KWVE (AM)

KWVE (1110 kHz) is a commercial AM radio station licensed to Pasadena, California, serving Greater Los Angeles as a simulcast of Christian talk and teaching station KWVE-FM. The station is operated by Calvary Chapel Costa Mesa, who acquired the station on September 8, 2023.[2][3][4]

KWVE
Simulcasting KWVE-FM San Clemente
Broadcast areaGreater Los Angeles
Frequency1110 kHz
BrandingK-Wave 107.9 FM & 1110 AM
Programming
FormatChristian talk and teaching
Ownership
OwnerCalvary Chapel of Costa Mesa, Inc.
KWVE-FM, KSDW
History
First air date
1942 (as KPAS)
Former call signs
  • KPAS (1942–1945)
  • KXLA (1945–1959)
  • KRLA (1959–2000)
  • KSPN (2000–2003)
  • KDIS (2003–2017)
  • KRDC (2017–2023)
Call sign meaning
K-Wave
Technical information[1]
Licensing authority
FCC
Facility ID25076
ClassB
Power
  • 50,000 watts day
  • 20,000 watts night
Transmitter coordinates
34°6′50″N 117°59′51″W
Translator(s)99.1 K256CX (Pasadena)
Links
Public license information
WebcastListen Live
Websitekwave.com

KWVE is powered at 50,000 watts during the day and 20,000 watts at night and uses a directional antenna at all times.[5] It broadcast in the HD Radio (hybrid) format until late 2014 when all Radio Disney affiliates were sold except for the Los Angeles station which returned to analog transmissions.[6] KWVE is still licensed for digital (HD) operation.[7]

For 18 years, under the ownership of The Walt Disney Company, AM 1110 was the flagship station for Radio Disney, carrying the main service from 2003 to 2017 as KDIS, then Radio Disney Country from 2017 to its late 2020 shutdown as KRDC. Until September 8, 2023, KRDC had simulcast former sister station KSPN, the Los Angeles market's primary ESPN Radio affiliate, as the last station to be operated by Disney.[3][8]

History

The station initially signed on as KPAS in 1942,[9][10] a station featuring popular music. J. Frank Burke[11] (Publisher-Editor)[12] had owned the Santa Ana Register, buying in 1927,[11] selling in 1935,[13] and was the original KPAS licensee.[14] Loyal Kletzein King[15] (Business Manager)[16] was J. Frank Burke's accountant and married to his daughter, Mary Burke King (Associate Editor).[17][12] J. Frank Burke sold to William Dumm in 1945, who sold to Loyal King two years later.[16] J. Frank Burke owned both KFVD and KPAS, and the FCC later gave notice to dispose of one of the stations.[18][19]

The Lamplighter Jazz Sessions were KPAS half-hour broadcasts from late in 1944 to early 1947, sponsored by the Coast Guard and was hosted by jazz writer Ted Yerxa, Lamplighter columnist for The Los Angeles Daily News.[20]

In 1945, it took the call sign KXLA, becoming one of the earliest full-time country music stations.[21][22][23][10] On-air personalities included Jim Hawthorne,[24] Bob Wills,[25] Tennessee Ernie Ford, and Stan Freberg.[26] The station originally broadcast from its El Monte transmitter site, near Santa Anita Avenue and the Pomona Freeway, in the vicinity of the Peck Road exit.

KRLA (1959–2000)
Not to be confused with the later radio station KRLA 870
See also: KRLA Beat

The station became KRLA, "The Big 11-10", on September 1, 1959, and quickly became one of the top radio stations in the Los Angeles area. The on-air personalities included Dave Hull (The Hullabalooer),[27] Emperor Bob Hudson,[28] Ted Quillin,[29] Rebel Foster,[30] Jimmy Rabbitt,[31] Casey Kasem,[32] Bob Eubanks,[33] Dick Biondi,[34] Sam Riddle, Dick Moreland, Jimmy O'Neill, Wink Martindale, Johnny Hayes and Sie Holliday. In 1968, Lew Irwin became news director[35] in order to create The Credibility Gap, which broadcast topical comedy along with the news.[36][37] In 1969, John Gilliland debuted the Pop Chronicles music documentary.[38][39][40] KHJ (AM) countered with "The History of Rock and Roll," a 48-hour “rockumentary” that chronicled the evolution of Rock and Roll, on Friday February 21, 1969, at 12 noon, the beginning of a Washington’s Birthday holiday weekend.[41][42] The 1969 film Model Shop featured a radio newscast by KRLA newsman Ralph Thompson. During the 1960s, the KRLA studio was in an old carriage house just off the parking lot of the old Huntington Sheraton Hotel[26] on Oak Knoll Drive in Pasadena, making it possible to drop by and watch the on-air DJ do his show,[43] those who did were called "porch people" by the staff. When Dave Hull was fired, "Porch people" and other listeners staged a sit-in.[44] When the station switched to oldies, KRLA was noted for its prominence in Southern California Chicano culture.[45] One of the highlights of this station was the Big 11 Countdown Show hosted by Johnny Hayes, with stories and facts about the songs and the artists, as well as the historical events that were going on at that time. The show also included a trivia question that Hayes asked for people to call in with their answer in order to win a prize. Each day's show counted down the top 11 songs from that date in a previous year as well as a few extras.

In 1962, the Federal Communications Commission deleted KRLA's license for airing fraudulent contests.[46][47][48][49]

Monterey International Pop Festival was broadcast live on KRLA from the Monterey Fairgrounds.[50]

Art Laboe co-owned KRLA with Bob Hope in the 1970s.[51]

The station evolved to an adult contemporary format by 1982, and focused on oldies by 1983.[52] It dropped current music in 1984, electing to play the oldies of the late 1950s, 1960s, and 1970s.[53][54]

By 1994, KRLA leaned towards an urban oldies format.

On February 25, 1997, CBS Radio announced that it would trade WMMR in Philadelphia, and WOAZ and WBOS in Boston to Greater Media in exchange for KRLA and sister station KLSX, as part of its acquisition of Infinity Broadcasting Corporation.[55] The swap was completed on August 22.[56]

At Noon on November 30, 1998, KRLA abandoned music entirely and went all talk.[26][57] As a talk radio station, KRLA featured many cast-offs from KABC, such as Michael Jackson and Ken Minyard, as well as Don Imus, Dr. Toni Grant,[58] G. Gordon Liddy, Ron Barr's Sports Byline USA, and Ed Tyll. The station also aired play-by-play of the Kings and Angels.[59]

KSPN (2000–2002)

In 2000, Infinity sold KRLA (alongside KRAK in Sacramento) to the Burbank-based Walt Disney Company due to ownership limits. On December 1, the station became the ESPN Radio outlet for the Los Angeles market (as KSPN).[60][61][62][63][64] Disney completed the acquisition on March 1, 2001.[65]

KDIS (2003–2017)

AM 710 and 1110 swapped formats on January 1, 2003, with the sports format moving to 710, and Radio Disney moving to 1110 (a change made reportedly because the 1110 signal could not be heard in Orange County at night, when most Anaheim Angels games are played).[66]

In May 2014, Mediabase moved KDIS to the Top 40/CHR panel, although Radio Disney was still considered a children's station.[67]

Logo used from 2013 until 2017.

On August 13, 2014, it was revealed that all of Radio Disney's remaining stations, excluding KDIS, were to be sold in an effort to focus more on digital distribution of the Radio Disney network. KDIS was retained to serve as the originator of Radio Disney's programming, and its operations were assumed by the network's national staff.[68][69]

KRDC (2017–2023)
Former KRDC logo for Radio Disney Country.

On June 9, 2017, KDIS changed its call sign to KRDC and flipped to a country format as "Radio Disney Country", becoming the first terrestrial radio station carrying the formerly online-only platform. KRDC also added a translator, 99.1 K256CX, which broadcasts from KRDC's transmitter in Irwindale. The children's radio/contemporary hit radio hybrid continued in the market on KRTH's HD2 subchannel until Entercom's deal with Radio Disney expired at the end of May 2018.[70]

On December 3, 2020, Disney announced that Radio Disney and Radio Disney Country would be shut down in the first quarter of 2021.[71][72] As part of the process, KRDC was put up for sale.[71]

Radio Disney Country ceased operations at noon on December 31, 2020, with the station switching back to the main Radio Disney feed until its shutdown; while the network was slated to shut down in the first quarter of 2021, the station's AM feed continued to play an automated playlist of songs from throughout Radio Disney’s history until April 14, 2021. The final song broadcast was Natasha Bedingfield's "Unwritten". The station’s feed was previously available on iHeartRadio until it was removed sometime in March 2021.

Following the end of the Radio Disney feed, KRDC simulcasted KSPN, the ESPN Radio affiliate for Los Angeles, pending a station sale. KRDC also served as an overflow station for several sports teams in the Los Angeles area. The station aired Los Angeles Lakers broadcasts in the event that KSPN aired a Los Angeles Rams game and Los Angeles FC matches when KSPN aired the Lakers, Rams, or Angels.[73] The station formerly aired Anaheim Ducks games in the event that KLAA broadcast a Los Angeles Angels game until the end of the 2021–22 NHL season; the following season, Ducks radio broadcasts moved to Ducks Stream, an online station available via TuneIn.[74]

On June 12, 2023, Disney filed to sell KRDC to Calvary Chapel Costa Mesa, owner of KWVE-FM and KSDW, for $5 million. The sale, which included KRDC's low-power FM translator in Pasadena, would complete Disney's exit from radio station ownership.[75][3]

KWVE (2023-Present)

In preparation for the impending closure of the sale to Calvary Chapel, The Walt Disney Company filed to change KRDC's callsign to KWVE on August 31, 2023.[76] On September 8, with the sale having closed, KRDC switched from sports to a simulcast of Christian talk and teaching-formatted KWVE-FM 107.9 San Clemente. The switch gives the KWVE-FM signal enhanced coverage in the northern and western sections of the Los Angeles metro area, as far north as Ventura County.[4] The main FM signal only operates at 530 watts, transmits from Santiago Peak near Rancho Santa Margarita and is directed away from the northwest, making it hard to hear in Los Angeles proper. The addition of the AM signal creates a strong combined signal with approximately 70 percent overlap. The change to the KWVE call sign took place on September 12.

Transmitter

In 1987, KRLA moved its transmitter site from South El Monte to Irwindale, where a similar antenna array was installed.[77] During the 1990s, KRLA was authorized to increase nighttime power from 10,000 to 20,000 watts. When the power increase went into effect, KRLA started broadcasting from the new transmitter site in Irwindale. This is a few miles north of the old El Monte site.[77]

The El Monte transmitter building still stands as a shell. The entire inside is burned out; however, there are still clues to its historic past, namely the first incarnation of its directional antenna arrays (four in-line 135-degree towers, one days, four nights), the second incarnation (four 135-degree towers in a parallelogram, days and a 90-, two 135-, and a 180-degree towers, nights), and the last incarnation, with seven total towers, four days and four nights, with one tower in common, days and nights). There are numerous ducts to keep the equipment cool and an underground channel to divert the cooling water for the transmitters. A well nearby supplied the water. Still visible is the wooden archway where the transmission cables gently bent toward underground conduits running to the transmission towers in the nearby field. All that remains of these towers are the concrete pylons, all aligned as described.

The present Irwindale site includes five 135-degree towers, two days and four nights, with one in common. The significantly northern location, relative to the old El Monte site, allows the large "Inland Empire" to be served with 50,000 watts and only two towers, not four, days, and the greater Los Angeles metro to be served with 20,000 watts and four towers, nights.

K256CX
Call signFrequencyCity of licenseFIDERP (W)HAATClassTransmitter coordinatesFCC info
K256CX 99.1 FMPasadena, California141730250−99 m (−325 ft)D34°06′50.0″N 117°59′53.2″WLMS

K256CX is a broadcast translator licensed to Pasadena. The transmitter is located in Irwindale. The station went on the air June 9, 2017, and rebroadcasts KWVE on 99.1 MHz.

History

The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) granted an original construction permit on December 6, 2013, to build an FM translator (K293BZ, now K256CX) licensed in Beaumont, California, and located in the 106.5 MHz frequency, which would rebroadcast KWVE-FM in San Clemente.[78][79]

On October 18, 2016, KDIS' licensee ABC Radio Los Angeles Assets agreed to acquire from the Calvary Chapel Costa Mesa the permit with the intention to rebroadcast the AM station for $45,000.[80][81][82] On November 8, the FCC, as part of the AM revitalization program, granted a modification to move the transmitter location to Irwindale (although the translator will maintain Beaumont as its license city) and change the frequency to 99.1.[83][84] The transaction was closed on February 7, 2017.[85]

Following the launch of K256CX and KDIS' switch to Radio Disney Country as KRDC on June 9, 2017, Mount Wilson FM Broadcasters, owner of existing country music station KKGO, said in a statement welcoming the station that the translator would mainly cover the San Gabriel Valley and that the FCC had also authorized another station on the 99.1 FM frequency in Long Beach.[86]

References
  1. "Facility Technical Data for KWVE". Licensing and Management System. Federal Communications Commission.
  2. "KWVE Facility Record". United States Federal Communications Commission, audio division.
  3. Keys, Matthew (June 13, 2023). ""Disney sells its final radio station for $5 million"". TheDesk.net. Retrieved June 13, 2023.
  4. Moore, Zachary (September 8, 2023). "KWAVE 107.9 FM Increases Broadcast Coverage With The Acquisition Of A New AM Station". KWAVE. Retrieved September 10, 2023.
  5. "FCC AM Query results for "KWVE"".
  6. "HD Radio Guide for Los Angeles". Archived from the original on October 21, 2014. Retrieved June 15, 2020.
  7. Staff, FCC Internet Services. "Station Search Details". FCC.gov. Retrieved March 18, 2017.
  8. "Radio Disney Begins Programming Shutdown". RadioInsight. January 1, 2021. Retrieved January 3, 2021.
  9. "KRLA Broadcast History". www.oldradio.com. Retrieved June 15, 2020.
  10. "Oldies 1110 KRLA". Geocities.com. Archived from the original on July 17, 2005. Retrieved June 17, 2009.
  11. "The Register through the years". oc register. November 25, 2005. Retrieved June 15, 2020.
  12. "Santa Ana Register Newspaper Archives, Aug 30, 1933, p. 16". NewspaperArchive.com. August 30, 1933. Retrieved June 15, 2020.
  13. "Orange County Register Information and History". October 14, 2009. Retrieved June 15, 2020.
  14. Hubbard, J. A. (2017). One Thing.
  15. "Santa Ana Register Newspaper Archives, Dec 15, 1931, p. 20". NewspaperArchive.com. December 15, 1931. Retrieved June 18, 2020.
  16. Sterling, Christopher H.; O'Dell, Cary (April 12, 2010). The Concise Encyclopedia of American Radio. Routledge. ISBN 9781135176846. Retrieved June 15, 2020 – via Google Books.
  17. "Clipped From Santa Ana Register". Santa Ana Register. November 28, 1930. p. 41. Retrieved June 18, 2020.
  18. Billboard. Nielsen Business Media, Inc. July 1, 1944.
  19. Commerce, United States Congress Senate Committee on Interstate (1944). Abandonment of Railroad Lines: Hearings, Seventy-eighth Congress, Second Session, on S. 1489, a Bill to Establish Additional Standards and to Declare the Policy of the Congress with Respect to the Abandonment of Railroad Lines. May 2-4, 1944. U.S. Government Printing Office.
  20. Norwood, D. (2009). The Lamplighter All Star Broadcasts-1945. IAJRC Journal, 42(4), 64.
  21. Simpson, K. (2009). HISTORIANS'CORNER: Country Radio's Growing Pains in the Music Trades, 1967-1977. American Music, 500-514.
  22. Ganzert, C. F. (1993). Platter chatter and the doughnut disker: Developments in radio disk jockey programming in the United States, 1946–1960. Journal of Radio Studies, 2(1), 151-171.
  23. Stockdell, R. P. (1983). The Evolution of the Country Radio Format. Journal of Popular Culture, 16(4), 144.
  24. Bernardo, Rosemarie (November 8, 2007). "'Checkers & Pogo' star lived for laughs". Honolulu Star-Bulletin. Hawaii, Honolulu. p. 3. Retrieved December 5, 2020 – via Newspapers.com.
  25. The Bob Wills air checks dating from January 1953 on KXLA are preserved on Bob Wills and His Texas Playboys, Harmony Park Airshots, January 1953 (Country Routes RFD C21, 1999);
  26. Hochman, Steve (November 16, 1998). "KRLA's Switch to Talk Will End Rock Era on AM Dial in L.A.; Radio Some are nostalgic about a station that retained family appeal to the end. Others say change is overdue". Los Angeles Times. p. F4.
  27. Earl 1991, p. 21.
  28. Earl 1991, p. 22.
  29. Earl 1991, p. 15.
  30. Earl 1991, p. 14.
  31. "脱毛サロンで受ける光脱毛はじわじわと". JimmyRabbitt.com. Retrieved March 18, 2017.
  32. Earl 1991, p. 19.
  33. Earl 1991, pp. 10–14.
  34. Earl 1991, p. 20.
  35. "Lew Irwin Sets Record Straight on Origins of 1110/KRLA Credibility Gap" (PDF). sakionline.net. July 15, 2010. Retrieved March 28, 2019.
  36. Deming, Mark. The Credibility Gap at AllMusic. Retrieved June 17, 2009.
  37. Earl 1991, p. 57.
  38. Gilliland, John (1969). "Show 1" (audio). Pop Chronicles. University of North Texas Libraries.
  39. "John Gilliland - Pop Chronicles: The Forties". SfradioMuseum.com. Archived from the original on July 16, 2011. Retrieved June 17, 2009.
  40. Earl 1991, p. 69.
  41. "Radio: KHJ made history itself by presenting 'The History of Rock and Roll' 50 years ago". Daily News. February 19, 2019. Retrieved June 18, 2020.
  42. "REELRADIO - The Norm Garr Collection!". www.reelradio.com. Retrieved June 18, 2020.
  43. Eubanks, Bob; Hansen, Matthew Scott, eds. (2004). It's in the Book, Bob!. Benbella Books. pp. 36–38. ISBN 1-932100-28-8.
  44. Earl 1991, p. 48.
  45. Garcia, M. (1999). The" Chicano" Dance Hall: Remapping Public Space in Post-World War II Greater Los Angeles. Counterpoints, 96, 317-341.
  46. Shelby, Maurice E. (1970). "The deletion of broadcast licenses by the federal communications commission". Central States Speech Journal. 21 (4): 231–241. doi:10.1080/10510977009363030.
  47. Utilities Law Reporter: Federal and State Regulation of Public Utilities. Commerce Clearing House. 1961.
  48. Found inside – Page 480 [FCC Refusal to Renew Liceme—Disqualification of Applicant] PER CURIAMZ Eleven Ten's application for renewal of Station ... The events leading to denial of KRLA's renewal application may be summarized as follows: On October 22, 1958, ...
  49. "Immaculate Conception Ch., L.A. v. F.C.C, 320 F.2d 795 | Casetext Search + Citator". casetext.com. Retrieved June 18, 2020.
  50. Kubernik, H., & Kubernik, K. (2011). perfect haze: The illustrated history of the Monterey International Pop Festival. Santa Monica Press.
  51. Fessier, Bruce. "Father of oldies Art Laboe returns to medium he owned". Desert Sun. Retrieved June 18, 2020.
  52. Leffingwell, R. D. (1983). Causes and indicators of commercial AM radio station failure: 1962-1976 (Doctoral dissertation, The Ohio State University).
  53. "Oldies 1110 KRLA". www.socalradiohistory.com. Retrieved June 15, 2020.
  54. "KRLA". Retrieved June 15, 2020.
  55. Levin, Gary (February 26, 1997). "CBS gets KLSX, KRLA". Variety.com. Retrieved March 18, 2017.
  56. Staff, FCC Internet Services. "Application Search Details". FCC.gov. Retrieved March 18, 2017.
  57. R&R from November 13, 1998, pages 1 and 23.
  58. Los Angeles Radio Guide from Summer 1998, page 1
  59. Best of www.laradio.com 1998, by Don Barrett. Valencia, CA: db Marketing, 1999.
  60. "KRDC Call Sign History". United States Federal Communications Commission, audio division.
  61. R&R From December 1, 2000, page 29
  62. CARNEY, STEVE (November 3, 2000). "Talk-Radio KRLA Will Become All-Sports". Retrieved March 18, 2017 – via LA Times.
  63. CARNEY, STEVE (January 5, 2001). "New Year Brings New Identity for KIEV". Retrieved March 18, 2017 – via LA Times.
  64. lisafybush (July 27, 2015). "2016 TOWER SITE CALENDAR". Fybush.com. Retrieved March 18, 2017.
  65. Staff, FCC Internet Services. "Application Search Details". FCC.gov. Retrieved March 18, 2017.
  66. Angels Shift Radio Stations - Los Angeles Times
  67. "Mediabase Announces Panel Changes". AllAccess.com. Retrieved March 18, 2017.
  68. Lafayette, Jon (August 13, 2014). "Exclusive: Radio Disney Moving Off Air to Digital". Retrieved August 13, 2014.
  69. "Radio Disney to Sell the Majority of Its Stations". Billboard. Retrieved August 13, 2014.
  70. Venta, Lance (June 9, 2017). "KDIS Flips To Radio Disney Country; Adds FM Translator". RadioInsight. Retrieved June 9, 2017.
  71. Porter, Rick (December 3, 2020). "Radio Disney Shutting Down Amid Restructuring". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved December 3, 2020.
  72. Low, Elaine (December 3, 2020). "Radio Disney, Radio Disney Country to End Operations in Early 2021". Variety. Retrieved December 4, 2020.
  73. LAFC. "Listen To LAFC - On The Radio | Los Angeles Football Club". LAFC. Retrieved June 6, 2021.
  74. "Ducks Set to Launch Audio Streaming Network Today: Ducks Stream". NHL.com. Retrieved October 14, 2022.
  75. Venta, Lance (June 12, 2023). "Disney Exits Radio With KRDC Sale". RadioInsight. Retrieved June 12, 2023.
  76. "Draft Copy « Licensing and Management System « FCC". enterpriseefiling.fcc.gov. Retrieved September 10, 2023.
  77. Mishkind, Barry. "KRLA Broadcast History". oldradio.com. Retrieved July 8, 2010.
  78. Staff, FCC Internet Services. "Application Search Details". FCC.gov. Retrieved March 18, 2017.
  79. Staff, FCC Internet Services. "Application View ... Redirecting". FCC.gov. Retrieved March 18, 2017.
  80. Staff, FCC Internet Services. "Application View ... Redirecting". FCC.gov. Retrieved March 18, 2017.
  81. "Disney Builds On-Ramp to FM With Translator Buy". InsideRadio.com. October 25, 2016. Retrieved March 18, 2017.
  82. Jacobson, Adam (October 25, 2016). "Radio Disney Gets A SoCal Translator - Radio & Television Business Report". RBR.com. Retrieved March 18, 2017.
  83. Staff, FCC Internet Services. "Application Search Details". FCC.gov. Retrieved March 18, 2017.
  84. Staff, FCC Internet Services. "Application View ... Redirecting". FCC.gov. Retrieved March 18, 2017.
  85. Staff, FCC Internet Services. "Application View ... Redirecting". FCC.gov. Retrieved March 18, 2017.
  86. "Radio Disney Country Expanding With Los Angeles Launch". All Access. June 9, 2017. Retrieved June 10, 2017.
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.