HISTORY OF KRCI 92.7 Island Radio

Hey Guys:

Can anybody tell me the history of KRCI 92.7 Catalina Island radio?

Thanks Tommy C.

Here is a news story about the station's launch

http://articles.latimes.com/1993-12-24/local/me-5040_1_catalina-island-museum

Wikipedia adds the following:

KYLA

KYLA signed on in 1993 with the call letters KRCI then KLIT, originally broadcasting from Catalina Island at 3,000 watts entering a simulcast of KMLT (now KLSI). The simulcast aired a beautiful music format that later evolved into an adult contemporary music format branded as "Lite 92.7". KLIT was later purchased by Amaturo Group and turned into a trimulcast with KELT.

KLIT was moved to Fountain Valley, California with a change of transmitter location, broadcasting from a mountain southeast of Newport Beach, California at 690 watts. This provided a better signal coverage of the interior portions of Orange County, California. The call letters were changed to KJLL-FM in early 2007 and to KLST-FM in 2012.

thebeach33445 said:

Hey Guys:

Can anybody tell me the history of KRCI 92.7 Catalina Island radio?

Thanks Tommy C.

Click to expand...

I know the absolute real history of KRCI as I was to be the first operations manager. Bob Darling, former KJOI PD was the consultant and had a small piece of the station. I also had the opportunity to take the same position at the new Julian station he was going to consult, should have done it no question. KRCI was advertising in the local island newspaper for station employees, the pay was going to be $2200 a month, and the cheapest housing spaces were $2000 a month. The station was to be live only, 24 hours and the format was to be A/C or "Golden Oldies". The signal projected to cover a whopping 5 miles of the mainland, not too impressive? The money partner who later was known to threaten Steve Ray's life (the guy who took this job instead of me) was involved in Drug sales. The woman holding the C/P along with her teacher husband were the main owners, they knew nothing about Radio. I went to island to meet the new chief engineer George Marshall who gave me the local grand tour of the island and was to be Air talent as well. The entire day I was there it smelled like fish and the Station was looking fishy as well, money problems before the transmitter even arrived and the studio was built. They got it on the air and sold it soon after!