The morning DJ at KLZR-FM is signing off after six years of being himself.
Jason Marck has been trying to explain things to his listeners for three days now.
Marck, whose on-air name is Spacin' Jason, is not leaving as KLZR-FM's morning drivetime disc jockey because of the widely reported format change at the station.
He just wants to work one job instead of two.
His fans don't believe him.
"I think with what the Lazer's doing, it's just not the kind of radio station he would want to work at," said Chris Gehringer, manager of Harbour Lights, 1031 Mass., and a Spacin' Jason fan.
"I think people are disappointed I wasn't taking some sort of stand," Marck said.
He will, however, milk the situation for laughs.
Asked what he thinks of the owner, Zimmer Radio Group, which has changed the format of the Lazer, Marck said, "I've got nothing but positive things to say about the people who sign my check."
But the real reason Marck signed off is he's going to do one of his two jobs at the station full-time.
In addition to being Spacin' Jason, Marck is the creative services director. He's the guy who puts together commercials for the station.
Zimmer prefers to have a full-time person doing that job. The company wants Marck to focus on that.
"I've still got a job to do," Marck said. "I've still got a golden retriever to feed. This is what's best for the business. I've still got advertisers to serve. That's what I'm here to do."
But listeners will miss Marck's distinctive on-air persona and music-oriented morning show.
"I just like the fact that Jason is Jason," said Patty Haramoto, manager of the Granada, 1020 Mass., and a Spacin' Jason fan. "What you get is what you hear.
"I think it's sad. I think a lot of people are going to miss him."
Marck said he had tried to just be himself in the morning for six years.
"When I wake up in the morning, I'm tired," he said. "People say, 'Man you sound just like we do in the morning.'"
Bob Newton, station manager, hopes Marck will be able to get some sleep now. Earlier this month, Newton said of Marck's move, "It's so Jason doesn't have to come in at 5:30 in the morning."
-- Erwin Seba's phone message number is 832-7145. His e-mail address is eseba@ljworld.com.
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