BRIAN MCKNIGHT TO LEAVE THE WAVE 94.7

L.A.’s The Wave, KTWV-FM (94.7), the one time smooth jazz station has announced the departure of morning-show host Brian McKnight. McKnight, the multi-platinum R&B star, has also hosted his own TV show, a syndicated radio show, toured the world and is writing a book — a schedule that forces him to prerecord some programs for KTWV. Apparently station management prefers a live and local host every day. McKnight said that his weekday 6- 9 a.m. show hampered his playing live concerts, except on the weekends. "I have thoroughly enjoyed my time the last three years. I love the one-on-one with the fans," McKnight said, but "it seemed like a good time to get out." Replacing McKnight will be Kim Amidon, who for 22 years co-hosted mornings at adult-contemporary station KOST-FM (103.5), until the station replaced her in November 2007. She'll join co-host and producer Pat Prescott, who has been on mornings at KTWV, better known as "The Wave," since 2001. McKnight is scheduled to finish Friday, with Amidon taking Monday.KTWV was one of the first radio stations in the country to call itself smooth jazz after it changed from a rock format back in 1987. But now the Wave markets itself as "smooth adult contemporary." Actually, the station is typical of many other so-called smooth jazz stations that include in the playlists instrumentals, plus more vocals, R&B songs in particular. So even though Wave listeners can still hear saxophone works by Boney James and Dave Koz, they'll also get Mariah Carey, Phil Collins, Michael Jackson and Fleetwood Mac, artists who overlap and now compete with the playlist on KOST.The changes seem to have paid immediate dividends. In January, the station placed 16th in Los Angeles/Orange County ratings, averaging 2.9% of the audience age 6 and older. In February, KTWV shot up to a fifth-place tie, at 3.5%. The station remained at 3.5% and placed sixth in March, the most recent figures available from the Arbitron ratings service.McKnight, whose own songs pepper the station's playlist, called the new music Kaye has added "a breath of fresh air." But he's also wary of disappearing venues for instrumentalists. "Smooth jazz is a dying breed. The Wave is kind of like the last man standing," he said, alluding to the demise of smooth jazz stations over the last two years in New York, Chicago and San Francisco.