KQLH 95.1 HISTORY

[Richard Allan Q95FM]

Setting the record straight: "They both got fired for getting married" is untrue. Dale, you were not present at the exit interview for Arden or Kim and did not have access to employee records. Arden and Kim know why they were fired. Don, Marilyn and Rick (aka Richard Allan) know why Arden and Kim were fired. (Several employees were married and, therefore, marriage was not an issue.) Nor, were you present at the exit interview for "Dave Young" or have access to his employee record. Therefore, you do not know for a fact the grounds for his termination. However, I can assure you that "a spat with Rick's future wife Jane" was not the issue. After I resigned as an employee I was retained as an Independent Consultant and, therefore, was privy to these particular actions.

I was a jock at KQLH in 1980. Don Painter was the GM, his wife at the time Marilyn was the station manager. Their son Rick Painter was the PD. He left and the evening jock Arden Lawrence became the PD. Arden's new wife Kim was the midday jock. They both got fired for getting married. Apparently it was okay for the Painters to be married, but not anyone else. Sam Jackson was doing afternoons and became the PD after Arden was fired. I was working evenings. They hired a guy named Dave Young as music director and midday jock. He had a spat with Ricks future wife Jane who worked in the office. Dave was fired and I became midday jock and asst. Music director. In May 1981Don and Marilyn left for Florida. Dr Roberts hired Pat Michaels as GM. He turned the station into a light AC station playing Engelbert Humperdink, Perry Comp, Neal Diamond, and others. Now the station is KFROG 95.1

 

[Richard Allan Q95FM]

KQLH-FM 95.1 Q95FM logo "SomeOne to Believe In" jacket front and back

 

[Unregistered]

Dale Berg

You are right Richard and I'm wrong and I apologize. I was relating statements made to me by those involved and should not be taken as true facts. I should've made that clear. If it were possible, I would delete the comment. Just for the record Don and Marilyn Painter were very nice people to work for and it was sad when they left the station.

 

[Unregistered]

DJ

All of the statements I posted on this thread were statements that were relayed to me and not to be taken as true facts. I apologize for making not verified statements.

 

[Unregistered]

I was a jock at KQLH in 1980. Don Painter was the GM, his wife at the time Marilyn was the station manager. Their son Rick Painter was the PD. He left and still consulted the station and the evening jock Arden Lawrence became the PD. Sam Jackson was doing afternoons and became the PD after Arden left the station. I was working evenings. They hired a guy named Dave Young as music director and midday jock. Dave was an interesting person and looked a lot like Art Garfunkle. In May 1981Don and Marilyn left for Florida to start their own station. Dr Roberts hired Pat Michaels as GM. He turned the station into a light AC station playing Engelbert Humperdink, Perry Como, Neal Diamond, and others. Now the station is KFROG

The building was old. One night while I was on the air a bat flew in the control room. It hit the tone arm on the turntable not on the air. I opened the door and it flew between my legs.

 

[Woody985fm]

I made untrue statements in a previous post that were from people relating these statements to me and should not be taken as true facts. I'm sorry if they offended some people. My experience at KQLH was great and Don and Marilyn were great managers! I was a jock at KQLH from 1980 to 1981. The station was run by Don and Marilyn Painter. Good times! Dale Berg

 

[Unregistered]

June

I made untrue statements in a previous post that were from people relating these statements to me and should not be taken as true facts. I'm sorry if they offended some people. My experience at KQLH was great and Don and Marilyn were great managers! I was a jock at KQLH from 1980 to 1981. The station was run by Don and Marilyn Painter. Good times!

Once a bat flew into the control room when I was on the air. It hit the tone arm on the turntable and as I opened the control room door, it flew out between my legs.

I was fired due to the format change.

 

[AlanInTheAM]

Yes, it was 50,000 watts, as it remains today.

 

[Unregistered]

KQLH mid-70's

Don & Marilyn were great people to work for. I was a DJ there and knew Grady, Rick, Dennis, and Bill. There was also a late p.m. DJ (Bobby?) who did a show called Night Flight.

 

[MBSL500]

I remember on VERY cold winter night, Dennis and I had to drive up to the KQLH transmitter in his Ford Bronco to babysit the transmitter.
There was no heat in the transmitter shed so we carried in a 55 gallon drum from outside and stuffed it with wood we found outside.
We made a fire inside the drum and it kept us warm until he fixed whatever needed fixing.
I remember it like it was yesterday.

By the way, the original KQLH windbreaker were a light blue with gold lettering.

 

[akdennis]

It was great to come across this thread tonight. I thought I'd share my memories of KQLH. I was very active in an evangelical church in Yucaipa as a young person in the years 1974-1978 or so and listened to KQLH all the time. I somehow learned that Rick Painter was an Amateur Radio Operator as well as a commercial broadcaster so I stopped by the station at one time to see if I might say hello to him, as I was also a ham radio operator. I was able to meet him and we had a nice chat and he eventually invited me to his home (in Riverside at the time, I think) to help him erect some ham radio antennae. We only had a few visits at his house before his parents left the station and I left the SB area. But I do remember our brief friendship and conversations.
I was still living in the area though when the station changed it's format and I got word the station was selling (more like giving away) it's record library. I got there as quickly as i could and got some real deals; I still have some of them with notes on the jacket saying things like "promo use only" and lists which songs from that album could be played on the air as well as those which could NOT be played (many of those marked in red and underlined, etc).
I never got to know any of the other DJs except one. I've forgotten his name, but he was a youth minister at a Baptist church in Yucaipa (a very popular guy in our town) who became an evening DJ there and would often be on the air on Friday and Saturday nights when "cruising" was so popular on "E" street. I think it was an attempt to connect the station to young people that way. I thought it was kind of interesting the the cruising was going on on "E" Street with cars rolling by only about two blocks from the station's studios on Court St.
Anyway, it was great to come across this thread tonight. A real blast from the past.

 

[Mykelbee]

I Worked at KQLH for a short time in 1978, I remember the owner William J Roberts,I also remember Don Painter, Marilyn Painter, Rick Painter, Grady Painter, Joe Gonzalez, Dave Caudle who was from Florida and was very close to the Painters, Jim Clark and a Gal who's air name was Robin Hood. My air name was Mike Bankston I took over the Heavy Metal Music christian rock show Monday thru Friday Midnight to 6am called Celebration In Song after working weekends Saturdays and Sundays 6pm to Midnight for a brief period. Don was like a Counselor to anyone who needed it, His wife Marilyn was a real sweet Lady she was like a Mom to everyone there, Grady was a mean guy who ran the public affairs programs for KQLH and it's Sister station KWRM in corona. The Painters had a daughter who was in High School at that time and I don't remember her name.

 

[MBSL500]

Just wondering if any of you remember KBBL in Riverside Ca?
Before working at KQLH, I worked there changing tapes in Mr. Goad's home studio. He was a very very strange man and the atmosphere in the house/studio was about as cheerful as a morgue.

Curt

 

[Mark Westwood]

Hi All,

I worked part time as a weekender and overnights at Loving and Gentle KQLH 95.1 when it was downstairs at Inland Center Mall. It has a big glass wall next to the control room. Danny Gilchrest was the PD, Pat Michaels was the GM, Willie Rose. During that time the big dispute and bk happened, Pat Michaels was out, and Dr. Roberts brought in Richard McIntosh who was the first GM when it became KFRG. If you go looking for the old KQLH studio in the Inland Center Mall you will find that the whole lower level has been entombed and you can't even get to it from inside the mall.

I also worked at Lite Hits KQLH 92.7 FM for a brief stint..that station wasn't around long. 92.7 fm was moved to Lancaster, and became Jill FM, and was sold a few years ago and absorbed by the mega non profit
with a two man board of directors called the Education Media Foundation...who mainly programs a sat format on it's stations called Air One..

Last but not least, the KQLH call letters are rising again, this time at 92.5 FM in Yucaipa. They are assigned to a new LPFM being built in Yucaipa that will play Jazz, Adult Standards along with Community Programming. www.KQLHRadio.com

 

[Mark Westwood]

The New KQLH Antenna Pole being installed this past week.

 

[K.M. Richards]

92.7 fm was moved to Lancaster, and became Jill FM

Slight corrections, if I may.

The 92.7 Riverside signal was moved to Adelanto in the Victor Valley, not Lancaster in the Antelope Valley. This was to meet the co-channel spacing requirements when Bustos moved the 92.7 Avalon signal to Fountain Valley.

And they were "Lite 92.7 FM" at the time, becoming "Jill FM" several years later, and then "Playlist 92.7" before the sale to EMF.

 

[DavidEduardo]

Slight corrections, if I may.

The 92.7 Riverside signal was moved to Adelanto in the Victor Valley, not Lancaster in the Antelope Valley. This was to meet the co-channel spacing requirements when Bustos moved the 92.7 Avalon signal to Fountain Valley.

And they were "Lite 92.7 FM" at the time, becoming "Jill FM" several years later, and then "Playlist 92.7" before the sale to EMF.

And a slight correction to the slight correction... it was Joe Amaturo, not Amador Bustos, who owned the 92.7 trimulcast.

 

[K.M. Richards]

And a slight correction to the slight correction... it was Joe Amaturo, not Amador Bustos, who owned the 92.7 trimulcast.

*facepalm* I knew that. I got as far as "Ama ..." then somehow made it "Amador" instead of "Amaturo" and then corrected it before posting to "Bustos".

 

[Woody985fm]

KQLH 95.1

I was a DJ at KQLH 95.1 from 1980 to 1981. Great working for The Painters.

 

[Woody985fm]

I was a jock at KQLH in 1980. Don Painter was the GM, his wife at the time Marilyn was the station manager. Their son Rick Painter was the PD. He left and the evening jock Arden Lawrence became the PD. I became midday jock and asst. Music director. In May 1981Don and Marilyn left for Florida. Dr Roberts hired Pat Michaels as GM. He turned the station into a light AC station playing Engelbert Humperdink, Perry Comp, Neal Diamond, and others. Now the station is KFROG 95.1

Awesome Station!