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KSTN 1420 60th Anniversary
- Thread starter Madmansam
- Start date
The Stockton Record has an article about the station, including comments from John LaRue and John Hampton, and details of some of Knox LaRue's exploits:
An oldie, goodie: Stockton AM station not yet fading away
An oldie, goodie: Stockton AM station not yet fading away
Hard to believe that the KSTN has been around that long, and is still locally owned.
Paul Shinn informs me that it's actually Robert LaRue in the photo. Mike Fitzgerald of the Record, who wrote the column, noted that their photographer got the error into both the print and online versions, but the online version has now been corrected.
I'll have to dig through my boxes of radio junk historical reference material, but I believe that KWG (or the equipment that was used for the station that became licensed as KWG) was actually on the air in the mid-1910s under an experimental license -- as were most of the other stations that obtained broadcast licenses from the Department of Commerce in 1921.
KWG was the second radio station to receive a commercial license in California (after Arno Kluge's KQL in Los Angeles), and is the oldest continually-licensed station on the West Coast.
KWG was the second radio station to receive a commercial license in California (after Arno Kluge's KQL in Los Angeles), and is the oldest continually-licensed station on the West Coast.
BossRadioDJ said:
On June 21, 1982, when the station switched from Country (after getting slaughtered
in the ratings by KRAK 1140) to Oldies, then-morning man Kevin Manna recorded a short history-blurb of KWG, as the oldies format was known for its first few months as "G, One-Twenty-Three." In that blurb, Manna mentioned that the experimental station was known under the callsign "QSA"...
Supposedly, KWG was THE first station west of the Mississippi River to get a commercial broadcast license...
The station was commemorating its 59th anniversary on-air when I was hired as part-time/fill-in DJ in October 1980, during its Barnes Enterprizes days. It was a company led by Chuck Barris' friend, Johnny Jacobs, who sold the station to Best Broadcasting in
February 1981. It was then that the format changed from MOR to Country (using the "T.M. Country" reel-format). Best also purchased ailing Tracy station KSRT 100.9,
and changed the callsign to KWGF shortly thereafter...
It's sad that the ONLY time you seem to hear the "KWG" letters on "Immaculate Heart Radio," 1230 KC, is during the legal I.D.
I look forward to see what your research says 'bout KWG, David. Please keep us posted!
Oh, and Happy Anniversary to KSTN...
--jay
djj said:
Ironically, "QSA" is the ancient ham radio Q-code for "how is my signal strength?" Even back in those prehistoric radio days, it was probably hard to pull the Stockton pea-shooter out of the ether. Today, mired in the 1230 graveyard, it's still a challenge.
BossRadioDJ said:
Growing up in San Mateo, I was able to get a decent (not clear) signal from KSTN 1420. There was a little interference from second adjacent KRE 1400. KNTA/KEGL 1430 in Santa Clara barely came in at all.
I was never able to receive KWG due to KIBE. I was able however to pick up 1240 KROY and 1280 KJOY.
Jay, if there is good news regarding Immaculate Heart Radio's ownership is that the offices of KWG is back right next to their transmitter at Weber & E streets in East Stockton. From what i have heard, the original offices and studios were there from 1959-68 before they moved to Stratford Circle in North Stockton.
Madmansam said:
U R correct, Sam. I took pix of that site rebirth at Weber and E Streets a few years ago,
with ex-KWIN salesman Keith Farr in tow to see. I.M.R. has parked a coupla company vehicles
there in the fenced-off lot, also...
In late-1987/early-'88 or thereabouts, I witnessed the beginning of the end for that KWG wire antenna
that was there, also. Somewhere in my archives, I took a pic of the new, unpainted tower that was
placed at the site when the wire antenna was ready to come down. All that remains are the "stumps"
of the wooden poles that held the wire...
Stratford Circle, if I'm not mistaken, was near Robinhood Drive near Delta College, no?
KWG had been at 1325 N. Center Street for awhile when I was hired there.
Someone who'd know specifics would be then-KWG newsman, now KJOY P.D., Dirk Kooyman...
And yes, David, it was an irony that "QSA" is that ham-radio code, unless Manna intended it
as a joke (complete with a mock 'aircheck' using Marc Hunter's voice saying "Q....S....A....")...
lol!
Back to KSTN momentarily:
Man, KSTN 1420 could use some new radials or something. Their nighttime 1-kw coverage was
MUCH better back in the 1980s than it is now, especially in North Stockton/Lodi, as I discovered
tonight while visiting Pacific Bowl at 9 p.m....
--jay
B
BBfromCA
Guest
Jay,
You are correct, KWG was just off of Robinhood. I worked there doing afternoon drive (under a different name) while still doing weekends at KJOY....with approval from both GM's. At that time, it was MOR. Some records would disappear from the playlist when the owner came into town, then replaced when he left.
They also had one of the first traffic planes in the area. Dick Bridgeford flew a pattern from Hammer Lane to Charter and from Center Street over to Highway 99 (no I-5 at that time).
You are correct, KWG was just off of Robinhood. I worked there doing afternoon drive (under a different name) while still doing weekends at KJOY....with approval from both GM's. At that time, it was MOR. Some records would disappear from the playlist when the owner came into town, then replaced when he left.
They also had one of the first traffic planes in the area. Dick Bridgeford flew a pattern from Hammer Lane to Charter and from Center Street over to Highway 99 (no I-5 at that time).
Madmansam said:
An online almanac from the Stockton Record shows that when it signed on November 21, 1921,
KWG (as it became known three weeks later) broadcast from the Stockton Record Bldg;
(see Record Timeline column):
http://www.recordnet.com/apps/pbcs.dll/misc?url=/static/aboutUs.htm
--jay
Madmansam said:
According to his assistant and friend, Damien Thorn, Graft passed away in 1999; I will
search for the e-mail he sent me from my archive (I won a KWIN 97.7 watch on eBay
from Damien in early 2000. LOL!). I read somewhere that Damien, himself, passed away
a few years ago...
--jay
Addendum
Here's the info I saved from that e-mail by Damien of Broadband News Media Corporation,
dated January 12, 2000:
>> Alan died peacefully on Thursday, December 2nd at about 6:15 am. .....
We discovered that he had prostate cancer.....
On a personal level, Alan was the best friend one could ever ask for. <<
--jay
I've got one for you all! Who got the KJOY sign that was on their corner building right next to the cross town highway 4 freeway up from the police station?
B
BBfromCA
Guest
My guess is that the KJOY letters have been stored away by Joel Gamble. When "KJOY" made the switch from AM to FM, the "1280" numbers were removed from the building and stored away. The "KJOY" letters remained. Each letter and number were separate and had light bulbs set inside. The KJOY letters were white with white bulbs, the 1280 numbers were red with red bulbs. When lit, the letters would twinkle. There were 2 sets of letters and numbers, one set on El Dorado and one on Weber. The control box (a timer box) was located inside the broadcast studio.
There are photos of the original 1960's sign and of the one everyone remembers at the KJOY History site at: kjoy1280.t35.com
There are photos of the original 1960's sign and of the one everyone remembers at the KJOY History site at: kjoy1280.t35.com
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