The early days of SF Top 40 hit radio

[only1deejayman]

JMHO......


So I beleive the 1st true SF Bay Area Top 40 CHR/HITS station was KXXX-FM.. X-100. They were in your face radio with Kelly & Kline in the mornings and I feel reinvented "street promotion" with their huge radio on wheels aka The Bay Boomer.

Then came along.....

Hot 97.7 (San Jose) with it's annual Hot Day South Bay event at PGA.

and followed by Z95.7 KZQZ, SF's mormon temple run attempt at CHR. anybody remember Fernando in the morning, or Human Numan's 1 week stint at the station, really he was there for like 1 week.

others may say that the early days of KMEL's morning zoo with john london, CAMEL radio was the beginning of CHR, HITS only radio.

and sigh..... Mancow's show on Wild 107.7, before the dogs ran loose.

What I find interesting is the CHR Top 40 of TODAY... leans more toward Hip Hop, R&B. Their is no more cotton candy type teenie bopper music of years past. No more NSYNC, BSB, boy band crap.

stations that are CHR Top 40 are more likely to play Mariah Carey, Jay Z, JT, Fall Out Boy, My Chemical Romance, PANIC at the disco. Snoop Dogg, Rihanna. even cross over hits like Rascal Flatts.

IF San Fran gets another shot at CHR Top 40 radio, they better get it right.... cool logo, hot airstaff, loud bangin music, less commercials, giveaways, concerts, block parties, the works. Good Luck.

 

[Starbucks]

What I find interesting is the CHR Top 40 of TODAY... leans more toward Hip Hop, R&B. Their is no more cotton candy type teenie bopper music of years past. No more NSYNC, BSB, boy band crap.

Have you heard of the Jonas Brothers?

 

[sfradio]

there was other chr's before x100, kmel in 84, 98.9 khit

 

[davideduardo]

So I beleive the 1st true SF Bay Area Top 40 CHR/HITS station was KXXX-FM.. X-100. They were in your face radio with Kelly & Kline in the mornings and I feel reinvented "street promotion" with their huge radio on wheels aka The Bay Boomer.

The first CHR's were stations like KOBY-1550, KEWB-910 and, of course, KFRC-610.

Keep in mind that Top 40 is CHR. The CHR term was invented by a trade magazine to make their chart "different" but it was and is just a synonym.

 

[doublecashkgb]

David is right about this.

 

[Starbucks]

So I beleive the 1st true SF Bay Area Top 40 CHR/HITS station was KXXX-FM.. X-100. They were in your face radio with Kelly & Kline in the mornings and I feel reinvented "street promotion" with their huge radio on wheels aka The Bay Boomer.

The first CHR's were stations like KOBY-1550, KEWB-910 and, of course, KFRC-610.


How can you forget about KYA.....I'm offended.



Keep in mind that Top 40 is CHR. The CHR term was invented by a trade magazine to make their chart "different" but it was and is just a synonym.

 

[tripton99]

This thread was off to a terrible start with someone whose parents probably weren't yet born when KOBY or KYA were doing the truest form of Top 40 radio ever. Glad to see others rally to the defense. X-100??????? Give me a break.

 

[davideduardo]

How can you forget about KYA.....I'm offended.

I was not trying to be complete, but, yeah, KYA was a major omission. I recall visiting them at One Nob Hill Circle in, I think, 1961 when they were testing for Ampex (down the road in Redwood City) the new CueMat machines which had round pieces of magnetic tape, the size of a 45, which played songs and commercials. It was an incredible station to visit, full of energy and fun.

 

[stretched]

KYA was the first music station I listened to. I grew up with KYA. Tom Donahue, Bobby Mitchell, Norm Davis, Johnny Hayes. I have a signed "Swingin' sixty" from 1962. I was punished by my parents for "sneaking" to the studios in San Francisco (I lived 30 miles away).
KYA infatuated me, and is the reason why I entered the radio business.

 

[Fastphilly]

TOP 40 in SF since the mid 60's

KYA-1260 (went oldies in 1980)
KEWB-910 (dumped top 40 in mid 1966 due to competition from KYA and newcomer KFRC)
KFRC-610 (dumped top 40 in 1986 due to FM competetion)
KITS- 105.3 FM (arrived Feb. 1983 and dumped top 40 in Nov. 1986 for modern rock)
KMEL-106.1 FM (switched from rock to top 40 in late 1984 and then morphed into rhythmic top 40 in late 1986,to the hip hop junk now)
KHIT-98.9 (began the format in January 1988. I remember the promo they had that the first caller to call in on their 10,000th song played, got $10k, by the early months of 1989, the hits were moved next door on the dial to 99.7)
KXXX-99.7 (dumped top 40 in March 1991, Going up against powerhouse KMEL would spell doom for any upstart CHR music station)
Z95.7- (same as KXXX, except it was KYLD that layed the wood.........Hope this clears things up..

 

[LKellerIII]

Don't forget KYUU which morphed from a soft-rock hit station into mainstream Top 40 for a few years as the "Hit Music Station." KMEL's sound was more urban.

Also - I'm not sure what KEWB's ratings were when they flipped to talk KNEW in 66 - perhaps they were 3rd behind KFRC and KYA. But much of the reason for the switch is that the station was purchased by MetroMedia which had the number 1 talk station in LA with KLAC. They were hoping they could duplicate the magic in the Bay Area. No such luck, as it turned out.

 

[Starbucks]

TOP 40 in SF since the mid 60's

KYA-1260 (went oldies in 1980)
KEWB-910 (dumped top 40 in mid 1966 due to competition from KYA and newcomer KFRC)
KFRC-610 (dumped top 40 in 1986 due to FM competetion)
KITS- 105.3 FM (arrived Feb. 1983 and dumped top 40 in Nov. 1986 for modern rock)
KMEL-106.1 FM (switched from rock to top 40 in late 1984 and then morphed into rhythmic top 40 in late 1986,to the hip hop junk now)
KHIT-98.9 (began the format in January 1988. I remember the promo they had that the first caller to call in on their 10,000th song played, got $10k, by the early months of 1989, the hits were moved next door on the dial to 99.7)
KXXX-99.7 (dumped top 40 in March 1991, Going up against powerhouse KMEL would spell doom for any upstart CHR music station)
Z95.7- (same as KXXX, except it was KYLD that layed the wood.........Hope this clears things up..



Ok....good analogy......now I believe KGO in the early 60's once had a go with top 40. Kasey Kasem worked there.
But....if it wasn't for these 2 following stations that all layed it out for them were.....KWBR (KDIA), and KSAN (originally 1450 AM)...there wouldn't be any of them. Jumpin' George Oxford, and Rockin Lucky were the pioneers of all them. For those of you who think Tom Donahue to John Mac Flanigan where it all began, would tell you themselves, if it weren't for those guys, there wouldn't have been a career for them in San Fran.
It's a shame....in any category or medium....it's always the pioneers that seem to be ignored or never get credit.

 

[CarterB]

Both Oxford and Lucky would be good to add to the current Hall of Fame list, to ensure that their names and efforts will not expire over time.

 

[tripton99]

Also - I'm not sure what KEWB's ratings were when they flipped to talk KNEW in 66 - perhaps they were 3rd behind KFRC and KYA. But much of the reason for the switch is that the station was purchased by MetroMedia which had the number 1 talk station in LA with KLAC. They were hoping they could duplicate the magic in the Bay Area. No such luck, as it turned out.
[/quote]


Actually, when Metromedia bought KEWB it maintained the call letters for a few months, but tried to be a Middle of the Road personality station, ala KSFO in those days. The station had one talk show, Joe Dolan at 10pm, but otherwise it was Jack Lacy (From WBAL) in morning drive,Dean Webber, Van Amberg, Ron Dunn and geeessshhhh, I have forgotten the rest of the staff, though I am pretty sure Belva Davis did weekends.
I don't think it made a committment to talk radio until maybe 18 months later. Our news department included Mike Powell, Gil Haar, Norm Woodruff, Jim Simon, Ron Baker. (I was the kid go-fer, still goiing to college and I replaced Peter Laufer who had to give up the gig to return to high school in Berkeley in September of '66) That was an amazing news department and rivaled KCBS and KSFO for great news staffs......and this was a music station. My how times have changed.

 

[BossRadioDJ]

Both Oxford and Lucky would be good to add to the current Hall of Fame list, to ensure that their names and efforts will not expire over time.

Jumpin' George Oxford was inducted into the Hall of Fame with the first class back in 2006 ... I'm not certain how huge Rockin' Lucky was ratings-wise, or how long his reign was, but those who listened to him swear he was among the greatest of all time.

Starbucks: got any long-form Lucky recordings in your stash?

Oh, and to be perfectly correct on this, KOBY/1550 was the first Top 40 Hits station in the Bay Area, period. Followed by KYA, then KEWB, then (etc., etc.)...

 

[LA_Guy]

The difference between CHR and okld time top 40 radio...

The main difference beytween the CHR of today and top 40 radio of yesterday is that old time top 40 would play ANYTHING-as long as it was on the top 40. It was not uncommon to hear train wrecks like "Insense and Peppermints" and "The Ballad of the Green Berets" played back to back. Old time top 40 played artists like Frank Sinatra, Dean Martin, Sammy Davis Junior and Nat King Cole mixed in with The Beatles, Led Zepplin, and Steppenwolf. All that mattered was that it was on the top 40 chart. Instrumental? No problem (Pall Mauriat-"Love is Blue" was also played on Beautiful Music stations). Country? OK (Glen Campbell-"Rhinestone Cowboy"). Diatribe? Sure (Gordon Sinclair-"The Americans").

Today's CHR is a kind of urban pop. It is a STYLE of music, rather then a GENRE.

 

[davideduardo]

Re: The difference between CHR and okld time top 40 radio...

The main difference beytween the CHR of today and top 40 radio of yesterday is that old time top 40 would play ANYTHING-as long as it was on the top 40. It was not uncommon to hear train wrecks like "Insense and Peppermints" and "The Ballad of the Green Berets" played back to back. Old time top 40 played artists like Frank Sinatra, Dean Martin, Sammy Davis Junior and Nat King Cole mixed in with The Beatles, Led Zepplin, and Steppenwolf. All that mattered was that it was on the top 40 chart. Instrumental? No problem (Pall Mauriat-"Love is Blue" was also played on Beautiful Music stations). Country? OK (Glen Campbell-"Rhinestone Cowboy"). Diatribe? Sure (Gordon Sinclair-"The Americans").

Today's CHR is a kind of urban pop. It is a STYLE of music, rather then a GENRE.

Keep in mind that tastes had not been so fragmented. A good example is Cleveland, a top 15 market in the late 50's or early 60's. FMs did not get ratings, and there were 8 AMs. Two, a Class IV and a high band daytimer, were r&b. That left the three Top 40s and three MOR stations. There were literally 3 formats in the market... with WHK, WKYC and WERE being Top 40 in that period and WGAR, WJW and WDOK being MOR. For a while, WHK was kind of Top 40, and WKYC kind of MOR crossover, but the point is that there were just three formats. So the Top 40s played currents and the MORs sort of standards.

As FM developed, formats fragmented into subsets, thus the CHR of today which is pop, urban with a little alternative or rock depending on the flavor of the market.

Top 40 has always been a mix of genres, depending on what the taste of the target audience is.

 

[Starbucks]

Both Oxford and Lucky would be good to add to the current Hall of Fame list, to ensure that their names and efforts will not expire over time.

Jumpin' George Oxford was inducted into the Hall of Fame with the first class back in 2006 ... I'm not certain how huge Rockin' Lucky was ratings-wise, or how long his reign was, but those who listened to him swear he was among the greatest of all time.

Starbucks: got any long-form Lucky recordings in your stash?

Oh, and to be perfectly correct on this, KOBY/1550 was the first Top 40 Hits station in the Bay Area, period. Followed by KYA, then KEWB, then (etc., etc.)...

Starbucks: got any long-form Lucky recordings in your stash?


As far as noted......there has been reported no airchecks of Mr. Lucky circulating. That was 8-9 years ago. As far as I know about the man, he was illiterate and alittle at times hard to understand, but beyond the odds, he had an illustrious career as probably the first pre-rock jock to hit the airwaves in the Bay area circa: 1952 and went on consistent till the mid 60's. Yes, he has passed away years ago, and became like the other forgotten pioneers like Kae Williams, Al Benson, and a few others in the pre-Gordon McClendon years.

 

[Fastphilly]

Re: The difference between CHR and okld time top 40 radio...

The main difference beytween the CHR of today and top 40 radio of yesterday is that old time top 40 would play ANYTHING-as long as it was on the top 40. It was not uncommon to hear train wrecks like "Insense and Peppermints" and "The Ballad of the Green Berets" played back to back. Old time top 40 played artists like Frank Sinatra, Dean Martin, Sammy Davis Junior and Nat King Cole mixed in with The Beatles, Led Zepplin, and Steppenwolf. All that mattered was that it was on the top 40 chart. Instrumental? No problem (Pall Mauriat-"Love is Blue" was also played on Beautiful Music stations). Country? OK (Glen Campbell-"Rhinestone Cowboy"). Diatribe? Sure (Gordon Sinclair-"The Americans").

Today's CHR is a kind of urban pop. It is a STYLE of music, rather then a GENRE.

You don't have to go back to the 60's (I'm assuming thats the era you're referring to with the songs you quoted)....The Hot Hits format created by CBS consultant Mike Josephs was the purest form of top 40 that I've heard since the sixties...All but one of those Hot Hits stations were East of the Mississippi..The lone one being KITS in San Francisco.....CBS's other CHR, Hitradio tended to play everything as well.....

 

[Fastphilly]

Don't forget KYUU which morphed from a soft-rock hit station into mainstream Top 40 for a few years as the "Hit Music Station." KMEL's sound was more urban.

Also - I'm not sure what KEWB's ratings were when they flipped to talk KNEW in 66 - perhaps they were 3rd behind KFRC and KYA. But much of the reason for the switch is that the station was purchased by MetroMedia which had the number 1 talk station in LA with KLAC. They were hoping they could duplicate the magic in the Bay Area. No such luck, as it turned out.

I left out KYUU because it always leaned more towards A/C side of top 40.....In late 1988, I can remember KYUU had their slogan "continuous hits,99.7FM".......It was jockless with Bobby Ocean doing VO and they were playing a more traditional CHR for a BRIEF MOMENT .....This was the precurser to KXXX aka X-100...

You are right though...even for a short stint..It should have been added.....Thanks for the heads up,LKeller!!