Tag: Dave Michaels

January 31 marked the 35^th anniversary of local real estate businessman-turned-broadcaster Michael “MZ” Zwerling‘s purchase of KSCO-AM 1080, Santa Cruz. Zwerling, pictured below with Amy Hau, his life partner and co-host on KSCO’s “Saturday Special,” grew up listening to the 10k flamethrower, with a history dating back to 1947, that blankets the Santa Cruz / Monterey / Salinas market and most of the Central California coast. Since acquiring the station, Zwerling has operated it hands-on as a conservative-leaning news-talker featuring a carefully crafted balance between local programming with a parade of hometown personalities (including local superstar Dave Michaels) and a menu of leading syndicated talent. It was one of the original affiliates of Rush Limbaugh and carried the iconic show until his passing in 2021.  Zwerling tells TALKERS, “Back then I was 39 years old and never dreamed I’d last this long as a real broadcaster.” TALKERS publisher Michael Harrison – a longtime fan of KSCO – stated, “Congratulations to Michael Zwerling and all the folks at one of America’s most colorful radio stations, for keeping the spirit of independent local broadcasting alive through the many obstacles and changes that have proven challenging for the practitioners of this wonderful industry.  They are champions of a major slice of grassroots Americana represented by the modern era of talk radio.” Today, KSCO maintains its powerful presence in the world-famous market at 1080 AM with the addition of three FM translator signals at 104.1, 95.7, and 107.9.  The station still broadcasts from a historic art deco building located on the beach in Santa Cruz and continues to surprise its listeners with unexpected twists and turns in what Harrison describes as “one of radio’s longest running reality shows.”