Radio Waves Podcast #236

Radio: September 28, 2018

You probably don’t know the name Bob Goodman. But you should ... he is the host of a program called Whole “Nuther Thing, a program you might call a flashback to the early days of FM radio heard locally on KCSN’s (88.5 FM) HD2 digital stream as well as on line at ksbr.org, via the TuneIn app, on iTunes, Mixcloud, and at Podomatic.Com.

Goodman hails from New York City and cut his teeth on early FM. His program aired on the former KSBR since 1984; last year when Saddleback College’s KSBR merged with Cal State Northridge’s KCSN, the program was moved - along with the rest of KSBR’s programming - to the simulcast’s digital HD2 stream, which means you have to have a special HD radio to hear t over the air. Indeed, it is one of the reasons to buy an HD radio.

But as with so much of radio today, online is where its at, and Goodman says that he’s averaging 2000 downloads and plays each week on Podomatic alone, placing the program in the top-200 out of the service’s tens of thousands of available programs. In the category of “freeform,” he is often number one.

“My show is true ‘free-form’ radio,” Goodman explained to me recently. “All genres of music are featured in hand-mixed sets. I refer to it as ‘radio the way it ought to be.’”

A recent show featured songs from William Devaughn, War, Earth Wind & Fire, Dave Brubeck, Steely Dan, Doobie Brothers, Graham Parker, Bob Dylan, Bruce Springsteen, John Mellencamp, Lynyrd Skynyrd, Ram Jam, ZZ Top, Billy Squire, Mark Knopfler, Chris Isaak, Garland Jeffreys, Procol Harum, Rod Stewart & The Faces, The Eagles, Pat Metheny, Neil Young, George Harrison, Lovin' Spoonful, and many more. Eclectic? Absolutely.

Goodman’s voice is reminiscent of early FM freeform or underground radio as well. In fact, he sounds like he could be found on any of the stations that set the stage for FM’s success: KMPX and KSAN in San Francisco, KPPC and KMET here in Los Angeles.

His early radio work was in New York City as General Manager of Hunter College’s campus station. From there he moved to Long Island’s WCRN as Music Director, eventually making the trip out West to the former KSRF (now KDLD, 103.1 FM), back to New York and then finally Philadelphia ... all during the 1960s when FM radio was experimenting with formats trying to attract an audience in the days of AM dominance.

The program is a wonderful mix of musical styles that is thoroughly enjoyable to hear. You can listen to each show live every Saturday from 3-7 p.m. or download/stream the podcasts at your leisure; Goodman says that archives go back six months on TuneIn and MixCloud; three years at https://bobksbr.podomatic.com.

“I've got listeners all over the world with an especially large following in UK,” Goodman told me. If you haven’t listened yet, give it a whirl and let me know what you think. I think it’s great. I’m not sure why KCSN’s Sky Daniels hasn’t put it on the main signal for 88.5 FM, but for now, it’s worth the trouble to find.

Ring of Honor

Longtime (Spanish) voice of the Los Angeles Dodgers Jaime Jarrin has been inducted into the team’s Ring of Honor, the 12th person to be inducted and the second broadcaster as he joins Vin Scully in the Ring.

Jarrin will have his name permanently affixed to Dodger Stadium.

The longtime broadcaster has been with the Dodgers since 1959, and will be with them at least through 2020 ... his contract was just renewed last week. He is as beloved by his audience as is Vin Scully, who retired in 2016.

Radio: September 21, 2018

Real 92.3 (KRRL) morning man Big Boy -- aka Kurt Alexander -- and a friend escaped serious injury due to the effectiveness of their seatbelts when they were hit from behind at a red light.

"I heard a screech, but not long ... and everything from the back of the car went to the front," Big Boy told KABC-TV’s Eyewitness News.

At first Big Boy suspected that the driver of the car that hit them was using a cell phone. He was shocked to discover that the driver was drunk ... and still drinking.

"As we were sitting here talking to him, he gets his bottle of vodka and he's just sitting there. Just dazing, just drinking," he said.

While the seatbelts helped save their lives, being hit may have saved the lives of others, as the area they were stopped at was near a school, and the accident could have been far worse had a pedestrian been hit.

The other driver was identified as an on-leave employee with the Los Angeles County District Attorney's Office. Video shows him drinking from his vodka bottle while still in the car after the accident.

That story caused me to flash back to my own high school days when my friend Dean and I were waiting at a light in my super-cool 1974 Chevy Vega GT hatchback. We heard a screech and suddenly - bam - a motorcycle hit the back of my car and the driver landed on my hood. No damage to the Vega, though the front forks of the motorcycle were bent.

The driver of the motorcycle -- a student at my school -- said later that it had to be our fault, even though we were stopped for a red light. “I wasn’t drunk of stoned or anything” he told us, “that morning.”

Mr. October Radio

Reggie Jackson -- yes, that Reggie Jackson -- has returned to SiriusXM to host a new show on Mad Dog Sports Radio, Channel 82. Called “Swing Away with Reggie Jackson,” the show made its debut on September 15th in time for the 10th anniversary of the channel and will air Saturdays from 8 to 9 a.m. local time.

A member of the baseball Hall of Fame, Jackson says his show will cover more than baseball, as he is a lover of all things sport. “Like many fans out there, I’ve had a passion for all sports my entire life. I’ve also had a lot of great experiences in college and professional sports. So I’m excited to dive in each week and drive a discussion on anything and everything from around the sports landscape, share my thoughts on things, and talk to many of the great sports figures I’ve met along the way,” he said in a press release.

Jackson’s baseball career spanned over 21 seasons, and he was an All-Star for four different teams: Athletics, Orioles, Yankees and Angels. At an early age he excelled in baseball, as one would suspect, but he also was known for his accomplishments in football, basketball and track & field as well. 

He was recruited by numerous colleges for football and he accepted a scholarship to play at Arizona State University. While there he was asked to join the baseball team and the rest, as they say, is history. 

Sold

Reports have surfaced that Entercom has sold the property at 5901 Venice Blvd in Los Angeles that once served as the transmitter site for the legendary KHJ (930 AM) and later, the studios for KHJ, KRTH (101.1 FM), and most recently, Jack-FM (KCBS-FM, 93.1) and KROQ (106.7 FM). The part of the property where the old KHJ broadcast towers were located was sold in 2013 and now features single-family houses in the area where Boss Radio once made its way into the airwaves.

Jack and KROQ will now join the rest of the former CBS-owned cluster on Wilshire.

Radio Waves Podcast #235

Radio: September 14, 2018

As the suits at CBS Radio were falling over themselves three years ago trying to cut costs (i.e. talent) from their radio stations in an ill-fated attempt to make the financials look better to a potential buyer, one of the victims was Freddy Snakeskin, who had been (among other things) programming and doing on-air work for KROQ (106.7 FM) HD2, the digital “Roq of the ‘80s” that you could hear on line and with a special radio. More on that later.

The format technically continued, but it wasn’t the same without the personalities. Snakeskin had put together a small staff of DJs who helped make the station as close as possible to the original KROQ (106.7 FM); when the cutbacks came everyone was forced off, and the station ran jockless.

Now things have come full-circle. As of last week, “Roq of the ‘80s” has relaunched on KROQ HD2 and Snakeskin is back on the air from 6 a.m. to 12 noon weekdays, followed by Tami Heide from noon to 6 p.m. Heide was with KROQ from 1991 to 2004.

The station is being programmed by Gene Sandbloom, former Operations Director for KROQ who left on 2017 to move to, as I recall, France. I’m not sure what convinced him to come back or if he ever actually moved to France, but the move is part of a refresh of station owner Entercom’s HD2 streams planned nationwide.

Snakeskin broke the news on Facebook, writing “Yes it's official, after a 3 year vacation (at their request), I'm thrilled to be invited back to relaunch Entercom's KROQ-HD2 The Roq of the 80s, doing some kinda daily morning show, woo hoo!

“Tell everybody ... join yours truly, Freddy Snakeskin, at 6 a.m., followed by my longtime un-indicted co-conspirator Tami Heide daily at 12 noon. Listen everyday for all the great Klassick KROQ music you grew up with, via Radio.com and/or free HD radio @ 106.7-HD2. Thanks for your unwavering support all these years; apparently someone was listening!!”

HD What?

Digital HD Radio was officially approved as a broadcasting standard by the FCC in 2002, but many people still do not understand it. What sets it apart from AM, FM or even satellite radio is that --  while like the others you need the right tuner to hear the broadcasts -- these are special digital streams sent alongside the regular analog channel. Think of it as an internet computer stream sent along with the same carrier that your old radio uses to tune in a station. Your old radio hears it as noise; an HD tuner decodes it and plays music. Or talk. Whatever.

In fact that internet stream idea is not far off. If you have an older AM radio that doesn’t use a digital tuner, you can actually hear the digital stream if you tune just above or just below the regular station. Locally, KNX (1070 AM), KBRT (740 AM) and KSUR (1260 AM) broadcast HD. That sound is the same sound you sued to hear when your modem connected to online services like AOL or GEnie in the days of dial up internet.

Sangean makes three home and portable HD radios, and you can also find many OEM or aftermarket radio brands for your car that receive HD. Good online sources include Amazon and Crutchfield.

The way it works on a typical radio is that you tune in your favorite regular station and wait for it to capture and buffer the HD stream. On AM you’re done - the sound will change and background noise you don’t even know you’re hearing suddenly disappears, while the high end missing from most AM radios suddenly appears. On FM, the sound may or may not change much but extra channels suddenly become available. Tuning up one or more times, depending on how many extra HD channels are carried, tunes in new stations.

It’s actually a very impressive system, notwithstanding the problems that can occur with interference to other stations, especially on the AM band -- I’ll discuss that another day. Purists will also note that the sound can sound a bit off due to digital “artifacts” that you may know from bad internet listening.

But it is impressive in the sense that it works, and works fairly well. Even on AM; I still believe KFI made a mistake  (640 AM) and KABC (790 AM) made a mistake removing their AM HD signals, as the simulcasts they run on KLOS (95.5 FM) HD3 and KOST (103.5) HD2 don’t sound as good as did the AM HD signal, in my opinion. Currently, if you can pick it up (in the Valley), K-SURF sounds much better in AM HD than it does on it’s simulcast on KKGO (105.1 FM) HD2.

In any event, there are so many extra signals that you might just consider trying out an HD radio the next time you need a new radio or car stereo. It certainly is not a perfect system, but then neither is AM, FM or satellite.

Songbook Returns

KKGO owner Saul Levine has been a proponent and supporter if HD radio since it was approved, and he runs extra formats not to make extra money ... he does it because he still believes radio is a public service.

Not long ago he tried playing light rock as an HD channel on KKGO; now he’s reverted and returned the American Songbook to the airwaves. Heard on KKGO HD3 and online, the format of one of three extra channels there. The K-Surf oldies format os on KKGO HD2, while classical music can be heard on KKGO-HD4.

Radio: September 7, 2018

Longtime readers of this column know: I’m a bit crazy when it comes to AM radio. Unlike many ... seemingly most ... owners managers or programmers, I believe that an AM station can compete if it pays the right format. And in my opinion that usually means music ... music that can’t be found on FM. Do that and you can attract new listeners, including young people who have not had an AM station program to them since the 1970s.

As I said a few weeks ago, I’ve been writing this column since 1987, and not once has anyone ever told me that they don’t listen to AM because of issues with audio quality. People tell me they don’t listen because with rare exception, the programming just isn’t appealing.

But don’t take my word for it. Here are some of the responses you sent to me in answer to the question: would you listen to an AM station if it played something you wanted to hear?

“What would it take to lure listeners back to AM radio? The answer is quite simple. Give them what they want to hear!” -- Tom Murphy

“To me the most important thing about me is the radio content/format, not necessarily the broadcast quality.  As long as KSRF plays 60's and 70's music, I'll be listening” -- Randy Ouchi

“You can’t hear new music or certain styles on any station; I’d definitely listen to AM if they played new music, metal or Prog. So would my friends in school.” -- Sean Rogers

“I agree with you, the AM band should have better formats.  Since we already have an oldies format, I think it would be great if we had a format on the band that would play music from the Classic Rock Era (1964-1990). We really need to have more music formats on the AM radio band.” -- Russell Cinque, Jr.

“AM has nothing that would interest anyone my age. My friends don’t even listen to FM stations either. We get our music online. If an AM station played new songs and new bands, I’d definitely tune in.” -- Kayleigh Marcus

“Up until 6 months ago, the only things I listened to on AM radio were broadcasts of Kings and Ducks games. Then when my favorite FM station went off the air, I discovered K-SURF. While I love their format, I would be thrilled if there were an AM station that played songs from the 60s, 70s and some 80s that were not so pop, but more folk oriented. Joni Mitchell, Leonard Cohen, Judy Collins, Joan Baez and some of the lesser-known artists like Bob Lind, Hedge & Donna, Eric Andersen etc.” -- Susanne Gilmore

“I haven't listened to an AM station for years until you told us about K-SURF. I haven't listened to KRTH since.  I love, love, love this oldies station! I have it on all day at home and in my car. What a wonderful change from all the FM stations playing songs I'm sick of. I only wish it had better reception.” -- Pat Games

“There are way to many commercials and very little content. What I believe would make for better programming is a mixture of local news, interviews of people with interesting stories or new books, with various music intertwined.” -- Bill Fisher

“How about a station that blends classic country with new country? Done right, this could fill a big void, as great artists like Alan Jackson and Toby Keith no longer can get played on the current FM channel.” -- Steve Keller

“I would listen to AM if they played something I liked. Maybe give exposure to some artists that aren’t played anywhere else, especially if they play real instruments. There are lots of good songs you can’t hear on the radio” -- Antonio A.

“Offer something that isn't already on the radio. ‘50s music. ‘60s music. How about a comedy station? Something new can just be something old, made new again.” -- Veronica Ross

There you have it. Programming will bring people of all ages back to AM radio, especially in an era when the FMs are all too scared to take chances. AM stations -- like FM stations in the 1960s -- have nothing to lose ... and everything to gain.

Once programming is in place, we can tackle the technical issues and find that in spite of its reputation, AM can provide good, perhaps excellent, audio quality. That topic will be covered in a future column.

Radio Waves Podcast #234

Radio: August 31, 2018

My oldest son committed to attend Lake Forest College in Illinois, about 30 miles North of Chicago, so I spent part of last week with him in the city of Lake Forest as well as a couple quick tours of Chicagoland itself. I discovered two interesting things in particular:

1. The stations I heard in the educational portion of the FM band are lightyears ahead of Southern California in terms of using their licenses as originally intended by the FCC. Stations  heard were (gasp!) actually run by students and volunteers, including one located on the campus of a local high school and Lake Forest’s own WMXM.

2. The software that controls iPhones in our Dodge rental car, and presumably all Dodge, Chrysler, Ram and Fiat vehicles, is the worst I have ever encountered and must be a secret way for radio to maintain dominance. In plain English, it just doesn’t work, and the people responsible for the design of the radios should be fired, tarred and feathered. Yes, it is that bad.

Getting back to the local educational stations I was able to hear, WGBK stuck out as an amazing example of student radio. Located at the campus of Glenbrook South High School in the town of Glenview, the station uses advisors and students from both Glenbrook South and Glenbrook North. The format is an alternative format that my younger son says puts Los Angeles radio to shame, along with news and high school sports.

 

I am told that Fall Out Boy lead singer Patrick Stump is an alumnus of WGBK, having worked there as a student until he graduated in 2002. Called Chicago’s North Shore alternative, you can hear it on the net at GBSradio.com.

I didn’t get a chance to hear too  much of WMXM, as the station was operating on auto mode as students moved into their dorms to start the semester. But it too is a prime example of what real educational radio is supposed to be. 

Te station has a freeform  format of indie rock, hip-hop, and more, along with news updates for the local community. On the air since 1975, the station is run by volunteers and can be heard at WMXM.org.

Here in Los Angeles, the vast majority of educational-band licensed stations are run by paid adults. My personal belief is that operators of stations without students as the primary “employees” should give up their licenses, especially if the stations are physically located on or licensed to a college or other educational institution.

Now for the Dodge radio: If you want to hear your iPhone songs alphabetical, it might work. or it might not, depending on its mood. Want to select a song or play it in random order ... you’re out of luck. It may play for a while, then it just stops. You can use Bluetooth, but if you need to charge it, you’re out of luck - you can’t use Bluetooth when the lightening cable. With the cable it might play for a while, skip songs, play a small segment of songs randomly, then lock up. It is by far the worst interface I have ever used and must have been developed by an engineer of a radio station hoping to keep listeners off of alternatives to radio.

Saving AM (Continued)

Your comments regarding AM radio are fascinating; most of them so far state that you already listen to AM radio, and (while I promised comments this week) I will present them next week just to give more time for others to respond.

I do want to ask one more time though ... as most of the responses so far mentioned AM stations that you already listen to. What I would really like to know is -- especially if you never listen to AM -- would you tune to an AM station if it played the format you liked? If so, or if not, please state your age as well.

I’ll also be presenting technical challenges and potential solutions in the coming weeks.

They delayed it AGAIN … Labor Day, September 3rd is supposedly the new date for the launch date of Shotgun Tom on Sirius. I have a call into SiriusXM’s Lou Simon, who seems to be playing games because he’s ticked off that info got out before he did an official press release. I changed the paragraph as follows (first is the only change):

Radio: August 24, 2018

He was supposed to start August 20, but it got delayed ... listen for “Shotgun” Tom Kelly starting “sometime soon,” perhaps around Labor Day if the word on the street is correct. Kelly says he doesn’t know; I have a call into the executive offices of SiriusXM for an official date.

No explanation was given for the delay but it may have been related to a week of multiple tribute channels dedicated to Aretha Franklin, who passed away last week from pancreatic cancer. The tributes included music, interviews, and remembrances on as many as eight channels at various times per day.

Supporting Local Music

Terrestrial radio may have essentially abandoned the local music scene, but online “radio” stations - in quotes because it isn’t radio in the traditional sense, even though apps can make it seem that way on your transistor radio, er, smart phone - has taken up the challenge.

One example is C4OC Radio, available at www.C4OCRadio.Com. That’s an O (oh), not a zero, by the way. C4OC was netcasting live from Malone’s Bar and Grill in Santa Ana last Saturday night. On hand for their second annual Independence Bash were American Animal, Betrayed By Faith, Resurrection (all the way from the U.K.), Da Vang, White Hot Red, and Divine Intervention.

Online radio and podcasting has the potential to majorly disrupt traditional AM and FM radio, as people get used to on-demand entertainment. How traditional radio responds to the challenge will determine if the current owners and managers stay in power in the coming years. So far the outlook is not promising...

The Future of AM

Last week I teased you a little, stating: “Is AM radio dead? Absolutely. The problem is with the owners and programmers, though, not listeners. Before I expand on this, however I am curious what you think … can an AM station attract you as a listener if it played the right format? What would that format be?”

This topic came up, ironically, through a discussion on a Facebook page called “I Love AM Radio” in which any call for change to bring in new listeners was met with responses that can best be described as depressing. Basically, don’t bother trying to program anything of interest on an AM station, listeners left for FM years ago. Makes you wonder what the “I hate AM Radio” page would have.

One post in particular caught my eye. Among multiple reasons to run tired talk or sports programming that has, in my opinion, driven listeners to FM, satellite or online listening was the comment, “younger-leaning formats will obviously not work, since few under the age of 30 even know AM exists.”

My position: the reason few under the age of 30 - more accurately few under the age of 50 - know AM exists is because the last time AM stations programmed to them was in the 1970s. Back when AM music giants like KFI (640 AM), KHJ (930 AM) Ten-Q (KTNQ, 1020 AM) and The Mighty 690 could still be found in the top half of the ratings.

Yes, I know FM has a technical advantage. Though AM can sound excellent, it is generally easier to get good sound from an FM station than AM. Yet in the three decades I have been writing this column, I have never once received an email or letter stating that someone refused to listen to AM due to sound quality. I have received hundreds of letters and emails over the years stating that no/few AM stations offer the type of programming that appeals to them.

So I asked my 16-year old radio-shunning son, Sean, the essential question: If an AM station played music he liked, especially music you can’t find elsewhere (such as his favorite artist Plini), would he listen? “Yes,” he said without hesitation, “especially if they had things like interviews.”

Remember, he’s 16 ... the age that “doesn’t know about AM.” The truth is he knows all about AM ... he knows it’s awful.

As I see it, there are two pathways AM owners and managers can take: first is the path of least resistance taken since 1979, in which they run syndicated talk, sports, or brokered programming. They can use excuses that AM doesn’t sound as good, that AM stereo died due to the FCC, that HD on AM won’t work, or any other excuse to hide their utter failures as programmers ... therefore why bother trying. This is what has led to the lowest level of AM listenership in the history of the band.

Or they can think outside the box and find formats that appeal to those disenfranchised from FM. Appeal to younger listeners who have no station to call their own, and would love to be different than their parents who all listen to FM or satellite.

 

AM radio needs someone to take the reigns and program without the tired excuses of today’s programmers. If no one will step up, then the future of the oldest broadcast band is dismal indeed. Your comments - next week.

Radio Waves Podcast #233

Radio: August 17, 2018

This coming Monday, August 20, is Shotgun Day ... the day that “Shotgun” Tom Kelly finally makes his debut on SiriusXM’s Channel 6 - Sixties on Six. He’ll be on what has become his usual shift as of late, afternoon drive or 4-8 p.m. locally, though he has worked almost every shift throughout his long career.

I grew up listening to Shotgun, as San Diego stations where he worked - primarily KCBQ (1170 AM), KGB (now KLSD, 1360 AM) and B-100 (KFMB-FM 100.7) - came in as strong as locals where I lived in San Pedro.

I even aimed my house antenna toward San Diego in the 1990s when he was part of “Modern Oldies” KCBQ-FM (now KIOZ, 105.3 FM), a format that played hits of the 1980s ... a decade or two ahead of its time.

He is an amazing talent: always upbeat and high-energy. He was the perfect choice to take over the afternoon shift for “The Real” Don Steele on KRTH (101.1 FM) after Steele passed away far too young in 1997.

 

Why it took so long for SiriusXM to get him on board is a mystery. We’ve all known he was going there since early June; rumor is that negotiations actually ran about two years.

But all that is history. The exciting part is that one of my favorite DJs is back on the air. 

“You know, when I got hired at K-Earth, I thought that would be the last radio station I would ever work at,” Kelly told me. “I mean - how do you get better than that? But that was 20 years ago ... at the time, there was no satellite radio. Now I will be heard throughout the United States and Canada! I cannot even begin to explain how exciting this is to me!”

Kelly will be recording the show -- almost every shift at SiriusXM is “voice-tracked,” where the DJ records the intros and bits ahead of time rather than in real time -- from studios in San Diego.

Avoiding Fresno

Kelly’s first station in San Diego was at Boss Radio 136/KGB. Then-KCBQ programmer Buzz Bennett got wind that consultant Bill Drake might be planning to send him up to Fresno for some extra on-air development, and ended up hiring him ... and ultimately almost the entire KGB air staff ... for KCBQ.

 

The KGB-KCBQ battle went on for a few years with KCBQ eventually winning; San Diego was one of the few, if not the only city where a Drake station was beaten. KGB adopted an album-rock format in 1972. But I am told that the battle made for some of the most exciting top-40 radio ever. And Kelly didn’t have to move to Fresno.

Short Takes

• The latest Nielsens released this month had KKLQ (100.3 FM) at a 0.0 share of the ratings ... a far cry from the sub-3 shares the station had when it played classic rock as The Sound.

• The National Association of Broadcasters is busy trying to convince its own members that the plan they are pushing to more deregulation in the industry is a good thing. Having to convince your own membership that more of what destroyed them must make for an interesting campaign. Additional deregulation will no doubt cause even more stations and companies to go under; perhaps the NAB is secretly a spy organization for Apple Music, Spotify, and all the other music services that could not have thrived without radio’s decline directly attributable to decisions made under the deregulation model.

• The story last week on KPRO (1570 AM) going off the air brought in a few letters asking about the frequency or history being “wrong” ... No, it isn’t wrong but your memory is OK ... there was a station at 1440 AM in the IE that used the KPRO call letters until a format change in 1987.

• Is AM radio dead? Absolutely. The problem is with the owners and programmers, though, not listeners. Before I expand on this, however I am curious what you think ... can an AM station attract you as a listener if it played the right format? What would that format be?

• The LA Radio Studio at Ports O’ Call is gone, a victim of  - is it ok to call them corrupt, evil bastards? - officials from the Port of Los Angeles as construction continues on a new development planned for the area. But out of the ashes it looks like a new location will arise. Details when they are confirmed.

Radio Waves Podcast #232

Radio: August 10, 2018

The Inland Empire lost a radio station last Friday, as KPRO (1570 AM) left the air, a victim of declining listenership to AM radio and the vastly increasing value of property in Southern California, which makes the land many stations sit on with more than the stations themselves.

But it’s a station with a local presence dating back to 1957 when it was put on the air by husband and wife Ray and Helen Lapica and Helen’s sister, Ollie Shervan. After the three original owners passed away ownership transferred to Ray and Helen’s children, Ronnie Olenick and Larry Lapica.

According to Olenick, her father originally ran the station much like he thought a newspaper should run. “He’d go out to the City Council meetings and interview local politicians. He liked to editorialize,” she told me this week. “In many ways it was the beginning of local talk radio!”

“He thought he would be able to use the station to make an impact on the community,” Olenick explained. “What he didn’t realize is that you can’t make an impact unless you sell ads, and ads can be hard to sell.” Eventually Ray went to law school and left the running of the station to Helen and Ollie.

To show how much has changed in the years since the station went on the air, Ray Lapica once held a license for an FM station as well, which simulcast the AM programming. But it was sold to another company as there were so few listeners to FM radio at the time. The new owners eventually let the FM station go “dark,” or off the air. 

Over the years the call letters changed a few times. Originally they were KACE; 1976 brought KHNY; KMAY came in 1978, and the KPRO calls have been in sue since 1986. The station has broadcast at 1570 AM since the beginning.

Formats have changed over the years as well. Talk, country music, “you name it,” Olenick told me. For the past 30 years or so the broadcasts have been religious, the most recent years as block programming sold to ministers and preachers. That hasn’t paid the bills, though - Olenick explained that she and her brother have been putting their own money into the station for quite some time, though “we did it because we knew the land was worth something.”

In the end it was a tough decision to let the station go, due to the longtime family and local community connections. That longevity includes the staff: station general manager, Valorie Stitely has been with KPRO since she was a teenager, over 40 years.

“We tried to sell the station, but could not find a buyer for it and that’s why it is now dark. But the land the transmitter and studios are on was sold; the developer will be building new houses on the property,” Olenick said.

I personally hate to lose a local radio presence, but I can understand why it happens. Perhaps some day someone else can pick up the license for 1570 and share transmitter space with another station as has been done by numerous stations in populous cities throughout the country. In the meantime, I hold my glass high as a toast to a station that was run by the same family for 61 years. Ronnie and Larry: enjoy your retirement from radio!

Radio: August 3, 2018

The notice at the late-Richard Irwin’s reelradio.com was promising: “Please stand by. Reelradio will return. Thank you for your patience and continuing support.” 

Then for a day it came back, as a teaser to let fans know they were indeed working on a re-launch. “They” being the ReelRadio board of directors along with friends and family of Irwin, who are working behind the scenes to update files, get some site housekeeping done and eventually bring in new content and allow new registrations.

The radio recording museum -- featuring recordings, or “airchecks” of top-40 stations from across the country -- had been down since just before Irwin’s death, and many subscribers and donors had hope that his legacy will live on through others. It appears that will indeed be the case, and I for one am ecstatic.

As I write this, it the site is up once again, but it is unknown if this is another teaser ... or if it will be permanent.

 

The Return of Rock en Español

Entravision has brought back La Super Estrella, a Spanish rock and pop format that was last found locally on the 107.1 FM simulcast stations KSSE/Arcadia, KSSD/Fallbrook and KSSC/Ventura until a format change in December of 2016.

This time it’s on KDLD/Santa Monica and KDLE/Newport Beach, a simulcast at 103.1 FM which actually takes the format almost back to it’s roots ... the format originally began on KVAR/Riverside (now KLYY, 97.5 FM) in 1997 but was simulcast on then-KACD at 103.1 in 2001 before moving up the dial to 107.1 in 2003.

Whew! That’s a lot of moving!

The return of the format to the local airwaves -- it had been available online --  happened July 26, replacing a regional Mexican format called “La Tricolor.” The last ratings found KDLD in 38th place with a 0.6 share of the listening audience.

"Super Estrella has a strong legacy in Los Angeles that spans over 20 years, and it's coming back to where it all started,” said Nestor Rocha, VP of Programming for Entravision in a press release. “This distinct, iconic format has been loved by so many fans over the years that it was able to keep its large, devout following, and we're excited to bring this station back to listeners.”

Tamo’s Great

Alt 98.7 FM’s Tamo Sein new midday jock may have a shift that is way too long: 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. But she sure is a good match for the station and one of the better-sounding personalities in town, with an on-air presentation nothing short of superb and an enthusiasm for the music she plays that comes through nicely.

I would not be surprised to see Alt’s ratings increase over the next few months.

Readers Talk Back

Quite a few of you responded after last week’s column on "things radio stations do that sound like good ideas, but are not." What struck me were the number of emails stating that you don’t listen to radio as much or at all. Yet you read this column, so there is still hope. After all, you are still interested in radio!

One email in particular caught my eye, from reader Clyde Boyd: “So you think 6 minutes of content and 9 minutes of ads every 15 minutes on KFI (640 AM) is reasonable?

“KFI is one of the worst offenders for ads. Your pimping them is particularly egregious. Time it yourself if you don’t believe me: there is exactly 6 minutes of content every 15 minutes. No more.”

In replies to each other we realized we were on the same page. Obviously too many commercials are bad. But commercials themselves can be good. The problem, of course, is that few actually listen to ads any more ... running so many is making air time far less valuable than it otherwise would be as listeners tune out totally.

That needs to change.