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What radio station in LA holds the record for having the most format flips?
- Thread starter 34james
- Start date
I'm going to guess 100.3 MHz. It seemed like in the 1970s and 80s it was going through a format change every year or two. And a check of Wikipedia just now shows 13 different call letter changes since it signed on the air in 1957.
Of course, now that it's owned by EMF, running K-Love as KKLQ, it's probably going to be around a long time running its Christian Contemporary format.
At the opposite end is probably KLOS, running either Album Rock or Classic Rock since 1969.
Of course, now that it's owned by EMF, running K-Love as KKLQ, it's probably going to be around a long time running its Christian Contemporary format.
At the opposite end is probably KLOS, running either Album Rock or Classic Rock since 1969.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/KNX-FM
97.1 FM is another one which had lots of format changes in it's history until it became KNX-FM.
97.1 FM is another one which had lots of format changes in it's history until it became KNX-FM.
Mount Wilson FM Broadcasters’ 1260 AM has also gone through a laundry list of callsigns and formats, using some callsigns and formats more than once.
It has to be Saul Levine's 1260 AM.
In fact, it's overdue for a format wheel spin; It's been over a fortnight.
If you take call sign changes out of the equation...
Honorable mentions should go to 103.1 FM, The Mighty 690 AM and 107.1 FM for the amount of format flips in all of their History.
In fact, it's overdue for a format wheel spin; It's been over a fortnight.
If you take call sign changes out of the equation...
Honorable mentions should go to 103.1 FM, The Mighty 690 AM and 107.1 FM for the amount of format flips in all of their History.
A brief history of the formats on 1260 AM in L.A.:
1993-1995 Adult Standards
1995-1996 News
1996-1997 all-Beatles
1997-1998 Broadway show tunes
1998-2000 Adult Standards
2000-2002 Jazz
2002-2004 Adult Standards
2004-2005 Oldies
2006-2007 Country
2007 Classical
2007-2009 Talk
2009-2011 Oldies/Adult Standards
2011-2016 Classical
2016-2017 Adult Standards
2017-2020 Oldies
2020-present Classical
1993-1995 Adult Standards
1995-1996 News
1996-1997 all-Beatles
1997-1998 Broadway show tunes
1998-2000 Adult Standards
2000-2002 Jazz
2002-2004 Adult Standards
2004-2005 Oldies
2006-2007 Country
2007 Classical
2007-2009 Talk
2009-2011 Oldies/Adult Standards
2011-2016 Classical
2016-2017 Adult Standards
2017-2020 Oldies
2020-present Classical
KNX has been more or less all news since 1968
I mean, yeah, Saul has spun the format wheel a few times, but to be honest, a lot of those would have been considered more adjustments than format changes. Saul's approach to Show Tunes, Standards and Jazz is so similar, with so much shared music that you really could consider 1997 to 2004 as one format.
Give Saul credit for being the patron saint of lost formats (apart from the news, all-Beatles and talk attempts) when he could have simply dumped it or leased it out in a brokered programming agreement.
It's crazy and fun to look at that list ! 1260, of course is now classical but If I remember correctly when Mr. Levine changed the format from Standards to Oldies back in 2017, he said something to the effect "This is the last format change on this freq I'll ever make". Huh???
KGIL was good when it was talk, I listened to Michael Jackson’s show for the first time on that station.
I think Saul overestimated the audience for oldies on AM in Los Angeles. If it had done well, he’d still be doing it.
As opposed to the audience for Classical music on AM?
He also talked about possibly switching 1260 to digital-only HD Radio, but from what I've heard, lately it's been transmitting an analog-only signal, with no trace of HD.
KMZT 1260 AM has been broadcasting in digital for many years! It's also simulcast on 105.1 HD-2, and on standard analogue FM (for the SFV) at 98.3... In fact, with the exception of KBRT 740, it's the only digital AM station in the LA Metro still operating...
I don't know the current state of his HD, but Saul's basically using 1260 as a test bed for digital:
Saul Levine Re-launches ‘K-Mozart’ In Los Angeles.
There's no real-world difference between a 0.1 and hash marks, so I don't know that Saul is any worse off with Classical than he was with oldies.
How much real-world difference is there between a 0.1 and operating in digital-only mode? He could probably climb 1260's tower, King Kong-like, and whistle Mozart without losing many listeners.
Might be a bit cruel to send a 96 year old station owner climbing up a tower though. 🤣
And 0.1 is the "door prize" for any subscribed group's station that gets just one quarter hour detection.
In between the stints of indie rock and dance, is there a signal in the market that’s had more of a cult following than 103.1? there are so many tributes on YouTube to the signal’s prior formats. Modern day kmet
The 107.1 FM trimulcast might qualify for this thread.
I’ve linked to its Wikipedia article, for what it’s worth.
en.wikipedia.org
I’ve linked to its Wikipedia article, for what it’s worth.
KSSE - Wikipedia
- Status