{"id":727030,"date":"2026-06-26T10:33:15","date_gmt":"2026-06-26T10:33:15","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/727030\/"},"modified":"2026-06-26T10:33:15","modified_gmt":"2026-06-26T10:33:15","slug":"phoenix-jazz-broadcaster-blaise-lantana-to-end-run-at-kjzz-story","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/727030\/","title":{"rendered":"Phoenix Jazz Broadcaster Blaise Lantana To End Run At KJZZ. | Story"},"content":{"rendered":"

After more than three decades introducing listeners to jazz artists, recordings and performances across the Valley, veteran broadcaster and musician Blaise Lantana is retiring from her role as music director and on-air host at Maricopa County Community College\u2019s news\/talk KJZZ-FM Phoenix (91.5).<\/p>\n

Lantana, who joined the station in the mid-1990s and has served as its music director for the past 32 years, will make her final appearance on the station July 2, ending a broadcasting career that made her one of Arizona\u2019s most recognizable voices in jazz radio.<\/p>\n

A nightly presence on KJZZ\u2019s jazz programming, Lantana introduced listeners to legendary performers such as Miles Davis, Sarah Vaughan and Wynton Marsalis while also highlighting emerging artists and members of Arizona\u2019s jazz community. Throughout her tenure, she became known for blending music, artist interviews and commentary aimed at connecting listeners with both national and local jazz scenes.<\/p>\n

Lantana came to Phoenix in 1994 after working in public radio in Corpus Christi, TX. She initially joined KJZZ\u2019s sister station, KBAQ, before moving into the music director role at KJZZ, where she was given responsibility for programming the station\u2019s jazz content.<\/p>\n

During a recent interview<\/a> on KJZZ\u2019s \u201cThe Show,\u201d Lantana reflected on the changes she witnessed in radio over the years, including the migration of much of the station\u2019s jazz programming from traditional FM broadcasting to HD Radio channels. She said the industry\u2019s transition to digital platforms contributed to a changing listening environment, although she emphasized that she remains passionate about jazz and the musicians who perform it.<\/p>\n

Lantana also downplayed the impact she\u2019s had on listeners over the years.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou know what\u2019s funny is [that] I\u2019m kind of shocked when people tell me that,\u201d she said. \u201cI mean, because just like I\u2019m talking to you, that\u2019s how I talk on the air. Like I\u2019m talking to my friends. \u201cHey, have you heard this guy? Hey, have you ever gone out and listened to jazz live? There\u2019s something really exciting about that. Don\u2019t miss out on that.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n

Lantana said she plans to remain active as a performer after leaving the station. A lifelong musician who has performed with jazz and blues ensembles for decades, she indicated she hopes to spend more time playing live music, attending jam sessions and potentially forming a new band.<\/p>\n

Colleagues credited Lantana with helping cultivate appreciation for jazz among generations of Arizona listeners. During a tribute on KJZZ, contributor Robrt Pela described her as a familiar and influential presence whose name was widely recognized among station listeners.<\/p>\n

In announcing her retirement, KJZZ noted that Lantana\u2019s influence extended beyond the airwaves through her support of local musicians and her efforts to connect audiences with live jazz performances throughout the Phoenix area.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"After more than three decades introducing listeners to jazz artists, recordings and performances across the Valley, veteran broadcaster…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":727031,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[53],"tags":[88,7056,216,3],"class_list":["post-727030","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-music","tag-entertainment","tag-free","tag-music","tag-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/727030","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=727030"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/727030\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/727031"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=727030"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=727030"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=727030"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}