KBLA Talk Radio 1580

[Daryl Lynn L.A.]

When I was stationed in Long Beach in the early 60's KRLA was my favorite music station. We didn't have FM receivers on the ship.

That was a magical time. They were very, relatable to teenagers and 20-something adults Their air talent was chosen, I think, on the ability to create a very uptempo, very bright young sound. I spent numerous afternoons / early evenings/ weekends quietly standing in KRLA's lobby watching those guys work. They had to be able to read copy and ads very fast to keep the high energy sound. They read aloud flawlessly and rarely made a mistake. It was live radio then, which required a strong talent level.

Tomas Estefan reported this above, but here is some additional history from the internet
From KBLA Radio History:

KBLA was a hit music station at 1500 AM from Burbank in the sixties until June 1967 when it switched to a country format as KBBQ. The KBLA callL letters resurfaced in March 1991 when 1580 KDAY dropped its urban format and switched to business talk.

It always seemed to me that L.A. radio stations constantly were changing call letters, or formats, or frequencies, or just about anything. I always remembered frequency 870 as KIEV Glendale, but that frequency belongs to KRLA now, and they are nothing at all like they used to be. Just a totally different station.

When KDAY 1580 switched over to business talk, they took on the KBLA call letters. Before they switched, KDAY had a storied history. Sometimes their format was Top 40, sometimes R&B, and later on, they were early adopters of hip-hop. Several of the KRLA 1110 men migrated over to KDAY in the 60's and 70's. They were: Roger Christian, Sam Riddle, Johnny Hayes, Jimmy O'Neill, and Manny Pacheco. ( He worked at KRLA in the 1990's, after their studio moved from Pasadena down to Wilshire Blvd. circa 1985)

Glad to hear that Tavis Smiley is involved with KBLA in some capacity: hopefully he can make a success of it. -- Daryl


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[DavidEduardo]

and further I always thought "KOLA" meant: "Over Los Angeles"

Sounds cute, but it was always a station in a separate market with limited fringe coverage of the LA market.

 

[Daryl Lynn L.A.]

Several of the KRLA 1110 men migrated over to KDAY in the 60's and 70's. They were: Roger Christian, Sam Riddle, Johnny Hayes, Jimmy O'Neill, and Manny Pacheco. ( He worked at KRLA in the 1990's, after their studio moved from Pasadena down to Wilshire Blvd. circa 1985)

Oops - Let me edit this to get the facts straight about DJ Manny Pacheco. He was at KRLA from 1980-81, 1985-89, and 1993-98.

Manny Pacheco

 

[michael hagerty]

Just for fun I always thought _"KZLA" was a reverse of "KLAC" as I think KLAC was country before they were...and further I always thought "KOLA" meant: "Over Los Angeles"

Tomas: I don’t know if that’s the reason for those calls, but yes—KLAC had a nine-year head start as a Country station.

 

[ercjncpr]

By the same token, they haven't filed suit against the buyer. So it seems some conversations have taken place.

I questioned from the beginning how Tavis Smiley was gonna “magically” come up with the purchase price. I think that the idea came from the perception concerning the relative lack of African-American programming on KPFK

 

[DavidEduardo]

I questioned from the beginning how Tavis Smiley was gonna “magically” come up with the purchase price. I think that the idea came from the perception concerning the relative lack of African-American programming on KPFK

More appropriate would be to question the lack of listening to KPFK.

For a listener-supported station, KPFK has so few listeners that I can't imagine how they can get enough donations to survive.

 

[Michael Rivers Kramer]

More appropriate would be to question the lack of listening to KPFK.

For a listener-supported station, KPFK has so few listeners that I can't imagine how they can get enough donations to survive.

KPFK has more ERP watts than measured cume.

 

[ercjncpr]

More appropriate would be to question the lack of listening to KPFK.

For a listener-supported station, KPFK has so few listeners that I can't imagine how they can get enough donations to survive.

They have had that problem since 1959 but they are still around and I don’t know how they do it either

 

[Michael Rivers Kramer]

They have had that problem since 1959 but they are still around and I don’t know how they do it either

Pacifica manages to squeak by a thread and has had some near catastrophes. Also, their internal disputes have been very interesting, especially at KPFA.

 

[DavidEduardo]

Pacifica manages to squeak by a thread and has had some near catastrophes. Also, their internal disputes have been very interesting, especially at KPFA.

Its staff and membership can be, well, a bit intense.

I remember an incident about 20 years ago when I was briefly the chief operator for KLVE and its sister stations in LA. I had just come down from Mt Wilson in the station 4 wheel drive pickup truck and met a friend from Tom Rounds' Radio Express for lunch at a great Thai restaurant on Cahuenga just down from the Radio Express offices.

Next door to the restaurant was the Pacifica station. I parked on the street, nearly in front of KPFK. After lunch, returning to the station truck, I was aggressively approached by someone coming out of the Pacifica building, who was yelling that the pollution from the truck would destroy the planet. I simply responded that I did not think that the Pacifica engineer serviced their transmitter site on top of 5,000 foot Mt Wilson with a Prius! I quickly hopped in the truck, as the guy was quite heated in his criticism of the KLVE truck!

 

[Daryl Lynn L.A.]

Its staff and membership can be, well, a bit intense.

I remember an incident about 20 years ago when I was briefly the chief operator for KLVE and its sister stations in LA. I had just come down from Mt Wilson in the station 4 wheel drive pickup truck and met a friend from Tom Rounds' Radio Express for lunch at a great Thai restaurant on Cahuenga just down from the Radio Express offices.

Next door to the restaurant was the Pacifica station. I parked on the street, nearly in front of KPFK. After lunch, returning to the station truck, I was aggressively approached by someone coming out of the Pacifica building, who was yelling that the pollution from the truck would destroy the planet. I simply responded that I did not think that the Pacifica engineer serviced their transmitter site on top of 5,000 foot Mt Wilson with a Prius! I quickly hopped in the truck, as the guy was quite heated in his criticism of the KLVE truck!

This is hilarious. Very typical of Pacifica personnel. It's a stereotype, but they have always been much like old hippies with a fervent belief system. Even back in the 70's, they were old hippies. They used to have interviews with people who did labor organizing for the coal miners' union in the 1940's. ( No, I don't have any links or documentation). Currently, they do programs with Angela Davis, who is now 78 years old. ( I remember when she came out to speak on my college campus 40 years ago). That is just their brand. I don't have any examples, but I remember that their air talent sometimes used to get in some squabble with the personnel at KCRW-FM, which was in Santa Monica.
KPFA in Berkeley, another Pacifica station, is exactly like that, IMO. They like to reminisce about their activism in the 1964 free speech movement on campus. They really are the "wayback machine."

KPFK An Evening With Angela Davis

 

[DavidEduardo]

This is hilarious. Very typical of Pacifica personnel. It's a stereotype, but they have always been much like old hippies with a fervent belief system. Even back in the 70's, they were old hippies. They used to have interviews with people who did labor organizing for the coal miners' union in the 1940's. ( No, I don't have any links or documentation). That is just their brand. I don't have any examples, but I remember that their personnel sometimes used to get in some squabble with the personnel at KCRW-FM, which used to be in Santa Monica.
KPFA in Berkeley, another Pacifica station, is exactly like that, IMO. They like to reminisce about their activism in the 1964 free speech movement on campus. They really are the "wayback machine."

Of course, "Pacifica" comes from the location where the group was founded after WW II.

"Pacifica was founded in 1946 by pacifists E. John Lewis and Lewis Hill. During World War II, both of them had filed for conscientious objector status. After the war, Lewis, Hill and a small group of former conscientious objectors created the Pacifica Foundation in Pacifica, California."

 

[Daryl Lynn L.A.]

Of course, "Pacifica" comes from the location where the group was founded after WW II.

"Pacifica was founded in 1946 by pacifists E. John Lewis and Lewis Hill. During World War II, both of them had filed for conscientious objector status. After the war, Lewis, Hill and a small group of former conscientious objectors created the Pacifica Foundation in Pacifica, California."

David, that's very interesting ! Thank you for providing background information about their history.

 

[TomásEstefan]

Of course, "Pacifica" comes from the location where the group was founded after WW II.

"Pacifica was founded in 1946 by pacifists E. John Lewis and Lewis Hill. During World War II, both of them had filed for conscientious objector status. After the war, Lewis, Hill and a small group of former conscientious objectors created the Pacifica Foundation in Pacifica, California."

I believe that KPFA has the distinction of being the first listener supported radio station in the United States.

 

[Weiserguy]

Pacifica manages to squeak by a thread and has had some near catastrophes. Also, their internal disputes have been very interesting, especially at KPFA.

KPFA (which I occasionally listen to for music but rarely for anything "spoken word") and KPFK are pikers in the Internal Politics Wars. Pacifica's WBAI in NYC is so dysfunctional that they got evicted from the Empire State Building for non-payment of transmitter site rent. I recall the number being about $4 Million. They're now transmitting from #4 Times Square, a location that other FM stations use for an auxiliary site.

 

[ChannelFlipper]

I believe that KPFA has the distinction of being the first listener supported radio station in the United States.

Now KPFK has the distinction of having the least listener support in the United States.