Why Is KLOS So Hard-Rocking?

[L Chanon Gade]

NYC FM processing in the mid to late 70's was obviously intended to be loud and dense. While I was doing due diligence on WTFM in '79, I noted how clipped everything was on the contemporary stations, and theorized that most also had Eric Small's composite clipper set to 2db or 3db. I found it most annoying, but this was likely the "hangover" from AM loudness wars that we all experienced, right down to the Audimax with the 0-ohm resistor.

David, if you arrived here (NYC) in 1979 you were spared the worst of the asinine loudness wars. The AM's WABC and WNBC had adopted the dull-thud school of multiband a few years earlier and the only screamers on FM were WPLJ -slightly refined from that aircheck and WYNY (Hot-AC) -which although heavily compressed was also clean and well defined. WPLJ processing went more mainstream in mid-1984.

The loudness wars were pretty-much in remission till Z-100 and it's brutal use of clipping. Although that chain allowed greater apparent strength of bass, the end result in most receivers was mush and IM distortion. I never understood the praise that air got back then. When Scott Shannon went to 'PLJ around 1990 that mush followed him.

The use of comp-clippers AKA: "pilot stompers" is actually as bad today as it was 25 years ago. It is not at all unusual to see the indicator go out on heavy bass transients.

LCG

 

[Crevecoeur123]

The classic rock stations in this market really have gone away. The landscape really never did recover after KFOG changed formats.
With the Sound gone, other than KUFX, there are few alternatives.

One thing good about radio these days is that one doesn't have to live in a specific area to listen to that area's local stations.
I've been a huge proponent of http://www.885fm.org/listen/?url=/listen which is out of Cal State Northridge of all places.
IMHO, it's the best eclectic mix of rock programming I've ever heard.

 

[TheBigA]

The classic rock stations in this market really have gone away.

As has a big part of the audience for the format...moved north or south of the city. Some have completely left the state because of high taxes and cost of living. Changing demographics mean changing radio formats.

 

[AM FM listener]

As has a big part of the audience for the [classic rock] format...moved north or south of the city. Some have completely left the state because of high taxes and cost of living. Changing demographics mean changing radio formats.

Yup, that's for sure. Many have moved to Seattle. Still plenty of classic, mainstream, active, and alternative rock up there.

 

[TheBigA]

Yup, that's for sure. Many have moved to Seattle. Still plenty of classic, mainstream, active, and alternative rock up there.

Or Portland...I know some LA ex-pats there.

 

[semoochie]

Or Portland...I know some LA ex-pats there.

...or the other way around. We sent YOU the Real Don Steele!

 

[LKellerIII]

...or the other way around. We sent YOU the Real Don Steele!

Hate to be a stickler - I guess you could say LA sent RDS to Portland because he was raised in LA, but his path took him to KOIL (Omaha) in 62, KXLY (Spokane) in 63, KISN (Portland) in 64, KEWB (Oakland/San Francisco) in 65, then a few months later with Robert W. Morgan to KHJ. The poor guy had to toil away ("Toil on KOIL?") in small markets for about a minute and a half. Talk about a fast career trajectory to the top!

Source: 440 Satisfaction (Johnny Williams)

 

[michael hagerty]

Hate to be a stickler - I guess you could say LA sent RDS to Portland because he was raised in LA, but his path took him to KOIL (Omaha) in 62, KXLY (Spokane) in 63, KISN (Portland) in 64, KEWB (Oakland/San Francisco) in 65, then a few months later with Robert W. Morgan to KHJ. The poor guy had to toil away ("Toil on KOIL?") in small markets for about a minute and a half. Talk about a fast career trajectory to the top!

Source: 440 Satisfaction (Johnny Williams)

Llew:

Johnny's list is a bit incomplete. Steele was at KBUC in Corona (1370 AM, now KWRM and brokered ethnic) in 1960, after graduatiing from the Don Martin School. Later that year, he made it to KEPR in Kennewick, Washington (14,000 people at the time), and within a couple of months, moved 85 miles to KIMA in Yakima (43,000 people). The moving alone in that year to year-and-a-half couldn't have been fun...and for a born-and-raised Hollywood boy, I'm sure it seemed a lot longer.

From there it was on to KOIL in August of 1961, and while Omaha was 300,000 people at the time, that's smaller than Reno is today. After a year and a half there, he went down in market size by nearly half to Spokane for three months and then on to Portland, which was only a bit bigger (370,000 people) than Omaha.

No disrespect to Portland, or to KISN, which has produced many, many legendary jocks and some wonderful radio, but I think you could argue that Steele didn't really hit the big time until KEWB...and given their declining ratings by '64, perhaps not until he came home in '65 to KHJ. That's some significant dues-paying.

 

[DavidEduardo]

Steele was at KBUC in Corona (1370 AM, now KWRM and brokered ethnic) in 1960, after graduatiing from the Don Martin School.

Interestingly, well into the 70's Steele would make a guest appearance at the Don Martin School to talk to the announcing class. I know one future LA PD who was at the school around 1975 who still remembers him giving a very motivating and instructional talk for well over an hour.

 

[DavidEduardo]

Llew:

Johnny's list is a bit incomplete. Steele was at KBUC in Corona (1370 AM, now KWRM and brokered ethnic) in 1960, after graduatiing from the Don Martin School. Later that year, he made it to KEPR in Kennewick, Washington (14,000 people at the time), and within a couple of months, moved 85 miles to KIMA in Yakima (43,000 people). The moving alone in that year to year-and-a-half couldn't have been fun...and for a born-and-raised Hollywood boy, I'm sure it seemed a lot longer.

From there it was on to KOIL in August of 1961, and while Omaha was 300,000 people at the time, that's smaller than Reno is today. After a year and a half there, he went down in market size by nearly half to Spokane for three months and then on to Portland, which was only a bit bigger (370,000 people) than Omaha.

No disrespect to Portland, or to KISN, which has produced many, many legendary jocks and some wonderful radio, but I think you could argue that Steele didn't really hit the big time until KEWB...and given their declining ratings by '64, perhaps not until he came home in '65 to KHJ. That's some significant dues-paying.

Remember, thought, that Omaha was the birthplace of Top 40, and KOIL was the station that eventually beat KOWH. KISN was sister station to KOIL, both owned by the original Klingon of radio, Don Burden.

KOIL, KISN and WIFE were considered stepping stones or farm clubs for the big big markets. And if you worked for Burden, you were always ready to move on.

Burden anecdote: Around 1961, I was at KICN in Denver (later KBTR) as a 13-year old visitor. A staff member had graciously offered me a tour after I appeared in the lobby asking to see the station. Rounding a corner in the hallway, I literally bumped into Don Burden. His response: "Who's this little coc----ker?". The staffer, recognizing that he had made a mistake, took me back to the lobby and ushered me out.

 

[LKellerIII]

Llew:

Johnny's list is a bit incomplete. Steele was at KBUC in Corona (1370 AM, now KWRM and brokered ethnic) in 1960, after graduatiing from the Don Martin School. Later that year, he made it to KEPR in Kennewick, Washington (14,000 people at the time), and within a couple of months, moved 85 miles to KIMA in Yakima (43,000 people). The moving alone in that year to year-and-a-half couldn't have been fun...and for a born-and-raised Hollywood boy, I'm sure it seemed a lot longer.

From there it was on to KOIL in August of 1961, and while Omaha was 300,000 people at the time, that's smaller than Reno is today. After a year and a half there, he went down in market size by nearly half to Spokane for three months and then on to Portland, which was only a bit bigger (370,000 people) than Omaha.

No disrespect to Portland, or to KISN, which has produced many, many legendary jocks and some wonderful radio, but I think you could argue that Steele didn't really hit the big time until KEWB...and given their declining ratings by '64, perhaps not until he came home in '65 to KHJ. That's some significant dues-paying.

As soon as I posted that, I figured we'd be hearing from Michael Hagerty for "The Rest of the Story" (read in Paul Harvey's voice). I guess RDS did pay a few dues, but 5 years to the pinnacle of Boss Radio still ain't too bad. My favorite KEWB story was about Casey Kasem, explaining how he happened upon his on-air gimmick. It may be apocryphal. He was at "Channel 91" - probably a bit before Morgan and Steele, and was trying his best to do Top 40 radio comedy. The story has it that the KEWB Program Director called him into the office to tell him that he wasn't funny, and to knock-it-off. As he was later wandering around the studios in a funk, trying to figure out how he'd fill 3 or 4 hours of airtime, he found a cast-off teen fan magazine in the trash can - and his format was born.

Fortunately, this was before recycling...

 

[michael hagerty]

As soon as I posted that, I figured we'd be hearing from Michael Hagerty for "The Rest of the Story" (read in Paul Harvey's voice). I guess RDS did pay a few dues, but 5 years to the pinnacle of Boss Radio still ain't too bad. My favorite KEWB story was about Casey Kasem, explaining how he happened upon his on-air gimmick. It may be apocryphal. He was at "Channel 91" - probably a bit before Morgan and Steele, and was trying his best to do Top 40 radio comedy. The story has it that the KEWB Program Director called him into the office to tell him that he wasn't funny, and to knock-it-off. As he was later wandering around the studios in a funk, trying to figure out how he'd fill 3 or 4 hours of airtime, he found a cast-off teen fan magazine in the trash can - and his format was born.

Fortunately, this was before recycling...

Llew: The Casey story is true. Tape exists of Casey doing the old act and it was excruciating.

As for RDS' quick rise, yeah....but it only took Dave Diamond two years more, Johnny Williams just one year more. And Steele was destined for stardom.

 

[LKellerIII]

Llew: The Casey story is true. Tape exists of Casey doing the old act and it was excruciating.

As for RDS' quick rise, yeah....but it only took Dave Diamond two years more, Johnny Williams just one year more. And Steele was destined for stardom.

I can hear it now, in Casey's voice, "Iiiiiiii'm Casey Kasem on K-E-W-B, asking why does a chicken cross the road...?" Dr. Don could bring it off with bells and whistles, The Caser...no.

As a KRLA listener in the late 60s, Casey was the weekend and fill-in guy. Another definition of "excruciating" was listening to him fill-in for Jimmy Rabbit, who was allowed to ignore the playlist and run some album rock. Casey's idea of cool was the long version of "In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida" by Iron Butterfly. Casey always had to point out that crummy drum solo that goes on for about 3 days. KRLA was trying to be "hip" and kinda FM after dark, and Casey came off as a "square." If you'd ask me to pick an LA DJ who would go on to national success with a syndicated show and voice-over work, I wouldn't have thought of Kasem.