inside kjzz By Trisha Coffman
So Long, Radio Days As he prepares for retirement after nearly 35 years at KJZZ, general manager Carl Matthusen looks back on a remarkable career that includes snagging the station’s call letters and putting the jazz in KJZZ. 1940s radio sits in the office Carl Matthusen is about to vacate upon retirement. “The old family Philco” has for several years resided on a shelf behind Matthusen’s desk, even though the AM-only radio can’t tune in his own FM stations, KJZZ and KBAQ. Still, Matthusen has kept it in operating shape, replacing the cloth and some of the tubes as he’s moved it around with him through the years. Arizona is a long way from the Philco’s original Wisconsin home where Matthusen, general manager of the stations since 1978, grew up. A long way for a radio, a lifetime of radio experience for Matthusen, who is capping off a distinguished career: from announcing at a “mom-and-pop” station in Eau Claire; to studying at San Diego State University (where he learned from notables like “The Twilight Zone” screenwriter Rod Serling and the chief legal counsel for the National Association of Broadcasters); to winning numerous professional awards and serving six years on National Public Radio’s board of directors, including four years as chairman. Matthusen came to KJZZ as operations coordinator in 1975, shepherding the station through an eclectic programming phase with a dismal number of listeners, to its now tried-and-true format, begun in 1985, featuring NPR, local programs and jazz music. Here, Matthusen shares his recollections and wisdom.
ART HOLEMAN
A
16
Wavelength