Veteran Alternative programmer and DJ Kevin Cole will retire from his 4-7pm show on AAA 90.3 KEXP Seattle on July 26.
Cole also serves as Senior Programming Advisor of KEXP after previously serving as Senior Director of Programming and Chief Content Officer since joining then KCMU in 1998. After starting his career at WGTB Washington DC and then becoming an influential club DJ in Minneapolis, Cole would work at “KJ 104” KJJO and then later helped launch and program “Rev 105” KREV/WREV/KCFE Minneapolis and then “97X” WOXY Oxford/Cincinnati.
Cole’s upcoming retirement comes as KEXP prepares to launch its simulcast in San Francisco as the station closed this week on its $3.75 million purchase of the current holder of the KREV call letters: 92.7 KREV Alameda/San Francisco. The station is set to relaunch in March as KEXC.
In a letter to listeners, Cole shared:
This year marks my 50th year of DJing and working in the music industry. The last 25 I spent at KCMU/KEXP, including 18 years as Director of Programming/CCO and 20 years as host of the Afternoon Show/Drive Time.
I’m incredibly proud of the work we’ve done during my tenure and grateful to work with so many dedicated, talented people over the years.
In the year ahead, I plan to retire from my fulltime Drive Time role. I love music and DJing as much as ever. At the same time I also feel that after two decades of being on-air full time, it’s time to step aside and make space for different voices and perspectives. My last day as Drive Time host will be Friday, July 26. After that I look forward to hosting a weekly show on KEXP, developing some new show concepts, and continuing to work behind the scenes to help make KEXP the very best music discovery resource it can be.
Now, you might be wondering about who is going to be taking over the Drive Time slot — and KEXP will have more to share on that soon. For now, rest assured that the legendary Riz will be sticking around on Mondays, and that you’ll soon be hearing a new (but familiar) voice on the air during your weekday afternoons and evenings.
DJing to me is the ultimate creative challenge and a spiritual endeavor, weaving together songs to tell a story, channeling the energy of our community, and transforming that energy into something positive. I’ve spent a lot of time over the past few years thinking about how this transition should go. I am really looking forward to the next six months of hosting Drive Time, and to ending my full-time DJ career on a creative high, with intention, reflection, and a sense of closure, looking back on 50 years of personal and musical highlights. I plan to relish this time on-air and with all of you!
And since it is impossible for me to really “retire” from championing music, DJing, and radio, I’m thrilled to continue to share my love and passion for music with the KEXP community via a weekly show. Hey Ho! Let’s Go!
It is, and has been, an honor!
