WKRZ & Walker Mark 40th Anniversary
• This Friday, October 23 marks a remarkable twin milestone in the lifecycle of Entercom Top 40 WKRZ (98.5 KRZ)/Wilkes Barre-Scranton, PA — it’s the 40th anniversary of the station AND longtime afternoon host, Jumpin’ Jeff Walker, who has literally been on the air on KRZ since Day 1 — Oct. 23, 1980!
As WKRZ celebrates this remarkable achievement of being NEPA’s No. 1 rated radio station for 40 years, Walker and his colleagues took a few moments to shares their thoughts with RAMP. Walker said, “It’s been 40 years of laughs, a few shocking moments, and the occasional lawsuit… but I wouldn’t trade it for anything else.”
Amanda Greene, Walker’s co-host of 13 years, said, “Every afternoon is unpredictable with Jeff and I’m proud to be a part of this team. To celebrate 40 years, Jeff wrote new lyrics to the tune of ‘We Didn’t Start the Fire,’ all about the history of KRZ and Northeast PA. The way it ends is just perfectly sung… ‘One thing stays the same, Jumpin’ Jeff won’t go away.’ Congratulations and thank you to everyone who has poured their hearts and talents into KRZ over the last four decades.”
Rocky, WKRZ’s morning show host for the past 30 years, commented, “What a ride! So proud to be part of the success of this heritage radio station! And special congrats to Jeff Walker who’s been at the mic since they flipped the switch on day 1!” Operations Manager Michael “OD” O’Donnell said, “I feel so privileged to be part of such a well-respected brand with such an amazing team keeping us on top. It’s even more special that Jeff Walker was here on the day we went on air 40 years ago! Jeff brings as much motivation and desire to win today as he did in 1980. It’s an achievement not many get to enjoy. Congrats to Jeff and the entire KRZ team!”
In closing, Walker added, “This almost feels like a retirement celebration… but like I always tell my co-host Amanda, to quote Mathew McConaughey, ‘It’s going to take a stick of dynamite to get my out of this house.'” [Special thanks to Amanda Greene for going above and beyond to secure these awesome comments!]
