Husband-and-wife disc jockeys Rob and Jocelyn Taylor, both with more than 25 years of experience in the radio industry, had never worked at a station that played continuous Christmas holiday music. Until now.
After 13 years of co-hosting mornings drive at KFGY 92.9-FM in Santa Rosa, Calif., the Taylors relocated to San Diego in February and joined KYXY to host “Mornings with Rob and Joss,” the weekday morning show from 5 to 9 a.m.
For the 41st consecutive year, a week or so before Thanksgiving, San Diego’s KYXY 96.5-FM switched its format from adult contemporary and a soundtrack of nonstop holiday tunes, which will end Dec. 25.
“I’ve enjoyed the Christmas music more than I expected,” said Jocelyn. “The songs certainly have helped us get in the holiday mood.” Jocelyn, who goes by Joss on the air, first met Rob when he hired her KFGY in 2002.
“It’s a brand-new format for us and we’ve been enjoying it, but, remember, it’s our first year,” said Rob, a native San Diegan. “Ask us again in a few years from now.”
The Taylors, married this year on June 29 in Sonoma County, are San Diego’s second husband-and-wife radio DJ team. Mark and Kristi Jagger have worked together as on-air personalities since 1996 and were married in 1997. Since 2005, they have hosted “Jagger and Kristi in the Morning” on XHRM-FM Magic 92.5.
The late Sam Bass, who spent more than 40 years working at KYXY, often joked about listening to the same holiday songs year after year. “I enjoy it for the first few days, but the closer it gets to Christmas, the more eager I am to return to our regular format,” Bass would say. He joined KYXY in March 1978, the first day for the station’s format switch from “beautiful music” to “soft rock.” Bass, whose real name was Alan Graff, passed away this past July from throat cancer. He was 71.
KYXY is operated by Philadelphia-based Entercom Communications along with four other San Diego stations, including KWFN 97.3-FM, KBZT 94.9-FM, KSON 103.7-FM and KXSN Sunny 98.1-FM.
West Health Names Marie Kennedy as Chief Communications Officer
West Health, a family of nonprofit organizations focused on lower healthcare costs, has named Marie Kennedy as its chief communications officer.
As a member of West Health’s executive management team, Kennedy will lead communications, media and public affairs strategies in support of its mission. She also will support the activities of the Gary and Mary West Foundation and West Health Institute in San Diego, along with the West Health Policy Center in Washington, D.C.
Kennedy was previously VP of communications and public relations at Dignity Health, the nation’s fifth-largest health system and one of the largest hospital providers in California. Prior to Dignity health, Kennedy held leadership positions at Genentech, Baxter International, Amgen and the Amgen Foundation, where she served as president. She has a bachelor’s degree in public relations from San Jose State University.
Solely funded by philanthropists Gary and Mary West, West Health is dedicated to lowering healthcare costs to enable seniors to successfully age in place with access to high-quality, affordable health and support services.
Ex-KGB DJ Bob Buchmann Joins SiriusXM
Radio on-air personality Bob Buchmann, who spent seven years at KGB 101-FM in San Diego before his position was eliminated this past April, has landed at satellite radio network SiriusXM as director of music programming. He also will be heard on the network’s Classic Vinyl channel (Channel 26).
“Back on the radio so I can rejoin my friends from New York to LA,” Buchmann said on Facebook.
Buchmann spent 20 years (1979-1999) at Long Island, N.Y. classic rock station WBAB 102.3-FM. As morning DJ and programming director, he helped transform the station into one of the market’s top rated.
He then spent nine years at WAXQ 104.3-FM in New York before relocating to Southern California to stints at KLOS-FM in Los Angeles and KGB. While in San Diego, Buchmann was active with several charities, including the National Multiple Sclerosis Society. He participated for several years in the Bike MS Bay-to-Bay cycling fundraiser.
L7 Creative Ranks High on Clutch
L 7Creative, a Carlsbad-based digital brand engagement agency, has announced it has been named a top B2B advertising and marketing company by Clutch, a Washington, D.C.-based B2B ratings and reviews platform.
L7 said Clutch gave it a perfect score of 5/5. Clutch, with information on 27,000 agencies in more than 500 categories, helps businesses make decisions by providing information centered based on client feedback and available resources.
Rick Griffin is a San Diego-based public relations and marketing consultant. His MarketInk column appears weekly on Mondays in Times of San Diego.
