Cynthia Doyon, radio host on KUOW

Cynthia Doyon, the longtime producer and host of "The Swing Years and Beyond," a popular Saturday-night music show on KUOW-FM (94.9), was found dead Tuesday morning on the University of Washington campus.

Ms. Doyon, who was 48, shot herself.

A school employee on a walk found Ms. Doyon's body shortly before 8 a.m. Tuesday on a dock behind the Oceanography Building, in the southern part of the campus, said Annette Spicuzza, assistant chief of the University of Washington Police Department.

Ms. Doyon described her show on the KUOW Web site as "a quirky mix of swing, R&B, country western, bebop and popular song." Her show featured upbeat music from the late 1920s through the late 1950s, an era often called the golden age of radio.

The artists on her playlists included Frank Sinatra, Duke Ellington, Nat King Cole, Ella Fitzgerald, Nancy Wilson, Benny Goodman and Benny Carter.

"When I started hosting in 1979," Ms. Doyon wrote on the KUOW Web site, "it featured swing music from 1935-1945. But I was young and brash and thought there was a lot of good music on either side of that 'swing' divide so I expanded the variety and the show's title. I've spent the last 21 years making the program informative, educational and entertaining."

Cynthia Ann Doyon was born June 6, 1955, in Seattle to James H. and Gwendolyn Doyon, the youngest daughter in a family of four children. She graduated from Lincoln High School in 1973 and enrolled at the University of Washington, said her brother, Jim Doyon Jr., a detective with the King County Sheriff's Green River Task Force.

She worked her way through school at the University District Post Office and first became acquainted with people at KUOW when she ran mail up to the station, which was then on campus, her brother said.

In college, she became infatuated with the swing-band era and enamored of the actress Marlene Dietrich. She emulated Dietrich's look and became an expert in swing music, learning about all the major and minor musicians and band leaders.

"I learned of radio's vibrant cultural significance during the 1920s-40s and I wanted to recreate that energy," she wrote on the Web site. "I started at the UW station KCMU-FM (90.3), where I hosted a rock-n-roll show and served as the station's first woman program director.

"After graduating, I blanketed the state with résumés and tapes, but even in those days it was difficult for a woman to get a job as a music host. Then I was recruited to fill in for The Swing Years on KUOW, which turned out to be the start of my radio career."

Jeff Hansen, the program director at KUOW, said Ms. Doyon was an "incredibly hard worker and a complete professional in her work."

"In 24 years of doing 'Swing Years,' I don't believe she missed a single show, was never late, was never sick," Hansen said.

Jim Doyon Jr. said his sister left a note saying she was despondent over finances and her future and that she felt discouraged her radio career seemed to have stalled.

"Sometimes people don't appreciate the contributions they make," he said. "In Cindy's case, it was her friends, and the following she had."

Ms. Doyon, whose show aired Saturdays from 7 p.m. to midnight, had recently had her work schedule increased from 17 to 20 hours, Hansen said. Ms. Doyon also worked as an engineer and on-air announcer for KUOW. She didn't have another job.

"She will be deeply missed," Hansen said. "She was an institution here, one of the most senior employees here. She has a long history here, and she was well-liked. ... I was assuming she would be on the air, doing the show here for another 20 years, until she retired."

Ms. Doyon never married and had no children. She asked that no funeral or memorial service be held, her brother said. In addition to her brother Jim, she is survived by her brother Ron, of Shoreline, and a sister, Susan, of Centralia.

Michael Ko: 206-515-5653 or mko@seattletimes.com; Ian Ith: 206-464-2109 or iith@seattletimes.com