Audio By Carbonatix
It’s a crazy time for radio personalities in Phoenix. Dave Pratt has taken over at X103.9, and now KWSS 106.7 has announced the return of a voice very familiar to Valley listeners. On Monday, August 22, Jonathan L’s Lopsided World of L will make its terrestrial debut on the Phoenix FM dial. The show will run from 10 p.m. to midnight Mondays through Wednesdays.
“I think it’s great for us to have him,” says KWSS station manager Frank Magarelli. “He’s been in Berlin since April, approximately, and we approached him [about doing a show]. He took a couple hours to think about it, and then accepted. He said he’s ‘humbled and excited’ for us to air the show.”
Jonathan L, real name Jonathan Leigh Rosen, has a serious legacy on Valley radio. In 1982, he started as a deejay at Tucson’s Rock KLPX, before moving to Mesa in 1987 to start an alternative station, KEYX 100.3, with John “Johnny D” Dixon (who also currently hosts a show on KWSS).
Over the course of his storied career, Jonathan L has worked with KUPD, KFMA, and KUKQ.
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While at KUPD, L hosted a program called Virgin Vinyl, on which he played “forward-looking wax attacks,” according to an award give by New Times.
Magarelli is looking forward to the show, saying Jonathan L will be allowed a significant amount of creative freedom. “[What he plays] doesn’t have to meet some corporate litmus test. We don’t do massive research on every song in our playlist, and we don’t play the Red Hot Chili Peppers over and over again.”
Recent playlists from Lopsided Word showcase the host’s eclectic taste, featuring everything indie-pop from German Error Message, new wave from Dave Stewart, and alt-country from Cowboy Mouth.
The show also airs on Indie 103.1 in Los Angeles, and KING FM in Germany.
“This really gives something to Phoenix, and KWSS’ overnight play,” Magarelli says. “Who better to have than someone with 30 years of of iconic radio knowledge?”
