KRAZ went on the air in 1996, the latest property of Fred and Mary Constant’s Wine Country Radio, which was already operating KRSH. The station’s signal was beamed from a transmitter atop Mt. St. Helena, providing broad coverage of Sonoma and Napa Counties.
The Constants had started pursuing approval for a new station licensed Forestville six years earlier. It wasn’t until they reached a settlement with competing applicant Gary Wilson of San Rafael in late 1995 that they had a clear path to putting the station on the air.
KRAZ (pronounced “Crazy” on the air) launched with what Fred Constant called a contemporary country music format, similar to what was already airing on Rohnert Park’s Q105 (KRPQ). In fact, Constant managed to lure DJ Rick Jackson away from Q105 to get KRAZ up and running.
Wine Country Radio grabbed another veteran North Bay broadcaster: longtime KVON/KVYN (Napa) sales manager George Carl came aboard as regional manager. Carl, who was also known as an outdoors columnist in The Napa Valley Register, brought his Outdoor Page radio show to KRAZ with him.
By late 1996, KRAZ was involved in a full-on battle for country music listeners, up against Q105 and “Froggy 92.9” KFGY. KRAZ landed a big name to take over its morning show: former KNEW DJ Jon Wailin, whose Wailin in the Mornings show had been popular in the early 1980s. Wailin had left the Bay Area for work in the Midwest before accepting the KRAZ gig.
The ink was barely dry on Wailin’s contract when KRAZ shifted gears and call letters. In March 1997, “Crazy” became “The Grape”, KGRP. Carl said the new format would be made up of “album-oriented hits not played by most other stations.”
