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|---|---|
| Broadcast area | Greater Los Angeles |
| Frequency | 1330kHz |
| Branding | Noticias & Deportes, 1330 AM |
| Programming | |
| Language | Spanish |
| Format | News/talk andsports radio |
| Affiliations | TUDN Radio |
| Ownership | |
| Owner |
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| History | |
First air date | March 22, 1922 (103 years ago) (1922-03-22) |
Former call signs |
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Former frequencies |
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Call sign meaning | Carried over from the former KWKW (1300 AM) in Pasadena; nowKAZN |
| Technical information[1] | |
Licensing authority | FCC |
| Facility ID | 38454 |
| Class | B |
| Power | 5,000 watts |
Transmitter coordinates | 34°01′10″N118°20′44″W / 34.01944°N 118.34556°W /34.01944; -118.34556 |
| Translator(s) | 100.7 K264CQ (Los Angeles) |
| Repeater(s) | 1220 KTMZ (Pomona) |
| Links | |
Public license information | |
| Webcast | Listen live |
| Website | www |
KWKW (1330AM) is aradio station inLos Angeles, California, United States, featuring anews/talk andsports format known asNoticias & Deportes, 1330 AM. Owned byLotus Communications, the station servicesGreater Los Angeles and much of surroundingSouthern California and, since September 2019, has been the Los Angelesaffiliate forUnivision'sTUDN Radio.[2] Having adopted the current sports format on October 1, 2005,[3] KWKW is the Spanish languageflagship station for multiple Los Angelesprofessional sports franchises including theRams,Lakers,Clippers,Kings,Angels and theLA Galaxy. KWKW itself is Southern California's oldest Spanish language radio station, having begun operations in 1941 at1430AM and licensed toPasadena and transferring to1300AM—also based in Pasadena—in 1950. KWKW's programming andcall sign moved to1330AM from1300AM in 1989 following Lotus' acquisition of the former and sale of the latter.
Historically, this station is perhaps best known asKFAC, one of the most visible commercialfine arts/classical music stations in the United States, and one of the first to have adopted the format on a full-time basis. For all but the final two years of their tenure with the format, KFAC boasted an airstaff with unprecedented stability and continuity including announcersCarl Princi andFred Crane, and possessed the largest classicalmusic library of its kindwest of the Mississippi. By the time of their sales and format changes in 1989, KFAC andFM adjunctKFAC-FM (92.3) were two of only 41 stations—out of 9,000 commercial U.S. radio stations in operation—that played classical music,[4] withThe New York Times eulogizing KFAC as "a staple of Los Angeles's cultural life for 58 years".[5] Launched by the antecedent ofBiola University in 1922, the current KWKW license also holds a distinction of being the oldest surviving radio station in the United States to have been built and signed on by a religious institution.
Since 2003, the studios for KWKW have been located in the Los AngelesHollywood Hills neighborhood, while the stationtransmitter is located in the nearbyCrenshaw District, shared withKABC (790AM) andKFOX (1650AM).[6] In addition to a standardanalog transmission, KWKW's programming is streamed online andrelayed over both low-power FMtranslator K264CQ (100.7FM) and full-powerPomona stationKTMZ (1220AM).
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TheBible Institute of Los Angeles signed on station KJS on March 22, 1922,[7] operating from their headquarters at Sixth and Hope Streets. Standing for "King Jesus Saves", KJS was the second religious broadcast station to have been established in the United States,[8] four months after theChurch of the Covenant establishedWDM inWashington, D.C.[9] and four months beforeJohn Wanamaker launchedWOO inPhiladelphia.[10] Not long after going on air, a 1,000-watt transmitter was scheduled to be put into service in October.[11] As KJS was one of fourteen radio stations in operation in the region, a complex time-share arrangement between all stations to operate at 360meters (830 kHz)[12] was established with preference given toKHJ,[13] itself recently established by theLos Angeles Times.[14] Consequently, KJS only operated for one hour on Sunday mornings, 45 minutes on Sunday evenings and 30 minutes on Wednesday nights at launch.[15] Programming primarily consisted of church services, including from the institute's affiliatedChurch of the Open Door,[16] though programs from other churches were also featured[17] along with live musical offerings.[15]Charles E. Fuller, who would later become board chairman of the Bible Institute and host ofThe Old Fashioned Revival Hour, began his radio career at KJS in 1924.[10]
In August 1925, the station changed its call letters to KTBI to identify the station with The Bible Institute.[7] KTBI's program director in 1927, Herbert G. Tovey, also conducted the institute's women's glee club; the Bible Institute offered a range of music courses to its students.[18] Programming continued to feature the Church of the Open Door, as well as devotionals and a "Jewish Radio Hour", in addition to a daily children's program,Aunt Martha's Children's Hour.[19] The station broadcast on a variety of frequencies—including830kHz,1020kHz (sharing time with KHJ),1040kHz[19] and1090kHz[17]—before receiving the1300kHz assignment inGeneral Order 40 reallocation.[20] KTBI moved to new studios in June 1928[21] alongside a power increase to1,000 watts.[22] General Order 40 paired the station with another religious outlet:KGEF, the station of controversial evangelistRobert P. Shuler and his Trinity Methodist Church.[23]
KTBI operated on a noncommercial basis. As a result, when theGreat Depression hit and donations fell, the station became unsustainable for the institute to operate. While oil magnateLyman Stewart helped found and finance construction of the institute,[24] he failed toendow it prior to his death, exacerbating their financial crisis.[25] Additionally, theFederal Radio Commission (FRC) informed the institute that it preferred religious programs be broadcast over commercially operated stations.[26] In 1931, the Bible Institute sold KTBI for $37,500 (equivalent to $775,356 in 2024) to the Los Angeles Broadcasting Company. Following a brief period of silence for technical repairs,[27] it relaunched as a commercial outlet on April 30 under the KFAC call sign;[28] the KFAC calls had themselves previously been used between 1922 and 1923 on a short-lived station inGlendale, California, owned by theGlendale Daily Press.[29] Along with the sale, the institute continued to have several programs broadcast over the new KFAC[7] and the time share with KGEF was to be maintained.[30]
A very visible reminder of KJS/KTBI's past existence would soon be constructed by the Bible Institute: two large red "Jesus Saves" neon signs on top of their headquarters next to the former transmission tower.[24][31] Removed after the building's 1988 demolition,[32] the sign was purchased byGene Scott and placed on theUnited Artists Theatre in Los Angeles' downtown (renamed "University Cathedral")[33] and later were moved to Glendale along with the ministry's headquarters.[34][35] A replica sign exists at the current Biola University campus inLa Mirada.[36]
The Los Angeles Broadcasting Company was headed up byErrett Lobban Cord, a manufacturer best known for theAuburn andCord automobile lines, and by O.R. "Ollie" Fuller, adairy farmer who owned the Los Angelesdealership for Auburn-Cord, Fuller Motors;[37] accordingly, KFAC stood for "Fuller-Auburn-Cord".[38] Cord and Fuller also had purchasedKFVD inCulver City, based atHal Roach Studios; both they and KFAC would remain at their original sites until both relocated to the Fuller Motors dealership inWilshire Center,[39] directly adjacent to theWilshire Community Church.[40] KFAC broadcast a live three-hour program on April 12, 1932, to celebrate the grand opening of the new studios, with on-air talent from competing stations as special guests.[41] As the studios were located in the dealership's fifth floorpenthouse,[39] largeradio towers were erected on the roof but were purely for display and advertisement purposes[40] as KFAC's actual transmitter site was moved to Los Angeles'Crestview neighborhood.[28] O.R. Fuller and his company went bankrupt prior to completion of the studios in 1932,[42] prompting Cord to acquire KFAC and KFVD outright.[37]
In the wake of theLindbergh kidnapping, theAssociated Press andLos Angeles Times ran stories on March 21, 1934, regarding a kidnapping threat made against E.L. Cord's children.[43] In response, Cord secretly fled with his immediate family to the United Kingdom, the news of his fleeing would not be made known until aNew York Times story that May 30, when a company associate only would say that Cord "would remain away for an indefinite period".[44][45] The full reason for this sudden action was never truly disclosed.[43] KFVD would be spun off to Standard Broadcasting Co. for $50,000 on July 15, 1936,[46][47] and moved out of the dealership two years later.[40] Cord divested his automotive holdings, which were merged into theAviation Corporation in 1933, to separate interests in 1937 for $2.5 million.[48]
Starting in 1932, KFAC began broadcasting unlimited time through a series of authorizations under special temporary authority; this arrangement became permanent in January 1933 when the FRCdeleted KGEF's license over Shuler's controversial views following a series of failed appeals.[49] This would soon extend to 24-hour broadcasting for KFAC starting on March 8, 1935, joiningKGFJ, which broadcast around the clock starting in 1927; both stations precededWNEW inNew York City, which started unlimited broadcasting that August 6.[50] Between 1933 and 1935, theLos Angeles Herald-Express was affiliated with KFAC, though it held no ownership interest; the alliance ended when the newspaper bought KTM inSanta Monica and KELW ofBurbank.[51] The station was almost forced to share its frequency again when, in January 1936, aFederal Communications Commission (FCC) hearing examiner approved an application by Los Angeles city councilmember and real estate operatorWill H. Kindig for a new shared-time station with KFAC (which would have been renewed for half-time only), saying the proposed Kindig station would increase media diversity in Los Angeles;[52] the FCC broadcast division, however, reversed the examiner's ruling that July.[53] When theNorth American Regional Broadcasting Agreement (NARBA) was enacted in 1941, KFAC moved to1330kHz.[54]
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Shortly after relaunching as KFAC, on July 30, 1931, an afternoonchildren's radio program titled the"Whoa Bill" Club debuted, hosted by Harry Jackson with the alternative rural titleThe Keeper of the Pig,[55] carrying over a show he had previously hosted for four years onKFWB.[56][57] Sponsored byBullock's department store,[58] the"Whoa Bill" Club aired every weekday afternoon at 5:30 p.m. for the next 20 years, and found lasting success when Nick Nelson took over as main emcee in 1941 under the name "Uncle Whoa Bill".[59] At its peak, theBullock's "Whoa Bill" Club boasted a membership of 50,000 fans—known as "Whoa Billers"—in 1944.[60] The show also broadcast live performances every Friday afternoon for alive studio audience of children under the age of 12,[58][59] Nelson himself also performed weekly puppet shows at Bullock's on Saturday afternoons.[59] Among the child actors who performed on the"Whoa Bill" Club,bobby soxerLouise Erickson found the most fame, having started her professional career at age seven, cast as a fairy princess.[61] Publicist/talent agent Aaron "Red" Doff, who managed the careers ofMickey Rooney,Doris Day,Liberace andFrankie Laine, also was a recurring child actor on the program.[62][63]
The station also carried games from theLos Angeles Angels of thePacific Coast League starting with the 1936 season, the majority of which would be recreations produced at their studios.[64] EntertainerBing Crosby hosted a half-hour "radio rally" over KFAC on November 21, 1937, to promote the upcomingLoyola-Gonzagacollege football matchup that included a musical performance by Crosby—aGonzaga alum—and an on-air debate between Crosby andTimes sports editorBill Henry.[65] KFAC would also debut a popular music program,Lucky Lager Dance Time, on August 1, 1941;[66] hosted by Ira Cook, the late-evening program would later be regarded as one of the firstrecord chart programs of its kind,[67] and even featured conductorLeopold Stokowski as a guest host once.[68]
KFAC would prove to be a springboard for entertainers and performers. Legendary broadcasterStan Chambers began his career in 1937 as an actor for a weekly children's program produced by one of his teachers atSt. Brendan School, visiting the station repeatedly.[64]John Conte started his career in show business as an announcer at KFAC for two years.[69] Barbara Eiler was cast for a KFAC show portraying famous actresses in their teens after being approached by a high school classmate asking if she wanted to act on the radio;[70] thatsustaining program led to supporting roles inThe Life of Riley andA Day in the Life of Dennis Day, along with various film and television roles.[71] Following a broadcast of theRadio Chautauqua Show in 1936, the station received a phone call fromEddie Cantor inquiring about one of the young girls who performed on the program;Deanna Durbin would become a part of Cantor's radio show and later, a movie star signed to Universal Studios.[72]
We open with an overture so people can finish their dishes and sit down in time to catch the symphony. Do you realize that a conductor programs five concerts a year while I have to do six a week? Multiply that by fifty-two and see what you get!
While KFAC later regarded January 15, 1938, as their "birthdate" in the station's 1978 "40th Anniversary" program guide—which was in reality the birthday of then-general manager George Fritzinger[74]—the station began playing recordedclassical music on a set schedule with the launch ofConcert Hall on October 14, 1935, a daily program narrated by P. Alfred Leonard.[75] Leonard had been hired as KFAC's "director ofsymphonic music" and promised in aTimes interview to lift the station's musical standards with shows devoted tomusic appreciation.[76] Through the remainder of the 1930s, and indeed on that aforementioned 1938 date, KFAC's program lineup was a mixture ofConcert Hall, live and recorded music,Times newscasts, sporting events, the"Whoa Bill" Club and scripted fare.[77]
Their first regularly-scheduled long-form classical music program,The Gas Company Evening Concert, debuted on October 1, 1940, and aired six nights a week, Sundays excluded.[78][79] Having been encouraged by his wife to enter radio broadcasting,[73] Thomas Cassidy joined the station fromKIDO inBoise, Idaho, in December 1943 as the host ofEvening Concert,[80] a role he would maintain for the next 43 years.[81] Cassidy would become so closely associated with the program that his obituary erroneously regarded his joining the station as whenEvening Concert began.[82] KFAC and The Gas Company eventually expandedEvening Concert's reach via regionalsyndication to bothRiverside'sKPRO (1440AM) on January 1, 1958,[83] andSanta Barbara'sKDB (1490AM) by June 1963.[84]
During this transitional period,Steve Allen was hired as an overnight announcer on KFAC in 1943, having been recommended for the job byMadelyn Pugh Davis, who heard him perform onKOY (550AM) inPhoenix.[85][86] Allen lasted at the station for only six months in part due to not following directives and his humorous tone not fitting the station's classical selections,[72] but soon landed at KHJ co-hostingSmile Time with Wendell Noble over theDon Lee Network.[87] That program, and a future late-night variety program on theCBS Radio Network, would be precursors to his tenure asthe first host ofNBC'sThe Tonight Show franchise.[88]
The success ofEvening Concert, as well asMusical Masterpieces, another program hosted by Cassidy,[80][89] facilitated the station's evolution into a full-time classical music outlet. Harry Mitchell, a former announcer at theHollywood Palladium, was appointed as program director on July 6, 1944, and pledged to have the station place a greater emphasis on live programming.[90] E.L. Cord allegedly toured the studios one day in 1945 and recognized the substantial investments KFAC had made in classical recordings, finalizing the evolution.[91] While very much still a commercial station, Cord continued to operate KFAC mostly as a personal hobby despite not knowing much about the classical music genre;[92] his own personal tastes and expectations were eventually reflected in the station's on-air presentation that persisted for decades.[93]
In hectic prewar days when all four network stations were pounding away with chain programs and a dozen locals yacked away all day long between run-of-the-mill records and canned news . . . KFAC raised an eyebrow, cocked an ear, cleared its throat and announced to one and all its now nationally known basic programming policy . . . it proved that it pays to be different and that there's a big exclusive audience for good music . . . and so, KFAC became the Music Station for Southern California, and it still is.
KFAC also was in the process of slowly assembling an airstaff that had an unprecedented level of continuity.Fred Crane, an actor most famous for his supporting role as Brent Tarleton inGone with the Wind,[93] was hired as a part-time announcer while still continuing to perform on film and television; Fred's position became full-time in the early 1960s.[95] Tom Dixon and Dick Crawford notably were hired on the same date in 1947. Dixon—anEdmonton native who joined the station after simultaneous work at KHJ,KNX (1070AM) andKMPC (710AM) emceeing multiple programs, includingThe Billie Burke Show[96]—served as afternoon announcer for nearly 39 years,[97] while Crawford primarily worked on weekends.[89]
Carl Princi joined the station in 1953 after freelance work atKMGM-FM[98] and a short stint as abilingual presenter atKWKW (1300AM).[99] While at KWKW, that station's general manager referred Princi to KFAC's general manager in hopes of securing full-time work; KFAC host Mark Breneman unexpectedly died the day after Princi's job interview, prompting the station to hire him.[100] Referring to himself as "the newest of the old timers",[89] when Princi was interviewed byHamilton Radio Quarterly in 1976 about his longevity, he replied that "he'donly been there 23 years."[101] Princi hostedThe World of Opera every weekday afternoon throughout his entire tenure with the station and conducted most of the station interviews with musicians.[99] Bill Carlson also joined KFAC in 1953 as host of theNoontime Concert,[89] which he presided over for the next 30 years.[102] This core group of Cassidy, Crane, Dixon, Crawford, Princi, and Carlson was fundamentally unchanged between 1953 and 1983.[103]
Pacific Coast League baseball broadcasts,Lucky Lager Dance Time andUncle Whoa Bill were among the last remaining non-classical programs to remain on the schedule; the baseball games at times wound up delaying the start time forEvening Concert by as much as two hours before being dropped at the end of the 1945 season.[72] Ira Cook began working for both KFAC and KMPC, and evenKSL inSalt Lake City,[104] in similar capacities beforeLucky Lager Dance Time was cancelled at the end of 1948,[68][105] Cook would continue the show, itself later supervised byBill Gavin,[66][106] at KMPC. Meanwhile,Uncle Whoa Bill—whom Thomas Cassidy's son was a fan of[73]—lasted up to September 14, 1951, when it was quietly dropped from the lineup;[107]Viennese Varieties, sponsored by Baker Boy Bakeries and hosted by Dick Crawford, replaced it the following Monday.[108]Uncle Whoa Bill host Nick Nelson would subsequently joinKTTV as the emcee ofMister Whistle, airing at the same time period on Sunday afternoons.[109]
Howard Rhines was hired away from KMPC in 1949 to become KFAC's program director.[110] Under Rhines' oversight, KFAC continued to place a heavy emphasis on sustained programming likeEvening Concert and forbade the use ofcommercial jingles on-air, explaining toBillboard that "you can't go out ofBeethoven and into a rhythmic jingle."[111] In addition, all seven staff announcers—including Rhines—were now required to befluent in at least four distinct languages.[112] KFAC also hired veteran radio announcer/actorDick Joy as their news director in 1951, handling all newscasts in the morning and some in the early afternoon[113][114] until 1967.
KFAC signed on an FM adjunct,KFAC-FM, on December 29, 1948, at104.3MHz.[115] The FM antenna was initially placed at the AM transmitter site, which had moved to theCrenshaw district in 1947[116] along with a power increase for the AM station to5,000 watts; this site is still in use today by KWKW, as well asKABC andKFOX.[28] KFAC started carrying live concerts from theHollywood Bowl amphitheater in 1952 as part ofEvening Concert. The station pioneered an early form of stereo broadcasting by having two microphones placed on different sides of the venue, with the audio separately fed to the AM and FM stations. Advertisements placed by The Gas Company encouragedEvening Concert listeners at home who had two radios were instructed to place them seven to twelve feet apart, with one tuned to KFAC-FM and the other tuned to KFAC.[117]
The first such broadcast in 1953 had mixed reviews due to KFAC-FM's relatively weak signal strength; an opinion column in theRedlands Daily Facts concluded their review by publicly advocating for KFAC-FM's antenna to be moved toMount Wilson alongside the TV stations.[118] KFAC-FM would do just that, filing paperwork with the FCC in March 1954 to move the antenna to Mount Wilson and shifting frequencies from104.3MHz to92.3MHz,[116] increasing the potential audience by 1.5 million people and the overall coverage area from 720 square miles to 8,300 square miles.[119] While the facility changes took place a few days prior, it was formally dedicated as part of another pseudo-stereo broadcast from the Bowl on July 15, 1954.[117] As KFAC-FM moved to Mount Wilson prior to the FCC enacting limits for power output by FM stations in 1962, it is formally classified as a "superpower" FM by operating at a maximum power level, but with the antenna being placed well above the height limit.[120]
Both KFAC and KFAC-FM would move out of the Fuller Motors dealership penthouse to new studios at the Prudential Square in theMiracle Mile district,[121] now known as SAG-AFTRA Plaza.[122] An advertisement taken out by KFAC inBroadcasting Magazine celebrating the studio move also boasted that they now held a library of music recordings that weighed over 28 tons, enough to ensure that the stations could be programmed for a full year without any duplication.[94] The studio move was completed in April 1953 when KFAC general manager Calvin Smith,Los Angeles MayorFletcher Bowron andPrudential Insurance vice president Harry Volk participated in a ceremonialsoldering ceremony; KFAC experienced no loss of air time in the process.[123]
As KFAC solidified its reputation and format as a classical music outlet, it also set out to remove some of the few remaining deviations from its format. On February 15, 1957, it notified the First Methodist Church of Los Angeles, which paid commercial rates to broadcast its Sunday morning service over KFAC, that it would terminate the agreement.[124] First Methodist claimed to have the oldest church service broadcasts in America, which were first made in 1923.[125] KFAC carried First Methodist's morning and evening services beginning in 1942;[126] in 1951, the station had removed the evening service from its schedule.[127] After First Methodist asked the FCC for a hearing into the issue, claiming that the cancellation affected the station's commitment at its last license renewal to carry 1.79 percent religious programming, the commission denied the request in May.[128] With the petition denied, the church began airing its services overKPOL.[125]
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The two stations would remain in E.L. Cord's name until August 1962, when he would sell them to Cleveland Broadcasting Incorporated, headed by formerCleveland, OhiomayorRay T. Miller, for a combined $2 million (equivalent to $20.8 million in 2024). Miller also ownedWLEC andWLEC-FM inSandusky, Ohio, and had foundedWERE andWERE-FM in Cleveland, and pledged to maintain KFAC's classical format.[129] TheLos Angeles Times would later write of Cord's ownership, "What seems indisputable is that Cord oversaw the station like a benevolent, disinterested patriarch."[92][130] The pseudo-stereo broadcasts over KFAC and KFAC-FM continued until KFAC-FM converted tostereophonic sound in 1964, at one point, those broadcasts were offered for 12 hours each week.[131] General manager Ed Stevens regarded the $20,000 investment in FM multiplexing as a "big bonanza" for the radio and recording industries, pledging to increase KFAC-FM's stereo output over time;Evening Concert was cited as a program that would be unable to see such a complete stereo conversion due to the volume of titles for that show valued for their initial mono pressings.[132] By 1971, the last remaining program devoted to selections from their original78 rpm phonograph record collection,Collector's Shelf, was dropped from the schedule.[133]
KFAC at this time boasted weekly concert broadcasts by theHollywood Bowl Symphony and theLos Angeles Philharmonic, in addition to concert series from the Los Angeles Symphonies' high school and theLos Angeles Art Museum.[131] Another long-running weekday program,Luncheon at the Music Center, debuted in 1965. Taking place every weekday at theLos Angeles Music Center's Pavilion Restaurant, Thomas Cassidy was the program's original host, primarily interviewing classical music artists.[82] Martin Workman became a substitute host in 1973 and succeeded Cassidy as host in 1976,[89] broadening the show's focus to include opera, ballet, operetta and theater.[134]
You take (a listener to KFAC) who listens to Brahms or Beethoven and enjoys it thoroughly because it's great romantic music, but he'll hear modern music and he'll be up in arms. I have letters here that are driving me out of my mind because people are accusing us of spending most of our time playing modern classical music, which isn't true but that's the way they see it. So it's ugly. To them it's ugly; to us it's beautiful.
Ray T. Miller died on July 13, 1966.[135] One of his sons, Robert Miller, divested his stake in Cleveland Broadcasting Incorporated in April 1968 into anirrevocable trust when he acquiredWDBN inMedina, Ohio—but served both the Cleveland andAkron markets—for $1 million, then a record valuation for a full-power FM signal.[136] The following month, Atlantic States Industries (ASI), a subsidiary of McGavren-Guild Radio, purchased the company for a combined $9 million (equivalent to $81.4 million in 2024).[137] Due to ASI already owning five AM stations and one FM station, and because of an interim policy/proposed rule by the FCC prohibiting the purchase of an AM and FM station in the same market—the "one-to-a-customer" policy—KFAC and KFAC-FM would need a waiver in order to be exempted. Both stations purchased two full-page ads in theLos Angeles Times on January 19 and 23, 1969, soliciting listeners to write to KFAC in support of a waiver, claiming that if both stations were separated—even with a forced adoption of separate programming via theFM Non-Duplication Rule[138]—the format would be rendered unsustainable.[139] Approximately 3,000 people sent letters to KFAC in the first few days;[140] by February 9, a total of 15,000 letters were sent in support, including 500 letters fromSan Bernardino County alone. KFAC then forwarded the letters to the FCC.[138]
The waiver for KFAC and KFAC-FM was ultimately granted by the commission, and the deal was approved on October 29, 1969, on the condition that WERE-FM would be sold "as soon as practicable";[141] WERE-FM and the Sandusky stations had already been ordered for divestiture instead of either KFAC or KFAC-FM earlier in the process.[142] After initial deals for all three fell through,[143] the Sandusky stations were spun off to a separate entity run by another son of Raymond Miller.[144][145]General Cinema Corporation acquired WERE-FM in May 1970 for $525,000.[146]
Despite the arguments presented to the FCC that separate program lineups and philosophies on KFAC and KFAC-FM would be unworkable, the full-time simulcast ended in 1970 with the FM station programmed separately for 18 hours a day; both stations also eschewed "semi-classical" programming in favor of more serious works.[147] Another noticeable change was the adoption of clustered commercial breaks and on-air identifications similar to theTop 40 format, which was claimed to help increase the amount of music the stations could play.[148] The stations also established theKFAC Listeners' Guild in 1970 supported by an annual $3 membership fee, allowing listeners to provide direct feedback to the station and its operations.[149] TheGuild boasted over 11,000 paid members within the first year.[133][150]
On January 17, 1972,[151] under newly installed program director Bernie Alan,[152] the AM station took a more "popular" approach to music selections, playing familiar tunes and melodies with the aim of attracting younger listeners, while KFAC-FM took a more serious approach via a deeper playlist and broader spectrum of selections.[153] Both stations continued to simulcast core programming likeEvening Concert,Luncheon at the Lincoln Center, andContinental Classics.[154] All of these changes were not without controversy as a group of listeners filed challenges to KFAC's licenses with the FCC over the newly instituted programming policies.[130] The station settled the dispute by November 1972 by resuming publication of a program guide, seeking to tone down commercials, increasing the variety of selections aired on the AM frequency[155] and ultimately relieving Bernie Alan of his programming duties.[156]
Clyde Allen, Ph.D. served as KFAC's music director for 14 years[157] in addition to being the music director for theLos Angeles Ballet upon their 1974 formation.[158] Allen wrote and produced multiple documentaries, including a 12-hour KFAC retrospective that aired over both stations on January 14, 1979. Billed as celebrating "40 years of classical music programming," with an assortment of interviews,airchecks from past programs and other archival material, it was a largelyapocryphal marketing promotion.[68] After moving studios from Prudential Square to the former Villa Capri restaurant onHollywood's Yucca Street in 1982,[93][159] KFAC unveiled a large mural painted by Thomas Surlyz outside of the station building on Christmas Day, 1983, showing their long-tenured airstaff cavorting with their respective favorite historical composers.[103]
The station formallybroke the glass ceiling in May 1985 with actress Lynne Warfel's hiring as the station's first female staff announcer; Carl Princi explained he had to wait several years for a job opening among the heavily tenured all-male staff.[160] Despite this distinction, Nicola Lubitsch—daughter of movie directorErnst Lubitsch—had an on-air tryout to be a regular station announcer, with later press accounts erroneously attributing her as the first female announcer,[161] but management opted to hire Warfel.[162] Moreover, Leonora Schildkraut had been the first female to host a regularly scheduled program over KFAC in 1972 with the youth-orientedThrough the Looking Glass.[163] Co-produced by theLos Angeles Board of Education for additional use within the city's school district,[164] this weekly show won KFAC its lonePeabody Award in 1974.[165]Gertrude "Gussie" Moran also began a short-lived daily sportscast over KFAC on May 8, 1972, becoming the second female radio sportscaster in the city after KNX'sJane Chastain.[166]
KFAC would continue to develop different specialty shows.Global Village debuted in 1971 and aired for two hours every Friday night; developed by Dennis Parnell, it was a "mosaic program concept" that included selections ofany type of music, along with poetry and other readings.[167] After Dennis Parnell left the station,KCSN host Doug Ordunio assumed several of Parnell's duties, taking overGlobal Village's production and provided the impetus for other shows.[168] Those shows included:Soundscape, simulcast over both stations, with no set format but the intent to display similarities between different music styles, along with discussions over the selections by Fred Crane;[168]At Home With, featuring interviews recorded at the homes of classical musical celebrities who lived in Southern California;[91]The Circular Path, a set of five four-hour specials surrounding music concepts and forms which would eventually repeat themselves; andMaking Waves, a weekly program ofnew-age music.Soundscape replaced a self-titled show hosted bySkip Weshner that ran from 1973 to 1979,[89][168] Weshner would return to the station in 1983 to host the show again for one additional year.[169] Ordunio also became a staff announcer in 1981 hostingArtsline, a daily call-intalk show devoted to the arts that aired exclusively on the AM frequency.[170]
Because publicity is rather obscure in our pursuit of broadcasting the classics--we are not, after all, your typical day-to-day hot copy--we felt more or less like anonymous creatures. I have actually received more recognition by being fired than at almost any other time in my career. I had no idea that so many people considered me a part of their daily lives.
Classic Communications, Inc., a group of investors headed by Louise Heifetz—the daughter-in-law ofviolinvirtuosoJascha Heifetz[93]—purchased the two stations from ASI on April 8, 1986, for $33.5 million (equivalent to $96.1 million in 2024);[171] KFAC executive vice president/sales manager Edward Argow was also a part of the group and was namedchief operating officer.[172] At age 57, Ralph Guild, the head of ASI, thought it was time to sell KFAC.[171] When the sale closed on December 17, program director Carl Princi announced his departure effective January 1, 1987,KUSC executive Robert Goldfarb was appointed as his replacement; while Heifetz did mention some program changes would take place, she denied KFAC would change format.[173] In a shocking move, however, Princi, Tom Dixon, Fred Crane, Martin Workman, Doug Ordunio and A. James Liska were all fired outright on December 31, 1986, along with most of the engineering staff.[93][174] Dixon notably was dismissed in the middle of his airshift, while Workman was fired immediately after his show ended;The Gas Company Evening Concert was the lone show retained on the schedule due to being a sponsored program under a separate contract.[175]Evening Concert host Thomas Cassidy himself retired from full-time duties on February 7.[81]
In retrospect, the multi-decade tenure of Crane and Dixon and Princi must stand as one of the airwaves' major miracles. And that's just the point. These men deserve a better fate... all that's missing here is a simple show of respect. Not just for the announcers who've lost their jobs, but for the thousands of listeners who feel they've lost some old friends.
Robert Goldfarb publicly re-positioned KFAC as "100% classical", eschewing jazz selections and Broadway show tunes, with a younger airstaff consisting of Mary Fain fromSeattle'sKING-FM, KUSC announcer Rich Capparela, KFAC part-timer John Santana,[177] returning staffer Bernie Alan[93][174] andMartin Perlich.[178] KFAC also cancelledAdventures in Good Music[93] and dropped theirMutual Broadcasting System affiliation.[175]Jeff Pollack, a programming consultant famously associated withalbum-oriented rock stations, signed a contract to consult KFAC.[174] Heifetz and Argow defended the moves by saying that KFAC's programming scope needed to be broadened in order to attract younger listeners and improve perennially lowArbitron ratings, and the tenured airstaff just didn't fit their plans.[93] One month later,KMET's entire airstaff was dismissed and format changed outright due to declining ratings of their own, echoing Heifetz and Argow's rationale.[81] This was still a major departure from prior ASI management who regarded KFAC's audience as wealthy, educated and attractive to loyalhigh-end advertisers, a belief supported by the fact KFAC never operated with a financial loss.[93]
The firings and programming adjustments were met with a generally negative response from the public and dismay among the fired personnel. A commentary piece for theLos Angeles Times by Marc Shulgold noted how he had an "unsettling experience" while listening to the revamped format and concluded by saying the fired air talent and their listeners all deserved a better fate.[176] For their part, Carl Princi, Tom Dixon and Fred Crane all told theTimes that Heifetz, Goldfarb and Argow badly misjudged the station's audience and predicted that KFAC's ratings and revenue would suffer as a result, while Dixon noted the outpouring of support from listeners upset at his removal far exceeded the recognition he received at any other point in his career.[93] The dismissed announcers would subsequently file anage-discriminationlawsuit against KFAC and prevailed in court.[95]
KFAC and KFAC-FM were sold in two separate deals for a combined $63.7 million. After being put on the market in April 1988,[179] KFAC was sold toLotus Communications for $8.7 million (equivalent to $23.1 million in 2024) on July 15.[180][181] Just before that deal closed on January 17, 1989, KFAC-FM was subsequently sold to Evergreen Media for $55 million (equivalent to $140 million in 2024).[182] The FM alone set a record for the most expensive sale of a classical music outlet in the United States.[183] At the end, just five percent of KFAC-AM-FM's combined total audience listened to the AM frequency, which is why it was sold off first;[184] even though KFAC-FM was not on the market, the offer made by Evergreen was high enough that it prompted Classic Communications to consider selling.[183]
Immediately, the news of the KFAC-FM sale in particular raised alarms from industry experts that the station was about to exit the classical format. While Evergreen head Scott Ginsberg initially toldRadio & Records that the station's format would remain in place,[185]American Radio publisher James Duncan Jr. warned, "Classical radio stations are not in vogue. What's in vogue is FM stations in Los Angeles", saying that Evergreen would have no choice but to change formats in order to make the revenue needed to pay the debt service incurred in acquiring KFAC-FM.[183] After months of speculation, Evergreen donated the music library from both stations, estimated at 50,000 recordings, toKUSC, along with a $35,000 check;[186]Stanford University and theLos Angeles Public Library acquired KFAC'scompact disc library, the majority of titles KUSC already held.[187] KUSC also acquired the programming rights to thePhiladelphia Orchestra and theTexaco Metropolitan Opera broadcasts.[186]
While it is too late to save KFAC, I believe that we should be able to draw a lesson from this passing, and turn this event into something good. I know that there are some who would say, "well, what's the big deal? We've got bigger problems to deal with!" And to people like that, and if you're thinking that way, I say this: if you want to make this country a better place to live in...you can start with nothing more important than the arts. Now, I'm not just talking here about classical music... literature, architecture, dance: the humanities. The humanities and a study of things greater than themselves is the most important way to impress people–especially young people!–of their place. Of their worth.
KFAC's demise was seen as the end of an era in Los Angeles. In July,KPFK held a two-hour program that served as an "early wake" for KFAC, during which 20 listeners called into the station.[189]KCRW presented a three-hour documentary—titled "KFAC: Requiem for a Radio Station"—hosted by Nicola Lubitsch with appearances from Fred Crane, Carl Princi, Thomas Cassidy and Tom Dixon, and a look back at KFAC's history.[161] TheLos Angeles Timeseditorial board mused on the pending switch, noting the dubious distinction of Los Angeles becoming the only major American city without a commercial classical music radio station, and advocated for another station in the market to adopt the format.[190]Mount Wilson FM Broadcasters'KKGO-FM had already announced the adoption of classical programming during the daytime starting in January 1990,[177][157] with its existingjazz format being transferred toKKGO (540AM).[191] Mount Wilson chairman Saul Levine expressed interest in acquiring the entire KFAC music library, but abandoned the offer when presented with a $1 million asking price; newly appointed general manager Jim de Castro—who joined the station in March from Evergreen'sChicago outletWLUP[192] and presided over the station's music library donations—denied seeking that amount, but that two appraisers valued the collection at upwards of $1.8 million.[187]
Meanwhile, new ownership capitalized on the attention to begin teasing 92.3's next format. The station carried part of aRolling Stones press conference in Los Angeles in mid-July,[157][191] and in August, it paid for a billboard onSunset Boulevard reading, "Pirate Radio,KLSX,KLOS: Get Ready to Move Over and Let the Big Dogs Eat!"[193] While published reports speculated that the station was to call itself "KBDE" as an acronym for "Big Dogs Eat",[192] James de Castro admitted toRadio & Records that the Sunset Boulevard billboard installation only came about after he won a bet playing golf, providing him (and Evergreen) full use of it for a full month.[194] The earlier warnings posited by James Duncan Jr. and the dismissed KFAC personnel would become prophetic, as de Castro toldThe New York Times that KFAC suffered a significant decline in advertising revenue that rendered the format economically impossible to continue.[5] Evergreen hired Liz Kiley fromKOST as program director for the replacement format; despite her background inadult contemporary andcontemporary hit radio, Kiley ordered for the station severalAOR-related syndicated radio specials.[195] De Castro also expressed surprise in aLos Angeles Times interview that no organized effort to challenge the format change ever materialized, even as the station received a steady amount of protest letters and phone calls.[186]
While the station had prepared a final schedule of music programming for the entire month of September 1989, the switch ended up occurring mid-month, as had been anticipated. That schedule for the last two days of the month was to have included, at the end of every air shift,Haydn's "Farewell" Symphony.[196] The soon-to-be-dismissed airstaff made pointed references on-air to the station's demise in the days leading up to it; Rich Capparela compared it to anexecution by firing squad before reading a weather forecast, while after playingTchaikovsky'sSymphony No. 6, Mary Fain said that the piece was "composed just a few months before his death, and played just a few hours before ours at KFAC."[5] The classical music station in San Diego,KFSD, ran advertising on KFAC promoting itself as "classical music for San Diego—and now for Orange County".[197] At the same time, Evergreen took out local ads onL.A. Law, the1989 MTV Movie Awards, andThe Arsenio Hall Show that teased the new station.[192]
At noon on September 20, 1989, KUSC, which had also placed advertising for its classical offerings on KFAC in the final days, simulcast the final hour of KFAC's classical programming.[186] This included Jim de Castro ceremoniously "passing a baton" to KUSC general manager Wallace Smith,[192] followed by a farewell message from Rich Capparela, who would rejoin KUSC's airstaff; the hour concluded with KFAC-FM's final classical selection—the "Farewell" Symphony[186]—and a moment of silence led by de Castro.[188] At 1 p.m., after 60 seconds of silence, the FM station beganstunting with heartbeat sounds, interspersed with brief snippets of rock songs,[192] ahead of the debut ofKKBT "The Beat" the next day.[198] The mural of KFAC's core airstaff outside of the Villa Capri studios was eventually painted over[192] and an outdoor "wall of fame" ofbrass plaques honoring classical musiccomposers was supplanted by a series of plaques honoringcontemporary music artists.[186]
The KFAC call letters, which were also donated to KUSC,[187] were placed on one of theirrepeater stations inSanta Barbara from 1991 to 2004;[199] that station is now KCRW repeaterKDRW.
In contrast to the FM, the AM station would have a more straightforward fate. In order to facilitate their acquisition of KFAC and comply with then-existing FCC regulations, Lotus divested their existing Los Angeles AM property,KWKW (1300AM) inPasadena, to NetworksAmerica—headed by former KFAC station manager George Fritzinger—for $4.5 million (equivalent to $12 million in 2024);[180] paperwork filed with the FCC showed Classic Communications purchasing KWKW from Lotus for the same dollar amount then acting as the seller.[181] Lotus retained the KWKW call letters,all on and off-air personnel, programming, and history; the previous KWKW, owned by Lotus since 1962, was Southern California's oldest Spanish-language outlet, which had been broadcasting since 1941[201] and operated on the1300AM facility since 1950 following a similar asset/license swap.[202] KWKW had been owned by Lotus since 1962 and was the first station to be purchased by the nascent broadcast chain.[203]
On January 14, 1989, KFAC's call letters were changed to KWKW, and the programming heard on the previous KWKW effectively "moved" from 1300 to 1330, representing a coverage boost improving reception in theSan Fernando Valley.[184] In the process, a British comedy program known asCynic's Choice hosted byBrian Clewer, which had aired only on the AM frequency since 1971, was displaced.[184][204] NetworksAmerica concurrently changed the former KWKW's call letters toKAZN and relaunched it as an Asian radio station—the first such radio station to operate in the Los Angeles area.[184][205] With the switch to1330AM, KWKW expanded its focus onregional Mexican music (includingmariachi andbanda), calling itself "La Mexicana". It also brought with it its sports coverage, which included Spanish-language broadcasts of theLos Angeles Dodgers andLos Angeles Raiders.[206] Dodgers broadcasts were headed up byplay-by-play announcerJaime Jarrín, a position he has held continuously sincethe 1959 season;[200] Jarrín began working at KWKW in 1955 as a news reporter.[207] The station was further recognized by theNational Association of Broadcasters as 1992's Spanish-language station of the year during their annualMarconi Radio Awards.[201] That same year, Jim Kalmenson of Lotus attributed the success of KWKW to an audience that preferred tradition over change and needed a source of community information.[208]
In 1994, new program director Alberto Vera shuffled the station's lineup, leading to the resignations of several members of the air staff and protests from listeners; Vera sought to make the station better for family listening and reduce the number ofdouble entendres heard on the air.[209] KWKW experimented with atalk format in 1995 but could not fully commit to it because of contracts relating to the hosts of its music-driven shows.[210] On August 11, 1997, KWKW left its regional Mexican music format and became just the second Spanish-language all-talk station in the United States (KTNQ was the first).[210] It was the only Spanish-language radio station in the United States to send a crew to cover the 1998 visit ofPope John Paul II to Cuba.[201] In 2000,Arbitron surveys showed its listenership included the oldest and wealthiest Spanish speakers in the area; its programming, in addition to the Dodgers, included a live call-in show on immigration topics (Inmigración 1330) and hourly newscasts covering Mexican and Central American news.[201] In 1996, the station became the Spanish-language flagship of theLos Angeles Lakers inKobe Bryant's rookie season, timing that was credited with helping the Lakers cement themselves as the most important sports franchise in the Los Angeles Hispanic market.[211]
Lotus acquired KWPA (1220AM), a 250-watt station inPomona, fromMulticultural Broadcasting in 1999 for $750,000 (equivalent to $1.42 million in 2024).[212] Lotus renamed itKWKU and converted it to a simulcast of KWKW's sports programming improving reception in Pomona andOntario, in addition to serving as an overflow station for KWKW sports coverage; KWKU also exclusively carried broadcasts of theLos Angeles Sparks of theWNBA. The KWKU nominal main studio in Pomona would prove critical to getting KWKW back on the air on December 6, 2001, when a major fire at the Sunset Vine Tower, home to the Lotus cluster, caused extensive electrical damage to the building, which was deemed unsafe by fire officials. 105 computers, mixers and other equipment were carted out of the building, and John Cooper, the chief engineer for Lotus Los Angeles, drove them to Pomona, where the station was back on the air in six hours.[213] As a result of the extensive damage, Lotus relocated temporarily to the recently vacated KTNQ studios and later purchased a building nearUniversal Studios Hollywood to be fitted out for its operation.[213]
In 2003, Armando Aguayo—today one of the radio voices ofLos Angeles FC, heard in Spanish on KWKW's sister stationKFWB—got his start in the market on KWKW.[214]
I'm excited (about the Dodgers' new radio contract)... it's fantastic. But I was with KWKW for 51 years and a little bit of my heart will always be with KWKW.
On October 1, 2005, KWKW went full-time as a Spanish-languagesports station, the flagship of a new radio network,ESPN Deportes Radio.[3] At the time, the station also carriedChivas USA games.[215] However, the station's relationship with the Dodgers—which had been on KWKW from 1958 to 1972 and then again beginning in 1986—ended after the 2007 season, when the franchise, citing its dislike of soccer preemptions that could have happened under the station's new deal to carryLA Galaxy games, opted to sign withKHJ.[200] The Galaxy deal was arranged afterDavid Beckham signed a landmark contract with theMLS club, boosting the club and leagues' visibility on an international scale.[216] Consequently, the station inked a five-year contract to become the Spanish-language flagship of theLos Angeles Angels, but Jaime Jarrín remained with the Dodgers broadcast team, ending a 51-year long run at KWKW as both a news reporter and sportscaster.[200] Current Galaxy announcer Rolando 'Veloz' González has credited Jarrín with helping him get a start in U.S. broadcasting afterimmigrating from his nativeGuatemala.[217]
Along with the Galaxy coverage, the station has carried theFIFA World Cup; while coverage of the2006 edition was in Spanish, KWKW carried most ofESPN Radio's English-language coverage of the2010 edition, allowing ESPN Radio affiliatesKSPN andKLAA to continue with their normal program schedules. In 2018, the station contracted withFútbol de Primera, the national soccer radio network that holds World Cup rights, to exclusively produce coverage for KWKW.[218] KWKW and Fútbol de Primera teamed up again in 2019 to broadcast the first ever Spanish-language U.S. radio coverage of theFIFA Women's World Cup.[219]
KWKW also was the Spanish flagship of theLos Angeles Avengers of theArena Football League until the team folded in April 2009.[3] Also in 2009, KWKW added the other NBA team in Los Angeles, theClippers, to its rights portfolio, carrying 48 games in the first season.[220] In 2016, KWKW became the Spanish-language home of theLos Angeles Rams, heading up a multi-station network that also includes Lotus's Spanish sports outlet in Las Vegas,KENO.[221] Two years later, the station picked up 10 games of theLos Angeles Kings—the first time in 20 years that any of the NHL team's games were broadcast in Spanish.[222] WithFrancisco X. Rivera and Nano Cortes as the announcers, this addition coincided with the Kings moving their English-language coverage onto theiHeartRadio platform; the team evaluated the KWKW partnership's viability throughsocial mediafeedback and interactions.[223] The relationship was renewed for the 2019–20 season, with 12 home games airing on KWKW.[224]
When ESPN Deportes ended operations on September 8, 2019, KWKW affiliated withTUDN Radio, another Spanish-language sports network operated byUnivision, airing its programming on nights and weekends.[2][225] KWKW did not learn of the network's folding until it was publicly announced; general manager Jim Kalmenson said that ESPN Deportes programming was largely supplemental to the station's local sports talk programming which earned higher ratings.[218] The station also rebranded toTu Liga (Your League) reflecting the addition ofLiga MX soccer to the lineup via TUDN Radio's play-by-play.[225] Along with the switch, prior TUDN affiliate KTNQ—itself owned by Univision—switched back to a talk format.[226]
KWKW airs news and sports programming during the day. In morning drive, the station airs a three-hour newscast,1330 Informa (1330 Reports). Local sports programming on KWKW includesMi Raza...Tu Liga with Rafael Ramos Villagrana, Mario Amaya, and Armando Aguayo in early afternoons; the latter two also hostSuperGol with Armando Aguayo, Troy Santiago and Mario Amaya in late afternoons.[227]TUDN Radio programming airs on nights and weekends.[225]
There are several non-sports specialty programs that air on KWKW, notably on Saturdays when the station airs eight hours of specialty programs under the bannerSábados Centroamericanos (Central American Saturdays).[227] On weekdays, KWKW broadcasts a health program,Nutrición al Día (Nutrition Today), hosted by Dr. Neyda Carballo-Ricardo.[228]
KWKW is currently theflagship of a four-stationSpanish-language network for theLos Angeles Lakers (NBA), with Jose "Pepe" Mantilla, Fernando González and Francisco Pinto as announcers; all games are broadcast live.[229] The station is additionally the flagship of a multi-station Spanish-language network for theLos Angeles Rams (NFL) featuring play-by-play announcer Troy Santiago and color analyst Ricardo López.[230] All games from theLA Galaxy (MLS) are broadcast exclusively on KWKW with play-by-play announcer Rolando 'Veloz' González, whose involvement with the team dates back to 1996.[217]
KWKW also airs Spanish-language play-by-play of the following teams: theLos Angeles Angels (MLB)[200] with announcerJosé Tolentino,[231] theLos Angeles Clippers (NBA) with announcer Armando Garcia[232] and theLos Angeles Kings (NHL) with announcerFrancisco X. Rivera. Select coverage ofLiga MX matches are broadcast on KWKW via TUDN Radio. Co-ownedKFWB also carries select play-by-play from the aforementioned teams in the event of schedule conflicts.[225]
In 2017, KWKW began broadcasting on an FM translator, K264CQ (100.7FM), which has its transmitter mounted to one of KWKW's AM towers.[233]
| Call sign | Frequency | City of license | FID | ERP (W) | HAAT | Class | Transmitter coordinates | FCC info |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| K264CQ | 100.7 FM | Los Angeles | 141734 | 60 | 110 m (361 ft) | D | 34°01′10″N118°20′45″W / 34.01944°N 118.34583°W /34.01944; -118.34583 | LMS |
Brian Clewer, a London-born radio personality who was host of "Cynic's Choice," a program of British comedy and music that aired in Los Angeles for more than 40 years, has died. He was 79.
Media related toKWKW at Wikimedia Commons| International | |
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