KGRB (defunct)
Encyclopedia
KGRB was a 500-watt radio station
in West Covina, California
. The station featured Big Band music & Swing music from the original 78 rpm recordings. Among the notable disc jockey
s over the years were Lyman Jay, Bob Stone, and Tom Murphy.
The station was put on the air by former KTLA
-Channel 5 engineer Robert Burdette and his wife Gloria on September 25, 1963. Indeed, the station's call letters are derived from her full name, "Gloria R. Burdette." In 1957 Burdette bought an FM station in West Covina and named it KBOB after himself. It was a sister station to KGRB.
In 1994, after Burdette suffered a stroke and went into a coma, both stations were put into a conservatorship. Steve Ray (who had worked at KCLU, KLIT
, KMPC
, and KRCI) was brought in to manage the stations. He made KGRB an NBC
affiliate, renaming it "AM 90 NBC", and was in the process of acquiring the KNBC-AM call letters when the conservators bowed to the demands of Burdette's daughter and sold KGRB to a Hispanic broadcast group. In 1995 KGRB began simulcasting KMQA
(the former KBOB). Today it is owned by Multicultural Broadcasting and is known as KALI
, "Radio Zion."
Radio station
Radio broadcasting is a one-way wireless transmission over radio waves intended to reach a wide audience. Stations can be linked in radio networks to broadcast a common radio format, either in broadcast syndication or simulcast or both...
in West Covina, California
West Covina, California
West Covina is a city located in Los Angeles County, California. Located some east of Downtown Los Angeles in the eastern San Gabriel Valley, it is a mostly middle class suburb of Los Angeles...
. The station featured Big Band music & Swing music from the original 78 rpm recordings. Among the notable disc jockey
Disc jockey
A disc jockey, also known as DJ, is a person who selects and plays recorded music for an audience. Originally, "disc" referred to phonograph records, not the later Compact Discs. Today, the term includes all forms of music playback, no matter the medium.There are several types of disc jockeys...
s over the years were Lyman Jay, Bob Stone, and Tom Murphy.
The station was put on the air by former KTLA
KTLA
KTLA, virtual channel 5, is a television station in Los Angeles, California, USA. Owned by the Tribune Company, KTLA is an affiliate of the CW Television Network. KTLA's studios are on Sunset Boulevard in Hollywood, and its transmitter is located atop Mount Wilson...
-Channel 5 engineer Robert Burdette and his wife Gloria on September 25, 1963. Indeed, the station's call letters are derived from her full name, "Gloria R. Burdette." In 1957 Burdette bought an FM station in West Covina and named it KBOB after himself. It was a sister station to KGRB.
In 1994, after Burdette suffered a stroke and went into a coma, both stations were put into a conservatorship. Steve Ray (who had worked at KCLU, KLIT
KSCA
KSCA is a commercial radio station in Glendale, California, broadcasting to the Los Angeles, California, area on 101.9 FM. As of 2007 KSCA is the most listened to radio station in the Los Angeles Metro Area....
, KMPC
KMPC
KMPC is a radio station based in Los Angeles, California and is owned by P&Y Broadcasting Licensee, LLC. Radio Korea is a division of the Radio Korea Media Group. The station airs Korean-language programming...
, and KRCI) was brought in to manage the stations. He made KGRB an NBC
NBC
The National Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network and former radio network headquartered in the GE Building in New York City's Rockefeller Center with additional major offices near Los Angeles and in Chicago...
affiliate, renaming it "AM 90 NBC", and was in the process of acquiring the KNBC-AM call letters when the conservators bowed to the demands of Burdette's daughter and sold KGRB to a Hispanic broadcast group. In 1995 KGRB began simulcasting KMQA
KMQA
KMQA is a radio station broadcasting a Regional Mexican format. Licensed to East Porterville, California, USA, it serves the Tulare, California area. The station is currently owned by Mbp Licensee, LLC....
(the former KBOB). Today it is owned by Multicultural Broadcasting and is known as KALI
KBLA
KBLA is a radio station licensed to Santa Monica, California, with an Spanish religious radio format. It broadcasts at 1580 kHz with 50,000 watts day and night. Most of this station's signal is dumped over the Pacific Ocean, however, in order not to interfere with radio station KMIK KBLA (1580 AM)...
, "Radio Zion."