KROQ (1500 AM)

Last updated
KROQ
KROQ 1500 AM logo.jpg
Broadcast areaLos Angeles, California
Frequency 1500 kHz
Programming
Format Defunct
Ownership
OwnerBurbank Broadcasting Company
History
First air date
June 21, 1952;71 years ago (1952-06-21) [1]
Last air date
July 26, 1984;39 years ago (1984-07-26)
Former call signs
KBLA (1952–1967)
KBBQ (1967–1972)
Former frequencies
1490 kHz (1952–1958)
Call sign meaning
ROQ is pronounced "rock"
Technical information
Facility ID 57891
Class B
Power 10 kilowatts (daytime)
1 kilowatt (nighttime)

KROQ (1500 AM) was a radio station licensed to Burbank, California, serving the Los Angeles metropolitan area.

Contents

History

KBLA

The station began broadcasting on June 21, 1952, holding the call sign KBLA. [1] It originally operated on 1490 kHz and ran 250 watts. [2]

In 1958, the owners obtained a construction permit to change frequency to 1500 AM, with a power upgrade to 10,000 watts 24 hours a day. [2] However, the station encountered several obstacles prior to completion. Hubbard Broadcasting's KSTP in St. Paul, Minnesota, contested the proposal on the basis of interference that it believed would occur within its nighttime coverage area. [2] The Glendale, California, city council and zoning board also rejected KBLA's proposed tower site. [3] KBLA filed suit against Glendale and its mayor Cal Cannon, alleging that Cannon, who was general manager of KIEV, conspired to influence the zoning board to deny KBLA's permit. [3] The station ended up operating at 1,000 watts at night using a directional array, protecting KSTP but shrinking the coverage area of the station. [2] Its tower site was located in the Verdugo Mountains. [2] The power increase and frequency change was completed on February 12, 1965. [4]

In August 1964, the station began shifting to a contemporary hits format in anticipation of the power increase and frequency change. [4] [5] [6] The station had been airing block programming. [5] The Lawrence Welk Show aired mornings on the station until 1965. [5] [4] The initial personalities heard on KBLA during its contemporary hits period were Tom Duggan, Sid Wayne, Jim Wood, William (Rosko) Mercer, Tom Clay, and Dick "Huggy Boy" Hugg. [4] The station became completely automated in July 1965, but live DJs were brought back in December, with hosts Harry Newman, Roger Christian, Harvey Miller (Humble Harve), Dave Diamond, Vic Gee (Jim Carson), and William F. Williams. By 1966 Emperor Bob Hudson, Bob Dayton and Hal Pickens had joined the airstaff. [7]

KBBQ

The small station could not compete with more established and powerful competition, so they switched to country music as KBBQ in June 1967. [8] [9] [2] DJs on KBBQ included Harry Newman, Bob Jackson, Vic Gee, Alan King, Bill Williams, and Larry Scott. [8] To celebrate its first anniversary as a country station, KBBQ sponsored a country music show at Shrine Auditorium, which featured Merle Haggard, Bonnie Owens, Ferlin Husky, Sheb Wooley, Tex Williams, Jimmy Wakely, Freddie Hart, Jerry Wallace, and Jimmy Bryant. [10] [11]

KROQ

On September 2, 1972, the station's call sign was changed to KROQ, and it adopted a rock format as "The Rock (ROQ) of Los Angeles". [2] [12] [13] Personalities on KROQ included Charlie Tuna, Sam Riddle, Jay Stevens, Steve Lundy, Jim Wood, and Jimmy Rabbitt. [12]

On November 25, 1972, KROQ presented a concert at Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum, billed as "The Ultimate ROQ Concert/Festival", to benefit the Southern California Council of Free Clinics, which featured performances by Chuck Berry, Stevie Wonder, Frankie Valli and the Four Seasons, the Eagles, the Bee Gees, Sly & the Family Stone, and the Raspberries, among others. [14] [15]

In 1973, KROQ's owners bought KPPC-FM, and on November 12 it began simulcasting KROQ, with the new call sign KROQ-FM. [16] Less than a year later KROQ and KROQ-FM experienced financial difficulty, and owed employees over $73,000 in unpaid salaries and owed over $14,000 to the American Federation of Television and Radio Artists pension and welfare fund. [17] In June 1974, program director Shadoe Stevens and night personality Dana Jones resigned; this was followed by the entire staff going on strike that July 29, shutting the stations down. [17] [18]

On June 10, 1976, the stations returned to the air, for KROQ's authorization to remain off the air had expired and its license was due to be revoked. [19] Shortly thereafter, the station would begin presenting weekend concerts, primarily featuring punk rock bands. [20] At the time, Rodney Bingenheimer was introducing many new and local bands, including the Ramones and the Runaways, on his Sunday night show. [21] [22]

In 1980, KROQ ended its simulcast with KROQ-FM and began airing a Spanish-language format. [23] In 1982, the station's license renewal was denied by the FCC, due to numerous violations by the station's owners. [24] KROQ-FM's license renewal was also denied shortly thereafter. [25] These rulings were appealed, and in a 1984 settlement the license of KROQ-FM was assigned to Ken Roberts, who owned a 49% stake in the stations, and Roberts was ordered to pay compensation to the other applicants for the FM frequency. [25] However, KROQ's license had to be surrendered, and Royce International's application for a new station on the frequency was granted; Royce International was headed by KWOD (106.5 FM)-Sacramento owner Ed Stoltz. [25]

This new station was never built and, after numerous extension using both the KRCK and KIEV calls, the permit was cancelled on February 12, 2013. [26] On February 5, 2020, the FCC gave Schwab Multimedia LLC final approval for a new station at 1500. KWIF was to be based in Culver City and would broadcast from a transmitter and tower in Montecito Heights. [27] The construction permit expired on April 13, 2020. On December 7, 2020, the FCC dismissed all applications for modifications to the construction permit, concluding that Schwab "had not submitted any evidence that it had tried to construct the station". [28] Schwab appealed the FCC's decision. On March 6, 2023, an appeals court unanimously upheld the decision. [29]

A travelers' information station broadcasts on 1500 AM, operated by the City of Beverly Hills.

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">KDLD</span> Radio station in Santa Monica/Newport Beach, California, United States

KDLD is a commercial FM radio station in Santa Monica, California, broadcasting to the Greater Los Angeles area on 103.1 MHz. KDLE is a commercial FM radio station in Newport Beach, California, broadcasting to the Orange County area on 103.1 MHz.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">WWDC (FM)</span> Alternative rock radio station in Washington, D.C.

WWDC is a commercial FM radio station in Maryland, near Washington, D.C. The station is owned by iHeartMedia through licensee iHM Licenses, LLC, and broadcasts an alternative radio format. Studios and offices are in Rockville, Maryland. WWDC serves as the flagship station for the syndicated radio show Elliot in the Morning and as the local affiliate for Skratch 'N Sniff.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">KLAX-FM</span> Radio station in East Los Angeles, California

KLAX-FM is an American commercial radio station located in East Los Angeles, California, broadcasting to the Greater Los Angeles area. It is owned by Spanish Broadcasting System (SBS). KLAX-FM airs a regional Mexican music format branded as "La Raza". The station has studios in Los Angeles, and its transmitter is based in Glendale.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">WGHT</span> Oldies radio station in Pompton Lakes, New Jersey, United States

WGHT is a radio station owned by the Borough of Pompton Lakes, New Jersey and licensed to serve the same municipality.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">WNTR</span> Adult contemporary radio station in Indianapolis

WNTR is a commercial radio station in Indianapolis, Indiana. WNTR is owned by Cumulus Media and it airs an adult contemporary format. Its studios and offices are on North Shadeland Avenue, off Interstate 465.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">KBLA</span> Radio station in Santa Monica, California

KBLA is a broadcast radio station in the United States. Licensed to Santa Monica, California, KBLA serves the Greater Los Angeles area. The station is owned by Multicultural Broadcasting, through licensee Multicultural Radio Broadcasting Licensee, LLC, and operated by pending owner Tavis Smiley with an urban/progressive talk format.

WNBF is a commercial radio station in Binghamton, New York. It airs a talk radio format and is owned by Townsquare Media. The studios and offices are on Court Street in Binghamton.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">WOXL-FM</span> Radio station in Biltmore Forest, North Carolina

<span class="mw-page-title-main">WXQW</span> Radio station in Fairhope, Alabama

WXQW is a talk radio station licensed to Fairhope, Alabama, and serving the Mobile metropolitan area. The station is owned by Cumulus Media and the broadcast license is held by Cumulus Licensing LLC. The radio studios and offices are on Dauphin Street in Midtown Mobile.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">WRTT-FM</span> Radio station in Huntsville, Alabama

WRTT-FM is an American commercial radio station licensed to serve the community of Huntsville, Alabama. The station, established in 1960, is currently owned by the Black Crow Media Group and the license is held by BCA Radio LLC. Black Crow Media Group owns two other Huntsville stations, WAHR and WLOR. Its studios are located off University Drive in Huntsville, and its transmitter is located north of the city.

William Roscoe Mercer (1927–2000), better known to millions of radio listeners simply as Rosko, was an American announcer, commercial voice over specialist and disc jockey (DJ). He is best known for his stints on New York's WOR-FM and WNEW-FM in the late 1960s and 1970s. He was often a rare African-American voice on radio stations that primarily broadcast to white audiences.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">KROQ-FM</span> Alternative rock radio station in Los Angeles

KROQ-FM is a commercial radio station licensed to Pasadena, California, serving the Greater Los Angeles. Owned by Audacy, Inc., it broadcasts an alternative rock format known as "The World Famous KROQ".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">WFMB (AM)</span> Radio station in Springfield, Illinois

WFMB is a commercial AM radio station broadcasting a sports radio format. Licensed to Springfield, Illinois, the station is owned by Neuhoff Corp., through licensee Neuhoff Media Springfield, LLC. WFMB features local hosts in morning and afternoon drive time, plus agricultural reports weekdays at 5:30 a.m. and noon. The rest of the schedule comes from ESPN Radio.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">WALI</span> Radio station in Dayton–Cleveland, Tennessee, United States

WALI is an American radio station licensed to serve the community of Dayton, the county seat of Rhea County, Tennessee. Established in 1957, the station's broadcast license is held by Beverly Broadcasting Company, LLC. The station broadcasts a soft adult contemporary format and is known as "Alive 96.9, Cleveland's Lite Rock", named for its FM translator, W245DZ 96.9 FM, which has its transmitter in Cleveland, Tennessee.

KPPC was a radio station in Pasadena, California, United States, broadcasting on 1240 kHz between 1924 and 1996. Operating as a limited-hours, low-power station for most of its history, it carried primarily Christian radio programming and was originally owned by the Pasadena Presbyterian Church. Toward the end of its existence, it also aired ethnic programs. KPPC also spawned KPPC-FM 106.7, which was an influential free form, progressive rock station in the late 1960s and early 1970s and went on to become KROQ-FM.

WBOW was a radio station on 1230 AM in Terre Haute, Indiana, which broadcast between 1927 and 2001.

WBOW was a radio station on 640 AM in Terre Haute, Indiana, which broadcast between 1993 and 2001.

WZZQ was a radio station on 107.5 FM in Terre Haute, Indiana, which broadcast between 1967 and 2001.

WIFE-FM was a radio station broadcasting on 107.9 FM in Indianapolis, Indiana, United States. Owned and operated by the Star Stations group for most of its history, it broadcast from October 22, 1961, to September 2, 1976.

WSWG was a radio station that broadcast on 1540 kHz in Greenwood, Mississippi, United States. It operated from 1963 to 1984, having been denied a renewal of its license by the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) over a 1971 format change that included the firing of three Black disc jockeys, accompanied by other deficiencies in representations made by owner Charles Saunders to the FCC.

References

  1. 1 2 "KBLA Burbank Begins in California", Broadcasting–Telecasting . June 23, 1952. p. 59. Retrieved May 12, 2019.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 History Cards for KROQ, fcc.gov. Retrieved May 13, 2019.
  3. 1 2 "KBLA sues Glendale on tower site rebuff", Broadcasting . July 6, 1959. pp. 48, 50. Retrieved May 14, 2019.
  4. 1 2 3 4 "KBLA Hikes Power; Bows New Personnel", Billboard . February 27, 1965. pp. 50, 51. Retrieved May 14, 2019.
  5. 1 2 3 "KBLA Awaiting FCC Nod; Format Changes in Works", Billboard . August 22, 1964. p. 6. Retrieved May 14, 2019.
  6. "KBLA Pow'r Hike", Billboard . November 14, 1964. p. 26. Retrieved May 14, 2019.
  7. " KBLA Returns to DJ Format; Automation Out", Billboard . December 25, 1965. p. 40. Retrieved May 14, 2019.
  8. 1 2 "KBLA to Go 24-Hour 'Mod' Country", Billboard . June 17, 1967. p. 4. Retrieved May 15, 2019.
  9. "Radio-TV programming", Billboard . September 30, 1967. p. 38. Retrieved May 15, 2019.
  10. Tiegel, Eliot. "A Happy 1st Year for KBBQ", Billboard . June 1, 1968. p. 20. Retrieved May 15, 2019.
  11. "A Happy 1st Year for KBBQ", Billboard . June 29, 1968. p. 39. Retrieved May 15, 2019.
  12. 1 2 "New LA Rock Station Looms", Billboard . September 2, 1972. p. 16. Retrieved May 15, 2019.
  13. Wagoner, Richard. "The secret meaning behind call letters of Los Angeles radio stations", Los Angeles Daily News . February 23, 2016. Retrieved May 15, 2019.
  14. Hall, Claude. "L.A. AM-er Plans Mini Woodstock", Billboard . November 4, 1972. pp. 1, 86. Retrieved May 15, 2019.
  15. Neill, Andrew; Kent, Matthew (2009). Anyway, Anyhow, Anywhere: The Complete Chronicle of the WHO 1958-1978 . Sterling Publishing. p. 219. Retrieved May 15, 2019.
  16. "LA's KROQ-AM's New FM Wing to Simulcast; Plan In-Depth Surveying", Billboard . November 17, 1973. pp. 3, 25. Retrieved May 15, 2019.
  17. 1 2 "Silenced By Strike", Broadcasting . August 5, 1974. p. 30. Retrieved May 16, 2019.
  18. Hall, Claude. "Vox Jox", Billboard . June 15, 1974. p. 26. Retrieved May 16, 2019.
  19. Hall, Claude. "Vox Jox", Billboard . June 26, 1976. p. 28. Retrieved May 16, 2019.
  20. Freedland, Nat. "KROQ Concerts Find New Home", Billboard . November 27, 1976. p. 36. Retrieved May 16, 2019.
  21. Larsen, Peter. "Influential KROQ DJ Rodney Bingenheimer talks about being taken off the air", Orange County Register . May 26, 2017. Retrieved May 16, 2019.
  22. "After 40 Years, DJ Rodney Bingenheimer Will Say Goodbye To KROQ", NPR. June 2, 2017. Retrieved May 16, 2019.
  23. Darling, Cary. "Competition and Flux Ride the Angeleno Airwaves", Billboard . November 15, 1980. p. L.A.-40. Retrieved May 17, 2019.
  24. Holland, Bill. "FCC Ruling Rocks KROQ-AM", Billboard . October 9, 1982. p. 24. Retrieved May 17, 2019.
  25. 1 2 3 "Burbank stations change hands during FCC appeal phase", Broadcasting. August 6, 1984. p. 54. Retrieved May 17, 2019.
  26. Call Sign History (KIEV), fcc.gov. Retrieved May 24, 2019.
  27. "In re: KWIF(AM), Culver City, CA". Federal Communications Commission. February 5, 2020. Retrieved November 14, 2022.
  28. "In re: Levine/Schwab Partnership d/b/a Schwab Multimedia LLC" (PDF). Federal Communications Commission. December 7, 2020. Retrieved November 14, 2022.
  29. "Appeals Court Shoots Down Bid for New SoCal AM". March 7, 2023.