Paul Turner, a student at Western Carolina University, had
been working WRGC in in Sylva, NC. Paul, one of those tall
"throaty" guys (like Lurch on the Addam's Family) has a voice
so low that he makes James Earl Jones sound like Minnie Mouse.
At the time, he was a kid just out of high school, and upon
hearing his voice, Bud and GM Dick Cullom (former news director
for KISS/WISE) hired him at KISS-FM with the apparent intention
of using him to do production for all of Bud's other "Heritage"
stations. Paul now runs
his own agency and can be heard on hundreds of radio and TV
stations, and also for a while was heard on both Court TV and
CNN. Also during 1987, John Oliver left the station
for another gig. Brother Bill was hired at WJKC, "Isle 95" in
the Virgin Islands. And John Stevens spent a short time there
as Program Director.
In the fall of 1987, Polacek made news by selling 13 Big WISE to owners who changed the format to "big band" music similar to Al Hamm's "Music of Your Life" format. Bud then purchased long-time Asheville country station WWNC and moved KISS-FM out of the Lookout Road location and into the building known as the WWNC "Radio Ranch". Having been competitors for so long, it was kind of strange co-habitating with WWNC but we found them to be nice guys and for the most part, became friends. Still, KISS was never the same after leaving its original location. Polacek also changed to station's logo from the "flying saucer" logo (at the top of this page) to one that looked like "KISS-FM" had been written on the wall by a kid with a tube of lipstick. Clearly, their intent was to bury what KISS had originally been so that they could reform it in their own image.
The final "death knell" to the original KISS came at the end
of 1987. Throughout the year, Polacek insisted on hiring Brian
Maloney, a program director from one of his other stations, to
head KISS-FM. This move was held off by Tim Edwards, who had
been programming KISS with the help of Pat Garrett and G.T. who
was music director. By late 1987, we couldn't postpone Bud's
intentions any longer and Brian was hired as P.D. Brian was
a nice guy and a good program director, but him being hired
at KISS was seen as many as the final nail in the coffin of
the station as it had once existed. Shortly after he came to
town, Pat Garrett resigned and went to Raleigh, NC where he
became a computer programmer. And in early 1988, Tim Edwards
and Chuck Finley were fired. G.T. and Dawn remained for a
while, on and off, into the 1990s.
KISS-FM still exists as a country station in Asheville and is
now owned by Clear Channel Communications. Though it retains
the same call letters, its reputation and ratings are nothing
compared to the 1980s "glory days". Here are a few more photos,
stories, and other nostalgia to help you remember them.
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The KISS-FM Site
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