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San Jose AM History

T

thebeach33445

Hey Guys:

I was wondering if you can help me with some AM History questions:

1. Was KSJO 1590 an MOR station before it became KLIV?

2. Would anybody know when did KHTT 1500 become Oldies?

3. Was KSJX 1500 ever a z-rock affiliate called "X-ROCK"?

4. When did KSJX become ethnic?

5. KLOK was Spanish from 1988 till 2009 does anybody know what kind of Spanish programming it played in those years? I have found this in my notes: 1. Cumbia 03-05, 2. Reg. Mex "Tri Color" 00-03, Spanish/Talk 95-00.

I do know that KLOK was a full ethnic station from 1962 to 1966 with a lot of Spanish, Portugsese and Asian programming on the station. It was part time ethnic fom 1956 to 62.

Thanks for your help.

T.J.
 
I don't remember when then-KXRX-1500 switched to Top 40 as KHTT. Maybe 1981 or 82? The switch to Oldies, I think occured around 1984 or 85. I know that KHTT became KSJX in 1989 with Business News/Talk. I don't think that KSJX was ever an affiliate of Z-Rock but they did play Heavy Metal for a time. Even simulcasted KSJO-92.3.
 
When KLOK-1170 switched to Spanish from Yes/No AC in 1988, I think it was initially Regional Mexican as "Radio Reloj"
 
TJ, do you know anything about KXRX-1500? Weren't they News/Talk briefly around 1979 or 80? Then I think they switched to AC before becoming Top 40 KHTT. Then I think KXRX was MOR before News/Talk.
 
t.j. said:
Hey Guys:
I was wondering if you can help me with some AM History questions:
3. Was KSJX 1500 ever a z-rock affiliate called "X-ROCK"?
I do know that KLOK was a full ethnic station from 1962 to 1966 with a lot of Spanish, Portugsese and Asian programming on the station. It was part time ethnic fom 1956 to 62.
Thanks for your help.
T.J.
Click to expand...

I live on the other coast, so I can't answer many questions about Bay Area radio BUT, I do know that, for many years, the San Jose AM 1500 had the call sign KXRX and I have heard that those calls were chosen because the station was owned by the proprietor of a drug store. How true the drug-store connection story is, I can't say, but I do remember listening to KXRX 1500 when I was in the Bay Area. That was a long time ago, but I believe that the station still had those calls in the mid '60s.
 
It's been discussed on this board before, but in the 60s and 70s, KLIV was a good Top 40 station. I had a delivery job in Marin County in 1973-74, and as I drove, I'd switch between KFRC, KYA, KLIV, and Oldies on KNEW. 1590's signal was weak in the North Bay, but listenable.

They rounded off the frequency for awhile and branded the station as "Rock 16, KLIV." I recall that for quite awhile, KLIV was using the same jingle package as KYA, which gave them a somewhat similar sound.

Their afternoon DJ was Bob Ray - I always wondered if the name was a tribute to New York DJ/comedians Bob & Ray. He has a distinctive voice, and I still hear his voiceovers on radio and TV - usually for various Home and Garden shows around the Bay Area.
 
Lkeller said:
It's been discussed on this board before, but in the 60s and 70s, KLIV was a good Top 40 station. I had a delivery job in Marin County in 1973-74, and as I drove, I'd switch between KFRC, KYA, KLIV, and Oldies on KNEW. 1590's signal was weak in the North Bay, but listenable.

They rounded off the frequency for awhile and branded the station as "Rock 16, KLIV." I recall that for quite awhile
Click to expand...
I believe KLIV was AOR for about a year before its switch to The Music Of Your Life? I always thought that was a strange switch considering that San Jose, at the time, had two AOR stations (KSJO-92.3 & KOME-98.5) on the FM dial at the time as well as the ones from San Francisco. Why would anyone want to listen to AOR on the AM dial, I thought at the time. One plus, however, is that KLIV had the legendary Paul "Lobster" Welles as a DJ. That is why it was branded "Rock 16" at the time.
 
KLIV was known as "Super 16 K-L-I-V" and "Music Radio 16" during it's top-40 days and remember the 16 minute music sweeps?
Do you remember the spot they ran "music makes news on KLIV and radio station_____(insert station calls) here is their number one song_____(insert song clip).

Bob Ray is his real name and was married to Christine Ray a one time dj at both KLIV and KNBR. Bob now runs his own ad agency in Saratoga Ca.
 
Anyone knows what ever happened to some of KLIV jocks (talking about KLIV)

John Bettencord (The PFB)
Ralph Koil (Cole)
Tod Simmons

Weekend crew:
Jack Ashman
Jeff August
Jose Cuervo
Kevin Manna

Vacation fill:
Ed Donahue
 
Madmansam:

Here is the history of 1500 AM that I have researched:

1. June 24, 1948 KXRX Gen Entertainment

2. Nov 1957 KXRX MOR/Stds

3. Sept 24, 1973 KXRX Auto Easy Listening "The Sounds Of Love"

4. Spring 1976 (Trying to get the exact date) KXRX Full Sevice AC/News
-New Blocks 6AM-9AM, 3PM-6PM
-Sports 6pm-7pm
-AC Music 9AM-3PM, 7PM-6AM
-Has some sports play by play at night.

5. Nov 1978 KXRX All Talk

6. Sept 7, 1982 KHTT Top 40 (Auto)

7. I think 1985? ___________ KHTT Oldies (I am not sure that is why I was asking.)

8. March 1, 1989 KSJX Business News/Talk

9. March 1990 KSJX Sim 92.3

10. __________ KSJX Heavy Metal "X-ROCK" (I think)

11. I think 1991 KSJX Ethnic

12. March 1998 KSJX Vietnamese "Saigon Radio"

If anybody can help me fill in the blanks that would be great.

T.J.
 
KSJX was X-Rock in 1990 and when the station was sold by Bay-Com Partners a couple of years later it became an ethnic.

KHTT was oldies in 1985 after several years as an automated CHR station.

John Bettencourt after several years a real estate agent in Morgan Hill is now retired in Southern Oregon. He was also a record label rep for Polygram Records after leaving mornings at KLIV.

KLIV had some great dj's inlcuding Captain Mikey (Mikel Hunter), Dave Sholin, Scott St. James, Grant Plummer, John Lester, Stan Scott, Buddy Van Cleave, John McLeod, Bob Ray, Tom Barry, John Bettencourt, Brian Lord, Patrick Moore, Larry Mitchell, Jack Hayes, Ross McGowan, Ray Morgan, Jimmy Jet Powers, Rick Carroll, and T. Michael Jordan.
 
KSJX 1500 became X-Rock around April 1990. I remember reading about the flip in Billboard. KSJX was not affiliated with the Z-Rock network at all. It was fully automated, and was fairly mainstream. I remember hearing bands like Trixter during the day, but remember hearing "Asleep at the Wheel" by Suicidal Tendencies at night. Sometime in early 1991, KSJX adopted their Ethnic format, which eventually evolved into "Pure Vietnamese". :D

KLIV's AOR on AM format began in the Summer of 1980. I believe the flip occured in August 1980. KLIV used Burkhart-Abrams' "Superstars" as consultants, and were known as the "AM Counter-Revolution....Rock 16, KLIV." They sounded very similar to KZAP in Sacramento in terms of Top of Hour ID and Playlists.

The format did not last long. But KLIV's AM AOR format was mentioned in a December 20, 1980 Billboard article (along with KZAM-AM Seattle; KEZY-AM Anaheim and KDKB's AM in Phoenix).

In late May 1981, KLIV flipped to the syndicated "Music of Your Life" MOR/Standards format.
 
KLIV tried the rock format with Lobster, Ken Anthony and Nicky Stevens (Carolyn Lozano) but it was too late with KSJO and KOME already entrenched on the FM, the audience had already left the AM band.
 
KSJX 1500 went to ethnic in August 1995. I was there for the switch when Douglas Broadcasting operated the station from the KEST studio in San Francisco. I spent every Saturday and Sunday commuting to KSJX off Julian Street for two 8 hour shifts just to take transmitter readings every 3 hours! Boring but I made pretty good $
 
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