KRTH-FM
Encyclopedia
KRTH is a U.S. oldies
radio station
located in Los Angeles, California
, broadcasting to the Greater Los Angeles Area
. Its signal covers an extremely large area, due in part to height upon Mt. Wilson, and sometimes can be heard as far south as San Diego and Tijuana, as far east as Moreno Valley, as far west as Santa Barbara
and as far north as Baker, California
.
. After World War II
, when the FCC
mandated the 88-108 MHz range, the station was moved to 99.7 FM, and the call letters were changed to KHJ-FM, after its then-sister AM station KHJ
. In 1948, KHJ-FM moved yet again to its current broadcast frequency of 101.1 FM.
In 1965, when KHJ-AM (930) switched to a top-40 format as "Boss Radio", they simulcast on KHJ-FM. In 1969-70, KHJ-FM aired Drake-Chenault's "Hit Parade" format, an automated mix of oldies and current hits. In 1971, the station had a top-40 format that was independent of sister station KHJ-AM.
In 1972, there was a switch to what was then called a "gold" format, featuring older hit songs from the past. At the time, this was a novel idea since most stations played current music, with a few older songs mixed in. With the switch in format came a new moniker, "K-Earth," which was named after the first "Earth Day
" which had debuted to much fanfare the year before. The call letters were thus switched to KRTH. The jingle, "K-Earth 101" was also introduced at this time. It directly echoed the sound and notes of the jingle from KHJ-AM, the station where many of these "gold" songs had originally been played. (KHJ-AM was still on the air at this point, but was playing current Top 40 songs.)
During the '70s and early '80s, K-Earth vacillated between this "gold" format and an adult contemporary format. Current music was played, to varying degrees, throughout this period, though the focus was almost always on the past.
In 1985, K-Earth shifted to what was becoming known as an "oldies" format, adopting the motto "Classic Rock and Roll." KRTH began promoting its "Good Time Oldies" image with frequent TV ads featuring Beach Boys music, classic cars, palms, and the ever present K-Earth jingle. The songs featured were from 1955–1984, though the focus was largely on the late '60s and early '70s. Doo-wop, early rock, Motown, girl groups, Elvis, and the Beatles were the mainstays of the station's music mix. During the early and mid 80's, K-Earth 101 would even feature huge specialties, including the #1 music weekend over the Labor Day Weekend. Every L.A. #1 song would be played in chronological order (utilizing the older KHJ radio charts and other local charts) from 1955 through 1985. The weekend before would feature "Runner's Up of Classic Rock and Roll Weekend", the #2's. Unfortunately, these specialties would be phased out in 1989 after the Beasley Broadcasting sale. The station was indeed sold to Beasley Broadcasting in 1988.
Oldies were a ratings success for KRTH, and for similar stations across the United States and Canada. In March 1989, another Los Angeles FM oldies station emerged at 93.1 under the call sign KODJ Oldies 93, and later as KCBS-FM
Oldies 93.1 as a direct competitor with KRTH. KODJ/KCBS-FM played oldies from 1955 to 1972 with a heavy focus on pre-1964 oldies. KRTH continued acknowledging the mid and late '70s and continued playing moderate amounts of pre-1964 material until 1991 when management eliminated the 1980s music and most post-1972 songs. The two stations went head-to-head for a few years, with K-Earth consistently getting higher ratings and emerging as the winner. KODJ even changed its call letters to KCBS-FM and in early 1993 began playing mostly pre-1965 oldies. KCBS-FM Oldies 93.1 successfully switched to a classic rock format in the fall of 1993 called "Arrow 93" but today offers an adult rock hits format called Jack
. KRTH by then focused on the 1964 to 1969 period with moderate amounts of pre-1964 material and 1970s songs each hour. The station remained a competitor with Pasadena’s AM oldies station KRLA
1110 into 1998 when KRLA switched formats and frequencies. KRTH was sold to Infinity Radio in 1994. Infinity purchased CBS in 1997 making KCBS-FM (by then Classic Rock) KRTH's sister station.
K-Earth continued with its oldies format throughout the 1990s. Toward the end of the decade, older songs from before the British Invasion of 1964 were increasingly dropped from the playlist, and the station began to showcase the late 1960s, especially Motown music, to a much greater degree. The playlist itself began to shrink, with only the biggest, most-requested hits from this period played in heavy repetition.
With its demographic aging and ratings sagging, K-Earth, along with most oldies outlets across the country, began adding 1970s songs into the playlist in the early 2000s. Artists such as Stevie Wonder, Elton John, Abba, the Bee Gees, Earth Wind and Fire, and Peter Frampton were combined with '60s artists such as the Supremes and the Beatles. Though still repetitive, the playlist was also rotated a bit more, with a few rediscovered oldies brought "out of the vault" on occasion, while other songs were "rested" from the rotation.
This process was taken a step further in 2007 with a few early 1980s songs added to the mix by artists such as Hall & Oates
, Phil Collins, and Michael Jackson.
Whether by luck or due to the musical changes implemented, by the end of 2007, K-Earth had improved its ratings substantially and was once again a Top 10 Los Angeles station. More importantly from an advertising standpoint, the station was attracting a younger demographic. In 2010 K-Earth began adding songs from the late 1980s and early 1990s into its mix from artists such as Janet Jackson, The Bangles, Deniece Williams and The Police. KRTH still plays an occasional pre 1964 song such as Shout, Jailhouse Rock
, or Tequila
(about one every other hour).
A slight format change occurred recently as KRTH added adult contemporary Christmas music from performers such as Mannheim Steamroller, Air Supply, and Barry Manilow. Airing three times an hour, this holiday fare is designed to entice listeners away from easy listening KOST-FM, which annually shoots to #1 in the ratings with its all-Christmas music. [In years past, K-Earth played a similar amount of Christmas music, but only from "oldies" artists such as the Beach Boys or the Chipmunks.]
In 2007, KRTH began broadcasting its regular signal in HD. A second DJ-less channel, KRTH-HD2, features the 1955-1964 songs which have been removed from the main station's playlist and is branded as "K-Earth Classics on K-Earth HD2". Both HD signals can received with an HD Radio. KRTH and KRTH-HD2 are both streamed online at http://kearth101.radio.com/. However, in early 2010, like other CBS radio stations, online streams were discontinued for listeners outside the United States.
KRTH has been sold twice in its history and changed hands in a corporate merger an additional time. It was first sold in 1989 to Beasley Broadcasting, and then again in 1994 to Infinity. In 1997, in a corporate merger, CBS Radio (the current owner) acquired the station.
In November 2009, the station reached its first milestone by reaching their first #1 Overall in the Arbitron 12+ Ratings. The station had never reached a #1 overall in its 37 years broadcasting as K-Earth.
On August 11, 2011, special jingles commemorated KRTH's 70th anniversary. KRTH is the oldest continuously operated FM station in southern California.
, such as Brian Beirne
"Mr. Rock 'N Roll", Robert W. Morgan
, The Real Don Steele
, Bob Shannon, Charlie Tuna
, Roger Christian, Joni Caryl, Shotgun Tom Kelly http://www.shotguntomkelly.com/, Charlie Van Dyke
, Gary Bryan
, Dave Hull
"The Hullabalooer", Wolfman Jack
, Johnny Hayes, Christina Kelley, Brother John Rydgren, and Sean "Hollywood" Hamilton.
Oldies
Oldies is a term commonly used to describe a radio format that concentrates on music from a period of about 15 to 55 years before the present day....
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...
located in 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...
, broadcasting to the Greater Los Angeles Area
Greater Los Angeles Area
The Greater Los Angeles Area, or the Southland, is a term used for the Combined Statistical Area sprawled over five counties in the southern part of California, namely Los Angeles County, Orange County, San Bernardino County, Riverside County and Ventura County...
. Its signal covers an extremely large area, due in part to height upon Mt. Wilson, and sometimes can be heard as far south as San Diego and Tijuana, as far east as Moreno Valley, as far west as Santa Barbara
Santa Barbara, California
Santa Barbara is the county seat of Santa Barbara County, California, United States. Situated on an east-west trending section of coastline, the longest such section on the West Coast of the United States, the city lies between the steeply-rising Santa Ynez Mountains and the Pacific Ocean...
and as far north as Baker, California
Baker, California
Baker is a census-designated place located in San Bernardino County, California, USA. As of the 2010 census, the town had a total population of 735.Baker was founded as a station on the Tonopah and Tidewater Railroad in 1908,...
.
History
KRTH first signed on August 11, 1941 with the call letters K45LA, broadcasting on 44.5 FMFM broadcasting
FM broadcasting is a broadcasting technology pioneered by Edwin Howard Armstrong which uses frequency modulation to provide high-fidelity sound over broadcast radio. The term "FM band" describes the "frequency band in which FM is used for broadcasting"...
. After World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
, when the FCC
Federal Communications Commission
The Federal Communications Commission is an independent agency of the United States government, created, Congressional statute , and with the majority of its commissioners appointed by the current President. The FCC works towards six goals in the areas of broadband, competition, the spectrum, the...
mandated the 88-108 MHz range, the station was moved to 99.7 FM, and the call letters were changed to KHJ-FM, after its then-sister AM station KHJ
KHJ (AM)
KHJ Radio in Los Angeles, California broadcasts Spanish-language entertainment programming as La Ranchera. It was also one of America's most formidable Top 40 radio stations in the 1960s and 1970s as 93 KHJ before changing its format in 1980....
. In 1948, KHJ-FM moved yet again to its current broadcast frequency of 101.1 FM.
In 1965, when KHJ-AM (930) switched to a top-40 format as "Boss Radio", they simulcast on KHJ-FM. In 1969-70, KHJ-FM aired Drake-Chenault's "Hit Parade" format, an automated mix of oldies and current hits. In 1971, the station had a top-40 format that was independent of sister station KHJ-AM.
In 1972, there was a switch to what was then called a "gold" format, featuring older hit songs from the past. At the time, this was a novel idea since most stations played current music, with a few older songs mixed in. With the switch in format came a new moniker, "K-Earth," which was named after the first "Earth Day
Earth Day
Earth Day is a day that is intended to inspire awareness and appreciation for the Earth's natural environment. The name and concept of Earth Day was allegedly pioneered by John McConnell in 1969 at a UNESCO Conference in San Francisco. The first Proclamation of Earth Day was by San Francisco, the...
" which had debuted to much fanfare the year before. The call letters were thus switched to KRTH. The jingle, "K-Earth 101" was also introduced at this time. It directly echoed the sound and notes of the jingle from KHJ-AM, the station where many of these "gold" songs had originally been played. (KHJ-AM was still on the air at this point, but was playing current Top 40 songs.)
During the '70s and early '80s, K-Earth vacillated between this "gold" format and an adult contemporary format. Current music was played, to varying degrees, throughout this period, though the focus was almost always on the past.
In 1985, K-Earth shifted to what was becoming known as an "oldies" format, adopting the motto "Classic Rock and Roll." KRTH began promoting its "Good Time Oldies" image with frequent TV ads featuring Beach Boys music, classic cars, palms, and the ever present K-Earth jingle. The songs featured were from 1955–1984, though the focus was largely on the late '60s and early '70s. Doo-wop, early rock, Motown, girl groups, Elvis, and the Beatles were the mainstays of the station's music mix. During the early and mid 80's, K-Earth 101 would even feature huge specialties, including the #1 music weekend over the Labor Day Weekend. Every L.A. #1 song would be played in chronological order (utilizing the older KHJ radio charts and other local charts) from 1955 through 1985. The weekend before would feature "Runner's Up of Classic Rock and Roll Weekend", the #2's. Unfortunately, these specialties would be phased out in 1989 after the Beasley Broadcasting sale. The station was indeed sold to Beasley Broadcasting in 1988.
Oldies were a ratings success for KRTH, and for similar stations across the United States and Canada. In March 1989, another Los Angeles FM oldies station emerged at 93.1 under the call sign KODJ Oldies 93, and later as KCBS-FM
KCBS-FM
KCBS-FM is a radio station in Los Angeles, California broadcasting to the Greater Los Angeles area on 93.1 FM. KCBS-FM airs an adult hits music format branded as "Jack-FM"....
Oldies 93.1 as a direct competitor with KRTH. KODJ/KCBS-FM played oldies from 1955 to 1972 with a heavy focus on pre-1964 oldies. KRTH continued acknowledging the mid and late '70s and continued playing moderate amounts of pre-1964 material until 1991 when management eliminated the 1980s music and most post-1972 songs. The two stations went head-to-head for a few years, with K-Earth consistently getting higher ratings and emerging as the winner. KODJ even changed its call letters to KCBS-FM and in early 1993 began playing mostly pre-1965 oldies. KCBS-FM Oldies 93.1 successfully switched to a classic rock format in the fall of 1993 called "Arrow 93" but today offers an adult rock hits format called Jack
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...
. KRTH by then focused on the 1964 to 1969 period with moderate amounts of pre-1964 material and 1970s songs each hour. The station remained a competitor with Pasadena’s AM oldies station KRLA
KRLA
KRLA is a radio station broadcasting a News/Talk format. Licensed to Glendale, California, USA, it serves the Southern California area. The station is currently owned by Salem Communications.- KIEV :...
1110 into 1998 when KRLA switched formats and frequencies. KRTH was sold to Infinity Radio in 1994. Infinity purchased CBS in 1997 making KCBS-FM (by then Classic Rock) KRTH's sister station.
K-Earth continued with its oldies format throughout the 1990s. Toward the end of the decade, older songs from before the British Invasion of 1964 were increasingly dropped from the playlist, and the station began to showcase the late 1960s, especially Motown music, to a much greater degree. The playlist itself began to shrink, with only the biggest, most-requested hits from this period played in heavy repetition.
With its demographic aging and ratings sagging, K-Earth, along with most oldies outlets across the country, began adding 1970s songs into the playlist in the early 2000s. Artists such as Stevie Wonder, Elton John, Abba, the Bee Gees, Earth Wind and Fire, and Peter Frampton were combined with '60s artists such as the Supremes and the Beatles. Though still repetitive, the playlist was also rotated a bit more, with a few rediscovered oldies brought "out of the vault" on occasion, while other songs were "rested" from the rotation.
This process was taken a step further in 2007 with a few early 1980s songs added to the mix by artists such as Hall & Oates
Hall & Oates
Hall & Oates are an American musical duo composed of Daryl Hall and John Oates. They achieved their greatest fame in the late 1970s and early to mid-1980s. Both sing and play instruments. They specialized in a fusion of rock and roll and rhythm and blues styles, which they dubbed "rock and soul."...
, Phil Collins, and Michael Jackson.
Whether by luck or due to the musical changes implemented, by the end of 2007, K-Earth had improved its ratings substantially and was once again a Top 10 Los Angeles station. More importantly from an advertising standpoint, the station was attracting a younger demographic. In 2010 K-Earth began adding songs from the late 1980s and early 1990s into its mix from artists such as Janet Jackson, The Bangles, Deniece Williams and The Police. KRTH still plays an occasional pre 1964 song such as Shout, Jailhouse Rock
Jailhouse Rock (song)
"Jailhouse Rock" is a song written by Jerry Leiber and Mike Stoller that first became a hit for Elvis Presley. The song was released as a 45rpm single on September 24, 1957, to coincide with the release of Presley's motion picture, Jailhouse Rock...
, or Tequila
Tequila (song)
"Tequila" is a 1958 Latin-flavored rock and roll song recorded by the group, the Champs. The title of the song constitutes the entirety of the lyrics, and is spoken a total of three times during the course of the song. "Tequila" became a #1 hit on both the pop and R&B charts at the time of its...
(about one every other hour).
A slight format change occurred recently as KRTH added adult contemporary Christmas music from performers such as Mannheim Steamroller, Air Supply, and Barry Manilow. Airing three times an hour, this holiday fare is designed to entice listeners away from easy listening KOST-FM, which annually shoots to #1 in the ratings with its all-Christmas music. [In years past, K-Earth played a similar amount of Christmas music, but only from "oldies" artists such as the Beach Boys or the Chipmunks.]
In 2007, KRTH began broadcasting its regular signal in HD. A second DJ-less channel, KRTH-HD2, features the 1955-1964 songs which have been removed from the main station's playlist and is branded as "K-Earth Classics on K-Earth HD2". Both HD signals can received with an HD Radio. KRTH and KRTH-HD2 are both streamed online at http://kearth101.radio.com/. However, in early 2010, like other CBS radio stations, online streams were discontinued for listeners outside the United States.
KRTH has been sold twice in its history and changed hands in a corporate merger an additional time. It was first sold in 1989 to Beasley Broadcasting, and then again in 1994 to Infinity. In 1997, in a corporate merger, CBS Radio (the current owner) acquired the station.
In November 2009, the station reached its first milestone by reaching their first #1 Overall in the Arbitron 12+ Ratings. The station had never reached a #1 overall in its 37 years broadcasting as K-Earth.
On August 11, 2011, special jingles commemorated KRTH's 70th anniversary. KRTH is the oldest continuously operated FM station in southern California.
Notable personalities
The station has had many famous DJsDisc 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...
, such as Brian Beirne
Brian Beirne
Brian Beirne was a radio DJ for KRTH-FM aka K-EARTH 101 in Southern California. He is known as "Mr. Rock N' Roll", which is his registered trademark , and is considered one of the foremost historians on Rock N' Roll...
"Mr. Rock 'N Roll", Robert W. Morgan
Robert W. Morgan
Robert Wilbur Morgan was an award-winning morning radio personality best known for his work at several stations in Los Angeles, California, in particular KHJ-AM....
, The Real Don Steele
Don Steele
Don Steele, born Donald Steele Revert , was one of the most popular disc jockeys in the United States, from the middle of the 1960s until his retirement in May 1997...
, Bob Shannon, Charlie Tuna
Charlie Tuna
Charlie Tuna is the stage name of Art Ferguson , a radio personality based in Los Angeles, California currently working at KRTH-FM....
, Roger Christian, Joni Caryl, Shotgun Tom Kelly http://www.shotguntomkelly.com/, Charlie Van Dyke
Charlie Van Dyke
Charlie Van Dyke is a former radio disc jockey who is best known for the voice work he has done for numerous radio and television stations....
, Gary Bryan
Gary Bryan
Gary Bryan is a radio disc jockey, currently on the air in Los Angeles, California at KRTH 101.1 FM. With more than 30 years in broadcasting, Bryan's career includes major-market morning show duties, serving as host and producer of several syndicated programs, and ventures online and in...
, Dave Hull
Dave Hull
Dave Hull, aka "The Hullabalooer", is a Los Angeles radio personality voted one of the top ten LA radio personalities of all time. Born Jan. 20, 1934, he admits to being 77 with his personal addition herewith dated Mar. 3, 2011....
"The Hullabalooer", Wolfman Jack
Wolfman Jack
Robert Weston Smith, known commonly as Wolfman Jack was a gravelly voiced US disc jockey who became famous in the 1960s and 1970s.-Early career:...
, Johnny Hayes, Christina Kelley, Brother John Rydgren, and Sean "Hollywood" Hamilton.