On Wednesday afternoon, July 10, Scot McKay, owner of the jazz radio station KRML and the Carmel Valley Athletic Club, died after succumbing to a three-month battle with cancer at 59 years old. He is survived by Heidi, his wife of 33 years, seven children, three sisters, and nieces and nephews.
While he was raised in Evanston, Illinois, he moved his family to Carmel in 2003, where he bought and renovated the CVAC. He bought KRML in 2011 and in October of 2012 changed the longtime jazz format in favor of an “adult album alternative” format interspersed with lifestyle programs.
In the 10 years that McKay lived in Carmel, he became immersed in the community, with not only KRML and CVAC under his ownership, but The Refuge spa and the Gardener Ranch, the latter of which he turned into a wedding and business retreat facility. Besides his involvement in the business community, he had also made a $25,000 donation to the Make-A-Wish Foundation in 2012, and apparently donations to other groups which weren’t made public.
A memorial mass will be held at the Carmel Mission Basilica, 3080 Rio Road, Carmel, on Friday, July 19 at 11am, followed by a celebration of life party at Gardener Ranch, 114 Carmel Valley Road, Carmel Valley. Donations can be made to the Big Sur Land Trust. Visit www.missionmortuary.com for online condolences.