About Jiggy Jaguar
Depending on whom you ask, Jiggy Jaguar is either a bile-spewing spawn of Satan or a visionary prophet of truth.
Through his Internet radio station, kjagradio.com, Jiggy (also known as James Lowe) has attracted a loyal listening audience during the past 10 years that he said falls into three categories.
“They either hate me like poison, are huge fans, or they’re trying to destroy me somehow to bring me off my perch,” Lowe said. “I don’t know why. I’m not Satan.”
Through his Jiggy Jaguar persona, Lowe has carved a niche for himself as the Howard Stern of Salina radio.
Through hours of weekly content, on-location coverage of local music and news events and a live broadcast from 2 to 5 p.m. each Sunday, Lowe and his on-air partner, Ross Long, have created a free-wheeling online potpourri of comedy, music, caustic commentaries, and phone and live video interviews with a mix of the famous and obscure.
We never talk about porn
These interviews include local and area rappers and indie folk, rock and heavy metal bands that need the media exposure; local and area public and government officials; midget wrestlers and mixed martial arts fighters; celebrities such as musician Eddie Money, actor William Shatner and author Dean Koontz; and a collection of surprisingly tame adult film stars.
“We have these porn stars on, but we never seem to talk about porn,” Lowe said.
Lowe runs his station from his small apartment near the Salina Police Department, but because the online feed is accessible worldwide, he and Long receive live calls during their show from listeners as far away as Europe and the Netherlands.
“There are bands who call us from Sweden,” Lowe said. “The Internet goes all over the world, so a lot of Europeans pay attention to us. I’m shocked they know who I am.”
A McPherson native, Lowe became interested in radio while in high school. In 1999, he began working for KSKU radio in Hutchinson, from which he was fired.
Getting Jiggy with it
Frustrated at not being able to say or do what he wanted on the air, he decided to create his own online station on his personal computer. He called it KJAG after his high school nickname of Jiggy Jaguar.
“It became like a brand name for me,” Lowe said.
Lowe moved to Salina in 2007, where he was an intern at Eagle Communications and an on-air personality on Rocking M Radio while still maintaining his online Jiggy persona.
“They thought I was too controversial as Jiggy, so I became ‘Crash’ Davis,” said Lowe, who no longer works for the station.
During the same period, Lowe met Long, and the pair found they were on the same wavelength.
“Ross understands technology, where things are going,” Lowe said. “He understands the whole Jiggy Jag thing is a gimmick.”
During the last few years, Lowe and Long have expanded their online business to include YouTube interviews; live streaming video coverage and interviews from music clubs, festivals and other events; and live video conference calls through the software system Skype.
Many of the Skype interviews have been archived and are available at jiggyjaguar.com, “organized by video and audio,” Lowe said.
Filling the media void
Lowe said he books all of his own guests by contacting record labels, publicists and booking agents. He’s also attracted a number of sponsors, from specialized music magazines to godaddy.com to “a couple of porn magazines,” he said.
Whether loved or despised, Lowe said he fills a media void through his willingness to seek out and cover alternative news and entertainment.
“People that are being missed by the mainstream media we will cover,” he said. “I’m the most accessible person around. If you want to get a hold of me, you can get a hold of me.”
Additional Links:
Official Website: http://jiggyjaguar.com
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/thejiggyjaguar
Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/jiggyjaguar
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jiggyjaguar1
