More on 107.5 FM, etc.

[radiohistory]

Hi again.

Not sure if this is a re-hash of what has already been presented. But, I got this from FCC license files, which a friend had transcribed some 20 or more years ago from the FCC microfiche files in Washington, D.C. Also, sometimes a call change would be approved and go on the air a day or more after the FCC had given its approval. So, for what it is worth, here are the dates I have, based on research from another party, who has done research for me in the past. Also, help from David Schwartz, who has collaborated with me on AM-FM call/frequency history of L.A. stations, and David usually would look up format info. and format history.

107.5 FM

KBBI December 1, 1959 stood for Biola Bible Institute

KPSA July 3, 1971 stood for Pacific Southwest Airlines

KEZM July 1, 1973 E-Z Music

KLVE September 23, 1975 K-Love


David's notes say that the format went to beautiful music during 1972 and Spanish in September 1975. The licensees were listed as Bible Institute of Los Angeles from 1959 to 1967; Biola Schools and Colleges effective January 12, 1967; PSA Broadcasting effective July 2, 1971; and K-Love Radio Broadcasting granted 9-23-1975, effective October 20, 1975.

As for KTNQ-1020, David's notes say that the station went Spanish at 12 noon, July 30, 1979.

But, looking at the license for 97.1 FM, the old KGBS-FM was given FCC approval to change call letter to KHTZ on August 28, 1978 for K-Hits.
However, David's notes say the format became adult contemporary on October 7, 1978.

One final note...Somebody in an earlier post guessed about when the old KIEV-870 (The Talk of the Town) went from being a daytime-only station to 24 hour full-time. It went 24 hours on September 20, 1984. After nearly 68 years with the same call letters, 870-Glendale changed from KIEV to KRLA on January 1, 2001.

Jim Hilliker
Monterey, CA

 

[michael hagerty]

As for KTNQ-1020, David's notes say that the station went Spanish at 12 noon, July 30, 1979.

But, looking at the license for 97.1 FM, the old KGBS-FM was given FCC approval to change call letter to KHTZ on August 28, 1978 for K-Hits.
However, David's notes say the format became adult contemporary on October 7, 1978.



Jim Hilliker
Monterey, CA

Jim:
It's a bit more complicated than that. Here's the deal:

KTNQ didn't succeed as a Top 40. Launching on December 26, 1976, its performance in the fall Arbitrons was less than stellar:

Fall 1977: 18th place with a 2.1 (behind Top 40 competitors KIQQ (17th with a 2.4), KFI (11th with a 3.1) and KHJ (8th with a 3.5).

Fall 1978: 18th place with a 2.1 (ahead of KIQQ (22nd with a 1.8), but behind KFI (13th with a 2.6) and KHJ (12th with a 2.7).

So, in the August 1, 1978 issue of Billboard, Storer Broadcasting announced that in the fall, KTNQ would change formats to modern country (which is what KGBS-FM was) and that the Top 40 format would segue over to the FM (that's when they applied for the KHTZ calls).

But two weeks later, Storer dropped a bombshell...KTNQ was for sale and they'd leave a change in format to the new owner. The KHTZ call letter change went through ( if I recall correctly, they only used the calls for the legal ID and called themselves "FM 97"), but that format remained modern country until July 31, 1979. On that day, KHTZ simulcasted KTNQ's morning show, with the country FM morning man, Bob Morgan, guesting on Charlie Tuna's show as they explained the switch coming at noon...KTNQ to Spanish, and KHTZ to a high-energy Top 40 similar to KTNQ.

The KTNQ sale went off smoothly, but the FM less so. Storer sold KHTZ, too...but the approval was a few weeks later. And Greater Media bought a transmitter and call letters. No building and no intellectual property. The new KTNQ owners allowed KHTZ to work out of a production studio in the old mortuary on Western until they could lease space and build a new studio on Wilshire. But the new PD, Bobby Rich, found out that Storer owned the record library...they had only the carts already in existence in the studio and had to build the rest all over again. And Storer had fired everyone (a staff of 30) on the way out the door...leaving Bobby to re-hire people and call friends in to cover shifts just to keep the station on the air.

Bad enough, but it got worse. Five weeks later, Tim Sullivan resigned as General Manager at KHJ and took the GM gig at KHTZ...and his first order was to move from Top 40 to Adult Contemporary...which meant more changes....including the dismissal of great jocks like Jackson Armstrong and Beaver Cleaver.

 

[radiohistory]

Re: More on 107.5 FM, 1020-AM changes, 97.1

Michael,

Wow, sure was a lot of drama there! LOL. Man, I lived through all that but wasn't paying attention, since I was going to school at the time and watching a lot of TV....Listening to some radio too, mostly KEZY, KFI, KHJ, KMPC, and wasn't paying attention to the rating at the time.

Anyway, thanks a lot for posting all the additional details of those interesting years. Also, it seems like somewhere in my notes on 1020-AM, I have listed some call letters that they were thinking of applying for when they were going to change to modern country in 1978, but they never used. I had heard that story before, but had forgotten about it until you posted it here, above.

Jim

 

[davideduardo]

107.5 FM

KBBI December 1, 1959 stood for Biola Bible Institute

KPSA July 3, 1971 stood for Pacific Southwest Airlines

KEZM July 1, 1973 E-Z Music

KLVE September 23, 1975 K-Love

This is an elusive one.

September 23 was the grant date for the transfer of KLVE from PSA to K-Love Broadcasting, but not the closing and not the day it changed to "K-love" as a name. 107.5 had been operating for some time in English as K-Love with a soft rock AC variant.

When the application for transfer was filed in August, 1975, the station was already KLVE, and the name was K-Love. It would not be Spanish, per people who were actually on the air, until either the first or second of October, about a week after the closing, the time it took to move things (one swears that it was November, but the consensus is now October). As mentioned, because they were so frugal, the Liberman familly did not even change the call letters despite the fact that the name "K-Love" had no meaning in Spanish (75% or better of listeners did not get the meaning some 20 years later when it was researched and as many as half of diary mentions went to ascription).

David's notes say that the format went to beautiful music during 1972 and Spanish in September 1975.

That misses the period when they were soft rock up to the change to Spanish under the KLVE calls and K-Love name starting well before the sale was announced.

 

[radiohistory]

Thanks for the clarification, David. I could've sworn that that September date was the date on the FCC license file, which I had a copy of at one time, which granted the call change to 'KLVE' from KEZM. I'll have to get somebody to check that again.

And Michael, I found my notation about KTNQ-1020, when they were going to change to modern country, they reportedly applied for the new call letters of KKAM (don't know if those letters had any meaning or significance)...But the call letters were never used, because as you said, the station was sold to owner of KLVE-107.5 and went all-Spanish.

Jim

 

[michael hagerty]

I found my notation about KTNQ-1020, when they were going to change to modern country, they reportedly applied for the new call letters of KKAM (don't know if those letters had any meaning or significance)...But the call letters were never used, because as you said, the station was sold to owner of KLVE-107.5 and went all-Spanish.

Jim

If I recall correctly (man, I wish Google Books would digitize back issues of R&R), Storer was just going to call the station "AM 1020" (remember, they'd been calling KGBS-FM and KHTZ "FM 97")...so KKAM made sense.