David,
Yes, is my answer to your question about the co-owned KFI and KECA. Earle C. Anthony (whom I shall refer to as ECA after this to save time and space) got KFI on the air in 1922, broadcasting from the roof of his Packard auto dealership/showroom at 1000 South Hope Street, 10th and Hope in Los Angeles. Anthony wanted a second radio station, so in November of 1929, he bought station KPLA.
(KPLA began its broadcast "life" in 1925 as KFXB in Big Bear Lake, of all places. In early 1927, KFXB's owner moved the station to downtown L.A. and changed the call letters to KPLA)
About this same time, the Federal Radio Commission on November 15, 1929, moved KPLA from 1000 kilocycles/kilohertz to 1430-AM. The next day, the L.A. Times reported that ECA had purchased KPLA and the call letters were changed immediately to KECA, to stand for Anthony's initials. Over time, KECA, which was an early station that heavily featured classical music and serious drama, which ECA enjoyed, became the affiliate of the NBC Blue network and KFI was part of the NBC Red network. KECA on 1430 used only 1,000 watts of power compared to the 5 kw on 640 for KFI, which of course was increased to 50,000 watts in 1931.
ECA, who had an engineering background (he invented an early electric car in L.A. as a young man), was very frustrated by the early-1930s, because KECA at 1430 had limited signal coverage and was apparently stuck at 1,000 watts on a regional channel. He tried a few times to get the license for the troubled 780 AM frequency in L.A. (shared by KTM Los Angeles and KELW-Burbank), but the FCC, though not entirely happy with the performance of those two stations, kept renewing their licenses. In 1935, Hearst Radio, headed by William Randolph Hearst, bought KTM and changed the call letters to KEHE for his L.A. paper, the Evening Herald Express. In 1937, KEHE bought out KELW-Burbank, took that station off the air, and was able to increase their power from 1 kw/500 w day/night to 5 kw day and 1 kw night, building a new transmitter at the current site of today's KABC-790 xmtr....They also built a new studio/office complex at 141 North Vermont Avenue.
Finally, in 1938-'39, ECA was among several people involved in a deal to buy most of the Hearst-owned radio stations. ECA bought KEHE-780 for $400,000 from Hearst Radio. Around December 1939, when KEHE had gone off the air for good, KECA went off the air on 1430 and moved to 780 on the AM dial. KFI and KECA moved from the cramped quarters at 10th and Hope to the former KEHE building at 141 North Vermont.
But, in 1942 or so, the FCC ruled that no station owner could own more than 1 (one) radio station in the same market. ECA was heartbroken. He vowed he would never sell KFI, and now he was forced by the U.S. government to sell his beloved KECA!! The sale of KECA became final in 1943, as the NBC Blue Network was also sold to Edward Noble, who made his fortune with Lifesavers candy. The network became known only as The Blue Network and later became ABC, the American Broadcasting Company. KECA moved from 141 N. Vermont to a Hollywood address, as it was also owned by the Blue Network, later ABC. KECA-780 moved to 790-AM on March 29, 1941. In 1954, KECA changed call letters to KABC, and still has those calls today.
ECA by the late-1940s became a pioneer in FM, with KFI-FM at 105.9 and TV, with KFI-TV on channel 9.
But a few years later, a bitter strike by employees ( engineers, I believe), made things difficult at a time when TV still wasn't making a lot of money. But ECA decided to sell channel 9, and he also didn't see much future then in FM, and took 105.9 FM off the air!! He didn't even sell the station, just turned in the license.
I wonder what ECA would think today about the FCC now allowing people or companies to own hundreds of radio stations??
I'll comment about the 338 S. Western Studios for KFVD/KPOP/KGBS later.
Jim
