His name is Mark Abuzzahab (pronounce that as Abu-za-hab, and follow him on Twitter here), and he comes to the station straight from our state capitol's pretty gosh-darn decent, and similarly Triple A-formatted, KGSR-93.3 Radio Austin, where he served in the position of music director. Prior to working at KGSR, he held the same gig at similar stations in Denver (KBCO), Burlington, Vermont (WNCS) and Cincinnati (WOXY). Yes, that WOXY, the now Internet-only ass-kicker. He's also worked as an on-air personality at a few stations in Minneapolis and won a few awards to boot, including FMQB's 2008 Triple A Music Director of the Year, and Radio & Records 2007 and 2006 Triple A Music Director of the Year, if the presser is to be believed. And all looks pretty impressive from where we're sitting, indeed.
So: Good news, right? Seems that way, if we snap to judgment: Look at KGSR's playlists of late, and then look at KXT's. The former, although still kind of stuck in some sort of Adult Contemporary rut from time to time, is decidedly hipper and more contemporary than the latter, I'd say.
I guess we'll have to wait till we hear from Abuzzahab on his hopes and goals for the station before we can say whether or not this is a good thing. Before you ask: Yes, we already have calls into the station to see how soon we can get him on the horn.
In the meantime, check out the full press release sent out announcing the hire after the jump. And answer us these questions while you're at it: What are your first impressions of the hire? Is KGSR a good model for KXT? Where would you like to see KXT go? Or all we just effed because we all clearly put way too many eggs into the idea of KXT before we actually knew what we were getting?
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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
June 2, 2011Mark Abuzzahab Joins KXT 91.7 as Program Director
Dallas/Fort Worth - KXT 91.7 is pleased to announce that Mark Abuzzahab (pronounced Abu-za-hab) will join the station as KXT Program Director beginning June 22, 2011.Mary Anne Alhadeff, president and CEO of North Texas Public Broadcasting, the parent organization of KXT 91.7, said, "Mark's impressive career accomplishments and his understanding of Triple A programming make him a terrific addition to our staff."
Mark comes to KXT from KGSR in Austin, Texas, where he was Music Director. He has also held the position of Music Director at KBCO-Denver, WNCS-Burlington and WOXY-Cincinnati. In Minneapolis, he was an on-air personality at both KTCZ and KREV.
He is the recipient of notable industry awards such as FMQB's 2008 Triple A Music Director of the Year, and Radio & Records 2007 and 2006 Triple A Music Director of the Year.
"I am excited to join an organization that is dedicated to bringing a diverse lineup of music to North Texas," said Mark Abuzzahab. "As a music lover, there is no better place than KXT, which is among the fastest- growing Triple A music stations in the country."
At KXT, Mark will be working with Music Coordinator and host Gini Mascorro, and on-air hosts Joe Kozera, Allen Roberts and Paul Slavens.
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ABOUT KXT 91.7
KXT 91.7 FM is one of the public broadcasting stations operated by North Texas Public Broadcasting, a not-for-profit media network that also includes KERA 90.1 FM, KERA TV, KERA WORLD and Art&Seek. KXT began broadcasting in November 2009 and has a Triple A (Adult Album Alternative) music format. Listen live to KXT on kxt.org.
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