I was watching an audio video of KUBE from around '93-'94 and I noticed they played Red Hot Chili Peppers and some other rock, though the majority of what I heard was funk and then-current material. I believe KUBE was a Rhythmic around that time, having switched to it in '92. How long did KUBE play alternative before they went full-blown Rhythmic?
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Early KUBE years
- Thread starter ksradiogeek
- Start date
93.3 launched as a Top 40/CHR format in 1981, and they were mainstream with an adult lean through at least the late eighties. For example, in recordings that I have from the summer of 1981, right after they added a local air staff (they were automated and commercial free for half a year before that), mixed in with the currents are some older songs such as "Summer in the City" by the Loving Spoonful and "Love Hangover" by Diana Ross. Their current music during the same period was right down the middle, which (back then) meant everything from Kenny Rogers to Devo. They were running a similar format for quite a few years, and I remember hearing a wide variety of current and old Top 40 music on the station as late as 1987 or 1988.
I'm not as familiar with what happened to the station after that.
I'm not as familiar with what happened to the station after that.
S
searadiofreak
Guest
KUBE switched to Rhythmic top40 in early '92. KPLZ reacted and tried to compete with the format for awhile, but enventually changed their direction to "Star 101.5, which still exists today.
S
searadiofreak
Guest
Cool video. And evidently rarely seen. Someone, Bongwater, must have some inside connections here. Look how young Mariners stadium annoncer Hutlyr looks. Charlie Brown also looked young and the shots with his son are endearing. Great for you to share. An exciting time in Seattle radio, and changed the FM landscape for decades to come. Eventually KPLZ entered the fray and became more competitive. Great CHR battles in the late 80's, with KNBQ and KHIT joining in for a total of four mainstream top40's in the market during this era.
ksradiogeek said:
KUBE briefly flipped to alternative rock in 1994. The reasons were debatable, but it's long been assumed the gangland style drive-by shooting death of a Ballard High School student on campus by another student a few weeks prior to the switch along with KUBE's gangsta rap heavy playlist back then were factors. KUBE was still in the Top 3 in the ratings. So it couldn't have been KUBE's teen-heavy listener popularity, but possibly an outside force altogether that prompted the switch. Like I said, the exact cause is debatable.
There were only a handful of Rhythmic songs left in the format when they flipped to alternative. Which was called "KUBE's New Music Revolution". ("Fantastic Voyage" Coolio, "None of Your Business" Salt N' Pepa, "Whoomp (There It Is)" Tag Team and "I Wish" Skee-Lo were among them.) It was the only time since their mainstream CHR days I actively listened to KUBE. KPLZ had just gone AC as "Star 101.5" and KLTX was stunting as "The Northwest's New 95.7" before becoming KJR-FM
But the rest of KUBE's alternative music format was rounded out by grungy Seattle rock and all the current national Alternative chart-toppers.
They went back to full blown Rhythmic a year later after sinking ratings in the new format, but the reborn Rhythmic format was modified with more dance tracks and removed from the playlist the most vulgar rap songs and anything glorifying guns and misogyny. KUBE quickly shot back up to #1.
I remember some real anomalies that appeared in KUBE's alternative experiment. Sonic Youth got airplay. So did The Meat Puppets, Stereolab, The Jesus And Mary Chain and Dinosaur Jr. Even KNDD rarely played these acts.
One of my friends who listened to KGRG exclusively was stunned. He pointed at the radio in the office and exclaimed "THAT is KUBE?!".......
I did remember when KUBE breifly went alternative for a bit but did throw in some hip-hop every once in awhile, after that shooting (Almost sounded like STAR 101.5 at times). I don't think Ackerly (the then-owners) wanted that image of their station being responsible for that.Bongwater said:
As for the early days (I was not here in the area as a little 4-year old, living in San Diego), It's probably shocking to any KUBE listener these days, when back when KUBE launched, "Betty Davis Eyes" by Kim Carnes and anything by Boston, WAS top-40 back in that day.
Excellent clip. The days of ballz-out FM radio coming of age. Full of confidence. VU meters always far right and in the red.
C
chokesman-review
Guest
Wonderful stuff.
Thanks for posting!
Thanks for posting!
swhyde1980 said:
Yes on Kim Carnes, no on Boston -- by the time "The New 93" launched (they didn't get the KUBE call letters until they had been on for a while), Boston's big hits were several years old, and I don't recall ever hearing anything by Boston on the station, at least during their early months (the six months that they were automated and the first month or two after they went live).
But, yeah, Top 40 was a pretty wide-open format musically at the time, and you did hear a mix of everything from Kenny Rogers and Barbara Streisand to Devo and Blondie. Stir in some oldies ranging from the Loving Spoonful ("Summer in the City") to Diana Ross ("Love Hangover") and you heard quite a bit of variety in each hour.
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