760 AM Pre-1990's?

[DToTheJ]

I am having a hard time finding information - and, most importantly, airchecks - of the station's existence prior to its years as "Z-Rock" and an Inner City-owned station (and eventually its current form as "Ticket 760.") I read one blurb someplace that it was known as "The Spirit Of 76, KSJL" - but even then, there was no format information. Was it a big "top 40" station with "boss jocks" back in the day?

Oh, and Wikipedia is completely useless, by the way:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/KYTY

 

[fredcantu]

IIRC-- AM 760 didn't until 1984. It was part of the original break up of the legacy AM clear channels. Until the breakup, WJR in Detroit and KFMB in San Diego were the only AMs on 760 after sundown.

 

[fredcantu]

The 1984 Broadcasting Yearbook lists Inner City as the owner and Z Rock as the format and a sign on date of May 10, 1984. Looks like there was no existence before Z Rock.

 

[grantchester]

I recall Kelly McCann was the program director, and Linda Santana the news director, and an urban/chr format for KSJL-760 AM in 1985. It was put on the air by Inner City, and the Sutton family. The studios were on an alley off Alamo Plaza (Loyola st?)
I know they were Urban/CHR when they bought KSAQ-96 FM in late '86. I vaguely recall Billy Thorman doing a hard rock format on 96 FM in the late 80's, but I also recall Z-rock being on an AM station owned by Lotus (KZDC?) back then... but my memory seems to be playing tricks on me these days.

 

[bturner]

I was working at KINL in Eagle Pass, Texas from June 1981 to August 1984. At some point during that time 760 KSJL came on the air as a Top 40 station. They had a very small playlist and were certainly inspired by the Michael Joseph "Hot Hits" format.

As I recall, KSJL was all currents except for an in-house mix of recurrents played between :50 and :55. For the most part, this 'mix' was 3 or 4 recurrents done in medley form (think Stars on 45). Many of the currents were on about a 70 minute rotation. Time and temp were in English and Spanish. Presentation was typical top 40 (all talk over intros) with seasoned talent.

I do not know how the station did in the ratings, but they seemed to really make a splash. I would guess the Top 40 format lasted a couple of years. It seems that after I had moved on to Bryan/College Station in August 1984 that KSJL changed to Z-Rock and had a pretty successful run. The rumor at the time was that Z-Rock refused to renew AM affiliates, so KSJL went Urban. It seems I read that Z-Rock was choosing to only go FM in one of the trade publications we got while I was at KTAW, but I can't swear to it. I remembered thinking that was crazy to opt to lose a big market and revenue because a station was on AM versus FM. As you recall, Z-Rock was a satellite delivered hard rock format based out of Long Beach, California. In my opinion they had the 'local sound' the other satellite formats were missing and the many Z-Rock fans always thought the format originated at the station they were listening to.

After the Urban format, KSJL was sold to WOAI who took the station talk, I suppose to 'take down' KTSA, calling themselves WOAI Two, opting at a later time to take the station Sports Talk.

 

[DToTheJ]

As Wikipedia has it, the FCC wouldn't allow CC to operate two stations, and thus, "The Ticket" was born.

 

[DToTheJ]

...The rumor at the time was that Z-Rock refused to renew AM affiliates, so KSJL went Urban...

This would make sense because New York's WZRC-AM switched in late 1992 to a classic country format (it still bears the same call letters to this day).

 

[jd]

The time-line, as I recall, is Top 40 from sign-on in 1984 until 1986, then a couple of years simulcasting 96.1 (whose format at the time would be called CHR today, more or less), followed by a switch to Z-Rock in 1988.

 

[klutch00]

...The rumor at the time was that Z-Rock refused to renew AM affiliates, so KSJL went Urban...

This would make sense because New York's WZRC-AM switched in late 1992 to a classic country format (it still bears the same call letters to this day).

I believe after Lee Abrams took over Z-Rock, he wanted to make the format palatable to FM. In order to do that, the playlist almost certainly had to be 'watered down' with more mainstream rock material. I'm sure this ticked off many of the hard-core listeners. I believe after 1994 until Z-Rock's demise at the end of 1996, the format leaned alternative rock.

Methinks that if there was a quality analog AM transmission standard in stereo, many innovative music formats MIGHT've been spared.

 

[fredcantu]

But wasn't active rock starting to die off as a format in the 1990s anyway? Rock stations were leaning Classic or abandoning the format altogether.

 

[Mediafrog+]

The 1984 Broadcasting Yearbook lists Inner City as the owner and Z Rock as the format and a sign on date of May 10, 1984. Looks like there was no existence before Z Rock.

WJR in Detroit could easily be heard at night on 760 in Central Texas prior to the 1980's.

 

[willdav713]

I am having a hard time finding information - and, most importantly, airchecks - of the station's existence prior to its years as "Z-Rock" and an Inner City-owned station (and eventually its current form as "Ticket 760.") I read one blurb someplace that it was known as "The Spirit Of 76, KSJL" - but even then, there was no format information. Was it a big "top 40" station with "boss jocks" back in the day?

Oh, and Wikipedia is completely useless, by the way:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/KYTY

I posted a Dirty Girls Aircheck 76 Z-Rock 1990 Aircheck on Youtube however the audio quality is bad because I recorded it on a mid 70s Memorex MRX2 Oxide tape (I had to break the shell and replace it) the tape itself is pretty warped I had problems playing and fast forwarding. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RA2e8QW2OD4 (Turn your volume all the way up)

 

[willdav713]

I am having a hard time finding information - and, most importantly, airchecks - of the station's existence prior to its years as "Z-Rock" and an Inner City-owned station (and eventually its current form as "Ticket 760.") I read one blurb someplace that it was known as "The Spirit Of 76, KSJL" - but even then, there was no format information. Was it a big "top 40" station with "boss jocks" back in the day?

Oh, and Wikipedia is completely useless, by the way:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/KYTY

In 1984 KSJL All Hit 76 AM Stereo signed on as a Urban Leaning Top 40 format to rival KTSA 55. In 1986 C&W Wireless sold KSAQ 96 FM to Inner City which flipped their Christian KSLR 96FM to Super Q96/76 KSAQ/KSJL FM/AM. In mid 1988 KSJL became Z-rock and Q96fm began playing Killer New Music. In 1991 KSAQ flipped to 96Rock because 99.5 KISS would't flip back from Oldies to Rock. In 1992 KSJL became SMN- The Touch Urban AC. Then in 1993 Inner City sold KSJL AM for 700k to Clear Channel and dropped SMN The Touch for a locally run Urban AC as 760 KSJL/KSAQ 96.1. After KSJL became KZXS WOAI-760 KSAQ changed calls to KSJL 96.1fm Your Radio Station. WOAI-760 (1993-1994) 760 then became Talk Radio 760 KTKR K TalK Radio (1994-1995) then flipped one year later in 1995 to Sports 760 The Ticket and kept the KTKR calls.

 

[grantchester]

In 1986 C&W Wireless sold KSAQ 96 FM to Inner City which flipped their Christian KSLR 96FM to Super Q96/76 KSAQ/KSJL FM/AM.

KSLR-FM became KSAQ-FM "Q-96" in early 1984. The Q-96 format was adult contemporary/hits. That lasted until it was taken over by Inner City in late 1986.

"Super-Q" was a previous CHR station at 100.3(originally KBER-FM). Although their calls were also KSAQ, there was no connection to C&W Wireless.

96.1 had been KMFM-FM, owned by the Pennington family, broadcasting classical music from studios at North Star Mall. It was sold to the christian broadcasters who launched KSLR on FM. KSLR bought the old KMAC-AM 630, moved their format to the AM band, and then sold 96.1-FM.

 

[willdav713]

In 1986 C&W Wireless sold KSAQ 96 FM to Inner City which flipped their Christian KSLR 96FM to Super Q96/76 KSAQ/KSJL FM/AM.

KSLR-FM became KSAQ-FM "Q-96" in early 1984. The Q-96 format was adult contemporary/hits. That lasted until it was taken over by Inner City in late 1986.

"Super-Q" was a previous CHR station at 100.3(originally KBER-FM). Although their calls were also KSAQ, there was no connection to C&W Wireless.

96.1 had been KMFM-FM, owned by the Pennington family, broadcasting classical music from studios at North Star Mall. It was sold to the christian broadcasters who launched KSLR on FM. KSLR bought the old KMAC-AM 630, moved their format to the AM band, and then sold 96.1-FM.

Actually Super Q existed on 96 and 76 AM. There was a bumper sticker on a mid 80s truck at fox run apartments I remember seeing it said Super Q96/76. They used to have Super Q in the 70s but on 100.3 and 1130 AM? During the first run. KSAQ/KQAM FM/AM Super Q was short lived on 96.1 and 760 until the Z rock move in 1988.

 

[jd]

They used to have Super Q in the 70s but on 100.3 and 1130 AM? During the first run. KSAQ/KQAM FM/AM

The AM was on 1150, forerunner of today's 1160, and it was a simulcast of 100.3; it wasn't Super Q back in the 1970's. But they did have a cool ID, though: "Q-100 KSAQ...and KQ-AM, San Antonio."

 

[gabigley1]

KSAQ and KQAM went on the air in the Summer of 1975, after the station was sold by A, V. Bamford. The call letters were KBER-AM and KBER-FM
back then.
AS I recall, they initially had separate programming on 1150 and used the slogan "San-Anton-o-Q-" on 1150.

Getting back to KSJL 760, dose anyone recall the first morning hosts on KSJL 760, when it first signed on the air back in 1984?

 

[gabigley1]

Got a very quick reply to this question from Express News Radio-TV columnist Jeanne Jakle. She said it was Blanquita Cullum who did the morning show
on KSJL-AM 760 in the 80s. I recalled her name but couldn't spell her name. Here is more info on Blanquita Cullum:

http://www.duplain.com/blanquita_cullum/

Also, I vaguely recall Bruce Hathaway was Blanquita Cullum's co-host and she also thinks so. Dose anyone recall if it was Bruce for sure?

 

[Huff]

I do not know how the station did in the ratings, but they seemed to really make a splash. I would guess the Top 40 format lasted a couple of years.

KSJL did not make it on the air in time to register in the Spring 1984 book. It debuted with a 1.8 share (Persons 12+) in the Fall '84, and rose to a 2.2 in the Spring '85. It slid a few tenths of a share each book over the next year or so (eventually falling below a 1 share.) It was never able to match the 2.2 in its 2nd book.