ministry. As vinyl records
gave way to compact discs
, KLYT regained its stature in Albuquerque's Evangelical
community, and CBA expanded into areas such as concert promotion and magazine publishing.
Musical Evolution
The playlist under Rich's management held even more strictly to what was distributed Christian music labels, which were now operating within the framework of a mature music promotion and distribution industry. Rich's first move was to eliminate many of the secular crossover musicians from the play list, and out went Bob Dylan and U2 due to their wishy washy approach to their faith. This move was met with some outspoken opposition from some of the volunteers at the station. KLYT's new format was christened CHR, or "Christian Hit Music" as a counterpart to secular "Contemporary Hit Music" and "Top 40" pop stations along the dial.
In 1988, KLYT's stable of volunteer disc jockeys were clamoring for changes in the playlist. These concerns mirrored the cries for movement toward edgier Christian music that were discussed more than a decade earlier, and were a running theme throughout the history of the station. The station's management responded to these concerns by introducing a number of specialty shows catering to specific audiences. This included a Rap and Hip Hop show, a Christian rock "oldies" program and others.
Perhaps the most popular show in this lineup, Light as a Rock, was launched by Pete McConnell in the summer of 1988 as an outlet for Christian heavy metal, thrash and alternative music. This show became the bane of the station's management over McConnell's lack of desire to follow a playlist. The show soared in popularity among Christian heavy metal fans in Albuquerque. Later re-named G-Rock, the show gave a radio outlet to many Christian bands pushing the religious music envelope. Under McConnell's, and later Walter Ratliff
's, leadership, the show played early underground and independent recordings by up and coming artists and groups that would go on to wider success, including Moby
, Sixpence None the Richer
and Over the Rhine.
Expanding Ministry
As changes were underway in KLYT's programming, CBA boosted its presence in the community by expanding beyond radio programming. Most significantly, it launched the magazine Cutting Edge, a monthly current issues magazine in January 1991.
CBA also purchased a unique travelling concert stage dubbed "Swing Shift." This full-size mobile stage unfolded from a semi-tractor trailer bed, and allowed Christian music concerts and other events to be held by CBA throughout the state. Swing Shift bolstered KLYT's presence in towns throughout New Mexico as the station began transmitting to much of the state. Eventually, KLYT's signal was re-transmitted to nearly all of New Mexico's population centers. KLYT had grown from an Albuquerque radio station to a statewide media phenomenon.
Politics and Religion
A characteristic of KLYT and CBA's peripheral ministries during the early 1990s was the emphasis on conservative politics. Terry offered commentary segments during KLYT's morning show, and offered socially conservative articles as the Editor of CBA's Cutting Edge Magazine. This included articles critical of local legislation on adult bookstores, the problem of street gangs in the city, and reaction to the 1991 Gulf War. After Terry's departure, the magazine took a hard-right turn under the editorship of Deswood Tome, and was shut down by CBA management in 1997.
International Outreach
The Christian Broadcasting Academy also embarked on international reach. In 1992, a radio ministry associated with Campus Crusade for Christ
contacted CBA's management about programming Christian music for the Middle East. After and initial trip to Egypt by Randy Rich and members of the KLYT board of directors, Operations manager Tom Terry and Asst. Music Director Walter Ratliff traveled to the Middle East to conduct focus groups with area church leaders. Though plans for a KLYT-modeled radio broadcast via Radio Monaco never came to fruition, the project launched the international broadcasting careers of Terry and Ratliff.
The Calvary Chapel Era 2001–Present
KLYT and the Christian Broadcasting Academy were thrown into crisis again in 1999. During this year, CBA was in good financial shape, and the community's support of the station was as strong as ever. However, the failure of Randy Rich's marriage cast the operation's future into uncertainty, just as Emert's divorce had done 15 years earlier. (The station's General Manager was also the de facto chief fundraiser for the ministry.) Despite Rich's departure, KLYT retained strong support across New Mexico's Christian community. One month after his resignation, the station's annual on-air fundraising campaign exceeded its goals, and CBA/KLYT had a healthy savings and projected budget for the following year.
Even with the show of continued community support, Paul Saber, chairman of the Christian Broadcasting Academy's board (as well as a member of Calvary Chapel of Albuquerque's board), spearheaded an effort to have KLYT and its assets "gifted" to the Calvary Chapel of Albuquerque. In 2000, Saber also sold off his Albuquerque McDonald's
restaurant franchises, and eventually moved to San Diego, California.
Non-Calvary members of the board were in the minority during the station's transfer process. A number of local Christian leaders lamented the single-church takeover of a station that had operated for 25 years by a network of Evangelical churches from a variety of denominations. The Christian Broadcasting Academy was dissolved, and Calvary-Albuquerque took over KLYT and its network of translators on January 1, 2001.
KLYT's facilities were combined with those of the church's commercial radio station, KNKT-FM (107.1). The staff was reduced over time, and automation increasingly replaced live announcers in most dayparts. KLYT's Peter Benson stayed on as a talk show host on KNKT and in programming the new KLYT, dubbed M88. By 2005, KLYT alumni Steve Reimann had rejoined the station's staff, and The Echoing Green
's Joey Belville joined as music and special events director.
Later, KLYT's ownership by Calvary-Albuquerque became a key component of a pastoral shakeup at the church. In 2004, Calvary pastor Skip Heitzig left the church he founded to return to California. His hand-picked successor, Pete Nelson, later claimed Heitzig asked to have KLYT's ownership transferred to a corporation controlled by Heitzig. This transfer was voted down by local members of Calvary-Albuquerque's board.4
Since its transfer, KLYT's funding has come from the church's tithing and donations, as well as from the sale of merchandise related to Heitzig and the network of Calvary Chapel
churches around the country. The station also runs a limited number of grant announcements from companies around Albuquerque that donate to the station.
Despite the occasional turmoil throughout KLYT's three decades of youth-oriented radio programming, the station has maintained a strong standing in New Mexico's Evangelical community. It is often cited as one of the longest lasting stations of its kind, and has been periodically recognized by the Gospel Music Association
and the National Religious Broadcasters
association.
On June 27, 2011 KLYT shifted its format to Christian rock, rebranded as "Static Radio".
Radio station
Radio broadcasting is a one-way wireless transmission over radio waves intended to reach a wide audience. Stations can be linked in radio networks to broadcast a common radio format, either in broadcast syndication or simulcast or both...
broadcasting a Christian rock
Christian rock
Christian rock is a form of rock music played by individuals and bands whose members are Christians and who often focus the lyrics on matters concerned with the Christian faith. The extent to which their lyrics are explicitly Christian varies between bands...
format. Licensed to Albuquerque, New Mexico
Albuquerque, New Mexico
Albuquerque is the largest city in the state of New Mexico, United States. It is the county seat of Bernalillo County and is situated in the central part of the state, straddling the Rio Grande. The city population was 545,852 as of the 2010 Census and ranks as the 32nd-largest city in the U.S. As...
, USA, the station serves the New Mexico area. The station is currently owned by Calvary Chapel of Albuquerque, Inc. Marketed as "Static Radio," the station's format targets listeners ranging from middle school through college with a mix of Christian rock, pop and hip hop. The station is heard via its main transmitter atop Sandia Peak
Sandia Mountains
The Sandia Mountains name posu gai hoo-oo, "where water slides down arroyo") are a mountain range located in Bernalillo and Sandoval counties, immediately to the east of the city of Albuquerque in New Mexico in the southwestern United States. The range is largely within the Cibola National...
, throughout New Mexico and portions of southern Colorado through a network of 15 translators, and around the world via Internet streaming.
History
The Christian Broadcasting Academy Era 1975-2001KLYT signed on the air in 1975 with a light contemporary Christian music format under the auspices of the newly formed Christian Broadcasting Academy. The vision of CBA founders, including Rev. Raymond Franks of Albuquerque's Evangel Temple Assembly of God, Paul Lehrman as Program manager, and Dave Briggs as Chief Engineer, was to train Christians for careers in secular and religious broadcasting.
The station went on the air with a 24 hours/7 days a week format, even though there were originally only 6 or 7 disc jockeys to man the studio. Mike Haverland, Donna Neff, Jeff Simon, Ron Parks, and John Duffy played records, made Christian message spots on 8 track cartridges and gleaned news from the Albuquerque newspapers for broadcast. In the beginning, KLYT was commercial free and the staff largely unpaid. Early brochures show CBA students working with television cameras and in the radio station. KLYT-FM was licensed by the FCC as a non-profit, educational outlet for CBA, and volunteers operating the station were drawn directly from its classes. John Duffy was among the first paid staff members for the station, which only broadcast only a few miles over Albuquerque's Northeast area at the time.
The Emert Experiment
Good Friday, 1978 marked the first major turning point for the young station. A University of Texas graduate and New York City broadcaster named Victor R. Emert was introduced to the KLYT staff as the new General Manager. He had recently resigned as Executive Director of Drug Addicts Recovery Enterprises, a local, faith-based substance abuse treatment center for heroin addicts. Among the discussion topics during Emert's introductory staff meeting was the desire by the announcers to play the growing supply of rock, country and blues-based "Jesus Music" produced by artists such as Resurrection Band
Resurrection Band
Resurrection Band, also known as Rez Band or REZ, was a Christian rock band formed in 1972. They were part of the Jesus People USA Christian community in Chicago and most of its members have continued in that community to this day. Known for their blend of blues-rock and hard rock, Resurrection...
, Michael Omartian
Michael Omartian
Michael Omartian is an Armenian-American singer-songwriter, keyboardist, and music producer. He has been a participant in over 350,000,000 albums and CD’s sold worldwide, as a producer, arranger, artist or musician, during a career that has spanned over 38 years...
, Randy Stonehill
Randy Stonehill
Randall Evan "Randy" Stonehill is an American singer-songwriter from Stockton, California, best known as one of the so-called "fathers of contemporary Christian music". His music is primarily folk rock in the style of James Taylor, but he has assayed other styles, with various albums focused on...
and Larry Norman
Larry Norman
Larry David Norman was an American Christian musician, singer, songwriter, record label owner, and record producer, who worked with Christian rock music...
. Emert enthusiastically agreed to guide them in building the station into the premier "Christian Rock" station in the country. During this period, the station also helped book live performances by bands such a Mustard Seed Faith, Parable, Keith Green
Keith Green
Keith Gordon Green was an American gospel singer, songwriter, musician, and Contemporary Christian Music artist originally from Sheepshead Bay, Brooklyn, New York. Beyond his music, Green is best known for his strong devotion to Christian evangelism and challenging others to the same...
, 2nd Chapter of Acts
2nd Chapter of Acts
The 2nd Chapter of Acts was a Jesus Music and early Contemporary Christian Music group composed of sisters Annie Herring and Nelly Greisen and brother Matthew Ward. They began performing in 1973 and enjoyed their period of greatest success during the 1970s...
and Phil Keaggy
Phil Keaggy
Phil Keaggy is an American acoustic and electric guitarist and vocalist who has released more than 50 albums and contributed to many more recordings in both the contemporary Christian music and mainstream markets...
, whose records were a staple of KLYT programming.
Within a year, the station had a new Board of Directors. It also had a new transmitter located high above the city on Sandia Peak, thanks to a daring one day adventure carried out by Dave Briggs and Jeff Simon. The new transmitter expanded KLYT's listening range from 10 to 100 miles. The studios moved to new facilities on Eubank Avenue.
Over the next few years, Christian rock began to play a larger role in KLYT's playlist, culminating with the launch of the "Christian Oriented Rock" (C.O.R.) format in 1982. Under the leadership of Emert, Program Director Rudy Grande and Production Director Mike Scott the station emerged as an influential force on Albuquerque's religious scene and on the national Christian broadcasting scene. KLYT was named "Contemporary Christian Radio Station of the Year" in 1983 by the Gospel Music Association.
Through a partnership with Mountaintop Promotions, KLYT brought in monthly concerts by emerging Christian rock artists such as Keith Green
Keith Green
Keith Gordon Green was an American gospel singer, songwriter, musician, and Contemporary Christian Music artist originally from Sheepshead Bay, Brooklyn, New York. Beyond his music, Green is best known for his strong devotion to Christian evangelism and challenging others to the same...
, Randy Matthews
Randy Matthews
Randy Matthews is a Christian singer-songwriter, guitarist, and pioneer of Jesus music. He was born into a family with at least five ordained ministers, including his father, Monty, a founding member of the Jordanaires. When Randy was in high school in Lamar, Mo., he sang in a quartet called The...
, Daniel Amos
Daniel Amos
Daniel Amos is a rock band formed in 1974 by Terry Scott Taylor on guitars and vocals, Marty Dieckmeyer on bass guitar, Steve Baxter on guitars and Jerry Chamberlain on lead guitars. Current members include bassist Tim Chandler, guitarist Greg Flesch and drummer Ed McTaggart...
, Petra
Petra (band)
Petra is a music group regarded as a pioneer of the Christian rock and contemporary Christian music genres. Formed in 1972, the band took its name from the Greek word for "rock"...
, DeGarmo and Key
DeGarmo and Key
DeGarmo & Key was a Christian Rock group that started professionally in 1978. The primary members were Eddie DeGarmo and Dana Key. Eddie played keyboards and sang background vocals , while Dana played lead guitar and did the majority of the lead vocals. Other members included Tommy Cathey on bass...
, and other key players in the burgeoning Christian music industry. Students at area public schools would often hear KLYT during lunchtime in the school cafeteria as it was played in rotation with popular non-religious music stations.
The station's playlist during this period reflected a growing trend among artists that had already achieved fame in the secular music arena. Bob Dylan's albums were a mainstay (a very large poster for Dylan's Infidels LP filled the wall of Emert's office). KLYT listeners during the early 1980s also heard a broad range of Christian groups and solo artists that had hits on secular stations across the dial. Among them were Donna Summer
Donna Summer
LaDonna Adrian Gaines , known by her stage name, Donna Summer, is an American singer/songwriter who gained prominence during the disco era of the 1970s. She has a mezzo-soprano vocal range. Summer is a five-time Grammy winner and was the first artist to have three consecutive double albums reach...
, Michael McDonald
Michael McDonald (singer)
Michael McDonald is a five-time Grammy Award winning American singer and songwriter. McDonald is known for a soulful baritone singing style and a multi-octave range. He began his career singing back-up vocals with Steely Dan...
(Doobie Brothers, Steely Dan
Steely Dan
Steely Dan is an American rock band; its core members are Donald Fagen and Walter Becker. The band's popularity peaked in the late 1970s, with the release of seven albums blending elements of jazz, rock, funk, R&B, and pop...
), Kerry Livgren
Kerry Livgren
Kerry Allen Livgren is an American musician and songwriter, best known as one of the founding members and primary songwriters for the 1970s progressive rock band, Kansas.-Biography:...
(Kansas
Kansas (band)
Kansas is an American rock band that became popular in the 1970s initially on Album-Oriented Rock charts, and later with hit singles such as "Carry On Wayward Son" and "Dust in the Wind"...
), Mark Farner (Grand Funk Railroad
Grand Funk Railroad
Grand Funk Railroad is an American rock band that was highly popular during the 1970s. Grand Funk Railroad toured constantly to packed arenas worldwide. A popular take on the band during its heyday was that, although the critics hated them, audiences loved them...
), Philip Bailey
Philip Bailey
Philip Irvin Bailey is an American R&B, soul, gospel and funk singer, songwriter, percussionist and actor, best known as one of the longtime members of Earth, Wind & Fire. Together with Verdine White, B. David Whitworth, and Ralph Johnson he forms the heart of the current EWF line-up on...
(Earth Wind & Fire), Al Green
Al Green
Albert Greene , better known as Al Green, is an American gospel and soul music singer. He reached the peak of his popularity in the 1970s, with hit singles such as "You Oughta Be With Me", "I'm Still In Love With You", "Love and Happiness", and "Let's Stay Together"...
, Dan Peek (America
America (band)
America is an English-American folk rock band that originally included members Gerry Beckley, Dewey Bunnell and Dan Peek. The three members were barely out of their teens when they became a musical sensation during 1972, scoring #1 hits and winning a Grammy for best new musical artist...
), along with New Wave bands U2
U2
U2 are an Irish rock band from Dublin. Formed in 1976, the group consists of Bono , The Edge , Adam Clayton , and Larry Mullen, Jr. . U2's early sound was rooted in post-punk but eventually grew to incorporate influences from many genres of popular music...
, After the Fire
After the Fire
After the Fire are a British rock band that progressed from playing progressive rock to new wave over their initial twelve-year career, while having only one hit in the United States, and one hit in the United Kingdom .-Early career:Keyboard player Peter Banks originally formed the band in the...
and Kajagoogoo
Kajagoogoo
Kajagoogoo are a British pop band, best known for their hit single, "Too Shy", which reached No. 1 in the UK Singles Chart and No. 5 on the U.S...
. Each of these artists crossing over from the secular realm had their Christian music channeled and tracked through the religious music industry. However, there was debate among the station's leadership on whether the station should play music from groups at the edge of the Christian music scene, including U2
U2
U2 are an Irish rock band from Dublin. Formed in 1976, the group consists of Bono , The Edge , Adam Clayton , and Larry Mullen, Jr. . U2's early sound was rooted in post-punk but eventually grew to incorporate influences from many genres of popular music...
and Vinyl Confessions
Vinyl Confessions
Vinyl Confessions is the eighth studio album, and ninth album overall, by American rock band Kansas, released in 1982 . The album was reissued in remastered format on CD in 2011.-Background:...
-era Kansas
Kansas (band)
Kansas is an American rock band that became popular in the 1970s initially on Album-Oriented Rock charts, and later with hit singles such as "Carry On Wayward Son" and "Dust in the Wind"...
. Though some of these groups never made the airwaves, KLYT released positive music reviews of their albums and discussions of the topic in the station's monthly newspaper, the Sonlyght Special.
In addition to KLYT's music programming, listeners were also offered teaching programs. This included the "Rock and Religion" program produced in Sacramento, California and hosted by Mary Neely (Mike Roe of 77's fame was a young producer on the show). Other shows included "The Glory of Man," hosted by Joyce Emert, the general manager's wife and a highly regarded professor of English and Religious Studies at the University of New Mexico
University of New Mexico
The University of New Mexico at Albuquerque is a public research university located in Albuquerque, New Mexico, in the United States. It is the state's flagship research institution...
.1 Emert, Duffy, Grande, Scott and others also taught classes in broadcasting at the parent CBA.
During this period, the bulk of the station's disk jockeys came from CBA's basic broadcasting class. Many aspiring broadcasters were able to obtain their Third Class Radio Operator's Permit through the CBA class, and gained valuable on-air experience hosting programs and producing shows for the station. The station also grew in stature within the Christian music industry, becoming a leader in youth-oriented music formatting and the development of relationships between the station's management and prominent artists.
A Time of Uncertainty
By the mid-1980s the station began to experience trouble. KLYT's programming veered away from its roots as a Christian music station. Attempts to rebrand KLYT as a "positive" music station without a distinctly religious orientation were not well received by KLYT's listener and contributor base. Vic and Joyce Emert's marriage dissolved during this period. The net result was that the ministry's financial support base severely diminished between 1985 and 1986, bringing on the danger of bankruptcy.
With the departure of Emert, Grande and other core members of the staff, the station's board was left to make critical decision regarding the future of KLYT and CBA. An interim program director was appointed, and the station struggled to meet the paychecks of the diminishing staff. The board made the decision to attempt a revival of the station, focusing on what it was best known for, youth-oriented Christian music programming.
The Rich Administration
In 1986, CBA's board of directors elevated member Randy Rich to General Manager. Rich had served on the board since 1982, and had previously managed another Christian radio station in Albuquerque, KKIM-AM. However, Rich's claim to fame was his experience as an NFL player. After playing for the University of New Mexico Lobos, he went on to a career with several professional teams, including the Cleveland Browns
Cleveland Browns
The Cleveland Browns are a professional football team based in Cleveland, Ohio. They are currently members of the North Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League...
, Detroit Lions
Detroit Lions
The Detroit Lions are a professional American football team based in Detroit, Michigan. They are members of the North Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League , and play their home games at Ford Field in Downtown Detroit.Originally based in Portsmouth, Ohio and...
and the Denver Broncos
Denver Broncos
The Denver Broncos are a professional American football team based in Denver, Colorado. They are currently members of the West Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League...
. Rich played the position of safety in the 1978 Super Bowl
Super Bowl XII
Super Bowl XII was an American football game played on January 15, 1978 at the Louisiana Superdome in New Orleans, Louisiana to decide the National Football League champion following the 1977 regular season...
between the Broncos and Dallas Cowboys
Dallas Cowboys
The Dallas Cowboys are a professional American football franchise which plays in the Eastern Division of the National Football Conference of the National Football League . They are headquartered in Valley Ranch in Irving, Texas, a suburb of Dallas...
.2
To help facilitate KLYT's recovery, Rich brought on Tucson talk show and sports host Mark Gilman (KNST) to head up programming and host the morning show, as well as develop a new high school sports broadcasting ministry.
The High on Sports program became Albuquerque's best-known high school sports show, and included coverage of the state playoffs at least three nights a week. The concept was that the sports programming was a sure-fire way to be on campus every week, giving KLYT better access for ministry to youth. It was also designed to encourage students and parents to check out KLYTs non-sports programming in other dayparts.3 High on Sports also became a great source of grant revenue for the station. However, Gilman attributed the brutal schedule between his sports and morning show on-air duties as a factor in his divorce in 1988.
KLYT-sponsored concerts rebounded in the late-80's. The station's management regarded them as a particularly effective outreach for young people. Though popular and successful, there were some infamous highlights including outdoor concerts with Degarmo and Key during a 80 mile-per-hour windstorm, and a Daniel Amos
Daniel Amos
Daniel Amos is a rock band formed in 1974 by Terry Scott Taylor on guitars and vocals, Marty Dieckmeyer on bass guitar, Steve Baxter on guitars and Jerry Chamberlain on lead guitars. Current members include bassist Tim Chandler, guitarist Greg Flesch and drummer Ed McTaggart...
concert overlooking a malfunctioning, "pea-green soup" waterpark pool (D.A. lead-singer Terry Scott Taylor
Terry Scott Taylor
Terry Scott Taylor is an American songwriter, record producer, writer and founding member of the bands Daniel Amos and The Swirling Eddies . Taylor is also a member of the roots and alternative music group, Lost Dogs. He is currently based in San Jose, California, USA.Taylor is highly regarded for...
refers the show as one of the worst concert experiences of his life). More successful concerts (Bryan Duncan
Bryan Duncan
Bryan Duncan is an American CCM musician. he is best known for his role in the Sweet Comfort Band and subsequent solo career that, combined, spanned more than twenty-five years...
, Kenny Marks
Kenny Marks
Kenny Marks, born Kenneth Michael Marks, November 6, 1950, Detroit Michigan, has performed on 6 of the 7 continents world-wide over his music career....
, Kim Boyce, Resurrection Band
Resurrection Band
Resurrection Band, also known as Rez Band or REZ, was a Christian rock band formed in 1972. They were part of the Jesus People USA Christian community in Chicago and most of its members have continued in that community to this day. Known for their blend of blues-rock and hard rock, Resurrection...
) renewed the events as a hallmark of the KLYT legacy.
However, as KLYT regained ministry ground externally, Gilman decided to leave due to an inability to meet the schedule demands. Other stable and popular programs remained such as The Calvary Connection and All-Request Fridays with Dave Warner. Eventually, another Tucson import named Tom Terry (KVOI) was brought in to take over operations and programming.
Later, Rich brought aboard popular KOB-FM
KKOB-FM
KKOB-FM, is an FM radio station based in Albuquerque, New Mexico, owned by Cumulus Media. It broadcasts on 93.3 MHz and has a Top 40 format in competition with similar-formatted rival KDLW and Rhythmic Top 40 rivals KKSS and KAGM for listeners in that market....
personalty Peter Benson as Program Director and Heidi Chavez as Sales Director, along with and other key staff members as the station continued to strengthen its ministry. As vinyl records
Gramophone record
A gramophone record, commonly known as a phonograph record , vinyl record , or colloquially, a record, is an analog sound storage medium consisting of a flat disc with an inscribed, modulated spiral groove...
gave way to compact discs
Compact Disc
The Compact Disc is an optical disc used to store digital data. It was originally developed to store and playback sound recordings exclusively, but later expanded to encompass data storage , write-once audio and data storage , rewritable media , Video Compact Discs , Super Video Compact Discs ,...
, KLYT regained its stature in Albuquerque's Evangelical
Evangelicalism
Evangelicalism is a Protestant Christian movement which began in Great Britain in the 1730s and gained popularity in the United States during the series of Great Awakenings of the 18th and 19th century.Its key commitments are:...
community, and CBA expanded into areas such as concert promotion and magazine publishing.
Musical Evolution
The playlist under Rich's management held even more strictly to what was distributed Christian music labels, which were now operating within the framework of a mature music promotion and distribution industry. Rich's first move was to eliminate many of the secular crossover musicians from the play list, and out went Bob Dylan and U2 due to their wishy washy approach to their faith. This move was met with some outspoken opposition from some of the volunteers at the station. KLYT's new format was christened CHR, or "Christian Hit Music" as a counterpart to secular "Contemporary Hit Music" and "Top 40" pop stations along the dial.
In 1988, KLYT's stable of volunteer disc jockeys were clamoring for changes in the playlist. These concerns mirrored the cries for movement toward edgier Christian music that were discussed more than a decade earlier, and were a running theme throughout the history of the station. The station's management responded to these concerns by introducing a number of specialty shows catering to specific audiences. This included a Rap and Hip Hop show, a Christian rock "oldies" program and others.
Perhaps the most popular show in this lineup, Light as a Rock, was launched by Pete McConnell in the summer of 1988 as an outlet for Christian heavy metal, thrash and alternative music. This show became the bane of the station's management over McConnell's lack of desire to follow a playlist. The show soared in popularity among Christian heavy metal fans in Albuquerque. Later re-named G-Rock, the show gave a radio outlet to many Christian bands pushing the religious music envelope. Under McConnell's, and later Walter Ratliff
Walter Ratliff
Walter Ratliff is an award-winning journalist and religion scholar based in Washington, DC. He is currently a religion editor and content manager at the Associated Press...
's, leadership, the show played early underground and independent recordings by up and coming artists and groups that would go on to wider success, including Moby
Moby
Richard Melville Hall , better known by his stage name Moby, is an American musician, DJ, and photographer. He is known mainly for his sample-based electronic music and his outspoken liberal political views, including his support of veganism and animal rights.Moby gained attention in the early...
, Sixpence None the Richer
Sixpence None the Richer
Sixpence None the Richer is an American rock/pop band that formed in New Braunfels, Texas, eventually settling in Nashville, Tennessee. They are best known for their songs "Kiss Me" and "Breathe Your Name" and their covers of "Don't Dream It's Over" and "There She Goes". The name of the band is...
and Over the Rhine.
Expanding Ministry
As changes were underway in KLYT's programming, CBA boosted its presence in the community by expanding beyond radio programming. Most significantly, it launched the magazine Cutting Edge, a monthly current issues magazine in January 1991.
CBA also purchased a unique travelling concert stage dubbed "Swing Shift." This full-size mobile stage unfolded from a semi-tractor trailer bed, and allowed Christian music concerts and other events to be held by CBA throughout the state. Swing Shift bolstered KLYT's presence in towns throughout New Mexico as the station began transmitting to much of the state. Eventually, KLYT's signal was re-transmitted to nearly all of New Mexico's population centers. KLYT had grown from an Albuquerque radio station to a statewide media phenomenon.
Politics and Religion
A characteristic of KLYT and CBA's peripheral ministries during the early 1990s was the emphasis on conservative politics. Terry offered commentary segments during KLYT's morning show, and offered socially conservative articles as the Editor of CBA's Cutting Edge Magazine. This included articles critical of local legislation on adult bookstores, the problem of street gangs in the city, and reaction to the 1991 Gulf War. After Terry's departure, the magazine took a hard-right turn under the editorship of Deswood Tome, and was shut down by CBA management in 1997.
International Outreach
The Christian Broadcasting Academy also embarked on international reach. In 1992, a radio ministry associated with Campus Crusade for Christ
Campus Crusade for Christ
Campus Crusade for Christ is an interdenominational Christian organization that promotes evangelism and discipleship in more than 190 countries...
contacted CBA's management about programming Christian music for the Middle East. After and initial trip to Egypt by Randy Rich and members of the KLYT board of directors, Operations manager Tom Terry and Asst. Music Director Walter Ratliff traveled to the Middle East to conduct focus groups with area church leaders. Though plans for a KLYT-modeled radio broadcast via Radio Monaco never came to fruition, the project launched the international broadcasting careers of Terry and Ratliff.
The Calvary Chapel Era 2001–Present
KLYT and the Christian Broadcasting Academy were thrown into crisis again in 1999. During this year, CBA was in good financial shape, and the community's support of the station was as strong as ever. However, the failure of Randy Rich's marriage cast the operation's future into uncertainty, just as Emert's divorce had done 15 years earlier. (The station's General Manager was also the de facto chief fundraiser for the ministry.) Despite Rich's departure, KLYT retained strong support across New Mexico's Christian community. One month after his resignation, the station's annual on-air fundraising campaign exceeded its goals, and CBA/KLYT had a healthy savings and projected budget for the following year.
Even with the show of continued community support, Paul Saber, chairman of the Christian Broadcasting Academy's board (as well as a member of Calvary Chapel of Albuquerque's board), spearheaded an effort to have KLYT and its assets "gifted" to the Calvary Chapel of Albuquerque. In 2000, Saber also sold off his Albuquerque McDonald's
McDonald's
McDonald's Corporation is the world's largest chain of hamburger fast food restaurants, serving around 64 million customers daily in 119 countries. Headquartered in the United States, the company began in 1940 as a barbecue restaurant operated by the eponymous Richard and Maurice McDonald; in 1948...
restaurant franchises, and eventually moved to San Diego, California.
Non-Calvary members of the board were in the minority during the station's transfer process. A number of local Christian leaders lamented the single-church takeover of a station that had operated for 25 years by a network of Evangelical churches from a variety of denominations. The Christian Broadcasting Academy was dissolved, and Calvary-Albuquerque took over KLYT and its network of translators on January 1, 2001.
KLYT's facilities were combined with those of the church's commercial radio station, KNKT-FM (107.1). The staff was reduced over time, and automation increasingly replaced live announcers in most dayparts. KLYT's Peter Benson stayed on as a talk show host on KNKT and in programming the new KLYT, dubbed M88. By 2005, KLYT alumni Steve Reimann had rejoined the station's staff, and The Echoing Green
The Echoing Green (band)
The Echoing Green is an electronica/synthpop band. It began as a duo between Joey Belville and Aaron Bowman in 1992, and has since released eleven major albums....
's Joey Belville joined as music and special events director.
Later, KLYT's ownership by Calvary-Albuquerque became a key component of a pastoral shakeup at the church. In 2004, Calvary pastor Skip Heitzig left the church he founded to return to California. His hand-picked successor, Pete Nelson, later claimed Heitzig asked to have KLYT's ownership transferred to a corporation controlled by Heitzig. This transfer was voted down by local members of Calvary-Albuquerque's board.4
Since its transfer, KLYT's funding has come from the church's tithing and donations, as well as from the sale of merchandise related to Heitzig and the network of Calvary Chapel
Calvary Chapel
Calvary Chapel is an evangelical association of Christian churches with over one thousand congregations worldwide. Calvary Chapel also maintains a number of radio stations around the world and operates many local Calvary Chapel Bible College programs. It presents itself as a "fellowship of...
churches around the country. The station also runs a limited number of grant announcements from companies around Albuquerque that donate to the station.
Despite the occasional turmoil throughout KLYT's three decades of youth-oriented radio programming, the station has maintained a strong standing in New Mexico's Evangelical community. It is often cited as one of the longest lasting stations of its kind, and has been periodically recognized by the Gospel Music Association
Gospel Music Association
The Gospel Music Association was founded in 1964 for the purpose of supporting and promoting the development of all forms of Gospel music. There are currently about 4,000 members worldwide...
and the National Religious Broadcasters
National Religious Broadcasters
National Religious Broadcasters is an American organization that represents Christian religious broadcasters on American television and radio, including several high-profile televangelists and Christian radio show hosts. It claims a membership of more than 1700 organizations...
association.
On June 27, 2011 KLYT shifted its format to Christian rock, rebranded as "Static Radio".
Translators
In addition to the main station, KLYT is relayed by an additional 17 translators to widen its broadcast area.External links
- KLYT-FM/Static Radio Online
- Tom Terry's Blog
- http://www.danielamos.com/articles/sonlyght.htmlRudy Grande interviews artist Terry Scott TaylorTerry Scott TaylorTerry Scott Taylor is an American songwriter, record producer, writer and founding member of the bands Daniel Amos and The Swirling Eddies . Taylor is also a member of the roots and alternative music group, Lost Dogs. He is currently based in San Jose, California, USA.Taylor is highly regarded for...
in 1982] - Cutting Edge Magazine archive