QID937:
The original call sign was WBGS, which stood for Bill Garrett Chevrolet (Chevrolet spelled phonetically -- "Shevvy"). 105.3 FM was the old WDSU-FM frequency, dating back to post-World War II.
WDSU-FM was originally authorized 200 kw (that's not a typo) and was authorized on 92.3 FM in 1946 (owner: Stephens Broadcasting).*
In 1947, with the Table of Assignments reshaken, it was assigned 105.3 FM. There it operated until the 1963 Table of Assignments gave the new frequency 93.3 to New Orleans, to which it moved. Later it would become WQUE, some time in the 1970's.
* When the FCC moved the FM band from the old 45 MHz area up to the present 88-108 MHz, over the protests of many advocates of FM radio, including Edwin H. Armstrong and a number of operators--a long story worth the reading, it originally assigned (a) 88-92 MHz for educational radio, (b) 92-to about 104 MHz (I do not remember exactly) for Class B stations, and (c) about 104-108 MHz for Class A stations (max. 1 kw ERP). No Class A frequencies were assigned to communities; these were chosen by an applicant's consulting engineer. The 1945/46 Table of Assignments assigned frequencies two channels apart -- e.g., 92.1, 92.5, 92.9, etc.-- in the same community. To differentiate the assignments in this new band from the original low band, the channels were designated in the 100 series. Thus 92.1 was Channel 121, 92.3 was Channel 122, etc.
But this system overestimated the ability of the old tube FM receivers of post-war times to be able to differentiate between two local stations two channels apart. If such an overestimation seems ridiculous, remember, this was fairly new territory for everyone; FM remained largely experimental up until World War II, and the war made electronics turn into a totally military supply technology, with no room for further expansion or much experimentation until after the War.
The FCC decided quickly that something had to be done, and so it came up with a brand new Table of Assignments, which stayed in force until about 1960-61. The Class A band was ended and 20 frequencies from 92 to 108 MHz were given to Class A stations solely. The whole band was opened up to Class B stations less those 20 frequencies and Class A (1 kw max.) stations were limited to them: 92.1, 92.7, 93.5, 94.3, 95.3, 95.9, 96.7, 97.7, 98.3, 99.3, 100.1, 100.9, 101.7, 102.3, 103.1, 103.9, 104.9, 105.5, 106.3, and 107.1. Still, under this new table of assignments, no Class A's were assigned; consulting engineers continued to choose them on the basis of studies.
If one looks at the "For the Record" section of Broadcasting magazine back in the post-War era, one will see many conflicting applications for Class A stations going into hearings, particularly in New York and Los Angeles. Something else that is of interest is that the FCC had no qualms about sandwiching Class A stations in between the local Class B powerhouses even in the same market.
Metro Los Angeles is an excellent example for that era:
92.3 KPRO-FM* Riverside (I am uncertain about this call sign)
93.1 KNX-FM Los Angeles
93.9 in hearing
94.7 KFMV* Los Angeles
95.1 KFXM-FM* San Bernardino
95.5 KECA-FM Los Angeles, later KABC-FM
96.3 KRKD-FM Los Angeles
97.1 KKLA* Los Angeles (KFSG-AM)
97.5 KPRO Riverside (I am uncertain about this call sign)
97.9 KMAU* Los Angeles
98.7 KTLO* los Angeles, later KMGM
99.1 KRCN* Riverside
99.5 KFVD-FM Los Angeles (KFVD AM)
99.9 KBMT* Riverside
100.3 KMLA* Los Angeles
101.1 KHJ-FM Los Angeles
101.9 KOMB* Los Angeles (KGER AM);
101.9 KUTE Glendale (KOMB cp expired)
102.7 in hearing
103.5 KTML-FM* Los Angeles (Times-Mirror)
104.3 KPLA* Los Angeles (Marathon School of Radio Arts
105.1 KOLI* Los Angeles (Cannon & Collister - KIEV)
105.9 KFI-FM* Los Angeles
106.7 in hearing
107.5 in hearing
Take a look at the Class A's in the area:
102.3 KFOX-FM Long Beach
103.1 KNOB Long Beach
106.3 KSRT* Long Beach
93.5 KOCS-FM Ontario
98.3 KWKW-FM* Pasadena
103.9 KREC* Redlands
96.7 KVOE-FM Santa Ana
103.1 KSTM-FM Santa Monica
There were other Class A frequencies that you do not see here because many of them were in hearings, but when it became obvious by 1950 that FM was not going to make it, many applicants simply withdrew their applications and were never granted.
Caution: These are from notes I made 40 years ago, and since then I have been able to research a bit more, in Broadcastings of the post-War era, so there will be some slight modifications to these lists when I collate the data. In the main, they are correct, however. * indicates a deleted cp/license.
At the risk of boring everyone to death, one more fascinating bit of trivia: The new band, as we saw, was distinguished from the original low-band FM by assigning the "100 series" to channel designations: 121, 122, etc. When the FCC re-worked the Table of Assigments (as it was then called), It assigned channels using the "200 series": 221, 222, etc. This 1947 table stayed in effect until about 1960, when the glut of interest in FM radio because of the "hi-fi" movement on the part of the young and young-at-heart over-ran the available frequencies in major markets according to the Table of Assignments. In 1962, the FCC saw that at that rate of growth, smaller cities and towns would be forever ruled out at having their own FM stations, and imposed a freeze on applications for commercial FM stations. The following year, it came out with the new Table of Assignments. This table added a Class C (up to 100 kw) category for the continental United States apart from New England, part of the Mid-Atlantic, and the whole Upper Midwest (with some exceptions along their northern band), and for most of California; in these parts, Class B stations with a max of 50 kw were to be authorized. Existing stations whose facilities exceeded the maximum for Class B and C's were grandfathered. The new table also retained the 20 Class A frequencies of the 1947 table, but it differed from the 1946 and 1947 tables in assigning specific Class A frequencies to specific towns and cities. Class A's were raised to a max. of 3 kw from the original 1 kw. All of these changes had been suggested by operators and interested applicants, as well as trade groups, during the rulemaking procedure during the freeze.
Classes B1, C2, and C3 would come much later, as would raising Class A's to 6 kw.
and flipped it to Hot AC as Star 105.3. From what I understand, it was Willie B's idea to go Star and it didn't last because there was Star 107.3 (or something to that effect) in Hammond, LA. Don't get me wrong, Willie B. is a good guy, though!