November marks a double anniversary for Gentle Jazz, the longest-running jazz show in all of Iowa.
Bob Naujoks has been hosting a soft jazz show on Eastern Iowa radio since 1978. The original Gentle Jazz began on 96.5 WMT-FM in that year, the height of the disco era. A jazz fan on the WMT staff suggested a soft jazz show would complement the station’s “Beautiful Music” format. In the 80s, WMT-FM switched to pop music, and Gentle Jazz was the only show that made the transition.
At this point, another name familiar to KCCK listeners enters the story
When Dennis Green became the program director of WMT-FM, he expanded Gentle Jazz and moved it from Friday nights to Sunday mornings. Then Bob left WMT-FM to go on sabbatical abroad from his teaching job at Mt. Mercy. Gentle Jazz continued on WMT with other hosts.
When Bob returned in 1988, Roger Johnson, who was the KCCK general manager at the time, invited him to do a Gentle Jazz-type on KCCK. They titled the new show “Sunday Brunch,” later changed to Soft Winds.”
In 2003, WMT dropped Gentle Jazz entirely. Now KCCK general manager, Dennis reunited the name and the original host. Ron Adkins joined KCCK in 2005, and added a second three hours of Gentle Jazz.
Here’s to 30 years of Gentle Jazz on KCCK, and 40 years for the dean of Iowa jazz DJs, Bob Naujoks!