KMPC-FM (defunct)
Encyclopedia
KMPC-FM and KEDG, 101.9, was a commercial FM
radio station
that served the Los Angeles, California
area in the 1980s. Although there was a change of call sign
during this period, the station was essentially the same.
KMPC-FM first broadcast in 1987 after the station, which was R&B-formatted KUTE
, was purchased by Gene Autry
's Golden West Broadcasters. It billed itself as "Full Spectrum Rock" and played a mixture of classic rock
, adult album alternative
and progressive rock radio
.
Both the format and the on-air staff were borrowed liberally from KMET, which had just gone off the air to become KTWV
. Disc jockeys included Paraquat Kelley, Cynthia Foxx, Jim Ladd
, and J.J. Jackson, who also served as program director.
In March 1989, the station's calls changed to KEDG and the station rebranded as "The Edge." However, the same basic format remained.
Neither KMPC-FM nor KEDG captured more than a cult audience, however, and Golden West changed the station to easy listening/adult contemporary KLIT-FM on May 13, 1989. Part of the station's format was picked up by Westwood One
's KQLZ, a/k/a "Pirate Radio."
In 1994, 101.9FM became adult album alternative
KSCA
, which it remained until it changed ownership and format (to Spanish language
) in 1997. Today, 101.9 is known as "La Nueva."
In an ironic twist, Jackson returned to 94.7 "The Wave" in 2003 to play smooth jazz
music. He stayed there until his death in 2005.
Frequency modulation
In telecommunications and signal processing, frequency modulation conveys information over a carrier wave by varying its instantaneous frequency. This contrasts with amplitude modulation, in which the amplitude of the carrier is varied while its frequency remains constant...
radio station
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...
that served the Los Angeles, California
Los Angeles, California
Los Angeles , with a population at the 2010 United States Census of 3,792,621, is the most populous city in California, USA and the second most populous in the United States, after New York City. It has an area of , and is located in Southern California...
area in the 1980s. Although there was a change of call sign
Call sign
In broadcasting and radio communications, a call sign is a unique designation for a transmitting station. In North America they are used as names for broadcasting stations...
during this period, the station was essentially the same.
KMPC-FM first broadcast in 1987 after the station, which was R&B-formatted KUTE
KUTE
KUTE , is a simulcast of KSUT's National Public Radio-affiliated station in Ignacio, Colorado. It primarily features National Public Radio programming.-History of the KUTE callsign:...
, was purchased by Gene Autry
Gene Autry
Orvon Grover Autry , better known as Gene Autry, was an American performer who gained fame as The Singing Cowboy on the radio, in movies and on television for more than three decades beginning in the 1930s...
's Golden West Broadcasters. It billed itself as "Full Spectrum Rock" and played a mixture of classic rock
Classic rock
Classic rock is a radio format which developed from the album-oriented rock format in the early 1980s. In the United States, the classic rock format features music ranging generally from the late 1960s to the late 1980s, primarily focusing on the hard rock genre that peaked in popularity in the...
, adult album alternative
Adult album alternative
Adult album alternative is a radio format. A spinoff from the album-oriented rock format, its roots trace to the 1960s and 1970s from the earlier freeform and progressive formats....
and progressive rock radio
Progressive rock (radio format)
Progressive rock is a radio station programming format that prospered in the late 1960s and 1970s, in which the disc jockeys are given wide latitude in what they may play, similar to the freeform format but with the proviso that some kind of rock music is almost always what is played...
.
Both the format and the on-air staff were borrowed liberally from KMET, which had just gone off the air to become KTWV
KTWV
KTWV is a commercial radio station located in Los Angeles, California, broadcasting to the Los Angeles, Orange County, Riverside–San Bernardino and Ventura County areas on 94.7 FM. KTWV airs a hybrid Smooth AC radio format branded as "94.7 The Wave"...
. Disc jockeys included Paraquat Kelley, Cynthia Foxx, Jim Ladd
Jim Ladd
Jim Ladd , an American disc jockey, radio producer and writer, is one of the few notable remaining freeform rock DJs in United States commercial radio.- Radio show style :...
, and J.J. Jackson, who also served as program director.
In March 1989, the station's calls changed to KEDG and the station rebranded as "The Edge." However, the same basic format remained.
Neither KMPC-FM nor KEDG captured more than a cult audience, however, and Golden West changed the station to easy listening/adult contemporary KLIT-FM on May 13, 1989. Part of the station's format was picked up by Westwood One
Westwood One
Westwood One was an American radio network and was based in New York City. At one time, it was managed by CBS Radio, the radio arm of CBS Corporation, and Viacom and was later purchased by the private equity firm The Gores Group...
's KQLZ, a/k/a "Pirate Radio."
In 1994, 101.9FM became adult album alternative
Adult album alternative
Adult album alternative is a radio format. A spinoff from the album-oriented rock format, its roots trace to the 1960s and 1970s from the earlier freeform and progressive formats....
KSCA
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....
, which it remained until it changed ownership and format (to 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...
) in 1997. Today, 101.9 is known as "La Nueva."
In an ironic twist, Jackson returned to 94.7 "The Wave" in 2003 to play smooth jazz
Smooth jazz
Smooth jazz is a genre of music that grew out of jazz fusion and is influenced by R&B, funk, rock, and pop music styles ....
music. He stayed there until his death in 2005.
External links
- Gene Autry's KMPC-FM at SoCalRadioHistory.com