Morning DJs Jon and Deek Leave 104.9 The X For New Opportunity

Listeners of 104.9 KXNA-FM may notice the absence of familiar voices on the frequency in the coming weeks, but the silence will be only temporary.

Longtime morning disc jockeys Jon Williams and Derek “Deek” Kastner have resigned from the station popularly known as “The X.” Their last show, known for its avid base of listeners dubbed the Loyal and Royal Army, aired June 30.

Williams, one of the most recognized media personalities in Northwest Arkansas, told the Northwest Arkansas Business Journal that “The Jon and Deek Show” will be back on the airwaves later this month at frequency 94.9 KRMW-FM.

Williams said the station — currently a country format called “Nash Icon” — is being rebranded to 94.9 “Radio Jon/Deek.”

Kastner, who will be the music director, said the station should launch July 15 and the first show will air Monday, July 18. Williams and Kastner will host the show weekdays from 6 to 10 a.m. and they will be the station’s only radio personalities.

Portions of the show — which is heavily caller-driven — may be replayed through the rest of the day, to go with a mixture of classic and adult rock, with artists ranging from The Police, Pearl Jam, Rolling Stones and Tom Petty to Mumford & Sons, Coldplay and The Black Keys.

“Its music for people who are too old for The X but not hillbilly enough for hair bands on the classic rock stations,” Kastner joked.

The station is owned by Cumulus Media — which owns seven stations in Northwest Arkansas — but Williams will have independent ownership of his show and be responsible for securing all his own advertising. The show currently has 29 advertising partners.

Williams, 45, and Kastner, 40, have a combined 43 years’ experience in the Northwest Arkansas market, and have worked together for 10 years. They’ve worked for Butler Broadcasting, owned by Steve Butler, since September 2011.

“We like big personality, morning radio shows, but what we’re doing is taking it beyond that. We’re putting the personalities first and building the entire station around Jon and Deek,” said Dale Daniels, market manager for Cumulus’ Northwest Arkansas stations. “We’re very excited to bring this type of radio to Northwest Arkansas. I think listeners are really going to enjoy the station. It’s not been done before in this market and that’s what we’re excited about.”

Williams said there is no animosity with the departure from Butler.

“We love everybody at ‘The X.’ It was great,” he said. “This is just a new opportunity to have a radio station with our name and our brand.”

Williams said the show’s new signal strength will be eight to 10 times stronger at the new station, which will broadcast into new markets including Fort Smith.

“We’ll be in two of the state’s three largest media markets with Fayetteville and Fort Smith, and being heard in Fort Smith is a big deal for us,” Williams said. “What we really want to do is to become Arkansas’ morning show.”

Daniels said the current Nash Icon lineup — which includes morning stalwarts like “Big” Dan Hentschell — will relocate on the radio dial to 94.3 KAMO-FM once Jon/Deek Radio is live.

“Everybody still has a [radio] home,” Daniels said.