KRIZ CHANNEL 123, 1959-69

[radioguy39nj]

Found this aircheck on You Tube of KRIZ. The jingles sound like the PAMS jingles used on WABC during the 60s.

Part of the aircheck was recorded presumably on Dec 31, 1964, when KRIZ asks its listeners to drive safely and "stay alive in '65."

This was Phoenix when it was a small desert city. The only pro sports in The Valley until the NBA Suns arrived in 1968 was the Cactus League.

Which was the bigger Phoenix Top 40 station, KRIZ or KRUX?

Here's the aircheck:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qTY3uculX2s

 

[DrAkbar]

Which was the bigger Phoenix Top 40 station, KRIZ or KRUX?

KRIZ...'cause it was Color Radio at the time everyone was listening on black & white Zeniths!


#One in Phoenix....and with border blasting 250 watts at night!

 

[oldiesfan6479]

Looks like sometime around 1964, KRIZ got 1kw-D, 250w-N. Before that
they were 250w-U. (Thanx to the Old Gringo's yearbooks!)

Of course around 1980, driving through east Phoenix into Snottsdale, it was a
chore at night to pick up the giant 500 watts being transmitted by 136/KRUX
(5kw-D, 500w-N, DA-N) from 7401 West Camelback Jack Road.

 

[caveman-97]

The jingles were made famous by KFWB-980 in Los
Angeles.

 

[radiobum]

I always remember KRIZ played the Grass Roots' "Let's Live For Today' and KRUX didn't. I was reading about Country Joe last night and remember the song "Not So Sweet Martha Lorraine" from Phoenix radio and I bet it was on KRIZ and not KRUX ? Ditto for Moby Grape's "Omaha" ?

 

[davideduardo]

Looks like sometime around 1964, KRIZ got 1kw-D, 250w-N. Before that
they were 250w-U. (Thanx to the Old Gringo's yearbooks!)

Of course around 1980, driving through east Phoenix into Snottsdale, it was a
chore at night to pick up the giant 500 watts being transmitted by 136/KRUX
(5kw-D, 500w-N, DA-N) from 7401 West Camelback Jack Road.

Yet the 500 watt KRUX signal came in better for me near 77th and McDowell in S'dale than the KRIZ signal... 1972-1974.

 

[DrAkbar]

The fact KRIZ lasted as long as it did on a crappy frequency with low power is a testament to its jocks and programming. And while KRUX 13~Sixty is now all religion, you can still hear music en ingles on 12~Thirty (about a 15-20 mile radius from the lovely Buckeye Rd xmtr at nite). Several months ago when the topic was Doubleday's sale of KRIZ to Family Life Radio, Nurse Jeff and I estimated the $700k sales price to be worth $2+M in todays dollars. If anyone wants to pay that kind of dough today, Clear Channel would probably sell that woofer!

 

[pattiwacki]

The jingles were made famous by KFWB-980 in Los
Angeles.

Yep, "Channel 98, Color Radio!

 

[ironbear]

I always remember KRIZ played the Grass Roots' "Let's Live For Today' and KRUX didn't. I was reading about Country Joe last night and remember the song "Not So Sweet Martha Lorraine" from Phoenix radio and I bet it was on KRIZ and not KRUX ? Ditto for Moby Grape's "Omaha" ?

Courtesy of a 70's roomy who was a utility/all night jock at KRIZ during Buzz Bennett's reign, I have a few of the Buzzy-rejected coded-for-airplay LP's out of the library. I believe prior to Bennett there was a dayparted album category that included exactly that sort of material.

Two of the The Roommate From Hell's castoffs include Jethro Tull's Stand Up, with "Fat Man" and "Reasons for Waiting", plus Santana's "Soul Sacrifice" and "Waiting" on the attached jock signoff (rotation) sheets. All rather format friendly in the late evening hours, I'd guess.

TMISU called, Roomy split for Salt Lake City, not to be seen by me again.

 

[radioguy39nj]

Courtesy of a 70's roomy who was a utility/all night jock at KRIZ during Buzz Bennett's reign,

Is this the same Buzz Bennett who broadcast on WMCA New York around 1969?

 

[radioguy39nj]

No doubt Wolfman Jack blasted into Phoenix at night on one of the border blaster stations. Which one was Wolfman on? What border blaster stations could be heard in Phoenix?

I think I read somewhere that KOMA in Oklahoma City was easily receivable at night in Phoenix. True?

 

[oldiesfan6479]

No doubt Wolfman Jack blasted into Phoenix at night...Which one was Wolfman on?

XERF 1570 Ciudad Acuna--early on. XERB 1090 Rosarito Beach--later on.

I think I read somewhere that KOMA in Oklahoma City was easily receivable at night in Phoenix. True?

Was a good nighttime signal into Tucson. I can currently pick up KOKC 1520 in PHX at night, so...

 

[davideduardo]

No doubt Wolfman Jack blasted into Phoenix at night on one of the border blaster stations. Which one was Wolfman on? What border blaster stations could be heard in Phoenix?

XERF, 1570, Villa Acuña, Coahuila, México. 250 kw. When he went to XERB, the night directional signal did not make for even spotty Phoenix reception. Villa Acuña did not become Ciudad Acuña until about two decades later.

Besides XERF, XEROK (previously XELO) in Cd. Juárez made it nicely to Phoenix on 800 with 150 kw.

In the 60's, there were only two Border Blasters left... XERF and XELO (which became X-Rock 80 in the early 70's). XERB and XETRA (formerly XEAK) in Tijuana are simply 50 kw stations, no different from those in the US.

XEG, 1050, 150 kw from Monterrey is "almost" on the border, and ran English preachers and infomercials at night. That one was not a Phoenix regular, as the co-channel XED operation in Mexicali ripped it up.

I think I read somewhere that KOMA in Oklahoma City was easily receivable at night in Phoenix. True?

KOMA ran spots for movie openings, shows and such for everywhere from the Dakotas to New Mexico. "Opening today in Jamestown, Ruidoso, Kearny and Lamar..." AZ was right at the fringe, but definitely the "got-to" place for top 40 in places like Globe or Wilcox or Prescott where they had no such station.

 

[johndavis]

I think I read somewhere that KOMA in Oklahoma City was easily receivable at night in Phoenix. True?

True. I used to listen to KOMA plus KFI and The Mighty 690 in the early 80's before AM top 40 was dead and buried. KOMA was an easy station to get in Scottsdale after dark.

 

[oldiesfan6479]

XERF, 1570, Villa Acuña, Coahuila, México. Villa Acuña did not become Ciudad Acuña
until about two decades later.

Well, how about I just call it "Del Rio Texas" then, as in (Wolf voice):

"...send foah ninety-eight, cash, check o money odah, to the Fan-tastic Forty,
X-ERF, Del Rio Texas"

Does anyone still have the album? ;D

 

[99KTKT]

I think I read somewhere that KOMA in Oklahoma City was easily receivable at night in Phoenix. True?

True. I used to listen to KOMA plus KFI and The Mighty 690 in the early 80's before AM top 40 was dead and buried. KOMA was an easy station to get in Scottsdale after dark.

Ditto for KOMA and KFI in Tucson. Can't place "The Mighty 690", though. Who were they? Also X-Rock, El Paso/Juarez, as has been mentioned. A couple of other weaker Top 40 signals that could usually be picked up were WOAI, San Antonio, and a Salt Lake station...KCPX, I think? Very late in the game came KTNQ, LA, although by the time they signed on--76/77?--AM Top 40 was definitely a dying format.
One thing I loved about KOMA was that there were songs that were absolute monster hits in OKC that were not huge national hits. Two that come to mind from '71 are "Timothy" by The Buoys and "Rings" by Cymarron. Both barely made the national Top 20 but I think they were both #1 hits on KOMA.

 

[johndavis]

Ditto for KOMA and KFI in Tucson. Can't place "The Mighty 690", though. Who were they?

X(E)TRA, Tijuana BC (now XEWW).

http://blog.sdradio.net/3225/flashback-friday-the-mighty-690/

A better copy of the aircheck here: http://airchexx.com/2011/02/26/michael-boss-xetra-the-mighty-690-tijuana-mexico-august-1982/

 

[DrAkbar]

One thing I loved about KOMA was that there were songs that were absolute monster hits in OKC that were not huge national hits. Two that come to mind from '71 are "Timothy" by The Buoys and "Rings" by Cymarron. Both barely made the national Top 20 but I think they were both #1 hits on KOMA.

A lot of stations yanked ol Tim's bones after they actually listened to the lyrics! In the case of Rings, pure pablum and undeserving of a Top 10 ranking on Billboards' hugely hyped Top 100. What always amazed the Buckeye Boyz about KOMA is their awesome nighttime coverage...but you couldn't pick 'em up clearly 20 miles east of OK City. Loved their reverb-erb-erb-erb-erb.

 

[landtuna]

In the case of Rings, pure pablum and undeserving of a Top 10 ranking on Billboards' hugely hyped Top 100.

Pablum deserves its place on the charts Doc. "Rings" is one of those feel-good songs.

 

[caveman-97]

Anyone remember Buddy Scott (Buddy Boy Kincer)? Circa 1969 he moved his screaming act from KOMA to KRUX and in so doing took a power decrease from 50,000 watts to 500 watts. Must have gotten a nice raise or he wouldn't have done it. I think that he later ended up a programming consultant in Chicago.