Robert Williams led KZAP's freeform programming until its final days in 1978 before new management shifted to a more formated rock presentation.
Williams was part of the heyday in which KZAP began to see commercial success while maintaining an artistic sound built on
the personalities and knowledge of deep catalog music experts. In this video shot March 20, 2004, Williams talks about the system
he had in place that introduced a consistant structure to the station, while allowing jocks to have freedom to make their own
music selections. His colored card system was the beginning of song rotations on the station.
The result was that KZAP began to compete in the ratings game, which attracted rival Earth Radio at KSFM.
Williams began his time at KZAP hanging out at the station the first year, while learning at Sac State station KERS.
He was a fan of San Francisco freeform stations KMPX and KSAN. After a year he did shows on KZAP and became
Program Director after New Day Broadcasting took over. Even though he brought a more business sense to KZAP programming,
he kept the direction creative, where anything was possible. Williams worked with his sales department to develop
KZAP shows, working closely with Bay Area concert promoter Bill Graham. Williams enjoyed introducing bands on stage.
Read more about The Legend of KZAP at Playlist Research.
