KFRC 610 in 1966 "the First year at top 40 airchecks

[recto101]

http://airchexx.com/2011/08/09/the-howard-clark-show-610-kfrc-san-francisco-november-25-1966/

The Howard Clark Show

http://airchexx.com/2011/04/23/bobby-dale-610-kfrc-san-francisco-july-1966/

The Bobby Dale Show.


http://airchexx.com/2004/12/14/quickcheck-mike-phillips-on-kfrc-san-francisco-may-3-1966-352-scoped/

Mike Philips on KFRC.

Wow 5 years later they really got the best talent in radio.

 

[DavidKaye]

http://airchexx.com/2004/12/14/quickcheck-mike-phillips-on-kfrc-san-francisco-may-3-1966-352-scoped/
Mike Philips on KFRC.
Wow 5 years later they really got the best talent in radio.

The Mike Phillips segment is especially interesting because they were still using the KFRC jingles from the pre-Drake MOR era. Also, it was clearly a KHJ clone at the time and hadn't yet developed its unique identity. I'm wondering how many days into the Drake format this aircheck took place. It couldn't have been more than a few days.

I also notice that the idea of coming out of each record and going into each record with the callsign wasn't yet being done. It was an interesting tweak that I'm told could add half a point to a station's ratings (given that the beginning and end of a record are the times when a listener is most apt to be paying attention).

Interesting airchecks.

 

[LKellerIII]

http://airchexx.com/2004/12/14/quickcheck-mike-phillips-on-kfrc-san-francisco-may-3-1966-352-scoped/
Mike Philips on KFRC.
Wow 5 years later they really got the best talent in radio.

The Mike Phillips segment is especially interesting because they were still using the KFRC jingles from the pre-Drake MOR era. Also, it was clearly a KHJ clone at the time and hadn't yet developed its unique identity. I'm wondering how many days into the Drake format this aircheck took place. It couldn't have been more than a few days.

I also notice that the idea of coming out of each record and going into each record with the callsign wasn't yet being done. It was an interesting tweak that I'm told could add half a point to a station's ratings (given that the beginning and end of a record are the times when a listener is most apt to be paying attention).

Interesting airchecks.

Yes, interesting. I don't believe the Drake version of KFRC was brought on in panic-mode, as KHJ was. 93/KHJ had been on-air for about a year in mid 1966, so you'd think Drake would have the Johnny Mann jingle machine ready to go on short notice for new stations.

If you've read the history of KHJ, you know that Ron Jacobs and Drake decided to launch quicker than planned becasue they heard KFWB using the "Boss Radio" imaging, and thought they might have a spy in their midst. They suddenly realized they hadn't bought any music or put together the Boss 30, and ran down to Clyde Wallach's Music City, where they purchased all the singles on the KRLA "TuneDex." But those Mann "logos" (jingles) were ready to go. At least that's the lore - I didn't catch on to KHJ for a week or more until I heard the station at a friend's house. But I don't think Drake's KFRC was under any such pressure to launch.

In my memory, that call-letter first rule started about 1970, and Drake wasn't a leader on this. I first heard it on LA's new FM Top 40 stations. It was still an AM dominant world, and I took it as the way they overcompensated for their low budgets (they would have either one jingle, or none at all), and the way they got listeners to get used to the weird and unfamiliar new dial postions with the "points." I still remember the FM jocks puking "one-oh-two point seven K-K-D-J" going into the stop set and before IDing the songs. Cheap and very effective.

 

[DavidKaye]

But those Mann "logos" (jingles) were ready to go.

Bill Drake had approached his rival, Chuck Blore (KFWB, KEWB, KDWB) for jingles! I guess that after the success with Blore's concept in jingles (no matter what the jingle song is, the call letters must always end the jingle and they must be sung to exactly the same tune each time) it seems that Drake didn't care that Blore was a competitor.

However, Bill Drake wanted very short jingles and Chuck Blore was still into his "Broadway" jingle mode (his jingle concept had been modeled on the richness of "West Side Story" music). So, that's when Drake went to Johnny Mann instead.

Chuck Blore still produces spots and station imaging, by the way...

 

[LKellerIII]

But those Mann "logos" (jingles) were ready to go.

Bill Drake had approached his rival, Chuck Blore (KFWB, KEWB, KDWB) for jingles! I guess that after the success with Blore's concept in jingles (no matter what the jingle song is, the call letters must always end the jingle and they must be sung to exactly the same tune each time) it seems that Drake didn't care that Blore was a competitor.

However, Bill Drake wanted very short jingles and Chuck Blore was still into his "Broadway" jingle mode (his jingle concept had been modeled on the richness of "West Side Story" music). So, that's when Drake went to Johnny Mann instead.

Chuck Blore still produces spots and station imaging, by the way...

Most of us LA baby boomers will go our graves remembering the tune to "K-F-W-B Channel 98."from the Chuck Blore era. Westinghouse dropped it after going all news in 1968, but revived the tune maybe 8 years later, changed to "News 98." It lasted about another quarter century, and KFWB continued to use instrumental versions of the tune as news-segment intros even after they had become "News 980." It's primarily a talk station now, but they may still use the tune - not sure.

 

[JockFan]

OMG! I worked for Howard Clark when he came back to Shreveport (in the mid 80's) and he was the best boss I have ever had. I learned everything I know about being a jock from him. He once said to me that, 'you have everything it takes to be a mother ****er in this business'!

The last time I heard from Howard, he called me when I was doing evenings at WLIT in Chicago and I got the chance to tell him that I was there because of him!!! He died only months later.

This is a treat to hear, thank you for posting this.

John Symons

 

[michael hagerty]

http://airchexx.com/2004/12/14/quickcheck-mike-phillips-on-kfrc-san-francisco-may-3-1966-352-scoped/
Mike Philips on KFRC.
Wow 5 years later they really got the best talent in radio.

The Mike Phillips segment is especially interesting because they were still using the KFRC jingles from the pre-Drake MOR era. Also, it was clearly a KHJ clone at the time and hadn't yet developed its unique identity. I'm wondering how many days into the Drake format this aircheck took place. It couldn't have been more than a few days.

It was a few weeks. The flip began with the Parade of Hits back in February. I think they were in the real format by March or April at the latest.

 

[michael hagerty]

http://airchexx.com/2004/12/14/quickcheck-mike-phillips-on-kfrc-san-francisco-may-3-1966-352-scoped/
Mike Philips on KFRC.
Wow 5 years later they really got the best talent in radio.

The Mike Phillips segment is especially interesting because they were still using the KFRC jingles from the pre-Drake MOR era. Also, it was clearly a KHJ clone at the time and hadn't yet developed its unique identity. I'm wondering how many days into the Drake format this aircheck took place. It couldn't have been more than a few days.

I also notice that the idea of coming out of each record and going into each record with the callsign wasn't yet being done. It was an interesting tweak that I'm told could add half a point to a station's ratings (given that the beginning and end of a record are the times when a listener is most apt to be paying attention).

Interesting airchecks.

Yes, interesting. I don't believe the Drake version of KFRC was brought on in panic-mode, as KHJ was. 93/KHJ had been on-air for about a year in mid 1966, so you'd think Drake would have the Johnny Mann jingle machine ready to go on short notice for new stations.

Drake was a consultant. Most likely, one day the phone rang, it was RKO, and he was told "Nice job with KHJ. We're gonna flip KFRC. How soon can you get it done?"

Contemporary accounts of the format changes (there were at least two others) on the board just prior to Drake taking KHJ in Billboard (thanks, Google Books!) show what a fire drill (60's term for clusterf***) that was.

 

[michael hagerty]

But those Mann "logos" (jingles) were ready to go.

Bill Drake had approached his rival, Chuck Blore (KFWB, KEWB, KDWB) for jingles! I guess that after the success with Blore's concept in jingles (no matter what the jingle song is, the call letters must always end the jingle and they must be sung to exactly the same tune each time) it seems that Drake didn't care that Blore was a competitor.

Blore and Drake hadn't been competitors since 1962, when Drake was at KYA and Blore was consulting KEWB, Oakland. Blore's involvement with the Crowell-Collier stations ended in 1963...two years before Drake got the keys to KHJ.

 

[DavidKaye]

Blore and Drake hadn't been competitors since 1962, when Drake was at KYA and Blore was consulting KEWB, Oakland. Blore's involvement with the Crowell-Collier stations ended in 1963...two years before Drake got the keys to KHJ.

Ohhh....thanks for the clarification. I'd thought that Chuck Blore had been involved with Crowell Collier much longer.

 

[michael hagerty]

Blore and Drake hadn't been competitors since 1962, when Drake was at KYA and Blore was consulting KEWB, Oakland. Blore's involvement with the Crowell-Collier stations ended in 1963...two years before Drake got the keys to KHJ.

Ohhh....thanks for the clarification. I'd thought that Chuck Blore had been involved with Crowell Collier much longer.

David : Turns out it was shorter than I had thought. Blore himself says he left in '61. Drake arrived at KYA in October of '61, so it's possible they never actuallly competed in San Francisco, either.

 

[LKellerIII]

Just tuned in "KFWB NewsTalk 980." on line. They still use 'K-F-W-B' portion of the Blore-era tune as a musical signature for traffic, weather, etc. Blore brought it on air in 1958, if I remember correctly, so that's 53 years...if we're allowed to disregard the first 6 or 8 years of the All News format.

That may be some kind of record.

 

[DavidKaye]

That may be some kind of record.

The NBC chimes lasted longer.

 

[LKellerIII]

That may be some kind of record.

The NBC chimes lasted longer.

So...that may be some kind of record - for a local station. No way to tell, of course.

 

[DavidKaye]

So...that may be some kind of record - for a local station. No way to tell, of course.

Well, let's see. KPO (now KNBR) joined NBC in 1927 I believe. And they were the last station sold by NBC, which I think was 1989. They used the NBC chimes through most of that I'm fairly sure. I forget when the NBC chime was invented, but it was early on.

Even so, the KFWB jingle would probably qualify for second-oldest radio jingle.

 

[JEREMIAH]

As David would say..OK you got me, I really wasn't going to be here but......

There was an instumental commerical record released in the early '60s called "Image" it was based on the KFWB-KEWB logo.
We played it at KXOA in Sacramento. I forget who did it. I now regret that I didn't get a copy from the station.

As classic big band singer, Helen O'connell, once said "If I knew I was living thru an Era, I would have paid more attention".



Jerry Gordon

 

[DavidKaye]

There was an instumental commerical record released in the early '60s called "Image" it was based on the KFWB-KEWB logo.
We played it at KXOA in Sacramento. I forget who did it. I now regret that I didn't get a copy from the station.

As classic big band singer, Helen O'connell, once said "If I knew I was living thru an Era, I would have paid more attention".

I thought for sure that Myrna Loy made that famous quote. Anyhow, as to the song, you'll be happy to know that after badgering people about it for years some people pointed me to it. The song was actually on the Billboard charts for a week or two. There is the jazz version and the pop version. You'll probably get goosebumps the first time you hear it. I called it the KEWB Anthem, but its actual name is Image #1 and Image #2 by Hank Levine and his orchestra. The mellow version was used by KEWB after the record came out as a sort of after midnight identity and the jazzy version was used (again, after the record was released) as a backgrounder for various KEWB promotion and contest announcements.

Here is a search link to YouTube. As I said, you'll probably get goosebumps hearing them:
http://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=hank+levine+image&aq=f

 

[LKellerIII]

There was an instumental commerical record released in the early '60s called "Image" it was based on the KFWB-KEWB logo.
We played it at KXOA in Sacramento. I forget who did it. I now regret that I didn't get a copy from the station.

As classic big band singer, Helen O'connell, once said "If I knew I was living thru an Era, I would have paid more attention".

I thought for sure that Myrna Loy made that famous quote. Anyhow, as to the song, you'll be happy to know that after badgering people about it for years some people pointed me to it. The song was actually on the Billboard charts for a week or two. There is the jazz version and the pop version. You'll probably get goosebumps the first time you hear it. I called it the KEWB Anthem, but its actual name is Image #1 and Image #2 by Hank Levine and his orchestra. The mellow version was used by KEWB after the record came out as a sort of after midnight identity and the jazzy version was used (again, after the record was released) as a backgrounder for various KEWB promotion and contest announcements.

Here is a search link to YouTube. As I said, you'll probably get goosebumps hearing them:
http://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=hank+levine+image&aq=f

OK - you were right - goosebumps did appear, though possibly it was the power of suggestion. I DO remember this - possibly from KFWB, where it was used as a 'bed' for the DJ talking, or possibly later. My father had a couple of jazz records from trumpeter Al Hirt - for some reason, this reminds me of some of Hirt's recordings.

 

[DavidKaye]

OK - you were right - goosebumps did appear, though possibly it was the power of suggestion. I DO remember this - possibly from KFWB, where it was used as a 'bed' for the DJ talking, or possibly later. My father had a couple of jazz records from trumpeter Al Hirt - for some reason, this reminds me of some of Hirt's recordings.

As Chuck Blore tells it, he was killing time before a meeting in NYC with the owners of Crowell Collier Broadcasting (KEWB, KFWB, KDWB) when he and his associated decided to take in a Broadway show, "West Side Story."

Chuck Blore: "We still hadn’t found anyone to do the music for the station which was gonna be so much a part of the sound. KFWB! Color Channel 98! I could hear in my head, or maybe my heart, how it should sound, but I wasn’t musical enough to explain it to anyone. There were jingle houses in Texas trying their damndest to convince me that they could bring it off, but none of it was right. The problem was that what I wanted to do hadn’t been done ... at least on the radio.

(Robert) Purcell and I came out of West Side Story absolutely dazzled by what we had seen. What we had seen ... and heard.

Bob said, “Chuck. What if ...”

I finished his thought. “What if our jingles sounded like that music?” “Yes. Exactly. With that huge orchestra. And those voices. Those powerful voices.”

URL: http://www.jingles.org/TheStoryofKFWBsColorRadioJingles.htm

 

[JEREMIAH]

David Kaye.....you're a miracle man coming up with the Hank Levine "Image" tracks.

Wow! It WAS goose bumps galore!

As I recall we played the up tempo version at KXOA.

I tried googling it and got nowhere I never expected to hear it again.

Re: Myrna Loy..she my have said it too but I remember an invu wth Helen O'connell when I was a sprout and hearing her say it.
(if I knew I was living thru an ERA, i would have paid more attention.)

Jerry(I'm Blown away) Gordon