Drew hayes out from KABC.

[TomásEstefan]

Before KGBS went full time, DXers got a treat on Sunday evenings as KGBS went back on the air at 9:00 PM Pacific, and stayed on until 2:00 AM Pacific. This coincided with KDKA's xmitter maintenance period Midnight-5:00 AM Eastern. (KDKA was the 1A station on the freq.) At 9 o'clock the DJ would do an ID and the FCC sign on legalities, welcome listeners to 50,000 watt KGBS-"Boomin' all the way up to Alaska!"

Yes. They ditched Country in March, 1969, telling Billboard that they intended to put themselves "in between" KHJ and KMPC. We didn't have the term "adult contemporary" yet.

A few airchecks survive, and while the jocks (Bob Hudson in mornings, Bill Ballance in middays, Dick Lyons afternoons, Roger Christian and Bobby Dale late nights) were looser than KHJ and KRLA, the music was all stuff you'd hear on Top 40, up to and including Led Zeppelin.

This was the format that they had when Ballance started doing "Feminine Forum" in '71. Somewhere in '70, Ron Landry took afternoons and then in '71, they paired him with Hudson in mornings. They never really softened the music much, and so, I'd agree with Tomas that they were actually a Top 40. That lasted until '74, when they tried talk for a year, and then went back to Country until the December 26, 1976 launch of KTNQ.

1020's mid day shift was 10 to 3 during that period, which I thought was unusual. I'm not sure if any other major station in the market was doing that at that time...

 

[TomásEstefan]

When I was in high school a friend of mine wondered why KGBS was so strong during the day but could barely be heard at night. Well KGBS was still a daytimer, but KSWS in Roswell was already on the air at night. When I told him that he was actually listening to a New Mexico station he flipped (wondered how that's even possible !)

 

[michael hagerty]

At that point, their imaging statement was "Gentle Country".

Funny how at one point certain "feminist" groups found Bill Ballance's "Feminine Forum" show offensive. So the name was dropped but the content as I remember it was still the same. Presumably first amendment rights.


David, I believe they were still KGBS when they went went full time. But I could be wrong as I remember at about this time they had been simulcasting for some time on their FM (97.1)

Bill’s thing never really changed. His show on KABC (1974-76) had elements of Feminine Forum.

No. The first night of KGBS’ full time nighttime pattern was as KTNQ. December 26, 1976.

 

[TomásEstefan]

Bill’s thing never really changed. His show on KABC (1974-76) had elements of Feminine Forum.

No. The first night of KGBS’ full time nighttime pattern was as KTNQ. December 26, 1976.

Thanks for the correction!

Bill's show was incredibly popular. At one point it seemed that everybody was listening. And for a while his show was simulcast in San Diego on 1130 KSDO, Although it didn't necessarily work out very well as some listeners who although thrilled to get Ballance's show on a strong signal (1020s SD county signal was listenable but weak) KSDO succeeded in "pissing off" listeners by clipping what seemed to be about 5 minutes off of his show each half hour, and this was beyond the time set aside for each stations local news. Didn't work out very well. Bill would be talking on KGBS, KSDO would be running endless spots.

 

[michael hagerty]

Thanks for the correction!

Bill's show was incredibly popular. At one point it seemed that everybody was listening. And for a while his show was simulcast in San Diego on 1130 KSDO, Although it didn't necessarily work out very well as some listeners who although thrilled to get Ballance's show on a strong signal (1020s SD county signal was listenable but weak) KSDO succeeded in "pissing off" listeners by clipping what seemed to be about 5 minutes off of his show each half hour, and this was beyond the time set aside for each stations local news. Didn't work out very well. Bill would be talking on KGBS, KSDO would be running endless spots.

I believe this was actually an attempt at syndicating Bill's show. The backlash against "dirty radio" crushed it before it really could take off.

 

[TomásEstefan]

I believe this was actually an attempt at syndicating Bill's show. The backlash against "dirty radio" crushed it before it really could take off.

I should have mentioned that where I lived in the SFV I was able to monitor both stations, and if were a di-hard fan along the coast in SD County I would have listened to the weaker signal so I wouldn't miss quite a bit of the show.

 

[asugeorge1]

I should have mentioned that where I lived in the SFV I was able to monitor both stations, and if were a di-hard fan along the coast in SD County I would have listened to the weaker signal so I wouldn't miss quite a bit of the show.

I definitely miss the hot talk format. After the failed Free FM experiments across the country, not many hot talk stations exist. Some of the hosts still exist (whether as a podcast or on other talk radio stations), but I can’t think of a single hot talk format station that still exists on the West Coast. KEGL in Dallas, Texas is the closest one that comes to mind.