 On May 19, 1978, after Sandusky Broadcasting bought the stations, KZAM adopted a "Rock of the ‘80s" new wave format, the first of its kind in the Seattle market.The FM continued to air album rock until July 1983, when it flipped to adult contemporary music.Due to poor ratings, on February 23, 1981, KZAM went back to simulcasting the FM until July 15th of that year, when the AM became all-jazz KJZZ.