CATCH THE WAVE : STATION'S RESEARCH-TESTED CONTEMPORARY JAZZ MIX SNAGS MORE LISTENERS ATTRACTED TO UNIQUE FORMAT.

Byline: Fred Shuster Daily News Music Writer

Talaya Trigueros, midday host on Smooth Jazz radio ``the Wave,'' settles onto her perch in front of the station console and begins working the faders that will send her lulling, sweetly seductive voice to 850,000 listeners at work, home and in cars.

Trigueros - known simply as Talaya - is the station's not-so-secret weapon in a city where nearly 80 radio outlets compete for audience share.

The Wave, officially KTWV-FM (94.7), has rebounded remarkably in the past year to become the most popular English-language station in Los Angeles among listeners age 25 to 54. That, by the way, is the advertising industry's primo target - baby boomers with lots of disposable income.

Talaya isn't nervous or jumpy as her 9 a.m.-to-2 p.m. weekday shift kicks off with something smooth and jazzy from the new Herb Alpert CD. The phones blink with requests as she scans a list of that day's commercials.

After nine years here, Talaya is right at home. Her warmly conversational tone mirrors the Wave's mellow format to a T. Off the air, she comes across as velvety as the sophisticated contemporary jazz she spins at home and in the studio.

``The most important thing is to embrace the music,'' Talaya explained. ``I wrap myself in its mood and tempo - then I announce. It's not what you say, it's how you say it. I try to project something that has a musical flair to it, something melodic or lyrical.''

This stylish delivery has caught on in a big way. Among listeners 12 and older (the industry's broadest barometer), Talaya recently ranked a stunning third in the market behind the Spanish love ballads of KLVE-FM (107.5) and Rush Limbaugh's daily celebration of self on KFI-AM (640).

``We think we've been able to put our finger on the pulse of what people's tastes are,'' said Christine Brodie, the Wave's program director. ``And that leans towards music that has jazz impressions yet may not be improvisational or coming from a traditional jazz standpoint.''

It wasn't always this way. A year ago, the station was lingering at 15th place in the 12-and-older demographic. The station has moved to third place among the coveted 25-to-54-year-old listener group, and has moved up in overall ratings as well. In the most recent ratings report for all listeners ages 12 and older, the Wave placed eighth with more than 850,000 weekly listeners.

Along the way, the decade-old station had to get rid of a nagging little phrase - new age.

``I'm not sure I ever knew what the term even meant,'' Wave music director Ralph Stewart said. ``The assumption is it's wallpaper background music that has no melody. But if there's one misconception about the station, it's that we've begun playing more music with vocals. In fact, vocals are probably less in our mix than they used to be.''

The Wave - owned by Westinghouse/CBS Inc. - is credited with having invented the format, which falls under the New Adult Contemporary banner, in 1987. Today, Smooth Jazz is the fastest-growing format in radio, according to trade weekly Radio & Records.

``In 1987, when the station went on the air, we looked at the world music influence on Paul Simon's `Graceland' and at the startling success of (then-new age label) Windham Hill Records,'' Brodie explained. ``We came to the conclusion that here was this body of music targeted toward adults that wasn't getting radio exposure.''

These days, the station typically spins new instrumental music by the likes of Herbie Hancock, Richard Elliot, Joe Sample, John Tesh, Boney James and Rick Braun, mixed with current hits by Eric Clapton, Aaron Neville, Toni Braxton, Vanessa Williams and Lionel Richie.

``It's good to have some things that aren't patently jazzy to break things up,'' Stewart said. ``As for the noncontemporary jazz element of the station, I call it `other.' For the most part, we have a contemporary jazz sound and what we mix with that should compliment it.''

Listeners point to a consistency in the Wave's presentation.

``I like the fact that with life being so stressful, it's nice to have somewhere to go that's peaceful,'' said longtime Wave aficionado Kim Ray, 36, of Van Nuys. ``With all the chaos, it's nice to know there's something stable and lovely to listen to throughout the day.''

The Wave's sound is the result of year-round research, Brodie said.

``We wanted to find out what listeners or potential listeners want to hear,'' she said. ``We found out they responded best to strong melody. So, we really set out to put our finger on that pulse. It's a matter of having them tell us what they want.''

The station is bolstered by the fact that it reaches a sizable non-Anglo audience, said radio analyst Allen Klein of Encino-based Media Research Graphics Inc.

``Almost 30 percent of the Wave's audience is listed as African-American, with 17 percent Latino,'' Klein said. ``This multiethnic aspect makes the station very unusual. But it's also the positioning of the Wave as a contemporary jazz station since the other sources of black-appeal jazz have left the scene. This is the only commercial station for people who enjoy that type of music. It's a station that reaches the ethnic duality of the market.''

Another reason for the Wave's success is the fact that so many workplaces keep the station on in the background. Added appeal stems from the Wave's morning show, hosted by Paul Crosswhite, which is music-intensive in a sea of bleary-eyed talkers on competing stations during the early commute.

``The sound is conducive to any number of work environments,'' Brodie said. ``You try for the workplace because that's where there's a huge amount of listening time available to any radio station. Our sound isn't as obtrusive as a really high-powered rock station, but we're told it's still energizing.''

CAPTION(S):

3 Photos

Photo: (1--Cover--Color) Soft Sell

Talaya Trigueros mell ow voice has brought a Wave of new listeners for KTWV-FM

(2) KTWV-FM host Talaya Trigueros has been with the station for nine years. ``The most important thing is to embrace the music,'' she says of her on-air style.

(3) Music is the emphasis of Paul Crosswhite's morning show.

Phil McCarten/Daily News