By The upper campus walkway sees nearly every foot that walks onto The Beach. It’s an artery for those getting to classes in the Liberal Arts buildings or heading for a study session at the library.
But nestled in a crook just outside these Cal State Long Beach landmarks is a small and unassuming building that, oddly enough, nobody attends class in. It is Cal State Long Beach’s very own jazz and blues station, KKJZ 88.1 FM.
KJAZZ, as it is also called, is the result of a 30-year journey to preserve jazz and blues history and to attract newcomers of all ages. Despite its recent ownership change to Global Jazz, Inc. in April 2007, the station still holds to its mission.
Formally known as KLON in the 1970s, the modest public radio station began broadcasting at 6,500 watts in 1981 when it was owned by Long Beach Unified School District. In 2002, KJAZZ was formed and was picked up by CSULB’s non-profit organization, Pacific Public Radio.
KJAZZ is home to over a dozen hosts, including Helen Borgers, a voice on the station for more than 25 years. The station provides listeners with a diverse array of jazz and blues, branching out into Latin and European varieties.
Today, KJAZZ reaches beyond the limits of school boundaries, and is also streaming online through its HD radio digital signal.
In hopes of keeping the station on the air, CSULB President F. King Alexander requested last year to see more students become involved with the radio station by Global Jazz, Inc. providing paid internships and student scholarships.
Veronica Jaram, office manager at the station and liaison to the university, said that it’s essential for the station to gain support and recognition from the students on campus.
“Most students don’t even know we’re here,” Jaram said.
Jaram said that because the station’s website provides streaming live audio, she has heard from listeners from as far away as Greece. However, even with far-away Greeks listening in, many CSULB students still don’t know about the station’s existence.
Two students interviewed said that the only reason they knew about the station was either through a friend, a relative who used to attend the school, or from just walking down the hall in between the Liberal Arts buildings.
Neil Munoz, a senior journalism and English creative writing major, said that he knew about the Internet radio station KBeach, located in the University Student Union and funded by Associated Students, Inc., but didn’t know about the jazz station located on upper campus.
For a radio station acclaimed for playing “straight jazz” and being one in three stations in the nation to do so, the station still struggles financially. Despite its positive reputation among many listeners, it is almost always in need of outside funding.
Jaram said that in the future, she hopes that the station will no longer depend on pledge drives to continue running.
