KIGS 620 AM MIA

[KBOS1965]

I don't have time right now, but maybe later I can do some more research and find out when the Pereira family took over.

P&C Broadcasting bought it in 1989 for $300 k, and then Maria Pereira took controlling interest in later years.

If the station was worth $300 k around 1990, It's probably worth half that now... depending on who owns the land where the towers are planted.

The audience for a Portuguese format has likely declined as there is no significant Portuguese migration to the US and the community here is likely later generation by now.

The end of an era. I seem to be running into lot of those at this point in my life. The Wikipedia entry is way off for this station. They credit the Pereira family with owning the station since the 1948 sign-on. There have actually be several owners in that time. KNGS was a landmark in my life from the time I was a kid. The two towers were an imposing sight out on hwy 198 in the middle of nowhere, along the major traffic link between Visalia and Hanford. I was a big fan of the kiddie shows in the afternoon circa 1952. It was a big thrill to actually work there when I was a teenager. After everybody went home at 5:00 PM, and all day on the weekends I had the run of the station. I ran the transmitter, changed the antenna phasing and manually turned on the tower lights at sundown, ran out and physically checked the RF currents at the base of each tower to confirm the phasing, all this while I was running the board, doing the news, cuing up records and commercials, syncing up with the network news, syndicated transcribed programs and LA Angels baseball games, answering the phones and playing Rock and Roll disk jockey. At one point I was doing a 10 hour shift on weekends after already doing an 8 hour shift at KGEN in Tulare. I signed KGEN on at 5:00 AM and signed KNGS off at 11:00 PM. I had one hour to do the 35 minute commute between the two gigs. I was also doing part-time gigs at KICU-TV in Visalia around that time. That sounds exhausting, but it was one of the high points of my life.

There was a lot of Portuguese programming on both KGEN and KNGS in those days, mostly early morning and weekends, and I used to engineer a lot of those programs. I'll bet the Pereiras were one of those. There was a husband and wife team that I remember on weekends at KNGS, but I don't remember their name. Steve Perry of Journey fame was their son, and the cover of his "Raised on Radio" album featured a representation of the KNGS studio and towers on the cover.

 

[kenrayc]

I don't have time right now, but maybe later I can do some more research and find out when the Pereira family took over.

P&C Broadcasting bought it in 1989 for $300 k, and then Maria Pereira took controlling interest in later years.

If the station was worth $300 k around 1990, It's probably worth half that now... depending on who owns the land where the towers are planted.

The audience for a Portuguese format has likely declined as there is no significant Portuguese migration to the US and the community here is likely later generation by now.

The end of an era. I seem to be running into lot of those at this point in my life. The Wikipedia entry is way off for this station. They credit the Pereira family with owning the station since the 1948 sign-on. There have actually be several owners in that time. KNGS was a landmark in my life from the time I was a kid. The two towers were an imposing sight out on hwy 198 in the middle of nowhere, along the major traffic link between Visalia and Hanford. I was a big fan of the kiddie shows in the afternoon circa 1952. It was a big thrill to actually work there when I was a teenager. After everybody went home at 5:00 PM, and all day on the weekends I had the run of the station. I ran the transmitter, changed the antenna phasing and manually turned on the tower lights at sundown, ran out and physically checked the RF currents at the base of each tower to confirm the phasing, all this while I was running the board, doing the news, cuing up records and commercials, syncing up with the network news, syndicated transcribed programs and LA Angels baseball games, answering the phones and playing Rock and Roll disk jockey. At one point I was doing a 10 hour shift on weekends after already doing an 8 hour shift at KGEN in Tulare. I signed KGEN on at 5:00 AM and signed KNGS off at 11:00 PM. I had one hour to do the 35 minute commute between the two gigs. I was also doing part-time gigs at KICU-TV in Visalia around that time. That sounds exhausting, but it was one of the high points of my life.

There was a lot of Portuguese programming on both KGEN and KNGS in those days, mostly early morning and weekends, and I used to engineer a lot of those programs. I'll bet the Pereiras were one of those. There was a husband and wife team that I remember on weekends at KNGS, but I don't remember their name. Steve Perry of Journey fame was their son, and the cover of his "Raised on Radio" album featured a representation of the KNGS studio and towers on the cover.

Didn't Harry Pappas own it at one time, seems I remember 620 simulcasting 107.5 twice , When 107.5 was KCLQ in the late 80s, then when they were KMPH-FM in the 90s, or was it just an LMA with 107.5.

 

[davideduardo]

It was a big thrill to actually work there when I was a teenager. After everybody went home at 5:00 PM, and all day on the weekends I had the run of the station. I ran the transmitter, changed the antenna phasing and manually turned on the tower lights at sundown, ran out and physically checked the RF currents at the base of each tower to confirm the phasing, all this while I was running the board, doing the news, cuing up records and commercials, syncing up with the network news, syndicated transcribed programs and LA Angels baseball games, answering the phones and playing Rock and Roll disk jockey.

Was Bob Sterling the engineer there when you worked at the station?

See page 54 on:

http://www.davidgleason.com/Archive Cleveland/California Verification Optimized.pdf

 

[kenrayc]

Did the Pereira family own 107.5 at any time, if so when and were they the ones that started KCLQ classic rock.

 

[KBOS1965]

David:

I'm trying to pin down in my mind exactly when I worked at KNGS. I'm pretty sure it was actually 1966, during my summer break from Cal Poly. I was doing everybody's vacation relief, including Marv Sawyer's, who was definitely the chief engineer at that time. I think I was also doing the weekend shifts for the entire summer, but my memory is hazy on that. I know for sure that I was doing weekend shifts at KGEN at that time. At some point I was doing the 5:00PM to sundown weekday shifts at KGEN, moving over to KGEN-FM from sundown, when the simulcast ended, until the Midnight sign-off. KDFR had tried to hire me away from KGEN to work full time for them. I had agreed to it until 2 hours later when the Pappas' countered by giving me those extended evening shifts (adding the 5:00PM to sundown shift at KGEN AM) to get me to come back. They also offered to make me the program director for KGEN-FM if I would agree to quit school at Cal Poly and work full time for them. I was only about 19 years old at the time, but I had enough sense to know that I had a better future as an engineering graduate, than as a program director. I was succeeding on KGEN-FM so well that I was a thorn in the side of KDFR. The KDFR owner stormed into the KGEN-FM control room while I was working one evening, demanding that we stop competeing head on with them in the evenings, and just stick to the same country music that we had been simulcasting during the day. I got Harry Pappas to come in and deal with him. Things were kind of crazy between the two stations for the next two years, until KDFR got in trouble with the FCC and lost their license. KDFR became KJUG and KGEN-FM became KBOS. Maybe I should start a new topic about the Battle of Tulare.

 

[mofocat]

David:

I'm trying to pin down in my mind exactly when I worked at KNGS. I'm pretty sure it was actually 1966, during my summer break from Cal Poly. I was doing everybody's vacation relief, including Marv Sawyer's, who was definitely the chief engineer at that time. I think I was also doing the weekend shifts for the entire summer, but my memory is hazy on that. I know for sure that I was doing weekend shifts at KGEN at that time. At some point I was doing the 5:00PM to sundown weekday shifts at KGEN, moving over to KGEN-FM from sundown, when the simulcast ended, until the Midnight sign-off. KDFR had tried to hire me away from KGEN to work full time for them. I had agreed to it until 2 hours later when the Pappas' countered by giving me those extended evening shifts (adding the 5:00PM to sundown shift at KGEN AM) to get me to come back. They also offered to make me the program director for KGEN-FM if I would agree to quit school at Cal Poly and work full time for them. I was only about 19 years old at the time, but I had enough sense to know that I had a better future as an engineering graduate, than as a program director. I was succeeding on KGEN-FM so well that I was a thorn in the side of KDFR. The KDFR owner stormed into the KGEN-FM control room while I was working one evening, demanding that we stop competeing head on with them in the evenings, and just stick to the same country music that we had been simulcasting during the day. I got Harry Pappas to come in and deal with him. Things were kind of crazy between the two stations for the next two years, until KDFR got in trouble with the FCC and lost their license. KDFR became KJUG and KGEN-FM became KBOS. Maybe I should start a new topic about the Battle of Tulare.

"The Battle of Tulare" LOL Hey, could be interesting, really.
Whoa! Back up a tiny bit- Between the KDFR and KJUG calls on 106.7, there was the simulcast of "K-NEW", beautiful music- KKNU, 102.7, Fresno and 106.7, Tulare, KNNU. There was also KWSM on 106.7, I THINK, following the break-up of Bob Darling's K-NEW simulcast. THEN came KJUG, and I might be forgetting something in between, but I don't think so. The Fresno K-NEW outlasted the simulcast by some years.

 

[kenrayc]

I guess I'm asking on the wrong thread, so nobody knows the history between 107.5 and KNGS 620 if they were owned together or was it 94.5 that was KNGS-FM when they were in Lemoore, before becoming KGEN-FM???

 

[RileyMartin]

I believe both 620 and 107.5 had the same owners up until 1989-1990. I think they sold off 620 when 107.5 became KZRZ-FM Z-Rock. I know for a fact that Z-Rock was on both 620 and 107.5 for a short time. One night driving from Phoenix to Fresno listening to a Phoenix Suns Game on KTAR-AM 620, I heard Z-Rock mixing in with KTAR coming thru the Grapevine north of LA.

 

[davideduardo]

I believe both 620 and 107.5 had the same owners up until 1989-1990. I think they sold off 620 when 107.5 became KZRZ-FM Z-Rock. I know for a fact that Z-Rock was on both 620 and 107.5 for a short time. One night driving from Phoenix to Fresno listening to a Phoenix Suns Game on KTAR-AM 620, I heard Z-Rock mixing in with KTAR coming thru the Grapevine north of LA.

Liggett owned them both starting with a 1986 purchase.

 

[kenrayc]

I believe both 620 and 107.5 had the same owners up until 1989-1990. I think they sold off 620 when 107.5 became KZRZ-FM Z-Rock. I know for a fact that Z-Rock was on both 620 and 107.5 for a short time. One night driving from Phoenix to Fresno listening to a Phoenix Suns Game on KTAR-AM 620, I heard Z-Rock mixing in with KTAR coming thru the Grapevine north of LA.

Liggett owned them both starting with a 1986 purchase.

Yes, 1986 that's when 107.5 KLTK (Light Rock) became KCLQ (Classic Rock) in October 1986 (Dean and Don's new show started) and the 620 simulcast started in 1989 and continued through when they became Z-Rock on 2/14/1990, which lasted 13 months due to competition from 103.7 KRZR, and then became KMMA AC for a few months, then KCML Camel Country in 1992, Pappas bought it and simulcasted KTRB 860 Country on it just before making both KMPH News/ Radio, got off the subject there, this thread was about 620,well it was part of it.

 

[ki6bkj]

Did the Pereira family own 107.5 at any time, if so when and were they the ones that started KCLQ classic rock.

The Perira Family was way after KCLQ and Lee Smith originally put 107.5 on the air as KKYS I worked for Mr Smith and Ligget

 

[ki6bkj]

One Million, sell it to Lotus.

does anyone have an update on kigs?

 

[MisterGort]

Still "off the air" and no sale yet filed.

 

[ki6bkj]

David:

I'm trying to pin down in my mind exactly when I worked at KNGS. I'm pretty sure it was actually 1966, during my summer break from Cal Poly. I was doing everybody's vacation relief, including Marv Sawyer's, who was definitely the chief engineer at that time. I think I was also doing the weekend shifts for the entire summer, but my memory is hazy on that. I know for sure that I was doing weekend shifts at KGEN at that time. At some point I was doing the 5:00PM to sundown weekday shifts at KGEN, moving over to KGEN-FM from sundown, when the simulcast ended, until the Midnight sign-off. KDFR had tried to hire me away from KGEN to work full time for them. I had agreed to it until 2 hours later when the Pappas' countered by giving me those extended evening shifts (adding the 5:00PM to sundown shift at KGEN AM) to get me to come back. They also offered to make me the program director for KGEN-FM if I would agree to quit school at Cal Poly and work full time for them. I was only about 19 years old at the time, but I had enough sense to know that I had a better future as an engineering graduate, than as a program director. I was succeeding on KGEN-FM so well that I was a thorn in the side of KDFR. The KDFR owner stormed into the KGEN-FM control room while I was working one evening, demanding that we stop competeing head on with them in the evenings, and just stick to the same country music that we had been simulcasting during the day. I got Harry Pappas to come in and deal with him. Things were kind of crazy between the two stations for the next two years, until KDFR got in trouble with the FCC and lost their license. KDFR became KJUG and KGEN-FM became KBOS. Maybe I should start a new topic about the Battle of Tulare.

Marv was there whwen I was there in 1981 Doug McGinnis used me as a part timer Overnights and to run the poerugese show on sundays

 

[mofocat]

Still "off the air" and no sale yet filed.

The flip of KJUG-AM 1270 to Christian talk, I think, is going to be a game changer for what the future holds for 620. I'm thinking it probably will be Spanish, whatever the format. Could be a good extension of KWRU. 1300. Is that owned by Multicultural? Isn't KWRU Spanish Catholic? 620 would be a perfect complement to the 1300 signal.

 

[ki6bkj]

Still "off the air" and no sale yet filed.

The flip of KJUG-AM 1270 to Christian talk, I think, is going to be a game changer for what the future holds for 620. I'm thinking it probably will be Spanish, whatever the format. Could be a good extension of KWRU. 1300. Is that owned by Multicultural? Isn't KWRU Spanish Catholic? 620 would be a perfect complement to the 1300 signal.

It might be smart to turn 620 back to a counrty station like it was originally

 

[mofocat]

Still "off the air" and no sale yet filed.

The flip of KJUG-AM 1270 to Christian talk, I think, is going to be a game changer for what the future holds for 620. I'm thinking it probably will be Spanish, whatever the format. Could be a good extension of KWRU. 1300. Is that owned by Multicultural? Isn't KWRU Spanish Catholic? 620 would be a perfect complement to the 1300 signal.

It might be smart to turn 620 back to a counrty station like it was originally

There you go. The KJUG flip just made classic country a possibility but if KJUG's owners did no find it worthwhile you have to wonder if anyone could make a go it. Doesn't sound very promising.

 

[multiplex]

KNGS-620 wasn't 'originally' country, although I'm nnitpicking here.
They were MOR for quite a number of years (Spanish and/or Portuguese late Sunday afternoon and evening), eventually adding Top 40 at night.
(For a while, KCOK, KOAD, KNGS and KONG all played the hits at night, along with KLAN in the early evening during spring and summer.)
KNGS went country in '68 (on April 1, I believe), and stayed with the format a long time.
My memorys a bit hazy, but I think they added 107.5 around 1976, with live and local hot AC. alas, when Satellite Music Network came along in 1980, out went the local talent until the change to KCLQ.

 

[kenrayc]

KNGS-620 wasn't 'originally' country, although I'm nnitpicking here.
They were MOR for quite a number of years (Spanish and/or Portuguese late Sunday afternoon and evening), eventually adding Top 40 at night.
(For a while, KCOK, KOAD, KNGS and KONG all played the hits at night, along with KLAN in the early evening during spring and summer.)
KNGS went country in '68 (on April 1, I believe), and stayed with the format a long time.
My memorys a bit hazy, but I think they added 107.5 around 1976, with live and local hot AC. alas, when Satellite Music Network came along in 1980, out went the local talent until the change to KCLQ.

Actually 107.5 became KLTK in 1984 When they moved the stick off the valley floor near Hanford to Eshom point and had an AC format that was live, then in October 1986 they went to KCLQ with Classic Rock and was also local and live, then in February 1990 they with the Satellite Music Network's Z-ROCK an AOR format KZZF.

 

[ki6bkj]

KNGS-620 wasn't 'originally' country, although I'm nnitpicking here.
They were MOR for quite a number of years (Spanish and/or Portuguese late Sunday afternoon and evening), eventually adding Top 40 at night.
(For a while, KCOK, KOAD, KNGS and KONG all played the hits at night, along with KLAN in the early evening during spring and summer.)
KNGS went country in '68 (on April 1, I believe), and stayed with the format a long time.
My memorys a bit hazy, but I think they added 107.5 around 1976, with live and local hot AC. alas, when Satellite Music Network came along in 1980, out went the local talent until the change to KCLQ. If memory serves me correctly KCLQ FM was simulcast on 620 am for a short time When Liggwet owned it

Actually 107.5 became KLTK in 1984 When they moved the stick off the valley floor near Hanford to Eshom point and had an AC format that was live, then in October 1986 they went to KCLQ with Classic Rock and was also local and live, then in February 1990 they with the Satellite Music Network's Z-ROCK an AOR format KZZF.

KNGS-620 wasn't 'originally' country, although I'm nnitpicking here.
They were MOR for quite a number of years (Spanish and/or Portuguese late Sunday afternoon and evening), eventually adding Top 40 at night.
(For a while, KCOK, KOAD, KNGS and KONG all played the hits at night, along with KLAN in the early evening during spring and summer.)
KNGS went country in '68 (on April 1, I believe), and stayed with the format a long time.
My memorys a bit hazy, but I think they added 107.5 around 1976, with live and local hot AC. alas, when Satellite Music Network came along in 1980, out went the local talent until the change to KCLQ.