Radio Waves Podcast #279

 Radio: December 18, 2020

One of the treats of the holidays is Sounds of the Season, which will once again be heard on Ken Borgers’ internet tribute to the original KNOB (now KLAX, 97.9 FM). You can find it — as usual — at www.JazzKnob.org. 

A separate, though very similar, version — also produced by Borgers —  will air concurrently on KSDS/San Diego (88.3 FM).

The program is a 36-hour program that starts at noon Christmas Eve and runs continuously through midnight on Christmas day. It features some excellent jazz instrumental and vocal interpretations of holiday music favorites; along with what many consider a highlight of the season: a reading of the classic “Twas the Night Before Christmas” by the late, great LA Jazz DJ Chuck Niles. This reading will be heard six times throughout the program: 12 noon and 6 p.m. December 24th; and at 12 midnight, 6 a.m., 12 noon, and 6 p.m. on December 25th.

Niles was on heard on a variety of jazz-formatted stations including KLON (now KKJZ, 88.1 FM), KBCA (now KKGO, 105.1 FM), KFOX  (now KFRN, 1280 AM), and of course KNOB.

JazzKnob.org harkens back to Sleepy Stein’s KNOB/Long Beach, which played mainstream jazz. Stein was the owner of the station in 1957 when he launched the jazz format with just 320 watts at its original frequency of 103.1 FM. One year later, he was able to increase power to 79,000 watts by moving to a new frequency, 97.9 FM.

Stein sold the station in 1966 and the new owners changed the format to MOR (Middle of the Road) music … think standards and lighter fare … then Beautiful Music and eventually soft rock. Today the station is known as La Raza, playing Regional Mexican music, which it has been playing since 1988.

Now at JazzKnob.org, you can tune in any time 24/7 and hear mainstream jazz from artists both past and present. As I write this the internet station is playing Bright Moments by The Ken Peplowski Quintet

There’s actually some interesting history about the old KNOB, which originally launched as the Long Beach-area’s first FM station in 1949 and broadcast programs daily from 3-9 p.m. The original studio was found at the transmitter site on Signal Hill, not far from the Long Beach airport. I am told that the building and tower still exist at that location, though I am not certain. 

The first high-power transmitter used by KNOB after the approval of the power increase/frequency switch came out of KNX-FM (now KCBS-FM, 93.1) which had recently updated its equipment.

After a time, the studios and offices were moved to Anaheim. Nowadays the station can be found with studios on Wilshire Boulevard in Los Angeles; the transmitter is on Flint Peak near Glendale.

Nominations

The Pacific Pioneer Broadcasters, also known as the Hollywood Media Professionals, is embarking on a new project - a West Coast Radio Hall of Fame.

This is a case of a great idea that I never noticed we didn’t have. Considering the talent we have had both in front of and behind the microphone in the area, why the heck didn’t we have such a thing before? 

Anyway, while they didn’t ask me, I am going to ask you: if you could nominate someone for the Hall of Fame, who would it be and why? It doesn’t have to be someone famous, or someone recent, or even someone considered a “pioneer.” I’m open to any nominees … and I will forward the names to the group for them to use or ignore as they wish.

Speaking of the PPB/HMP

Popular DJ and all-around great guy “Shotgun” Tom Kelly resigned his position as President of the Pacific Pioneer Broadcasters, leaving about six months prior to his term ending date in July. Replacing Kelly in the interim until his own term begins is former record promoter Ron Alexenburg.

Kelly — who can currently be heard on SiriusXM’s “60s on 6” every afternoon — is among my all-time favorite radio personalities. I was able to pick up San Diego radio quite well from my home in San Pedro growing up, so I’ve listened to him on such stations as KCBQ (1070 AM) and others since I first got a transistor radio.

When he moved to KRTH (101.1 FM) in 1997, I was finally able to meet him in person, and we have been friends ever since. I wish him well with his extra free time.

Radio Waves Podcast #278

 Radio: December 11, 2020

Longtime radio listeners may remember listening to former San Bernardino top-40 powerhouse KMEN (now KKDD, 1290 AM). It was the stopping place for many staffers and personalities who eventually made the trip to Los Angeles, including Jim Mitchell, Jon Badeaux, T. Michael Jordan, Dave Sebastian, Ted Ziegenbusch, Frank Terry, Ron Jacobs and Bruce Chandler.

Among the popular personalities on KMEN during their early days of top-40 was “Huckleberry” Chuck Clemans, part of a staff that helped propel the station to unheard of ratings … at one point the station commanded a 70 share, meaning that seven out of ten people listening to the radio in the Inland Empire were tuned to KMEN.

Clemans passed away on Thanksgiving Day, November 26th at the age of 86.

KMEN was not his only station, but it was the one that gave him a sound footing and connection with Ron Jacobs, who would ultimately hire him twice - first at KMEN and later at KGB/San Diego (now KLSD, 1360 AM). And you are remembering right - Jacobs is indeed the programmer who helped launch KHJ’s top-40 format in 1965. But I digress.

According to former KIIS-FM (102.7) traffic reporter and pilot “Commander” Chuck Street, Clemans was a nationally ranked swimmer at his Arizona high school; this earned tom a full-ride scholarship to Stanford University where he was able to listen to San Francisco’s KFSO (560 AM), which featured Don Sherwood zany host of the station’s morning show. “Clemans was hugely influenced by Sherwood’s bright on-air personality and crazy stunts,” said Street, adding that “it did not take long for this young college student to become enamored with radio.”

So upon return to Arizona after graduation, he found himself on the air at a local radio station in Florence, then Phoenix. He quit after a heated argument with station management, so he headed for the bright lights of Los Angeles. Weeks passed, with nothing to show. According to Street, “Clemans was ready to give up and go home.” That’s when he met Jacobs, who happened to be in the same restaurant in Hollywood “frequented by record promotions people … and out of work disc jockeys.”an imaginary

Jacobs heard his work and hired him for KMEN mornings. The station went on the air with the new format in March of 1962; within six months the station was number one. “Last to first,” says Street. “And Clemans was a major contributor to that success.”

The show was upbeat and lively, with imaginary characters such as Solo the Robot and his 300-pound secretary, and an entire Indian tribe. He connected with kids with stunts various stunts in addition to playing “their” music.

After four years he moved to KCBQ/San Diego (1170 AM), but the rigid format left him wanting, so he left radio for almost seven years, returning to KMEN in 1974. Until Jacobs convinced him to move back to San Diego for KGB mornings and the relatively new progressing rock format the station played. “While at KGB,” says Street, “Clemans created a new imaginary character that eventually became the KGB (and later San Diego) Chicken.” Two years after that he left radio for good, preferring instead to sell cars at a San Diego dealership.

A memorial service is pending and may be held after COVID restrictions are lifted. Clemans is survived by children and grandchildren.

Disney Leaving Radio

The pandemic has claimed another radio victim: Disney, which was still distributing Radio Disney children’s programming as well as country music as heard on KRDC (1110 AM) announced last week that it is leaving radio totally. The formats, which mostly were heard on secondary HD channels and a few AM stations nationwide will sign off early next year, and the last remaining owned and operated station — KRDC — will be sold as well.

Perhaps this is my time to buy a station. Anyone have a few million dollars just itching to waste, er, help me buy a station?

Depending on what is involved, KRDC — better known as the original KRLA — will probably sell for somewhere between $6 million and $11 million.

Where Are the Oldies?

When Saul Levine dropped oldies in favor of classical on the former K-Surf KSUR (now KMZT, 1260 AM), he promised that oldies would remain online, via smart speakers and through the smartphone app. Bit a slight complication came up: holiday music.

With holiday music being played on Go Country KKGO (105.1 FM), country got shifted to the KKGO HD2 stream. That stream is the same feed as K-Surf uses, so the oldies are on hiatus for a short time … until December 26th, to be exact. On that day, Go Country will be country again, K-Surf LA Oldies will return to the HD2 stream as well as all the apps, and the planets will be aligned once again.

Asking Dave

Dave Beasing was the guest on the December 2 edition of Radio Waves, found at laradiowaves.com. In a segment called “Ask a Recovering Program Director,” Beasing explained why the station he once programmed — The Sound 100.3 — is gone, what made it successful, and why it shouldn’t have ever existed in the first place. It’s a fascinating listen to a knowledgeable radio insider; he’ll be a guest on the podcast hosted by me and Mike Stark the first week of every month.

Radio Waves Podcast #277

 In this episode we begin our new regular feature:  "Ask A Recovering Program Director" with Dave Beasing, former program director from LA's 100.3 "The Sound".  He'll be here monthly to answer questions about why your favorite radio station does what it does.  

---------------------------

Remembering radio’s Jimmy Rabbitt, the DJ heard all over Southern California
The Rabbitt, one of the coolest-sounding DJs to ever grace the local airwaves, died over the weekend.

DJ Jimmy Rabbitt passed away on Saturday, Nov. 28, 2020. (Courtesy of KOCI)

If you grew up in Southern California in the late 1960s and ‘70s, you probably listened to Jimmy Rabbitt on at least one of the many stations he worked on.

Arriving from Dallas, Texas legendary KLIF, he landed at KCBQ/San Diego in 1968. In short order, he found himself in Los Angeles at such stations as the original KRLA (now KRDC, 1110 AM), KLAC (570 AM), KMET (now KTWV, 94.7 FM), KBBQ (later KROQ 1500 AM; no longer on the air); KROQ-AM; KGBS (now KTNQ, 1020 AM), and KROQ (106.7 FM). I am told he also worked at KFI (640 AM), but can’t find confirmation.

If you were paying close … really close … attention, you might even remember the few days he worked at KHJ (930 AM) in 1972. Why he took that job I’m not sure; the story goes that he originally left KCBQ because the station tightened up the playlist and format too much. KHJ at the time was even tighter, but I digress.

Born in 1941 under his given name of Dale Payne, The Rabbitt was one of the coolest sounding DJs to ever grace the local airwaves. The Los Angeles Times named him Rock DJ of the Year in 1969 when he was at KRLA; his style fit perfectly with the station’s laid-back style at the time as it did with the early progressive FM formats. But for whatever reason, he never seemed to stay around a station very long.

Radio historian Alan Oda told a funny Rabbitt story on his blog, ayodaradio.blogspot.com, writing “The thought of The Rabbitt at the strictly formatted KHJ seems odd but it did happen, albeit not for long. He quickly bristled at the rigid playlist, so he decided to play a record of his own liking.

“He told James Brown of the Los Angeles Times he disliked the personalized jingle ‘JIMMY RABBITT – 93 KHJ!!’ so he brought in a mechanical toy bunny, playing the melody ‘Here Comes Peter Cottontail.’ Recalled Rabbitt, ‘Management called me in, shouting, ‘What have you done to my radio station??’

“[Program director] Bill Watson let Rabbitt know ‘We don’t want another [“Boss Jock”] Robert W. Morgan at night,’ but Rabbitt couldn’t be fired until Bill Drake returned from a Hawaii trip. With Drake’s approval secured, Rabbitt was officially shown the door after just three days.”

Ironically, the weekly Boss Thirty featuring his photo on the front cover and available at stores throughout the region was distributed after he was shown the door.

More recently, he was doing a show on KOCI (101.5 FM), which broadcasts out of Costa Mesa. Playing what was called an “I Don’t Know What’s Coming Next” mix of music, the show was popular enough for the station to occasionally run out of streaming connections for online listeners at KOCIRadio.Com.

In addition to his work on the radio, he worked for industry newspaper Radio Report as its Country editor and was a writer and frontman for the band Jimmy Rabbitt and Renegade, which performed in venues including Hollywood’s Palomino Club. You can still find his album in used record stores occasionally.

Rabbitt passed away over the Thanksgiving holiday.

Douglas Brown remembers Rabbitt fondly. “I worked with Rabbitt on the original KROQ AM/FM,” he told me. “He was the classic non-DJ DJ with excellent music taste.”

Living the Past

Proving it’s not just me … I happened upon Fantasy-Radio.Com, a website dedicated to bringing “legendary top-40 radio stations back to life.” Every hour the site plays music and recordings from a different city and different station, such as WCFL/Chicago, or Ten-Q, KHJ or even HitRadio 93, KKHR (now KCBS-FM, 93.1 FM).

I have not had a chance to listen much, so there may be much more than I have heard so far. It seems to be an online jukebox of music for a certain era and a chosen station’s jingles for that era; occasionally a DJ will announce some songs. The “playlist” promises original recordings, however, including personalities such as Dan Ingram, Rick Dees, “The Real” Don Steele, and Dave Donovan.

More Holiday Music

Go Country (105.1 FM) has moved to all holiday music effective last week. You can still hear country music on their HD stream, via an app, a smart speaker, or online at GoCountry105.com.