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Thirty Years Of KMEL

BossRadioDJ

BossRadioDJ

On the KSAN/Jive 95 board, Norman Davis asked when KMEL originally went on the air.

I did a bit of digging and found that we just past the thirtieth anniversary of KMEL's debut as "The Camel." What, no celebration?

Here's a copy of my post:

KMEL (106.1 FM) originally began on November 30, 1960, as KFRC-FM (the original version of those call letters on FM; the station is now on 106.9), under the ownership of RKO General. In November 1968, the station became KFMS, then it became KKEE in October 1972. In September 1973, the KFRC-FM call letters were reinstated, and the station began a Bill Drake-programmed "nostalgia rock" format.

RKO General sold the station to Century Broadcasting in May 1977, and KMEL (as "The Camel") debuted thirty years ago, on July 1, 1977, with its AOR format.

The station switched to Top 40/CHR in July 1984.


DJ
 
Do you know where an aircheck from the first days of the Camel during that period would be posted on the Bay Area Radio museum site soon? I would appreciate it.
 
dgendvil said:
Do you know where an aircheck from the first days of the Camel during that period would be posted on the Bay Area Radio museum site soon? I would appreciate it.
Click to expand...

The only KMEL aircheck we have online right now from the AOR-era "Camel" is at:

http://www.bayarearadio.org/audio/kmel/

It features Mary Holloway from July 2, 1982, and runs about 90 minutes. It's in stereo and includes all the music and commercials. Big fun. Check it out.

On the same page, we've got a full-length recording of John London's last day on KMEL in 1991 (with Renel and Dennis Cruz, including several repetitions of the word "a**hole"), plus 'checks of Marvelous Mark McKay, Rick Lee and Sonny Joe Fox during the CHR era.

DJ
 
In September 1973, the KFRC-FM call letters were reinstated, and the station began a Bill Drake-programmed "nostalgia rock" format.
Click to expand...

As "K-106," I believe, wasn't it, DJ?

What also makes this interesting is that Drake was reportedly booted out of RKO in '73. Unless it was before this, it's surprising that RKO would let Drake near KFRC-FM.
 
The Rick Lee aircheck is actually Sway on the mic and Rick Lee "mixxin" the music together. Sway is now currently on MTV.
 
rickradio said:
In September 1973, the KFRC-FM call letters were reinstated, and the station began a Bill Drake-programmed "nostalgia rock" format.
Click to expand...

As "K-106," I believe, wasn't it, DJ?

What also makes this interesting is that Drake was reportedly booted out of RKO in '73. Unless it was before this, it's surprising that RKO would let Drake near KFRC-FM.
Click to expand...


Rick,

I'm going to back off on my comment pending further review ... I was laboring under the assumption that the automated oldies on KFRC-FM during this time were syndicated by Drake-Chenault.

Does anybody have the straight poop on this?

DJ
 
I'm frequently wrong on these things, but I'll try. I moved to the Bay Area in 1973, and I didn't listen to KFRC-FM out in Marin County, but remember the billboards for "K-106" when I started working in San Francisco about a year later...in 74. A few months before I left LA in September 73 (maybe as much as a year), RKO had dumped the Drake-Chenault automated "Solid Gold" Oldies format on KHJ-FM, and re-branded the station K-Earth 101 (KRTH). The original plan was to put in an album rock "underground" format (hence the "hippie" like brand K-Earth...dude). But they changed their mind at the last minute and went back to Oldies, but NOT the Drake format.

In any case (pardon the digression...I do that more often as I get older) - it makes sense then that Drake-Cheault were totally gone from the RKO stations by September 73.

Calling Michael Hagerty...maybe he'll chime in after his July 4th barbeque.
 
Lkeller said:
Calling Michael Hagerty...maybe he'll chime in after his July 4th barbeque.
Click to expand...

I'm with you, Llew -- if anybody has the right answer, it'll be Michael.

But here's another clue for you all: I have three KFRC-FM airchecks from 1974 in the archives. None of them bear an exact date. On all of them, the format is Gold (predominantly, but not exclusively, late Fifties through mid-Sixties). The slogan used is "It's yesterday once more, at All Oldies Radio, Golden Stereo 106," followed by the KFRC-FM jingle sing.

It's apparently automated -- The Voice comes on after each song and intones the title and artist: for example, "That's Elvis Presley with 'Hound Dog.'

DJ
 
BossRadioDJ said:
It's apparently automated -- The Voice comes on after each song and intones the title and artist: for example, "That's Elvis Presley with 'Hound Dog.'
Click to expand...

ADD: The Voice sometimes tacks "...on Total Recall Radio" to the end of his title and artist announcement.
 
RadioStarOne said:
Its the "Classic Gold Rock and Roll Format." "Where its yesterday once more."
Click to expand...

...But who was it syndicated by? Any idea who The Voice was?

After listening to all three recordings I have, the date is actually January 1, 1974. There is a newscast with Russ Holcomb with stories about New Year 1974 events.

The same basic jingle series was used for the local IDs during the syndicated Wolfman Jack Show heard on KFRC-FM during July 1974.

DJ
 
You have any other airchecks of Bill Lee when he replaced John London, Rick Chase, Evan Luck, the Breakfast Club, among others that you can try to post soon ?
 
KMEL (106.1 FM) originally began on November 30, 1960, as KFRC-FM (the original version of those call letters on FM; the station is now on 106.9), under the ownership of RKO General.
Click to expand...

While 106.1 FM became KMEL on July 1, 1977, and became KFRC-FM November 30, 1960, the 106.1 frequency goes back much farther than that in the Bay Area...back to the late 40s. Before everything else, 106.1 was KGO-FM, having signed on in 1947 or 48. KGO 810 AM had just become a 50,000-watter.
 
rickradio said:
While 106.1 FM became KMEL on July 1, 1977, and became KFRC-FM November 30, 1960, the 106.1 frequency goes back much farther than that in the Bay Area...back to the late 40s. Before everything else, 106.1 was KGO-FM, having signed on in 1947 or 48.
Click to expand...

KGO-FM was originally licensed on 96.9 in 1946, but was moved to 106.1 before signing on the air on November 3, 1947, from the old GE plant on East 12th Street in Oakland; the transmitter was moved to Mount Sutro in 1949, joining the new KGO-TV in the venerable Sutro Mansion.

On January 14, 1955, KGO-FM moved from 106.1 to 103.7, opening the frequency up for KFRC-FM.

> KGO 810 AM had just become a 50,000-watter.

KGO/810 -- which had been on 790 until 1941 -- moved its transmitter out of the original 1920s-era facility on East 12th Street, Oakland, to its present location near the Dumbarton Bridge and increased its power from 7500 watts to 50,000 watts at 9:50 a.m. on Monday, December 1, 1947 -- nearly sixty years ago.

DJ
 
Yeah, KGO was part of that mass frequency shift in March of '41, which incidentally, was what put, among other stations shifted around, KYA on 1260 from 1230.

Wow! Interesting! Thanks yet again, DJ! :)
 
In addition to Michael, Dr Don Sainte-Johnn was brought into Program KFRC-FM as this was his first gig in SF before joining KFRC-AM, I will send Don an email and get his in-sight
 
Checked in with Don Ste Johnn the KFRC-FM 106 PD as of July 1974

Relating to KFRC-FM, we did continue to run The Drake Oldies format (canned announcers doing backsells: "That was Green River and CCR"...etc.), for approximately a year. Ironically, when they--Paul Drew and Michael Spears--bumped me to KFRC-AM, The "Duke" Dave Sholin (soon to be back on KFRC) took over as KFRC-FM Program Director.

We ran Drake July 1974, when I arrived, until May-June 1975.

Thanks for the shout out, Chris. I hope to talk to you soon.

Cheers for now,
Click to expand...
Sainte-Johnn (SM)
V101.1 Afternoons
 
Lkeller said:
I'm frequently wrong on these things, but I'll try. I moved to the Bay Area in 1973, and I didn't listen to KFRC-FM out in Marin County, but remember the billboards for "K-106" when I started working in San Francisco about a year later...in 74. A few months before I left LA in September 73 (maybe as much as a year), RKO had dumped the Drake-Chenault automated "Solid Gold" Oldies format on KHJ-FM, and re-branded the station K-Earth 101 (KRTH). The original plan was to put in an album rock "underground" format (hence the "hippie" like brand K-Earth...dude). But they changed their mind at the last minute and went back to Oldies, but NOT the Drake format.

In any case (pardon the digression...I do that more often as I get older) - it makes sense then that Drake-Cheault were totally gone from the RKO stations by September 73.

Calling Michael Hagerty...maybe he'll chime in after his July 4th barbeque.
Click to expand...

Hopefully 7 days late is better than never. Don Sainte-Johnn has filled in most of the gaps...they kept the Drake-Chenault stuff going until '75. The aircheck I've heard is from New Year's Day 1974, when KFRC-FM, was, for the first time, not going to simulcast the AM at night...meaning 24 hours of "Golden Stereo 106"...and the voice on the IDs and liners (at least on that aircheck)...a very young Charlie Van dyke.

I only heard KFRC-FM live after moving to Ukiah in March, 1976, after Drake, but before the flip to KMEL...and didn't listen much, since the AM was too good to miss in those days.


---Michael Hagerty
 
If i remember right didn't KFRC FM do a "Music test format" for awhile right before it was sold to the KMEL folks or was it a top twenty over and over again format? Somewhere on a eight track tape i recorded of the station. Shanna mentions that it was exactly one year since she first cracked a mic on 106.1 FM. I guess I need to dig out my eight track player and go through all those tapes. I bet there are some real gems there as I spent a lot of time recording one after another just for the fun of it!

Where in the world is Shanna now?
 
RadioStarOne said:
If i remember right didn't KFRC FM do a "Music test format" for awhile right before it was sold to the KMEL folks or was it a top twenty over and over again format? Somewhere on a eight track tape i recorded of the station. Shanna mentions that it was exactly one year since she first cracked a mic on 106.1 FM. I guess I need to dig out my eight track player and go through all those tapes. I bet there are some real gems there as I spent a lot of time recording one after another just for the fun of it!

Where in the world is Shanna now?
Click to expand...

Shana is in L.A., working as a freelance entertainment consultant.

---Michael Hagerty
 
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