KKJZ Format Change Spells End of an Era : Radio: Its switch to classical music marks the first time the L.A. is without a commercial jazz channel.

When KKJZ-AM (540) changed formats last Friday afternoon, it was the end of an era: It was the first time since the mid-’50s that Los Angeles and Orange County were without a commercial jazz outlet.

The 24-hour jazz station had offered the same format formerly heard on sister station KKGO-FM (105.1)--before the latter station’s changeover to all-classical programming on Jan. 1. Over the years, the AM station featured such on-air personalities as Chuck Niles, the late Jim Gosa, Sam Fields, Gary Owens, Tolly Strode, Jay Rich, Tommy Bee, Gerald Wilson, Dennis Smith and this reporter.

Saul Levine, president of KKGO/KKJZ, cited financial losses as the reason for the shutdown of KKJZ, which is back on the air, simulcasting KKGO’s format, but will reemerge with new call letters and a new format on Oct. 22.

“We just didn’t receive any support from either listeners or advertisers,” said Levine. “Nine months had gone by (since KKJZ took over KKGO’s jazz format), we hoped for some kind of audience, any kind of audience, even a .1 (Arbitron ratings) share, but it simply failed to materialize.”

KKJZ had broadcast from transmitters near Apple Valley and its signal was strongest in Orange County and the beach cities. Listeners in the greater Los Angeles area and the San Fernando Valley, KKJZ’s audience base, often complained about not being able to receive it consistently during daytime hours. They found the station all but nonexistent during the evening, when most AM stations are required by the Federal Communications Commission to reduce power.

“It was disheartening to be there, talking to yourself. We had contests and no one would call in. That happened lots of times,” said Dave Meyer, who worked at both KKGO and KKJZ.

Levine tried to get permission from the FCC to both move his transmitter to Costa Mesa and receive a power increase, but there’s currently a freeze on modifications to AM stations and the FCC is not accepting any such applications.

Ultimately, it became impossible to obtain advertisers, said Levine. “We just reached the point where the sales department couldn’t sell it and national (account) sales reps refused to present it. So before I dropped it, I called KLON (the Southland’s major non-commercial station at 88.1 FM), as I was very concerned about the fate of our two veterans, Sam Fields and Chuck Niles, both of whom have been with me for more than 20 years.” When KLON’s general manager Rick Lewis expressed an interest in the announcers, Levine said he felt more comfortable in doing “what I had to do economically with dropping the format.”

As yet, neither announcer has been hired by KLON, but they are meeting with Lewis today. “I don’t know what will transpire,” said Lewis. “We have a very good staff here that’s built the kind of tradition that they would be interested in.”

KLON’s program director, Ken Borgers, was ecstatic at the possibility of having Niles on his air staff. “We’d love to have him, who wouldn’t?” Borgers said. “It’s akin to being in the baseball announcing business and finding out Vin Scully is available.”

Also let go were KKJZ’s full and part-time announcers--Steve Henderson Jr., Bob Stone, Joe Huser and Nick Tyler. “I’ve let other station’s know they were available, and that they’re certainly qualified to work in the market,” said Cal Milner, KKGO/KKJZ operations manager.

Niles found the whole situation unnerving. “It was really weird when I walked into the studio and found out the engineer had pulled the plug,” said Niles, who has been with Levine for 25 years, referring to Friday’s shutdown.

Admitting that he’s had various disagreements with Levine through the years, Niles said working at KKGO/KKJZ a “totally ambivalent” situation. “I mean, it was 25 years. I was the ‘Last of the Mohegans’ ,” he said. “Whether I hated (Saul) or loved him, if it hadn’t have been for him, I wouldn’t have been in jazz. I have to assume that nobody else would have done what he did. When we sat down and reminisced about the station, I cried.” Levine started the station’s forerunner, KBCA, in 1960 as a 24-hour FM jazz outlet, and kept that format for 30 years.

Levine has donated KKJZ’s jazz library to KLON. “We’re very grateful for having him make that accessible to the listening public. Saul’s been very gracious and generous with us,” said Lewis.

RIM SHOTS: The fourth annual John Coltrane Festival, with guitarist Carlos Santana and pianist/harpist Alice Coltrane headlining, takes place 7:30 p.m. Saturday at the Wiltern Theatre in Los Angeles. Proceeds go to the Coltrane Festival scholarship fund for young musicians. Information: (213) 462-4823. . . . “Cotton Club Revisited”--featuring films of Duke Ellington at that ‘20s and ‘30s Harlem nightspot--highlight a meeting of the Duke Ellington Society at the Veteran Memorial Center, Culver and Overland boulevards, Culver City, tonight at 7:30. Information: (213) 290-1291, 399-3112. . . .

Pianists Dave McKenna and Walter Norris, both New Yorkers now though the latter resided here in the late ‘50s, will appear in concert 7:30 p.m. Sunday at Loews Santa Monica Beach Hotel. Information: (213) 458-6700.