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| Broadcast area | Greater Los Angeles |
|---|---|
| Frequency | 106.7MHz (HD Radio) |
| Branding | 106-7 K-Rock |
| Programming | |
| Language | English |
| Format | Alternative radio |
| Subchannels | HD2:New wave;classic alternative |
| Ownership | |
| Owner |
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| History | |
First air date | April 23, 1962 (63 years ago) (1962-04-23) |
Former call signs | KPPC-FM (1962–1973) |
Call sign meaning | Taken fromKROQ (1500 AM), originally billed as "The ROQ (rock) of Los Angeles"[1] |
| Technical information[2] | |
Licensing authority | FCC |
| Facility ID | 28622 |
| Class | B |
| ERP | |
| HAAT | 423 meters (1,388 ft) |
Transmitter coordinates | 34°11′49.21″N118°15′32.07″W / 34.1970028°N 118.2589083°W /34.1970028; -118.2589083 |
| Links | |
Public license information | |
| Webcast |
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| Website | |
KROQ-FM (106.7MHz) is a commercialradio station licensed toPasadena, California, servingGreater Los Angeles. Owned byAudacy, Inc., it broadcasts analternative rock format known as "The World Famous KROQ" (pronounced "kay-rock"). Its current weekday lineup includes Klein.Ally.Show. in the mornings, middays with Doug "Sluggo" Roberts, afternoon drive with Kevin Ryder, and evenings with Megan Holiday.
The station has studios at the intersection of Wilshire Blvd. and Hauser Blvd. in theMiracle Mile neighborhood ofLos Angeles. The transmitter is based in theVerdugo Mountains. It was theflagship station ofKevin & Bean andLoveline which was originally hosted byJim "The Poorman" Trenton withDr. Drew Pinsky.
On April 23, 1962, KPPC-FM signed-on on 106.7 MHz.[3] It was owned by thePasadena Presbyterian Church as a companion to itsKPPC, a limited-hours AM radio station that had broadcast since 1924.
In 1967, the Pasadena Presbyterian Church sold KPPC-AM-FM to Crosby-Avery Broadcasting for $310,000. The church had been attempting to sell the radio stations for a year; station manager Edgar Pierce said the church found commercial radio incompatible with the noncommercial nature of its other efforts.[4] Crosby-Avery was owned by Leon Crosby, a general manager of San Francisco'sKMPX, a station that had just gone to a full-timefreeform progressive rock format, and Lewis Avery, former partner in a national ad sales firm. With KMPX soaring to success but KPPC, with its middle-of-the-road format, ailing, Crosby and Avery brought in the architects of KMPX,Tom andRaechel Donahue, to turn around their new station in Southern California.[5]
Hosts during KPPC's "underground" format includedB. Mitchel Reed,[6]Tom Donahue, Les Carter, Ed Mitchell, Steven Clean, Outrageous Nevada, novelty music historianDr. Demento,Charles Laquidara,Elliot Mintz, blues archivistJohnny Otis,Barbara Birdfeather, and more.
In 1969, Crosby sold KPPC-AM-FM and KMPX to the National Science Network for $1.2 million.[7][8][9] Crosby used the funds to buy a then-silent San Francisco television station,KEMO-TV.[10] National Science Network's management of the KPPC stations was turbulent, capped by an October 1971 mass firing of the air staff,[11] but the period also included technical upgrades. NSN moved the studios out of the church basement and to 99 Chester Street in Pasadena and the transmitter to Flint Peak, with a slight power increase to 25,700 watts.[12]
In 1971, Ludwig Wolfgang Frohlich, founder of the National Science Network and previous owner of an ad agency, died.[13][14][15][16][17][18] Upon his death, control of the estate was transferred to Ingrid and Thomas Burns.[19][20]
Country music stationKBBQ (1500AM) in Burbank became KROQ in September 1972, changing its format toTop 40 and hiring established disc jockeys from other stations.[21] The new KROQ called itself "K-ROCK, the ROQ of Los Angeles".[1] In 1973, with National Science Network's estate selling off its assets, KROQ's owners bought KPPC-AM-FM (immediately divesting the AM station to meet then-current ownership limits), changed the calls to KROQ-FM and hiredShadoe Stevens to create a new rock format described as high-energy "all-cutting-edge-rock-all-the-time" and began simulcasting as "The ROQs of L.A.: Mother Rock!" Meanwhile, KPPC on 1240 AM was sold to Universal Broadcasting, a religious broadcaster, and remained on the air with its limited-schedule of Wednesday evening and Sunday operation until subsequent owners took the station off the air permanently in 1996.
The two stations (KROQ-AM/FM) were wildly successful initially with the new format, but poor money management plagued the enterprise. When concert promoterKen Roberts bookedSly and the Family Stone andSha Na Na for one KROQ-sponsored show at theLos Angeles Coliseum and the station found itself unable to cover expenses, Roberts agreed to pay for the band to play the show in exchange for a small ownership stake in the station.[22] Roberts joined a sprawling ownership group which included a doctor, two dairymen, a political lobbyist, a secretary, and several other minor investors.[22] Roberts, with his background in the music industry, made him a logical choice for president of the struggling company in the minds of the other shareholders, and he was elected such at the first meeting he attended in 1974.[22]
By 1974, the station's finances were already untenable following a year of commercial-free programming — a stunt implemented in an effort to gain market share.[22] The stations' debt load reached $7 million;[22] paychecks began to bounce and Shadoe Stevens and the bulk of the staff walked out, shutting the stations down. The closure would last for nearly two years.
In late 1975, the FCC ordered KROQ to return to the airwaves or surrender the stations' licenses.[23] With barebones equipment, KROQ returned to the airwaves, broadcasting initially from the transmitter location, followed by a penthouse suite in the PasadenaHilton Hotel, then again across the street from the Hilton (117 S. Los Robles).
Ken Roberts returned to the reborn station in a more forceful ownership role, buying out his partners one by one until he remained the sole owner of the station.[22]
KROQ's rebirth was simultaneous with the emergence ofpunk rock in the late 1970s andnew wave, and KROQ quickly became the voice of the burgeoning Los Angeles punk and new wave scene. Disc jockeyRodney Bingenheimer introduced many new bands on his show. As punk expanded its hold on the music scene during the mid to late 1970s, and KROQ steadily adding more of it to their freeform format, this cemented their place in the Los Angeles market.[24]
In 1979, Shadoe Stevens once again left the station, withRick Carroll taking over as program director, and took all of the new music and combined it in aTop 40 formatic structure.[24] By 1980, the station had fully committed to a post-new wave modern rock orientation. KROQ became an even greater success as the "Rock of the 80s" evolved. During that decade, the station mixed punk rock, such asThe Ramones,The Clash,The Weirdos,Fear,The Pandoras andX, withnew wave, such asU2,Oingo Boingo,Talking Heads,The Police,The Cars,Devo,Sparks,Berlin,Duran Duran,Pet Shop Boys,Blondie, The Go Go's, Squeeze, Culture Club, The Jam, Elvis Costello, The Bangles, Bananarama, The Cult, The Cureska and similar genres with artists such asEnglish Beat,Fine Young Cannibals and 1960s underground rockerIggy Pop, and huge mainstream artists such asThe Beach Boys andThe Rolling Stones. It was also not uncommon for certain KROQ dee-jays to play then-currenthip hop andsoul/funk artists such asArrested Development,Prince andParliament/Funkadelic.
By 1982, Billboard Magazine reported that KROQ Arbitron numbers of 3.7 were closing in on AOR leadersKMET at 4.0 andKLOS at 3.9.[25]
Carroll, as a consultant, took the "Rock of the 80s" format to other stations, including91X inSan Diego, KOEU inPalm Springs, California,KMGN FM inBakersfield, California,The Quake inSan Francisco andKYYX inSeattle, among a few others on the US West Coast in the 1980s.
In 1986, KROQ was purchased at a then-record $45 million byInfinity Broadcasting.[26] By the late 1980s, the station had started dipping in the ratings. New wave had declined in popularity and electronic dance bands, such asDepeche Mode andNew Order, started getting more airplay on the station. Also during this period, KROQ began focusing oncollege rock (or so-calledalternative rock) by adding bands into their playlist such asR.E.M., theRed Hot Chili Peppers,The Psychedelic Furs, ABC, The Smiths, Frankie Goes to Hollywood, Bronski Beat,Echo & the Bunnymen,The Replacements,Camper Van Beethoven,Jane's Addiction, thePixies,The Alarm,The Cult,Violent Femmes,Love and Rockets,Dramarama, andSocial Distortion, as well as heavier acts likeFaith No More andLiving Colour and guitar-orientedhip-hop groups likeRun-DMC and theBeastie Boys.[27][28][29][30]
Throughout the 1990s, KROQ's format focused on mainly alternative rock (oralternative metal),grunge,punk pop,Britpop,industrial music andnu metal, giving up-and-coming bands their first exposure on the station or in Southern California, includingNirvana,Red Hot Chili Peppers,The Smashing Pumpkins,Pearl Jam,Nine Inch Nails,Oasis, The Gin Blossoms,Foo Fighters,Green Day,The Offspring,Sublime,No Doubt,Rage Against the Machine,Korn,Bad Religion,Weezer,Blink-182,Jimmy Eat World,Hole,Garbage,Lenny Kravitz andSystem of a Down. They also began adding heavier acts to their playlists such asMetallica,Soundgarden,Alice in Chains andTool, all of whom were staples on the Long Beach heavy metal radio stationKNAC, formerly an alternative/new wave/punk rock radio station.[31][32][33][34][35] These helped the station surge back to number one in the ratings, at which it remained until the mid-2000s, when it slipped to the middle-of-the-pack, ratings-wise, for Los Angeles area radio stations.[36]
The 1990s also saw a continuation of the weekday morningKevin & Bean Show, as well as "Rodney on the Roq," hosted byRodney Bingenheimer, on Sunday nights. In late nights, the station airedLoveline, hosted by "The Poorman"Jim Trenton and Dr. Drew Pinsky. The show's purpose was to bring correct information regarding human sexuality and relationships to those 13 to 25 years of age.[37] KROQ also began its own festivalsAlmost Acoustic Christmas andWeenie Roast, which had taken place every year since 1990 and 1993 respectively; due to theCOVID-19 pandemic, there were no lineups for Almost Acoustic Christmas in 2020 and 2021, while there have been no editions of the Weenie Roast since 2019.
In June 1990, Kevin and Bean secretly arranged for a friend to pretend to confess to killing his girlfriend during their "Confess Your Crime" segment. The hoax resulted in investigations by the Sheriff's Department, theFCC,NBC's "Unsolved Mysteries" and other news media. The hoax was exposed 10 months later after KROQ had unknowingly hired the caller, Doug "the Slug" Roberts, as a DJ and the three were heard talking about the hoax on a monitored phone line at KROQ. Kevin and Bean paid the Sheriff's Department $12,170 for the cost of the investigation, and performed 149 hours of community service to compensate for the 149 hours the homicide detective spent on the case. KROQ received a letter of reprimand from the FCC for the incident; the lightest punishment the FCC could give.[38][39]
In 1997, KROQ/Infinity merged withCBS, later changing its name toCBS Radio.
Originally located at 117 S. Los Robles Avenue in Pasadena, the station moved to 3500 W. Olive Avenue inBurbank in 1987 as part of the purchase agreement and to be closer to the music industry. In 2002, the station was moved to a facility at 5901Venice Boulevard in theCrestview neighborhood inWest Los Angeles.
Unlike most other (Class B, but with grandfathered greater than B facilities) FM stations in Los Angeles whose transmitters are atopMount Wilson, KROQ's (Class B) transmitter is located on Tongva Peak inGlendale at an altitude of 2,650 ft., which results in somewhat weaker signal coverage.
KROQ's format had varied throughout the 2000s and 2010s. The radio station's format had repeated much of the same formula as the 1990s, mixing heavier acts likeLinkin Park,Staind,P.O.D.,Seether,Velvet Revolver,Cold andSaliva, with punk rock likeRise Against,Sum 41,AFI,Fall Out Boy,My Chemical Romance,Jimmy Eat World,Panic! at the Disco andThrice, and with alternative/indie/garage rock acts such asMuse,Queens of the Stone Age,The Strokes,The Bravery,Arcade Fire andThe Killers.[40][41][42] This new crop of rock acts found considerable popularity on the radio station while sharing airspace with many KROQ veterans such asNirvana,Red Hot Chili Peppers,Metallica,Foo Fighters,Weezer,Green Day,The Offspring,Blink-182,No Doubt,System of a Down,Korn,Jane's Addiction, theBeastie Boys,Sublime,Bad Religion,Stone Temple Pilots,Incubus,Nine Inch Nails,Social Distortion andCypress Hill.[40][41][42]
In 2004, KROQ began broadcasting inHD Radio. On February 20, 2006, KROQ added streaming music from the radio station to its website. On June 9, 2006, KROQ launched an HD sub-carrier, KROQ HD-2, which airsnew wave and alternative tracks from the 1980s which were popular during KROQ's heyday (and is also branded "KROQ 2: Roq of the 80s").
In February 2010, CBS Radio, which controlled the live stream, blocked access for listeners outside of the United States.
Steve Jones came to KROQ fromIndie 103.1 with a Sunday night show called "Jonesy's Jukebox", which ran from 7 to 9PM during 2010–2013 before moving to KLOS.[43]
In February 2015, KROQ severed ties with Boyd "Doc on the Roq" Britton and Lisa May after deciding to drop news and traffic. The news came as a shock for longtime listeners as Doc on the Roq had been reporting news for the station for 27 years while Lisa May had been reporting traffic for the past 24 years. Fans took to Facebook to boycott the station for not renewing their contracts.[44]
On February 2, 2017, CBS Radio announced it would merge withEntercom.[45] The merger was approved on November 9, 2017, and was consummated on November 17.[46][47]
After a 28-year run at the station, Senior VP of Programming Kevin Weatherly exited the station to start a new role asSpotify's new Head of North American Programming. Mike Kaplan replaced Weatherly at KROQ in February 2020.[48]
On March 18, 2020, Kevin Ryder announced onTwitter that he, Allie MacKay, Jensen Karp, and producer Dave Sanchez had all been let go from the morning show.[49][50] The show would be replaced by afternoon hosts Ted Stryker and Kevin Klein.[51] In September 2020, the show would be added on sister stationsKVIL in Dallas,KITS in San Francisco, andKRBZ in Kansas City via syndication as part of a company initiative to expand networked programming among the company's alternative stations due toCOVID-19 pandemic-related cutbacks and layoffs.[52]
The firing of Ryder marked a new chapter for KROQ under the leadership of brand manager Mike Kaplan. Kaplan previously served as program director ofiHeartMedia'sKYSR from 2013[53] to 2018.[54]
By the end of the Weatherly era, KROQ had essentially shifted to aclassic alternative format that leaned heavily on heritage acts. Weatherly added new titles to the playlist very conservatively. Kaplan's strategy differed from Weatherly's; he immediately shifted the playlist to focus onalternative pop, with heavy airplay of artists includingBillie Eilish,Machine Gun Kelly,Post Malone,Powfu,24kGoldn,Beabadoobee andDominic Fike. The station also decreased airplay of most 1990s and 2000s alternative titles and artists that defined the station during its heyday, includingSystem of a Down andMuse. The changes drew ire from cultural critics and former KROQ on-air talent, followed by a steep ratings decline.[55]
In 2021, Stryker left KROQ (later landing at rival KYSR) and the morning show was renamed "Klein.Ally.Show." Around this time, the show stopped being syndicated to focus solely on its KROQ audience.[56] Also in 2021, longtime DJ Kat Corbett left the station, having joined in 1999.[57]
Weatherly would return to KROQ as Senior Vice President of Programming in May 2022. Since then, the station has greatly reduced its focus on alternative rock and has increased airplay of classic alternative tracks from the 1990s and 2000s.
On October 5, 2024, KROQ introduced a newelectronic dance music show,KROQ EQ, on Saturday nights, withJustice performing a guest DJ set for its premiere edition.[58]
For a short period in 2024-25, the station resurrected Loveline as a local, Sunday night show hosted by Kevan Kenney and Dr. Tara Suwinyattichaiporn.[59]
Kevin Ryder returned to KROQ on April 1, 2025, after five years, this time as an afternoon host. Current afternoon host Megan Holliday shifted to the night shift, replacing Kevan Kenney.[60] In July 2025, longtime DJ Nicole Alvarez left the station and later penned a farewell message that lamented the state of the radio industry.[61]
KROQ was awarded Radio Station of the Year in 1992 and 1993 byRolling Stone magazine readers poll issues.
In 2007, the station was nominated for the top 25 markets Alternative station of the year award byRadio & Records magazine.Other nominees includedWBCN in Boston, Massachusetts;KTBZ-FM in Houston, Texas;KITS in San Francisco, California;KNDD in Seattle, Washington; andWWDC in Washington, DC.[62]
KROQ was the recipient of an Alternate Contraband Award for Major Market Radio Alternative Radio Station of the Year 2012.
KROQ was inducted into the Rock Radio Hall of Fame in 2014.
KROQ broadcasts a secondHD Radio subchannel, with KROQ-HD2 airingThe ROQ of the 80's, which featuresclassic rock from the 1980s. In August 2018, Entercom announced it would re-launch the subchannel, adding former KROQ personalities Freddy Snakeskin andTami Heide as DJs.[63] In 2020, KROQ activated an HD3 subchannel, which aired a new alternative rock format branded as "New Arrivals." On September 23, 2022, the HD3 channel was dropped from the broadcast lineup entirely.
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