KYPA
Encyclopedia
KYPA is a Korean-language
radio station in Los Angeles, California
. It is owned by Multicultural Broadcasting
.
KYPA is one of three radio stations in the greater Los Angeles area that broadcast entirely in Korean; the others are KMPC
and KFOX
.
The format includes various shows that serve the largest Korean
population in the United States. They include talk shows, news
casts, variety shows, and popular music
.
Many years ago, this station served a much different community - African-Americans. The call letters
were KGFJ, and from the 1960s to around 1997, and again in the early 2000s, the programming consisted of R&B
, classic soul, and gospel music
. During the Los Angeles riots
in 1992, KGFJ briefly adopted a talk format. During the 1960s and early 1970s, KGFJ was a well-respected and influential soul music outlet, with many top name DJs, like Larry McCormick
and Russ O'Hara
.
A recreated example of KGFJ's R&B programming in the late 1950s can be found on Ron Jacobs'
"Cruisin' 1959" (Increase Records INCR 5-2004). This recreation features DJ Hunter Hancock
and includes several classic R&B songs of that era, contemporary commercials (e.g., Champion spark plugs
, the Saturday Evening Post, and others), and DJ patter.
Between the two eras of black-oriented formats, KGFJ was KYPA, "Personal Achievement Radio." The station, as well as AM 820
in Chicago, aired condensed seminar speeches and interviews with business executives.
In 2002, the current format was adopted and the KYPA call sign restored.
Many Angelenos have a hard time listening to KYPA at night due to a drastic reduction in signal strength. The station is removing their roof-top wire antenna (despite its historical significance as likely the last "hammock" style antenna in the U.S.) with a new site in the hills northwest of Dodger Stadium
using one of the six-tower array of co-owned KBLA
.
Korean language
Korean is the official language of the country Korea, in both South and North. It is also one of the two official languages in the Yanbian Korean Autonomous Prefecture in People's Republic of China. There are about 78 million Korean speakers worldwide. In the 15th century, a national writing...
radio station 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...
. It is owned by Multicultural Broadcasting
Multicultural Broadcasting
Multicultural Broadcasting is a media company based in New York City founded by Chinese-American businessman Arthur Liu. Multicultural caters mostly to the Asian American community and owns television and radio stations in several of the top markets in multiple languages.-History:This company was...
.
KYPA is one of three radio stations in the greater Los Angeles area that broadcast entirely in Korean; the others are 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 KFOX
KFOX (AM)
KFOX is a Korean language AM radio station licensed to Torrance, California, broadcasting to the Los Angeles metropolitan area on 1650 kHz AM.KFOX is one of three radio stations in the greater Los Angeles area that broadcast entirely in Korean; the others are KMPC and KYPA.KFOX was launched in 1997...
.
The format includes various shows that serve the largest Korean
Korean Peninsula
The Korean Peninsula is a peninsula in East Asia. It extends southwards for about 684 miles from continental Asia into the Pacific Ocean and is surrounded by the Sea of Japan to the south, and the Yellow Sea to the west, the Korea Strait connecting the first two bodies of water.Until the end of...
population in the United States. They include talk shows, news
News
News is the communication of selected information on current events which is presented by print, broadcast, Internet, or word of mouth to a third party or mass audience.- Etymology :...
casts, variety shows, and popular music
Pop music
Pop music is usually understood to be commercially recorded music, often oriented toward a youth market, usually consisting of relatively short, simple songs utilizing technological innovations to produce new variations on existing themes.- Definitions :David Hatch and Stephen Millward define pop...
.
Many years ago, this station served a much different community - African-Americans. The call letters
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...
were KGFJ, and from the 1960s to around 1997, and again in the early 2000s, the programming consisted of R&B
Rhythm and blues
Rhythm and blues, often abbreviated to R&B, is a genre of popular African American music that originated in the 1940s. The term was originally used by record companies to describe recordings marketed predominantly to urban African Americans, at a time when "urbane, rocking, jazz based music with a...
, classic soul, and gospel music
Gospel music
Gospel music is music that is written to express either personal, spiritual or a communal belief regarding Christian life, as well as to give a Christian alternative to mainstream secular music....
. During the Los Angeles riots
1992 Los Angeles riots
The 1992 Los Angeles Riots or South Central Riots, also known as the 1992 Los Angeles Civil Unrest were sparked on April 29, 1992, when a jury acquitted three white and one hispanic Los Angeles Police Department officers accused in the videotaped beating of black motorist Rodney King following a...
in 1992, KGFJ briefly adopted a talk format. During the 1960s and early 1970s, KGFJ was a well-respected and influential soul music outlet, with many top name DJs, like Larry McCormick
Larry McCormick
Larry McCormick was a Canadian politician.McCormick was a member of the Liberal Party of Canada in the Canadian House of Commons, representing the riding Hastings—Frontenac—Lennox and Addington from 1993 to 2004...
and Russ O'Hara
Russ O'Hara
Russell Eugene Nealeigh O'Hara is a one-time Los Angeles, USA radio personality whose career began at the forefront of the Boss Radio/Top 40 format....
.
A recreated example of KGFJ's R&B programming in the late 1950s can be found on Ron Jacobs'
Ron Jacobs (broadcaster)
Ron Jacobs is an American broadcaster, author, record producer and concert promoter. He is best known as the program director of KHJ radio in Los Angeles during its ground-breaking "Boss Radio" period , and as co-creator of the countdown show American Top 40, and the seminal radio program The...
"Cruisin' 1959" (Increase Records INCR 5-2004). This recreation features DJ Hunter Hancock
Hunter Hancock
Hunter Hancock was a white American disc jockey regarded as the first in the Western United States to play rhythm and blues records on the radio, and among the first to broadcast rock and roll....
and includes several classic R&B songs of that era, contemporary commercials (e.g., Champion spark plugs
Champion (spark plug)
Champion is an American brand of spark plugs.Originally Champion was a Fortune 500 Company founded by Robert A. Stranahan and Frank D. Stranahan in 1908 in Boston, MA and then moved to Toledo, OH in 1910 to be close to the Willys-Overland Auto Company....
, the Saturday Evening Post, and others), and DJ patter.
Between the two eras of black-oriented formats, KGFJ was KYPA, "Personal Achievement Radio." The station, as well as AM 820
WCPT
WCPT could refer to:In the Chicago area:* 820 WCPT at Willow Springs — had the call sign WAIT from 2005 to 2007, and WCSN before that* 850 WAIT at Crystal Lake — had the call sign WCPT from 2005 to 2007, and WAIT before that...
in Chicago, aired condensed seminar speeches and interviews with business executives.
In 2002, the current format was adopted and the KYPA call sign restored.
Many Angelenos have a hard time listening to KYPA at night due to a drastic reduction in signal strength. The station is removing their roof-top wire antenna (despite its historical significance as likely the last "hammock" style antenna in the U.S.) with a new site in the hills northwest of Dodger Stadium
Dodger Stadium
Dodger Stadium, also sometimes called Chavez Ravine, is a stadium in Los Angeles. Located adjacent to Downtown Los Angeles, Dodger Stadium has been the home ballpark of Major League Baseball's Los Angeles Dodgers team since 1962...
using one of the six-tower array of co-owned KBLA
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)...
.