GRAVETTE — Gayla McKenzie received her undergraduate degree in music education at the University of Arkansas. She later went to law school and practiced that profession for one year. Today, she owns and operates KBVA 106.5 in northwest Arkansas.

McKenzie said it was a normal progression for somebody who grew up in the radio business.

Her first introduction to the airwaves came from her parents, Kim and Marylea Hendren, who owned and operated KEZA 107.9 in Fayetteville for a number of years.

“I remember riding around in the back seatof the car listening to KEZA and critiquing the music,” McKenzie said. She referred to that teenage activity as “captive listening.”

On Sept. 11, 1991, McKenzie threw the switch that put her station onthe air. Last month, the station began a year-long 20th anniversary party to celebrate.

While she certainly didn’t know what the future would hold on that first day, she was confident of one thing - she knew what kind of music her station would offer. It would be a variety of artists and genres.

“I’m so glad I did,” she said of her choice. “I wanted to be able to play good music, like easy listening and big bands.”

McKenzie said the one thing she never wanted to be was obligated to record companies to play their artists over and over throughout the day. She said it isn’t unusual for a particular song to go for days, and perhaps weeks, before being repeated onKBVA

Today, the station offers a mix of artists ranging from Frank Sinatra and Elvis to Michael Buble and Jack Johnson.

Not having a commitment to record companies is an advantage to McKenzie.

“If I like it, or the listeners like it, I can play it. And many of our listeners say they like that variety,” she said.

Although the station is physically located in Gravette, in the old Hendren auto dealership, McKenzie chose the letters KBVA when applying for her license. They stand for Bella Vista, Ark., and the Best Variety Around, she said.

At the top of every hour, the Federal Communications Commission requires stations to broadcast their call letters and city of license. For McKenzie, that works out to KBVA, Bella Vista.

Unlike other stations that sandwich their city in the middle of several others, such as “serving Bentonville, Gravette, Rogers and Lowell,” McKenzie keeps true to her roots.

“I’m proud of our city of license,” she said.

McKenzie’s career doesn’t go far enough back that she “spun vinyl” for her listeners, but she has seen a number of changes just the same.

Her method of playing songs has gone from cassettes to CDs to digital, taken directly off a computer. As a result of modern technology, she can operate some aspects of the station from her home, never stepping into the studio.

The computer also makes putting it all together easier, she said. With the right software, she or one of her employees can mix songs in with advertisements and publicservice announcements, and basically sit back and watch the operation unfold before their eyes.

Of course, the human element comes into play when the power goes out or something goes awry with the equipment, McKenzie said.

The human element consists of longtime employee Claudia Cassi, on the payroll for 10 years; Valerie Martinez, who has worked at the station on and off for a number of years; Bob Cheyne, former color commentator for the University of Arkansas Razorbacks; and longtime family friend Jim Sheets.

KBVA must have been doing something right these past two decades.McKenzie said very few days go by that somebody doesn’t call or e-mail her to say how much they appreciate the music. And not all of those listeners are from northwest Arkansas.

Since the station is on the Internet, it can be heard anywhere inthe world by logging on to http://variety1065.com and clicking on the pink bar at the top that reads “Listen Live Here!”

She said many of those people take listening to the station very personally.

“I love it when they call it ‘my station,’” McKenzie said.

She said the station plays a distinct role in the community, offering a local flavor without any outside ownership dictating what goes on the air.

“We know what’s important, and we care about that,” she said. “We’re all about the music.”

As to what the future holds, McKenzie hopes it’s a new building somewhere in Gravette.

“I won’t leave here; I grew up here,” she said.

Right now, the station is firmly entrenched in its year-long celebration, which will run through September 2011.

KBVA will have all sorts of contests and giveaways in the coming months to mark the milestone.

Business, Pages 10 on 10/20/2010