Radio Names

[CTListener]

No, RKO did not have "clear channels" in many markets, starting with DC, LA, Memphis and San Francisco. Boston, Windsor and New York were 50 kw, but significantly directional ones. But even the lower power stations were good signals for the urban areas of that era.

I spent three years in Stuttgart, Arkansas, just over 100 miles southeast of Memphis as the crow flies, yet 5 kw WHBQ 560 was a very good daytime signal there, just as solid as 50 kw KAAY Little Rock at 1090, about 50 miles to the northwest. I listened to both a lot on my long, flat drives across the Delta. I might have been in the middle of nowhere, but those two Top 40 stations were major-market quality.

 

[Daryl Lynn L.A.]

Except that KHJ was 5,000 watts as Michael pointed out.

And KFWB was 5,000 watts. But, of course, it was "Color Radio Channel 98".

And in 1960, KRLA was 10,000 watts but with a permit to go 50 kw day and 10 kw night. The daytime power increase as well as the night signal was with a directional antenna system, so it was not comparable with KFI or KNX in coverage.

When KHJ went on the air, both KFWB and KRLA were more "talkative" bordering on kind of chatty. The music sometimes stopped down for the talk, but we have to remember that there were commercials every two or three songs and the music sweep had not really come into practice yet.

KHJ did a much better job at "hitting the post" but they did not talk over the vocal, of course. The other two did the same, but it was not as consistently and artfully done if you listen to the online airchecks.

When KHJ launched, it got lots of press coverage in the trades. Shortly after, I flew the 3,500 miles up to LA and sat in a motel near the airport and listened for several days to all three. KFWB sounded a bit tired and procedural, KRLA was looser and it seemed that they sometimes opened the mike without knowing when they were going to close it. KHJ was very tight, making it seem much more fast paced and energetic.

When I got home, I did not change my Top 40 station radically. I thought that KHJ was a reaction to "the same jocks and the same style and the same jingles" for many years, and what it did was create a new alternative to stations that had been in the format for some time. My station was just 2 years old, and modeled more after WABC and WQAM, so the most that I did was start emphasizing "before you open the mike, know how your are going to finish".

Fantastic reply -- Thank you - sure enjoyed reading it ! I really like to hear memories like these. - D.

 

[davideduardo]

The thing that mattered at the time they bought the stations was whether the signal could cover the city adequately. In the 1960s, 5,000 watts at 1410 got the job done in Pittsburgh. Today, with growth, it couldn't---just as KABC is today inadequate to cover Los Angeles.

In fact, in the early 70's KQV was killed by an only slightly better 13-Q. But 13-Q had Cecil Heftel and Bill Tanner, and was so good as a badly directional AM that Pittman's FM Top 40 could not beat it as long as Tanner stayed in the Steel City.

And 13-Q had been a network O&O when Cecil bought it. Cities were outgrowing the poor AM signals.

 

[Kemosabe]

Sometimes radio is most fun when the unexpected happens …

To me, the following was somewhat unexpected, too. Best wishes to you, @brwagenblast.