Emotional DJ Bids the Blues and Fans Adieu

Deejay Gillian Harris was a jumble of emotions as she prepared to say goodbye to her listeners and to R&B; oldies station KACE-FM (103.9), which goes off the air at midnight tonight.

Angry that a station with a loyal core of listeners will no longer be accessible. “At a corporate level, this is all about money,” she said of Hispanic Broadcasting Corp.’s acquisition of the station and its impending switch to Spanish-language. “But from where I sit, in touch with the people and their feelings, this is all about people and their spirit.”

Insulted that a security guard out front would insist last week on peering inside a package, containing an umbrella and a T-shirt from a fan. She didn’t allow it. After all, she had worked in the building bordering Koreatown since September 1994.

There’s grief, too, along with a certain grit. Harris is determined to end her final show--this afternoon in her regular 2-7 p.m. slot--on an upbeat note.

“It is definitely like a family breaking apart,” she said.

“The listeners are going through their own grief,” she added. “I literally have adult men calling me crying. It’s really hard.”

As such, Harris said she decided to bid farewell twice, to do it right.

So Friday afternoon she did the initial farewell, the mood and the music generally upbeat, and she will conclude today. She was worried that there would be too much confusion around the studio at today’s finale, too much emotion, but she also promised, “I will do an even better show.”

Harris intends to have listeners call in directly, instead of reading e-mails on air. She hopes to have musicians on as well, though she acknowledged Friday that rounding up people might be difficult on Super Bowl weekend. And she’s also seeking out a therapist to sit in.

She might sign off with Stevie Wonder’s “Love’s in Need of Love Today,” but that will depend on how she feels as 7 p.m. approaches. “To me, love is the bottom line answer to everything,” said Harris, whose Web site is https://www.gillianonelove.com. “The song is about love needing love, and how hate destroys.”

While Harris packs up, distributes little gifts and dubs CDs as a remembrance, KACE Program Director Kevin Fleming was undergoing his own turmoil. “It’s a difficult thing we’re going through right now, especially when you start packing your stuff after six or seven years. At one time, there’s 26 people here. Now there are 18 people. Everyone’s out . . . We understand the business aspect of it.”

Though Harris’ Web site is sprinkled with “Hire Me” signs, Harris said she’s gotten an offer to do a weekend show at “Mega 100”--KCMG-FM (100.3)--an urban and rhythmic oldies station, which on Friday was plugging its format during Harris’ show. And she’s talked to management at “The Wave,” KTWV-FM (94.7), but “their lineup is impeccable.”

Besides, she doesn’t want to make a new commitment until this current one has ended. “My whole thing has been to give KACE 100% until the last day,” she said. “My parents don’t think it’s logical; but I have not wanted to even think about where to go after this. I’m so burned out . . . and this is such an emotional roller coaster.”

Meanwhile, she’s got two small roles in upcoming movies that will be shot in February. And in March, she intends to unwind during a monthlong stay in the Caribbean.

Times staff writer Dana Calvo contributed to this report.