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Best Sacramento Station, Ever !!!

E

EarthradioLives

Guest
I've seen this post on other "Radio-Info" boards. I've never seen it locally, though. Okay, here goes....

In terms of either all or part of the following components, what radio station (past or present) best represents "Perfect Sacramento Radio":

(1) Personalities
(2) Music Mix
(3) Freedom Provided to Air Talent
(4) Ratings/Revenue
(5) Compassionate Management
(6) Community Service

It doesn't matter if your station is from the 1970s or 2006. What was (is) great about Sacramento radio? Let us know here. Where else are you gonna post?
 
In the 70's it was the ORIGINAL KSFM-Earthradio 102. In the 80's it was KZAP-98.5.In the 90's it was 93 ROCK-KRXQ @ 93.7.
 
> In the 70's it was the ORIGINAL KSFM-Earthradio 102. In the
> 80's it was KZAP-98.5.In the 90's it was 93 ROCK-KRXQ @
> 93.7.
>

Was KSFM a rocker in the 70's?
 
The music on KWOD in the 90's was innovative too. It was as close to Live 105, at the time, that Sac had.
 
KROY and KZAP...from the early 70s until they died....
 
> KROY and KZAP...from the early 70s until they died....
>
What the Eagle is now. From morning through lunch. Still keeping radio theater of the mind.
 
> > KROY and KZAP...from the early 70s until they died....
> >
> What the Eagle is now. From morning through lunch. Still
> keeping radio theater of the mind.
>


It's definitely 98.5 KZAP. In my opinion, they were THE rock station in the market until their demise. Good music, personalities, promotions, concert presence...
-salesslap
 
> > > KROY and KZAP...from the early 70s until they died....
> > >
> > What the Eagle is now. From morning through lunch. Still
> > keeping radio theater of the mind.
> >
>
>
> It's definitely 98.5 KZAP. In my opinion, they were THE rock
> station in the market until their demise. Good music,
> personalities, promotions, concert presence...
> -salesslap
>
In my lifetime, hands down KWOD circa 1992 - 1995, best music radio I have ever heard.

KD6YDS
 
Having heard KWOD in the early 90's and heard of KZAP's infamy I must concur. However, I'm left wondering - if KZAP was so great... what happened? I'm curious to know what killed the dinosaur since I wasn't here to witness it. Can you give me the scoop?


> > > > KROY and KZAP...from the early 70s until they died....
>
> > > >
> > > What the Eagle is now. From morning through lunch. Still
>
> > > keeping radio theater of the mind.
> > >
> >
> >
> > It's definitely 98.5 KZAP. In my opinion, they were THE
> rock
> > station in the market until their demise. Good music,
> > personalities, promotions, concert presence...
> > -salesslap
> >
> In my lifetime, hands down KWOD circa 1992 - 1995, best
> music radio I have ever heard.
>
> KD6YDS
>
 
> I've seen this post on other "Radio-Info" boards. I've never seen it
> locally, though. Okay, here goes....
>
> In terms of either all or part of the following components, what radio
> station (past or present) best represents "Perfect Sacramento Radio":
>
> (1) Personalities
> (2) Music Mix
> (3) Freedom Provided to Air Talent
> (4) Ratings/Revenue
> (5) Compassionate Management
> (6) Community Service
>
> It doesn't matter if your station is from the 1970s or 2006. What was (is)
> great about Sacramento radio? Let us know here. Where else are you gonna
> post?


Okay, here goes. It may not meet all the criteria, but pound for pound, the greatest contemporary station in Sacramento history has to be 1240 KROY.

It had that essence, that special something, and the whole town was listening, especially the young adults and kids. It had great personalities including people like Robert W. Morgan in the 60's, Terry Nelson, Chuck Roy and the Wonder Rabbit in the 70's(the list of great talent could keep us here forever) and even lived on for a time on the FM dial at 96.9.

What killed KROY was the Johnson ownership. It was a toy for some rich kids who were clueless. A truly sad demise for such a great radio property.

While it's true that KZAP was at a time a great station, comparing the Zap of the early 70's to it's Burkhart-Abrams "Superstars" format of 1979 through it's demise is like comparing apples & oranges. The original KZAP let the jocks program, they even got their own record service. In "79" new ownership brought corporate AOR to the city and that's when Zap became a ratings powerhouse.. But I wouldn't say the jock in that era had much musical freedom. The format itself was on fire all over the country and KZAP rode the wave. KZAP could very well have morphed into a Classic Rocker as have many old line AOR's, but like KROY before it, it was killed by new ownership who simply wanted the bottom line to add up to a higher number. KZAP also killed the old Earth Radio 102 KSFM a great AOR-Rocker whose ownership gave up after one or two books and went to a Top 40-Disco format.

One shouldn't leave out the old K-108 FM when talking about great stations. KXOA-FM had a wonderful and long run as the city's best AC station. It was KGB's sister station and had great marketing, promotions and super consistent programming from the mid to late 70's through the 90's. It started to decay when Jim Price left the company and KXOA's GM Phil Melrose was bumped up to take his place. Phil was the best example of compassionate management that I've ever seen. Melrose's replacement at KXOA couldn't keep his nose out of programming and mucked it up pretty good. They also lost long time programmer Art Schroeder. Art wasn't everyone's idea of a great PD, but he had a vision and was super consistent in the way he ran things.

As I left Sacramento in the early 80's and only visit a few times a year I can't comment on what's been going on since then with too much authority, but on my visits I have noticed just how awful radio in the Capitol City is now.
It sounds like every other city where the duopoly rule and Communications Act of 1996 has homogenized the industry. But I'm sure others will have a differing opinion, and yes, I grew up and worked in Sacramento putting in time at KROY, KROI, KZAP and KXOA, so you might think I'm predudiced, but hey, I lived it and it was a magical place for radio at one time...
 
> Having heard KWOD in the early 90's and heard of KZAP's
> infamy I must concur. However, I'm left wondering - if KZAP
> was so great... what happened? I'm curious to know what
> killed the dinosaur since I wasn't here to witness it. Can
> you give me the scoop?
>
Yes, as I witnessed the "end." You had a PD. that was self induced crazy (if you know what I mean), he brought in a severely pathetic morning show, and those two factors helped to push a teetering KZAP over the edge and out of the market. Pretty much the same sort of thing that happened to Earth Radio-102. It was weakened and vulnerable. There are a couple of stations here in town now that look like they're in that same position now. They'll likely blow everyone out or flip this year. It's their time.
 
I have to say the old KQBR-104.3 The Breeze, a great mix of R&B and Jazz, I think they sounded better than KBLX in SF IMO.

I'm here in Dallas, and I before I got my own computer I would go over to my parents when I had time and get on their computer and listen to them online when they were streaming. It was breath of fresh air listening to that station:) I would be nice if someone would start another station like that in Sacramento or any city for that matter.


> > I've seen this post on other "Radio-Info" boards. I've
> never seen it
> > locally, though. Okay, here goes....
> >
> > In terms of either all or part of the following
> components, what radio
> > station (past or present) best represents "Perfect
> Sacramento Radio":
> >
> > (1) Personalities
> > (2) Music Mix
> > (3) Freedom Provided to Air Talent
> > (4) Ratings/Revenue
> > (5) Compassionate Management
> > (6) Community Service
> >
> > It doesn't matter if your station is from the 1970s or
> 2006. What was (is)
> > great about Sacramento radio? Let us know here. Where else
> are you gonna
> > post?
<P ID="edit"><FONT class="small">Edited by X-Man on 04/04/06 10:33 AM.</FONT></P>
 
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