KBUE
Encyclopedia
KBUE 105.5 FM, Long Beach, California
, KBUA 94.3 FM, San Fernando, California
, and KEBN 94.3 FM, Garden Grove, California
, are a trimulcast
comprising Que Buena 105.5/94.3 FM, a Spanish language
regional Mexican
music station owned by Liberman Broadcasting
.
, a heavy metal music
station until February 15, 1995, after the station was sold to Liberman, a Spanish language broadcasting company. It acquired the KBUE call letters a few weeks later on March 6. KBUE's weak signal only reached the southern portion of Los Angeles County and northwestern Orange County
.
The Long Beach-based 105.5 frequency made its debut in 1961. The station was signed on as KLFM by Harriscope Broadcasting. Its studios were initially located in a trailer adjacent to its transmitter on Signal Hill
, moving to Lakewood Center
and then to 4406 Greenmeadow Road. Its initial programming was top 40 in a period where FM was broadcasting almost entirely beautiful music
and classical music
.
Arguably, this station was the first commercial FM station to program a non-simulcast Rock-based format on FM. In 1966, 105.5 was sold to International Cities, and its call letters changed to KNAC and adopted a full-time MOR format. The new owners (under general manager/chief engineer Bob Switzer) increased its ERP from 330 watts to more than 2000 watts, and moved its studios to the International Tower in downtown Long Beach.
The station continued in this mode for roughly a year. In late 1967, the station began programming Progressive Rock from 6PM to 6AM. The programming proved successful enough to make the Progressive Rock format full time at the station by 1969.
Air talent at KNAC during this era included Jim Ladd (later of KLOS
, KMET, KLSX
and KEDG) and Program Director Ron Mc Coy. Ladd left KNAC to work for KLOS in 1971, while Mc Coy stayed on through much of the 1970s. The station remained in a Progressive Rock vein until 1980, when it made a significant adjustment in its Rock format.
In 1980, the station adopted one of the first full-time commercial Alternative Rock formats in the country. Up to that point Pasadena-based KROQ-FM
and stations in Phoenix, Seattle and New York City had attempted such formats. KROQ-FM notwithstanding, most commercial attempts at Alternative Rock were short-lived. KNAC adopted the slogan "Rock and Rhythm" and programmed a mix of Contemporary "New Wave", Techno, Commercially-Viable Punk and fitting Classic Rock from the 1950s and 1960s. The station gathered media attention, but was dwarfed by KROQ-FM's stellar ratings and Rick Carroll-consulted "Rock of the 80s" Alternative format. In late 1985, the station was acquired by Fred Sands, a Los Angeles-based realtor.
On February 26, 1986, the station flipped to a "Hard Rock/Heavy Metal" based format. It was the first full-time "Heavy Metal" based format in the United States. Several air staff members of the original KNAC (metal incarnation) went onto the original satellite-distributed, nationally-syndicated "Z Rock" format the following September. While much of KNAC's station's core-base of artists were quite mainstream, the station played enough "cutting edge" artists of the day and acquired a legend that survived long beyond its demise in spring 1995. The station was legendary enough to inspire tribute pages and a radio station on the Internet
.
94.3 FM in Garden Grove signed on in 1961 as KGGK, later to become KTBT, KORJ
, KIKF ("KIK-FM", a country music
station), and KMXN before finally KEBN.
On November 18, 1994, the two stations on 94.3 began simulcasting the same country music format and 94.3 in San Fernando became KYKF. This lasted until October 31, 1996, after the San Fernando station was sold to Liberman and started simulcasting KBUE, and on January 31, 1997 it acquired the KBUA call letters. "Que Buena" now reached most of metropolitan Los Angeles County, though reception remains difficult in some regions, such as the San Gabriel Valley
and Malibu. A booster station, KBUA-FM1 in Santa Clarita, California
, extends the signal's reach into the Santa Clarita Valley
.
On June 25, 2000, 94.3 in Garden Grove became "Cool 94.3" in Anaheim, with a "cool AC" format (somewhat of a precursor to the Jack FM
format), and the call letters changed to KMXN on September 29, the call letters likely being chosen because the format was similar to previous Orange County station KXMX known as "Mix 95.9" (now KFSH-FM
). Liberman acquired KMXN in 2003 and on January 7 started simulcasting the KBUE/KBUA signal, giving "Que Buena" coverage in nearly all of Orange County. On May 15, the call letters became KEBN.
KWIE, licensed to San Jacinto, California
, from Magic Broadcasting. The call sign was immediately changed to KRQB. The addition of the new station extends Liberman's "Que Buena" brand into Riverside
and San Bernardino counties
. (The previous owners transferred the KWIE calls to 93.5 in Ontario, a simulcast of KDAY
.) Other than the morning show, programming on KRQB is separate from that of these stations.
and Saul Viera. Other artists who gained quick popularity because of KBUE where El Narquillo, Adán Sánchez, and Lupillo Rivera
to name a few. "La Que Buena" or "Aqui Suena La Que Buena", as its commonly referred to, also plays the genre "banda" with primarily the "La Banda el Recodo" as its focus. Other artists who have airplay are El As de la Sierra, El Chapo, Valentín Elizalde, Jenny Rivera, Rogelio Martínez, El Potro de Sinaloa, El Coyote y su Banda, Los Tucanes, Los Rieleros, Los Incomparables, Los Tucanes, Los Razos, Los Originales de San Juan, and many others.
There has been a recent boom within the "paisa" community with the beginning of "el movimiento alterado". Artists that fit this criteria are Larry Hernandez, Roberto Tapia, Enigma Norteno, Gerardo Ortiz, Noel Torres, Aldredito Olivas, El Komander, and others.
Long Beach, California
Long Beach is a city situated in Los Angeles County in Southern California, on the Pacific coast of the United States. The city is the 36th-largest city in the nation and the seventh-largest in California. As of 2010, its population was 462,257...
, KBUA 94.3 FM, San Fernando, California
San Fernando, California
San Fernando is a city located in the San Fernando Valley, in northwestern region of Los Angeles, California, United States. The population was 23,645 at the 2010 census, up from 23,564 at the 2000 census.-History:...
, and KEBN 94.3 FM, Garden Grove, California
Garden Grove, California
Garden Grove is a city located in northern Orange County, California. The population was 170,883 at the 2010 census. State Route 22, also known as the Garden Grove Freeway, passes through the city running east-west. The city is known outside the Southern California area for being the home of Robert H...
, are a trimulcast
Trimulcast
The term "trimulcast" was first used in May 1981 by Multimedia Broadcasting's outlets in Little Rock, Arkansas, KAAY-AM and KLPQ-FM when they teamed-up with Cox Cable locally...
comprising Que Buena 105.5/94.3 FM, a Spanish language
Spanish language
Spanish , also known as Castilian , is a Romance language in the Ibero-Romance group that evolved from several languages and dialects in central-northern Iberia around the 9th century and gradually spread with the expansion of the Kingdom of Castile into central and southern Iberia during the...
regional Mexican
Regional Mexican
Regional Mexican is a radio format for music radio, typically defined to include Banda, Ranchera, Mariachi and Norteña. It is the most popular radio format targeting Hispanic Americans in the United States....
music station owned by Liberman Broadcasting
Liberman Broadcasting
Liberman Broadcasting is a media company based in Burbank, California. Liberman Broadcasting primarily caters to the Spanish-speaking Hispanic community and owns television and radio stations in several of the top Hispanic markets.-History:...
.
105.5 FM
105.5 FM was formerly KNACKNAC
KNAC is an internet based heavy metal music radio station. It was previously a Los Angeles, California area FM radio station.-KNAC at 105.5 FM:...
, a heavy metal music
Heavy metal music
Heavy metal is a genre of rock music that developed in the late 1960s and early 1970s, largely in the Midlands of the United Kingdom and the United States...
station until February 15, 1995, after the station was sold to Liberman, a Spanish language broadcasting company. It acquired the KBUE call letters a few weeks later on March 6. KBUE's weak signal only reached the southern portion of Los Angeles County and northwestern Orange County
Orange County, California
Orange County is a county in the U.S. state of California. Its county seat is Santa Ana. As of the 2010 census, its population was 3,010,232, up from 2,846,293 at the 2000 census, making it the third most populous county in California, behind Los Angeles County and San Diego County...
.
The Long Beach-based 105.5 frequency made its debut in 1961. The station was signed on as KLFM by Harriscope Broadcasting. Its studios were initially located in a trailer adjacent to its transmitter on Signal Hill
Signal Hill
-Places:in Canada * Signal Hill, Calgary, neighborhood and hill in Calgary, Alberta* Signal Hill-Quidi Vidi, provincial electoral district for the Newfoundland and Labrador House of Assembly, Canada...
, moving to Lakewood Center
Lakewood Center
Lakewood Center is a super-regional shopping mall in Lakewood, California. It is anchored by JCPenney, Macy's , Forever 21, and Target. Macy's formerly operated a . store in the mall, but closed due to the Federated-May merger. At , the Lakewood Center is ranked among the largest retail shopping...
and then to 4406 Greenmeadow Road. Its initial programming was top 40 in a period where FM was broadcasting almost entirely beautiful music
Beautiful music
Beautiful music is a mostly instrumental music format that was prominent in American radio from the 1960s through the 1980s...
and classical music
Classical music
Classical music is the art music produced in, or rooted in, the traditions of Western liturgical and secular music, encompassing a broad period from roughly the 11th century to present times...
.
Arguably, this station was the first commercial FM station to program a non-simulcast Rock-based format on FM. In 1966, 105.5 was sold to International Cities, and its call letters changed to KNAC and adopted a full-time MOR format. The new owners (under general manager/chief engineer Bob Switzer) increased its ERP from 330 watts to more than 2000 watts, and moved its studios to the International Tower in downtown Long Beach.
The station continued in this mode for roughly a year. In late 1967, the station began programming Progressive Rock from 6PM to 6AM. The programming proved successful enough to make the Progressive Rock format full time at the station by 1969.
Air talent at KNAC during this era included Jim Ladd (later of KLOS
KLOS
KLOS is an FM rock music radio station based in Los Angeles, California, that debuted in 1969. The station is owned by Cumulus Media. It is home to the nationally broadcast Mark & Brian radio show, and Off The Record host Uncle Joe Benson.-History:...
, KMET, KLSX
KLSX
KAMP-FM 97.1 FM, known on-air as 97.1 AMP Radio, is a Rhythmic Contemporary radio station in Los Angeles, California. The station is owned by CBS Radio.The station had long been known as KLSX before the call sign changed on June 30, 2009....
and KEDG) and Program Director Ron Mc Coy. Ladd left KNAC to work for KLOS in 1971, while Mc Coy stayed on through much of the 1970s. The station remained in a Progressive Rock vein until 1980, when it made a significant adjustment in its Rock format.
In 1980, the station adopted one of the first full-time commercial Alternative Rock formats in the country. Up to that point Pasadena-based KROQ-FM
KROQ-FM
KROQ-FM — branded 106.7 KROQ — is a commercial modern rock radio station licensed to Pasadena, California serving the Greater Los Angeles. The call sign is pronounced "kay rock." It is the flagship station of Loveline hosted by Dr...
and stations in Phoenix, Seattle and New York City had attempted such formats. KROQ-FM notwithstanding, most commercial attempts at Alternative Rock were short-lived. KNAC adopted the slogan "Rock and Rhythm" and programmed a mix of Contemporary "New Wave", Techno, Commercially-Viable Punk and fitting Classic Rock from the 1950s and 1960s. The station gathered media attention, but was dwarfed by KROQ-FM's stellar ratings and Rick Carroll-consulted "Rock of the 80s" Alternative format. In late 1985, the station was acquired by Fred Sands, a Los Angeles-based realtor.
On February 26, 1986, the station flipped to a "Hard Rock/Heavy Metal" based format. It was the first full-time "Heavy Metal" based format in the United States. Several air staff members of the original KNAC (metal incarnation) went onto the original satellite-distributed, nationally-syndicated "Z Rock" format the following September. While much of KNAC's station's core-base of artists were quite mainstream, the station played enough "cutting edge" artists of the day and acquired a legend that survived long beyond its demise in spring 1995. The station was legendary enough to inspire tribute pages and a radio station on the Internet
Internet
The Internet is a global system of interconnected computer networks that use the standard Internet protocol suite to serve billions of users worldwide...
.
94.3 FM
94.3 FM in San Fernando first signed on the air as KVFM in 1958, but for a long time it was KGIL-FM, a radio station playing pop standards, and sister station to KGIL AM. On August 5, 1989, it became KMGX, "Magic 94.3".94.3 FM in Garden Grove signed on in 1961 as KGGK, later to become KTBT, KORJ
KORJ (defunct)
KORJ, 94.3 FM, was a commercial radio station in Garden Grove, California, United States.KORJ had a popular music format and existed only briefly in the late 1970s til 1981 when it changed formats and became KIKF which was a country format....
, KIKF ("KIK-FM", a country music
Country music
Country music is a popular American musical style that began in the rural Southern United States in the 1920s. It takes its roots from Western cowboy and folk music...
station), and KMXN before finally KEBN.
On November 18, 1994, the two stations on 94.3 began simulcasting the same country music format and 94.3 in San Fernando became KYKF. This lasted until October 31, 1996, after the San Fernando station was sold to Liberman and started simulcasting KBUE, and on January 31, 1997 it acquired the KBUA call letters. "Que Buena" now reached most of metropolitan Los Angeles County, though reception remains difficult in some regions, such as the San Gabriel Valley
San Gabriel Valley
The San Gabriel Valley is one of the principal valleys of Southern California, United States. It lies to the east of Los Angeles, to the north of the Puente Hills, to the south of the San Gabriel Mountains, and west of the Inland Empire. It derives its name from the San Gabriel River that flows...
and Malibu. A booster station, KBUA-FM1 in Santa Clarita, California
Santa Clarita, California
Santa Clarita is the fourth largest city in Los Angeles County, California, United States and the twenty-fourth largest city in the state of California. The 2010 US Census reported the city's population grew 16.7% from the year 2000 to 176,320 residents. It is located about northwest of downtown...
, extends the signal's reach into the Santa Clarita Valley
Santa Clarita Valley
The Santa Clarita Valley is the valley of the Santa Clara River in Southern California. It stretches through Los Angeles County and Ventura County. Its main population center is the city of Santa Clarita. The valley was part of the Rancho San Francisco Mexican land grant...
.
On June 25, 2000, 94.3 in Garden Grove became "Cool 94.3" in Anaheim, with a "cool AC" format (somewhat of a precursor to the Jack FM
Jack FM
JACK FM is the alternative name and on-air brand of 60 radio stations in Canada, the United States, the United Kingdom, and Russia. Jack stations play a mix of 1960s, 1970s, 1980s, and 1990s hits with some current hot adult contemporary singles. Jack's slogan "playing what we want" can also be...
format), and the call letters changed to KMXN on September 29, the call letters likely being chosen because the format was similar to previous Orange County station KXMX known as "Mix 95.9" (now KFSH-FM
KFSH-FM
KFSH-FM is a radio station in the Los Angeles metropolitan area broadcasting on the FM dial at 95.9 mHz with a contemporary Christian music format full time. It is owned by Salem Communications and is known as "The Fish"...
). Liberman acquired KMXN in 2003 and on January 7 started simulcasting the KBUE/KBUA signal, giving "Que Buena" coverage in nearly all of Orange County. On May 15, the call letters became KEBN.
KRQB
On August 1, 2007, Liberman added another "Que Buena" to the lineup with the acquisition of Rhythmic ContemporaryRhythmic Contemporary
Rhythmic contemporary, also known as rhythmic top 40, rhythmic contemporary hit radio or rhythmic crossover, is a music radio format that includes a mix of EDM, upbeat rhythmic pop, hip-hop and R&B hits. Rhythmic contemporary rarely uses rock music or country music in its airplay, but it may...
KWIE, licensed to San Jacinto, California
San Jacinto, California
San Jacinto is a city in Riverside County, California, U.S.A. It was named after Saint Hyacinth and is located at the north end of the San Jacinto Valley, with Hemet to its south. The mountains associated with the valley are the San Jacinto Mountains. The population was 44,199 at the 2010...
, from Magic Broadcasting. The call sign was immediately changed to KRQB. The addition of the new station extends Liberman's "Que Buena" brand into Riverside
Riverside County, California
Riverside County is a county in the U.S. state of California. One of 58 California counties, it covers in the southern part of the state, and stretches from Orange County to the Colorado River, which forms the state border with Arizona. The county derives its name from the city of Riverside,...
and San Bernardino counties
San Bernardino County, California
San Bernardino County is a county in the U.S. state of California. As of the 2010 census, the population was 2,035,210, up from 1,709,434 as of the 2000 census...
. (The previous owners transferred the KWIE calls to 93.5 in Ontario, a simulcast of KDAY
KDAY
KDAY in Redondo Beach and KDEY in Ontario are a pair of synchrocasting radio stations based in South Los Angeles that airs an Classic hip-hop format aimed at African Americans in the 18-49 range. The station is owned by Magic Broadcasting, LLC and broadcasts at 93.5 MHz on the FM dial...
.) Other than the morning show, programming on KRQB is separate from that of these stations.
Genre
Currently Que Buena primarily targets the "Mexican American" or "paisa" community of the greater Los Angeles area. Paisa being a slang term in Spanish meaning those who are culturally Mexican or "paisanos". Thus listen to such legendary Mexican artists such as Chalino SánchezChalino Sánchez
Rosalino "Chalino" Sánchez was a Mexican singer and songwriter.-Early life:Born and raised in a poor family on a ranch called "Las Flechas", Badiraguato, Sinaloa, Mexico. His father was Santos Sánchez and his mother Sannorina Felix. He had seven siblings: Armando, Lázaro, Régulo, Lucas,...
and Saul Viera. Other artists who gained quick popularity because of KBUE where El Narquillo, Adán Sánchez, and Lupillo Rivera
Lupillo Rivera
Guadalupe Rivera in La Barca, Jalisco, Mexico, is a Mexican regional singer.As a youngster, Lupillo, his sister Jenni Rivera and the rest of the Rivera family moved to Long Beach California, where Lupillo graduated from Long Beach Polytechnic High School in 1990.Rivera wanted to be a restaurant...
to name a few. "La Que Buena" or "Aqui Suena La Que Buena", as its commonly referred to, also plays the genre "banda" with primarily the "La Banda el Recodo" as its focus. Other artists who have airplay are El As de la Sierra, El Chapo, Valentín Elizalde, Jenny Rivera, Rogelio Martínez, El Potro de Sinaloa, El Coyote y su Banda, Los Tucanes, Los Rieleros, Los Incomparables, Los Tucanes, Los Razos, Los Originales de San Juan, and many others.
There has been a recent boom within the "paisa" community with the beginning of "el movimiento alterado". Artists that fit this criteria are Larry Hernandez, Roberto Tapia, Enigma Norteno, Gerardo Ortiz, Noel Torres, Aldredito Olivas, El Komander, and others.