Remember KFWB before all-news began in March 1968?

[oldmanradio]

Various KFWB lineups from 1958 to 1968:

http://rockradioscrapbook.ca/radkfwb.html

At the end, according to one aircheck source, BMR's AOR evening format had been dumped for MOR. And the music on an aircheck I heard long ago of Roger Christian in early 1968 was as soft as I ever heard on KFWB.

 

[Ultimajock]

Wow - cool clip from L&B's TV show - thanks, Michael. It could easily be classified as sick humor, what with Gary Muledeer's 'suicide' - especially seeing him swing around 'dead' hanging from a noose next to Gisele MacKenzie while she's singing her upbeat song.

...interesting that Muledeer gets brought up yesterday -- just saw him on Letterman last night for the first time in at least a generation, provided you're discounting that TattleTales rerun I caught ten years ago that had Muledeer coupled with ?!?Debra Winger?!? ;-) ...

 

[Ultimajock]

Emperor Bob and Lohman and Barkley were the best. Don't know how it would have gone between Hudson and Morgan-Morgan was pretty hip and Hudson was so funny.

...Morgan was repeatedly quoted as saying the best thing that ever happened to his career was Bob Hudson getting canned from KRLA...

 

[MsMusicRadio]

In 1965, I was hanging around the Sunset Strip. Ciro's changed it's name to "It's Boss" and attracted an up and coming Sonny and Cher and Flo and Eddie. Boss may have been so 1960, but by repetition and constant usage it became "hip". As far as I can remember, KHJ was considered the best of the three by the under 30 set. And we didn't trust anyone over 30.

 

[michael hagerty]

Maybe this is impossible to answer, but what do you think?

If Emperor Hudson had remained at KRLA, what would have happened in morning drive between Morgan and Hudson?

Personally, I thought Hudson was funnier, but Morgan obviously had a wicked quick wit. In later years, Morgan said he caught a break when Hudson left KRLA.

It might have been harder, but KHJ had already beaten KRLA overall before Hudson left. Hudson leaving KRLA for a station with a poor signal (KBLA) just freed up a chunk of Hudson's audience to sample and stick with Morgan all at once rather than Morgan having to win them over.



---Michael Hagerty

 

[LKellerIII]

In 1965, I was hanging around the Sunset Strip. Ciro's changed it's name to "It's Boss" and attracted an up and coming Sonny and Cher and Flo and Eddie. Boss may have been so 1960, but by repetition and constant usage it became "hip". As far as I can remember, KHJ was considered the best of the three by the under 30 set. And we didn't trust anyone over 30.

In my admittedly imperfect memory, the word "boss" used as slang - did not enter the picture until about 1963 or 64 - not as early as 1960. At least in my crowd - surfers and surfer wannabes (I won't tell you which of the sub-groups I was in), "boss" was passe by the time Drake adopted it for radio imaging - but only by a year or so.

We all prefered "bitchin' " - which you couldn't say on radio in those days, given that "bitch" is the root word. We also had to be careful not to say bitchin' in front of the more conservative parents.

KHJ-TV's Saturday night dance party show was "Boss City" It had started in the mid 50s as 9th Street West, pre-Boss radio. Host Sam Riddle was jocking at KFWB at the time. I guess the title changed when KHJ flipped to Top 40. But its worth noting that Robert W. Morgan's weekday dance party show (started about 1967) was "Groovy!"

 

[LKellerIII]

In 1965, I was hanging around the Sunset Strip. Ciro's changed it's name to "It's Boss" and attracted an up and coming Sonny and Cher and Flo and Eddie. Boss may have been so 1960, but by repetition and constant usage it became "hip". As far as I can remember, KHJ was considered the best of the three by the under 30 set. And we didn't trust anyone over 30.

In my admittedly imperfect memory, the word "boss" used as slang - did not enter the picture until about 1963 or 64 - not as early as 1960. At least in my crowd - surfers and surfer wannabes (I won't tell you which of the sub-groups I was in), "boss" was passe by the time Drake adopted it for radio imaging - but only by a year or so.

We all prefered "bitchin' " - which you couldn't say on radio in those days, given that "bitch" is the root word. We also had to be careful not to say bitchin' in front of the more conservative parents.

KHJ-TV's Saturday night dance party show was "Boss City" It had started about 1964 as 9th Street West, pre-Boss radio. Host Sam Riddle was jocking at KFWB at the time. I guess the title changed when KHJ flipped to Top 40. But its worth noting that Robert W. Morgan's weekday dance party show (started about 1967) was "Groovy!"

 

[briancraig]

It has always puzzled me why so much slang rooted in Southern California surfer culture spread across the country and was adopted by teenagers nationwide.

Dude and awesome being two examples that hang on to this day.

Unfortunately my two favorite words from this subculture "boss" and "bitchin" never seemed very popular outside California.

Rhino is releasing a 4 CD box sex about L.A. garage bands called "Where The Action Is" tomorrow. It also includes a hardcover book that is supposed to contain a chapter on L.A. radio of the mid 1960s. I hope they don't forget about KBLA.

 

[GeorgeJ.]

[/quote]
I know Michael the historian knows this, but for anybody who doesn't:

If I recall the stories about KHJ's flip to Top 40 correctly - KFWB got wind of the KHJ move, and started calling itself "Boss Radio" - which forced Drake and Jacobs to put the new "Boss" KHJ on the air faster than they had planned, before their jingles and imaging were co-opted by Channel 98.


Drake couldn't use "Boss" in San Francisco because KFRC's Top 40 competitor, KYA, was already "The Boss of the Bay." I don't know if the slogan originated when Drake was the PD there in the early 60s - or after that.

If you google Mr. Imuslind, you'll find many citations. As of a couple of years ago - he was still devoting his life to helping alcoholics and the addicted.
[/quote]

Apparently, Crowell-Collier (owner of KFWB and KEWB in san Francisco) was worried about RKO flipping KFRC to the Drake Top 40 format in 1965 because KEWB started using "Boss 30" for their music survey (not sure if they were calling KEWB "Boss Radio" on-air ior not) from the previous Fabulous Forty name.

This from an August 1965 KEWB newspaper/survey (KFWB had a similar paper called "Hitline" at the same time) that had the KEWB "Boss 30" survey in it.

I assume they were trying to preempt RKO in san Francisco in case they planned on flipping KFRC to destroy KEWB up there...

 

[LKellerIII]

[/quote]

Apparently, Crowell-Collier (owner of KFWB and KEWB in san Francisco) was worried about RKO flipping KFRC to the Drake Top 40 format in 1965 because KEWB started using "Boss 30" for their music survey (not sure if they were calling KEWB "Boss Radio" on-air ior not) from the previous Fabulous Forty name.

This from an August 1965 KEWB newspaper/survey (KFWB had a similar paper called "Hitline" at the same time) that had the KEWB "Boss 30" survey in it.

I assume they were trying to preempt RKO in san Francisco in case they planned on flipping KFRC to destroy KEWB up there...
[/quote]

Well...didn't work, did it? KFRC flipped to Top 40 in February 1966, and KEWB became talk station KNEW in September of that year, so KEWB only lasted 7 months after KFRC's premiere. But one could argue whether or not KFRC "destroyed" KEWB. Crowell-Collier sold the station to Metromedia in April, and MM flipped to talk hoping to duplicate their success in LA with KLAC, the new call letters being an echo of their WNEW New York.

 

[pattiwacki]

It has always puzzled me why so much slang rooted in Southern California surfer culture spread across the country and was adopted by teenagers nationwide.

Dude and awesome being two examples that hang on to this day.

Unfortunately my two favorite words from this subculture "boss" and "bitchin" never seemed very popular outside California.

Rhino is releasing a 4 CD box sex about L.A. garage bands called "Where The Action Is" tomorrow. It also includes a hardcover book that is supposed to contain a chapter on L.A. radio of the mid 1960s. I hope they don't forget about KBLA.

"bitchin" made a comeback a couple of years back here in AZ. I'm trying to remember when Hudson teamed up with Landry-they were a scream!

 

[michael hagerty]

I'm trying to remember when Hudson teamed up with Landry-they were a scream!

Late 1970 or early 71 at KGBS. Hudson had been doing mornings and Landry afternoons. In fact, I think they did their first club dates and LP while doing separate radio shows. When KGBS paied them in mornings, Dave Hull, who'd just left KFI, took afternoons.

---Michael Hagerty

 

[michael hagerty]

Apparently, Crowell-Collier (owner of KFWB and KEWB in san Francisco) was worried about RKO flipping KFRC to the Drake Top 40 format in 1965 because KEWB started using "Boss 30" for their music survey (not sure if they were calling KEWB "Boss Radio" on-air ior not) from the previous Fabulous Forty name.

This from an August 1965 KEWB newspaper/survey (KFWB had a similar paper called "Hitline" at the same time) that had the KEWB "Boss 30" survey in it.

I assume they were trying to preempt RKO in san Francisco in case they planned on flipping KFRC to destroy KEWB up there...
[/quote]

Well...didn't work, did it? KFRC flipped to Top 40 in February 1966, and KEWB became talk station KNEW in September of that year, so KEWB only lasted 7 months after KFRC's premiere. But one could argue whether or not KFRC "destroyed" KEWB. Crowell-Collier sold the station to Metromedia in April, and MM flipped to talk hoping to duplicate their success in LA with KLAC, the new call letters being an echo of their WNEW New York.
[/quote]

Someone fired by Drake got their hands on the "Boss" materials on the way out the door and took them to KFWB...which started using "Boss" on the air. KHJ reacted by going to the format a week early as a "sneak preview" and using KFWB's playlist for a few weeks.

Drake knew that the magic was in the tightness...which KFWB could never match...hey, they couldn't even keep up with KRLA.

As for KEWB, that might have been less about trying to block KFRC than desperately grabbing for a slogan that was working somewhere else...like Fresno,L.A. and San Diego.

But with KYA having been "The Boss of the Bay" from 1961 to 1963, the term was played out in SF. Drake wasn't going there with KFRC, no matter what.

Imagine if Drake hadn't picked Morgan and Steele for KHJ and they had to go down with the KEWB ship..

---Michael Hagerty

 

[oldmanradio]

BMR 1967

Just listened to an aircheck of BMR during the summer of 1967 on Airchexx.com.

By then, BMR was heavy into the album cuts, but he still retained his machine-gun delivery.

By October of that year, an aircheck widely available and on ReelRadio.com, clearly demostrates the new BMR, the drastically slowed delivery as well as the album oriented format.

Since Westinghouse planned to convert KFWB to all-news anyway in March of 1968, it is my guess that BMR talked management into letting him try something a little different.

But when he left KFWB, the experiment obviously ended. Rather soft, mellow rock ... some "sunshine rock" is evident on an aircheck of Dave Diamond's from early 1968 who, at least for this night, is working the evening shift. And the airchecks for sale for Bill Nelson are labeled MOR.

By the way, is there anyway to splice or repair a cassette tape?

In the early 1990's, the assistant PD at KRLA taped Jimmy O'Neill's morning show for me. Well, it broke. The tape is ... or was ... of excellent quality and unscoped. Believe the year is 1992. The cassette is lying alone in a drawer, lonesome and begging to be played again.

 

[michael hagerty]

Just listened to an aircheck of BMR during the summer of 1967 on Airchexx.com.

By then, BMR was heavy into the album cuts, but he still retained his machine-gun delivery.

By October of that year, an aircheck widely available and on ReelRadio.com, clearly demostrates the new BMR, the drastically slowed delivery as well as the album oriented format.

Since Westinghouse planned to convert KFWB to all-news anyway in March of 1968, it is my guess that BMR talked management into letting him try something a little different.

But when he left KFWB, the experiment obviously ended. Rather soft, mellow rock ... some "sunshine rock" is evident on an aircheck of Dave Diamond's from early 1968 who, at least for this night, is working the evening shift. And the airchecks for sale for Bill Nelson are labeled MOR.

By the way, is there anyway to splice or repair a cassette tape?

In the early 1990's, the assistant PD at KRLA taped Jimmy O'Neill's morning show for me. Well, it broke. The tape is ... or was ... of excellent quality and unscoped. Believe the year is 1992. The cassette is lying alone in a drawer, lonesome and begging to be played again.

BMR left to literally help build KPPC in November, 1967. Tom Donahue had been after him since the Monterey Pop Festival in June to make the move fulltime to album rock.

I don't think that anyone at KFWB knew that Group W planned to flip them to all-news as early as summer '67. In fact, at that point, Group W may not have been planning it. The announcement was made in early January of 1968...effectively giving the staff 60 days' notice.

More likely is that BMR convinced PD Bob Oakes that 25-54 year old adults weren't listening to the radio at night and the best move to capture the adults who were...18-34 year olds...would be to play the new rock music.

With KBLA flipping to Country the same weekend as the Monterey Pop Festival and Dave Diamond off the air (for ten days, until KFWB grabbed him), BMR's show on KFWB would be the only place to hear this music (KPPC didn't debut until January 2, 1968). Put BMR and Diamond on the air back-to-back playing it and you've got something.

Not a bad strategy, either...you're forcing KHJ and Humble Harve to ignore the new music and end up with nothing but teeny-boppers, or embrace it and blow the carefully crafted KHJ sound.

And so they did it, and when BMR left in late November...well, the handwriting was on the wall...the jock and the music would have a new home...and there wasn't much point in playing Steve and Eydie in the afternoon and this music at night when an FM would be airing it 24/7...especially one programmed by Tom Donahue, who had blown everyone away with KMPX in San Francisco.

And by then...90 days before the format switch, it's likely Group W brass, KFWB's GM and maybe even the PD knew what was coming. So Dave Diamond plays the poppier side of album rock until the word comes down and he heads north, at which point the format is the format.

As for repairing a cassette tape...yes. But for it to work, you'll need splicing tape and a splicing block that are the right size (1/8"). They're not common anymore, which also means they aren't exactly cheap. Here's one link, but you can shop around online:

http://www.tapecenter.com/tapecare.html

---Michael Hagerty

 

[michael hagerty]

The same people who have put dozens of issues of the KRLA Beat online (see separate post) have done the same for two issues of The KFWB/98 Hitline.

September 27, 1965: http://krlabeat.sakionline.net/issue/kfwb27sept65.pdf

April 20, 1966: http://krlabeat.sakionline.net/issue/kfwb20apr66.pdf

---Michael Hagerty

 

[LibertyNT]

here's a quick easy way to fix a cassette tape. or an 8-track for that matter.
Get about a half inch of scotch tape trim it to fit on one side of the tape. then use the remainder to tape the back side. Not exactly perfect but it works.

 

[michael hagerty]

here's a quick easy way to fix a cassette tape. or an 8-track for that matter.
Get about a half inch of scotch tape trim it to fit on one side of the tape. then use the remainder to tape the back side. Not exactly perfect but it works.

Well, except for the part where you lose that portion of the audio by putting a splice over both sides of the tape.

And, when the Scotch tape comes off...and eventually it will...it will rip the oxide right off the recording tape...destroying it and the audio on it forever.

Do it the right way, with splicing tape on one side only and you may not even be able to tell there was a break.
---

 

[oldmanradio]

here's a quick easy way to fix a cassette tape. or an 8-track for that matter.
Get about a half inch of scotch tape trim it to fit on one side of the tape. then use the remainder to tape the back side. Not exactly perfect but it works.

Well, except for the part where you lose that portion of the audio by putting a splice over both sides of the tape.

And, when the Scotch tape comes off...and eventually it will...it will rip the oxide right off the recording tape...destroying it and the audio on it forever.

Do it the right way, with splicing tape on one side only and you may not even be able to tell there was a break.
---

Thanks so much for the tips.

Now if I can just keep the hands steady lol.

The history of KPPC is interesting. Several sites exist. Here is one below:

http://www.tedalvy.com/mallard3.htm

 

[michael hagerty]

here's a quick easy way to fix a cassette tape. or an 8-track for that matter.
Get about a half inch of scotch tape trim it to fit on one side of the tape. then use the remainder to tape the back side. Not exactly perfect but it works.

Well, except for the part where you lose that portion of the audio by putting a splice over both sides of the tape.

And, when the Scotch tape comes off...and eventually it will...it will rip the oxide right off the recording tape...destroying it and the audio on it forever.

Do it the right way, with splicing tape on one side only and you may not even be able to tell there was a break.
---

Thanks so much for the tips.

Now if I can just keep the hands steady lol.

The history of KPPC is interesting. Several sites exist. Here is one below:

http://www.tedalvy.com/mallard3.htm

Former KPPC DJ Dave Pierce has written a book about KPPC..."Riding On The Ether Express". Borders in Scottsdale had four or five copies of it this summer.

Very thorough, in depth and inside. He gets a couple of events and dates mismatched, but it was a lot of years and by Pierce's admission, a lot of drugs, ago.

---Michael Hagerty