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Clark Atlanta University Panther
November 16, 1990
had used and present it in a certain way that I can
present to the audience,” he says.
Many wonder how Batie maintains his energy. He
not only does “Hot Ice” on weekdays but on
Saturday’s from 6 to 9 p.m. Batie explains that his
energy comes from his previous training in radio.
“When you first learn radio, they teach you to talk
with a smile — meaning your listening audience can’t
see you. So, they use a lot of imagery. So, when you
talk with a smile that presents a happiness and it
perpetuates a lot of energy.”
His listeners and fans are the students on campus. In
his format, he plays everyone from George Howard to
Grover Washington Jr. featuring D.J. Jazzy Jeff. He
says the reason students listen to his show is that it
appeals to their interest.
“It is something that they can identify with. When
you talk about traditional jazz, you talk about the
masters which were born in the 20s and 30s. The
youths today can not identify with that, Batie says.
“The average college student is 20 years old. You are
looking at 1970. So,it is no way they can identify with
that unless its something they learn in the future. My
thing with contemporary jazz is to present it in a jazz
form with jazz undertones.”
In the past years, contemporary jazz has become
popular. Many contemporary artists are gaining
popularty by being played on nonjazz formatted
stations. Batie explains, he does not view his show as a
replacement for the traditional form.
“When the masters were coming out they did not
have anyone to copy. Anything that they did was
improvisational. At concerts, you can see one song
performed one way but at the next concert it would be
performed another way — both being good but
recreated. What you have now like contemporary
artists Najee and George Howard is you can identify
them with the other. You can tell the difference
between a Chuck Magionge and a Miles Davis. With a
George Howard and a Najee, even though you know
its them, you can not really identify them as you can
with masters.”
Batie believes the more popular music he plays the
more young people will explore the traditional jazz
form.
Batie Spins ‘Hot Ice’
PHOTO BY RODNEY MATHEWS
By BOBBY TOWNS
Enterainment Editor
Every afternoon from 2 to 6 p.m. “Hot Ice” airs on
WCLK. It features the best in contemporary jazz. This
high energy show keeps its listeners,in an upbeat
mood.
The person responsible for “Hot Ice’s” uptempo
mood is WCLK’s Ken Batie. Batie stands at 5 feet 8
inches. He is a husky guy whose on and off personality
is always pleasant.
Thirty years old and born in Atlanta, Batie grew up
in Lafayette, Ga. His father was a minister and his
mother was an accomplished pianists.
After graduating from Lafayette High School, he
decided to attend Jacksonville State University. Like
many freshman he was unsure of selecting a major.
Later he landed a job at his campus radio station,
WLGS. He says he did not have an interest in radio at
the time but something about the radio station caught
his attention.
“I saw a radio station that looked very interesting.
So, I gave it a try and directed all my classes towards
that and I went from there,” he said.
From WJGS, Batie attended Columbia School of
Broadcasting in Atlanta. It was from here he recieved
an internship with WCLK. He and four other
announcers discovered the internship and moved to
WCLK.
When Batie arrived at WCLK, he was not playing
contemporary jazz. He explains that WCLK was
strictly a traditional station at that time.
“When I first came to WCLK, it was 80 to 85 percent
traditional. It was what we call mainsteam.
Contemporary has been derived in the last couple of
years,” he says.
Batie has been in radio for 12 years. He has worked
at stations such as Q104 in Alabama and WNOO in
Tennessee. Batie says his love for music inspired him
to pursue radio.
“I am a music lover. Due to the fact that I was not
able to play an instrument, I wanted to find another
outlet. It was taking the finished product a musician
U.S. Department of Energy
EDUCATIONAL ASSISTANCE AND RESEARCH APPOINTMENTS
Oak Ridge Associated Universities, a private, not-for-profit association of colleges and
universities, and a management and operating contractor of the U. S. Department of
Energy, encourages students and faculty at designated Historically Black Colleges and
Universities to apply for programs in its Science/Engineering Education Division.
Undergraduate and graduate students who are interested in career fields related to nuclear
energy technologies and full-time permanent faculty who hold degrees in life or physical
sciences or engineering and who have ongoing interest in nuclear energy-related research
are eligible. Students accepted into the program will receive stipends and payment of their
tuition and fees; and faculty members will receive a stipend that is equal to their regular
college/university salary. APPLICANTS MUST BE U.S. CITIZENS OR PERMANENT
RESIDENT ALIENS.
FOR MORE INFORMATION CONTACT:
HBCU/NET PROGRAM
Science/Engineering Education Division
P.O. Box 117
Oak Ridge, TN 37830-0117
Phone 615-576-5300
