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|---|---|
| Broadcast area | Greater Los Angeles |
| Frequency | 93.1MHz (HD Radio) |
| Branding | 93.1 Jack FM |
| Programming | |
| Language | English |
| Format | Adult hits |
| Subchannels |
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| Ownership | |
| Owner |
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| History | |
First air date | March 30, 1948 (77 years ago) (1948-03-30) |
Former call signs |
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Call sign meaning | Columbia Broadcasting System (previous legal name of former ownerCBS) |
| Technical information[1] | |
Licensing authority | FCC |
| Facility ID | 9612 |
| Class | B |
| ERP | 27,500 watts |
| HAAT | 1,074 meters (3,524 ft) |
Transmitter coordinates | 34°13′55″N118°04′21″W / 34.2319°N 118.0726°W /34.2319; -118.0726 |
| Links | |
Public license information | |
| Webcast |
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| Website | www |
KCBS-FM (93.1 FM) is acommercial radio station inLos Angeles, California, servingGreater Los Angeles. It is owned byAudacy, Inc., and broadcasts anadult hits musicformat branded "93.1Jack FM".
Unlike most radio stations airing the Jack FM formula, KCBS-FM runs a fairly focusedplaylist of popularclassic rock andmodern rock tracks. Currently, the station has no DJs. The only voices heard on Jack-FM are Crystal Z and Dr.Cranfill with "Jacktivities" (events and whatever announcements deemed worthy by "Jack") and Howard Cogan supplying prerecorded quips and ironic remarks between songs. Unlike most other stations in this format, thecall sign does not include any form of the word "Jack", opting instead to keep call letters tied to the station's formerCBS corporate identity.
Although Jack proclaims that the station is run "in a dumpy little building inCulver City", the KCBS-FM studios and offices are actually located at 5670 Wilshire Boulevard in Los Angeles, after moving from a previous location at the corner of Fairfax and Venice in 2018. Thetransmitter is atopMount Wilson.[2] KCBS-FM broadcasts usingHD Radio technology. Two digital subchannels carrycountry music andsports betting formats.
On March 30, 1948, the stationsigned on as KNX-FM.[3] In its early years, KNX-FM was mostly asimulcast ofsister stationKNX (1070 AM). In the mid-1960s, KNX-FM, along with otherCBS-ownedFM radio stations, began airing aneasy listening format branded as "The Young Sound". It played mostly instrumental cover versions of popular songs, but it was a bit more uptempo than competingbeautiful music stations.
In 1973, KNX-FM switched to amellow rock format, featuring artists airing on other rock stations but choosing softer selections than heard on rivalsKLOS andKMET. (Volunteers launched an internet stream recreating the KNX-FM format of the 1973-1983 era in 2019, now calling itself "TheMellowSound.net, a KNX-FM 93 tribute".[4][5][6] Another tribute website is simply "mellowrock.com" with a similar mix of mellow rock and classic features.)[7]
On August 25, 1983, KNX-FM adopted acontemporary hit radio music format, similar to the other CBS Radio FM stations, and branded as "Hitradio 93 KKHR". The heritage KNX-FMcall sign switched to KKHR. KKHR was not a traditional top 40 music format of the time, as the playlist was more stringently limited to 30 songs.
The original KKHR disc jockey staff consisted of Lou Simon, Dave Donovan (whose real name isJoe Cipriano), Chris Lance, Todd Parker (replaced by Jack Armstrong several months later), and Mark Hanson.Rich Fields, who would later become the announcer onThe Price Is Right for over six seasons, also joined KKHR in the station's last year with the "Hit Radio" format.
TheKKHR call sign is now used by anAmericana/Texas country/southern rock hybrid station servingAbilene, Texas.
Due to the station's lackluster ratings, the mellow rock format and heritage KNX-FM call letters were returned under the new branding "Quality Rock" in 1986.[8][9]
KNX-FM struggled with low ratings, and was not able to re-capture its original audience.[10] On March 2, 1989, at 12 pm, following a day-long stunt with a ticking clock during songs and an announcement from vice president and general manager Charlie Seraphin, anoldies music format was introduced and the heritage KNX-FM call sign was dropped yet again. (TheKNX-FM call letters returned to the Los Angeles airwaves on December 21, 2021, when they were picked up by co-owned 97.1, formerly KNOU).
With the new oldies format, the station switched its call letters to KODJ and the branding changed to "Oldies 93.1".[11][12] KODJ competed with crosstown oldies rivalKRTH, which later came under common CBS Radio ownership when limits were relaxed by the FCC.
KODJ focused more on the 1950s and the early 1960s era of oldies music than KRTH. DJs on KODJ were The RealDon Steele,Charlie Tuna, Rich Fields,Machine Gun Kelly and Jeff Serr. In response to KODJ's debut, KRTH gradually reduced and eventually faded out the number of newer songs from its playlist, focusing mainly on the 1960s decade of oldies with a few songs from the late 1950s. In addition, KRTH brought inBill Drake as consultant while featuring all new jingles by theJohnny Mann Singers, which helped it reach higher ratings.[13] The Real Don Steele left KCBS-FM in mid-1992 to join KRTH. Charlie Tuna, the morning host at KODJ/KCBS-FM from 1989 to 1993, would later work at KRTH from 2008 to 2014. After his tenure atThe Price is Right, Rich Fields was also on KRTH for a time as well.
On July 12, 1991, at 2 pm, KODJ changed to its present call sign, KCBS-FM, as part of a re-imaging marketing campaign to bring in new listeners believing the "CBS-FM" call letters had a stronger association with the oldies format.[14] These call letters had previously been used by two CBS-affiliated stations (nowKSOL andKLLC) in San Francisco.[15] KCBS-FM still kept the oldies format, but shifted its focus mainly to the 1960s decade of oldies with a lesser selection of 1950s oldies, and more early-1970s rock oldies to better compete with KRTH.[16]
KCBS-FM struggled with low ratings, while KRTH continued to hold the majority share of the oldies market. On September 10, 1993, at 3 pm, KCBS-FM flipped to a mixedclassic rock andclassic hits format, and branded itself as "Arrow 93FM, All Rock and Roll Oldies".[17] The moniker "Arrow" stood for "All Rock and Roll Oldies". The new format focused on the late 1960s and the entire 1970s decade with an emphasis on only classic rock oldies, not includingadult contemporary hits,Motown,bubblegum,disco ordoo-wop.[18]
TheArbitron ratings for KCBS-FM went from 18th to 3rd place by the end of 1993, making the new format an immediate success.[19] The station kept the KCBS-FM call letters, but would only quickly identify its call sign once at the top of the hour per FCCstation identification requirements. The format would later evolve towards classic rock of the late 1960s, 1970s, and early 1980s, and re-branded itself as "Arrow 93FM, All Rock & Roll Classics" in 1996.[20]
In 2005,Infinity Broadcasting (as CBS Radio was known at the time) won the licensing rights to brand itsadult hits music formatted radio stations as "Jack FM". This led to yet another format change for KCBS-FM. On March 17, (St. Patrick's Day), after an all-daystunt with music fromU2 (as that band is from Ireland), the classic rock format was dropped, as "93.1 Jack FM" debuted in Los Angeles, airing an adult hits format that started in Canada and was getting picked up in numerous U.S. markets.[21] The Jack format was a break from the heavily niched formats that had developed beginning in the 1970s. Jack was also unusual in that it employed no DJs, and had a much larger playlist than the typical classic hits or classic rock radio station.
The Los Angeles incarnation of Jack includes more modern rock titles than most Jack outlets, reflecting the local influence ofKROQ-FM during its alternative heyday. Initially, KCBS-FM played a blend of pop and rock hits from the late 1960s to late 1980s, with a sprinkling of newer, sometimes almost current, tunes. Eventually, the newer songs and pop songs were phased out in favor of mostly classic rock and classic alternative. KCBS-FM is the longest-serving of all of CBS' Jack stations. CBS also introduced the Jack FM format inNew York City,Las Vegas,Chicago,Dallas,Minneapolis,Seattle andBaltimore.
Though the station has no DJs, KCBS-FM will occasionally respond to current events, such as playing allMichael Jackson songs following his death, or spinning a celebratory tune or two following a local sports victory (especially with the Rams).
The "voice" of Jack FM is a real person named Howard Cogan. His quips which are heard between songs are created by a team of writers. As Jack became popular, Cogan moved to Los Angeles to record his comments more easily. He is also thevoice-over artist for other "Jack FM" stations around the country.
In October 2008, CBS Radio chose not to move the KCBS-FM call letters to its sister station at 106.9 FM in San Francisco, after that station flipped from classic hits to an all-news simulcast ofKCBS. That station remainsKFRC-FM, heritage calls in themselves.
On February 2, 2017, CBS Radio announced it would merge withEntercom.[22] The merger was approved on November 9, and was consummated on November 17.[23][24] As part of the agreement with CBS, Entercom was given the rights to use the brand and trademarks for KCBS-FM along with sister stationsWCBS-AM andWCBS-FM in New York City,KCBS-AM in San Francisco for a 20-year period after which Entercom (or succeeding entity) will be required to relinquish using those call-letters.[25]
As part of the merger, the FM radio rights to theLos Angeles Rams of theNational Football League were moved to KCBS-FM from KSWD, which was sold off as part of the deal when it flipped toChristian adult contemporary format asKKLQ on November 16, 2017. The Rams broadcasts were FM only, and regular programming was exclusive to the Audacy app during game broadcasts, including in Los Angeles.[26]
On March 30, 2021, Entercom rebranded to the corporate name "Audacy". KCBS-FM programming is found on the Audacy.com website and app.
On June 6, 2024, KCBS-FM temporarily rebranded as 93.1 Blade FM in honor ofRichard Blade receiving a star on theHollywood Walk Of Fame.
In addition to the main Jack FM format on HD1, KCBS-FM-HD2 simulcastsKFRG, its co-ownedcountry music station inSan Bernardino. Before KLSX switched from talk to CHR in 2009, 93.1 HD2 carried a CHR format with the "AMP Radio" branding.
Former sister stationKFWB had been broadcasting on the KCBS-FM HD3 signal, but due to that station's sale, its signal is no longer heard on KCBS-FM. As of December 6, 2018, that signal began simulcastingall-news KNX (AM 1070). It has since carried KFRG/KXFG. On January 25, 2021, KCBS-FM-HD3 started carrying a nationally syndicatedsports radio network, theBetQL Network, as "The Bet".[27]