A 1360 QUESTION

[thebeach33445]

Hey Guys and Gals:

I have most of the history of 1360, but does anybody know the history of WKAT between 1967 and 1981? Was it talk in 1967 as "the talk of Miami" and for how long? I am guessing 1979 or 1981 when it became
nostalgia.

Didn't 1360 start out as a classical station in the 30's?

Thanks again!!

T.J.

 

[Mike Sheridan]

Yes WKAT was a very early talk station. The place was something to see. The building was large with it's own garage. The control room was raised with the daytime 5KW Western Electric transmitter in front of the board operator and the 1KW night Western Electric transmitter behind the board operator. The audio board was also made by Western Electric and everything worked fine. The engineer must have known what he was doing to keep everything running, I saw it in the mid-70's and it was all very old by then. I think you are correct on the dates for the talk programming or at least reasonably close. The change to music from talk came after Mrs Katzentine sold the station.

The garage was almost Channel 10. In the early 1960's one of the airlines owned the TV station and ran afowl of the FCC. They got their license taken away. WKAT was in on the bidding for Channel 10 but lost out to L.B. Wilson of Cincinnati hence the calls WLBW which is what Channel 10 was before becoming WPLG under owner Post Newsweek.

In the 30's I believe WKAT was a Mutual Network affiliate (MBS) I don't know what the programming was. I do know that 93.1 was WKAT-FM in the '60's and ran a classical format even before it was sold in 1971 and became WTMI.

 

[ChuckTiller]

http://1360wkat.com/Welcome.html

For an obviously brokered time/infomercial station, there is no contact number or email address on the website.

 

[radiosanchez]

I am guessing 1979 or 1981 when it became
nostalgia.

More like 1981. When I worked there (my first radio gig, hah), I remember them lending me a jingle reel from 1979, from "Criterion Productions, Dallas", and the jingle reel was still touting the talk shows. William Herndstadt had just bought the station and he put his wife Judy in charge....Slogan was "Catch The Kat!!", and production was punctuated by a rather loud panther-ish "growl". It was the talk format's last hurrah before going Nostalgia.

As for current programming, I believe they fill unsold blocks with Salem Conservative Talk. Have recently heard Mike Gallagher on there.

 

[IRISHBLAZE]

1360 is Currently Religious it switched to Religious After 89.7 became the classical outlet here i think 89.7 is wkcp or something like that

 

[davideduardo]

1360 is Currently Religious it switched to Religious After 89.7 became the classical outlet here i think 89.7 is wkcp or something like that

Actually it became religious in Winter of 2007 as a consequence of Salem having bought them. It had nothing to do with 89.7.

 

[JoeyK]

In the early to mid 70s I can remember the talk show hosts were Harold Dow,Bill Smith, Irv Schindler,Alfie, and current KGO host Ronn Owens.

 

[JoeyK]

Correction the name was Harold Dowl ,also Sonny Hirsch did a nightly sports talk show and his producer is the now well known Fox radio and TV personality Chris Myers,On sunday there were 2 talkshows I recall,Judge Ellen Morphonius who packed a pistol when she was on the bench and Talmadge Fair president of the urban league did a show which of course focused on race relations.

 

[artfuldodger]

The 'ol 1360 WKAT back in the news, so to speak. Reported in today's edition of Radio Online News, Salem Communications in Miami Appoints Felix Perez VP/GM for cluster with stations WHIM 1080, WZAB 880, WKAT 1360, and WOCN 1450. Have listened to WHIM "The Answer" and 880 "The Biz" and both are good, solid sounding stations. Salem does a great job with them.

 

[Ai4i]

Most equipment was pre-WW2 Western Electric. Every hour, we would zero the mechanical wall clock's second hand with the CBS chime. The building at 1759 Bay Rd, Miami Beach, was also the home to Melody Enterprises, the local Muzak distributor, and they had something like a lifetime dollar/year contract to run their service on the 67 KHz SCA of WKAT-FM, then WTMI.

Chief Engineer: Art Smith
In addition to Sonny Hirsch, personalities included:
Program Director: Bill Smith
News: Joe Fried
News: Gene Tieblum (sp?)
Morning news block:
Jim Alton and Lynn Russell (went to Headline News)
Talksters included:
Larry King (went to CNN)
Sally Jesse Rafael (went to channel ten)
Neil Rogers (many stations)
Craig Worthing
Shirley Spellerberg
Janis Lewis-Harper
Miami Newspaper columnist Joan McHale
Dave Graveline (Toys for Boys and Into Tomorrow)
Barry Farber (syndicated tapes from WOR) overnights
Jean Shepherd Saturday Night, which is Really Sunday Morning (syndicated tapes from WOR)

Two minutes of sports and local weather would be read at :06, after CBS news, by your faithful overnight board operator, me.

 

[hnbrody]

I worked at WKAT 1967-69 as producer in news. Sid Levin, mgr, Bill Smith programming, With Peabody Award winner Lee Vogel, Fred Hohl(news),
Harold Dole, Joan Hall, Doug Greist, Sonny Hirsch

owner was Victoria Katzentine

I produced weekends Young Miami Speaks till 1970.

 

[hnbrody]

I worket at WKAT 67-71 part time.
It was the Talk of Miami an all talk 24 hr and featured Joe Pyne off CBS. IN early years Larry King was a dj and did live celeb interviews from Pumperniks. After 71 WIOD also added TALK as WGBS and WIOD hsd more power. UofMiami sports moved to WGBS 790 and NFL moved to
other stations. The bilingual market hurt their share. WKAT was talk till it was sold and moved from MB to Bisc Blvd. in
80's.

 

[Ai4i]

We will forgive you, but WIOD was and is on 610, WGBS was on 710, and WFUN was on 790.
Close enough, though, what are a few dozen kiloherz among radio friends?