KKXX 105.3/96.5

[Radiogeek500]

I remember seeing under the KKDJ listing on 100000watts.com that "KKXX shifted to top 40/dance in 1988". Was this like a format change or evolvement? I arrived in Bakersfield two years later and got to hear KKXX and at the time I loved that, that was till I came to LA and heard KPWR and KDAY. I came back to Bakersfield a few more times in 92 and heard KKXX and it just sounded so conservative. It seemed they would be playing pop and dance stuff that KPWR had dropped 5 months prior and would play stuff that I felt had no damn business being on a Rhythmic CHR, even in 92(Baby Baby?) But I heard even after I had stopped going to B Town and KKXX changing ownership that they still refused to play Hip Hop and would still rotate stiffs. Why was KKXX so conservative all those years till 97 and do you all think if they had taken more risks(mabye added the "Gangsta Rap") that KISV wouldn't had depleated them so badly in 97?

But still, I give CC props to trying to fix KKXX and I thought they had done it with the pure Hip Hop/R&B approach, but suits felt KBKO was a better alternative. Still, it's sad to no longer have a heritage station. <P ID="signature">______________
The old skool show@noon with Jeff G and DJ Rawn
Only on Power 106(KPWR Los Angeles)

JOSH, Moderating the whole Radio-Info radio state of California and Indiana too!</P>

 

[Jay_F]

> I remember seeing under the KKDJ listing on 100000watts.com
> that "KKXX shifted to top 40/dance in 1988". Was this like a
> format change or evolvement? I arrived in Bakersfield two
> years later and got to hear KKXX and at the time I loved
> that, that was till I came to LA and heard KPWR and KDAY. I
> came back to Bakersfield a few more times in 92 and heard
> KKXX and it just sounded so conservative. It seemed they
> would be playing pop and dance stuff that KPWR had dropped 5
> months prior and would play stuff that I felt had no damn
> business being on a Rhythmic CHR, even in 92(Baby Baby?) But
> I heard even after I had stopped going to B Town and KKXX
> changing ownership that they still refused to play Hip Hop
> and would still rotate stiffs. Why was KKXX so conservative
> all those years till 97 and do you all think if they had
> taken more risks(mabye added the "Gangsta Rap") that KISV
> wouldn't had depleated them so badly in 97?
>
> But still, I give CC props to trying to fix KKXX and I
> thought they had done it with the pure Hip Hop/R&B approach,
> but suits felt KBKO was a better alternative. Still, it's
> sad to no longer have a heritage station.
>


I remember in the late 80s/early 90s KKXX was an extremely conservative rhythmic. They added songs late, were very recurrent oriented, and played little rap. KKXX was very boring compared to the Fresno rhythmics, they were much more musically aggressive, adventurous, and embraced rap early on.

The music on KKXX did get better towards the end. IMO, KISV won that war because they were more live, local, and involved in the community.

Here's some early KKXX history. If I remember correctly, Buck Owens owned Top 40 KKXX on what is now the KUZZ frequency. Sometime in the mid-80s, I want to say 1984, Buck moved KUZZs country format from AM to FM on KKXXs original frequency. Soon after that, another company switched to CHR with the KKXX call letters.

 

[KMRichards]

> Here's some early KKXX history. If I remember correctly,
> Buck Owens owned Top 40 KKXX on what is now the KUZZ
> frequency. Sometime in the mid-80s, I want to say 1984, Buck
> moved KUZZs country format from AM to FM on KKXXs original
> frequency. Soon after that, another company switched to CHR
> with the KKXX call letters.

According to the KUZZ website, 1988 (and it was a simulcast initially).

<a target="_blank" href=http://www.kuzz.com/kuzz_history.html>http://www.kuzz.com/kuzz_history.html</a>
<P ID="signature">______________


</P>

 

[grudgelfeltz]

> > Here's some early KKXX history. If I remember correctly,
> > Buck Owens owned Top 40 KKXX on what is now the KUZZ
> > frequency. Sometime in the mid-80s, I want to say 1984,
> Buck
> > moved KUZZs country format from AM to FM on KKXXs original
>
> > frequency. Soon after that, another company switched to
> CHR
> > with the KKXX call letters.
>
> According to the KUZZ website, 1988 (and it was a simulcast
> initially).

And it still is, although the AM briefly ran the "Real Country" satellite format after the switch. After Buck bought 107.1 and experimented with a "hot country" format that failed, the AM went back to simulcasting KUZZ-FM and "Real Country" went to 107.1.

 

[KMRichards]

> > According to the KUZZ website, 1988 (and it was a
> simulcast
> > initially).
>
> And it still is, although the AM briefly ran the "Real
> Country" satellite format after the switch. After Buck
> bought 107.1 and experimented with a "hot country" format
> that failed, the AM went back to simulcasting KUZZ-FM and
> "Real Country" went to 107.1.

I sort of remember most of that, except I didn't remember that the AM and FM had gone back to simulcasting for some reason. Brain freeze, probably.

<P ID="signature">______________


</P>

 

[sacriver]

> > > According to the KUZZ website, 1988 (and it was a
> > simulcast
> > > initially).
> >
> > And it still is, although the AM briefly ran the "Real
> > Country" satellite format after the switch. After Buck
> > bought 107.1 and experimented with a "hot country" format
> > that failed, the AM went back to simulcasting KUZZ-FM and
> > "Real Country" went to 107.1.
>
Oh yes, who couldn't forget KTIE and "Big John Gabriel" and his morning show that made him locally infamous for a few days after becoming the topic of, as he called it, the "Bill Slanders" (Manders) show on 1410... Seems John liked to play some novelty songs among the constant requests to take showers with his female callers,...

Last time I saw him I was on the ice during intermission at a Condors(maybe it was still the Bako Fog then) shooting pucks for free taco bell tacos while he was announcing... What the heck ever happened to him?


HAHA, Sad, that I was a kid during all of this and still remember..oh well..