San Jose Radio: Sam & Lissa EXIT AC KBAY-FM

Sam Van Zandt and Lissa Kreisler wrapped up their morning show Friday on AC KBAY 94.5 FM for the last time after 12 years as a team.

Van Zandt, who is 70 years old, decided earlier this year to retire after a 52-year career because of health reasons. But Kreisler’s departure wasn’t planned. KBAY management informed her Dec. 7 that she wouldn’t be staying on with the station, either, rather unceremoniously ending her 29-year tenure there. While conceding working alongside Van Zandt has been “magic”  that would be difficult to replicate, she says she’s not ready to retire.

According to the Mercury News, Friday morning at the 94.5-FM studio was a bittersweet one, with fan after fan calling in to say goodbye — and Sam and Lissa consoling the callers as much as they were consoling the hosts. KRTY morning hosts Gary Scott Thomas and Julie Stevens called in, as did KDFC’s Hoyt Smith. San Jose Mayor Sam Liccardo stopped by with a bouquet of tulips for Kreisler and a proclamation declaring Dec. 16, 2016 as “Sam & Lissa in the Morning Show Day.” Off the air, there were a few tears between breaks, but on the air there were a lot of laughs and memories being shared.

“This is a tough day for everyone,” KBAY General Manager John Levitt said. “But I’ve been saying to everyone that these guys are bigger than this station.”

Both Van Zandt and Kreisler have been mainstays at nonprofit events throughout the years, whether acting as emcees — with those radio voices, they’re perfect choices — or helping raise money or bring in donations.

For Van Zandt, Friday’s broadcast was an bittersweet end to a great career. A San Jose native and Lincoln High grad, he got a job at a Gilroy radio station KPER in 1964 while attending San Jose State and has been at it ever since, with stints at San Francisco stations K-101, KFRC and KYA. Van Zandt observed that he’s come full circle: The call letters are different, but KBAY’s radio license is the same one that belonged to the station where he got his first job.

But this partnership with Lissa will be one that he’ll treasure. “I will miss this a lot,” he said. “I can be feeling really low in the morning, and she and I start bantering and I’m cheerful. It’s a great start for the rest of the day.”