Radio This Week Back Then #13: April 14-20
California Dreamin': KMKX/KEGY and KFMB-FM San Diego, KHOP/KHOV Modesto-Stockton/Merced, and KHTN Merced
What was on the radio this week…back then. If you enjoy these weekly audio rewinds, please do me a favor, subscribe, and share and pass it on. Thank you!
We head out west this week for some California airchecks. First up is San Diego for airchecks of 100.7 and 103.7 from both 1996 (hot AC KFMB-FM “Star 100.7” and classic rock KMKX “Rock Mix 103-7”) and twenty years later in 2016 (classic rock KFMB-FM “KFM-BFM” and rhythmic-leaning top 40 KEGY “Energy 103-7”). Then, up to Modesto and Merced for top 40 KHOP 104.1/KHOV 103.9 “FM104 KHOP” and rhytmic top 40 KHTN 104.7 “Hot 105.”
Then, Again: 100.7 San Diego - 1996, 2016
I had spent a week in San Diego in 1996 to attend a conference for work. I just happen to also have some airchecks from San Diego exactly twenty years later from the same week in 2016. So, let’s look at a couple of stations from the same week twenty years apart.
Friday, April 19 1996: Hot AC KFMB-FM “Star 100.7”
Since its sign on and for six decades following, 100.7 San Diego had the KFMB-FM call letters, as it was co-owned with KFMB 760 and CBS affiliate KFMB-TV 8. When the trio was purchased by Tegna, which was more interested in TV holdings rather than radio holdings, the AM and FM were spun off separately, resulting in the KFMB calls ending on the radio dial in 2020 (the AM now KGB under owner iHeart and the FM now adult hits KFBG “Big FM” under owner Local Media San Diego).
The personality-driven hot AC “Star 100.7” format began in June 1994 and would run until 2005. This aircheck from April 1996 is from a Friday night shift with DJ Russell. Good station.
Prince/”When Doves Cry”
The Smashing Pumpkins/”1979”
Jann Arden/“Insensitive”
REM/”Man On The Moon”
Dog’s Eye View/”Everything Falls Apart”
Pat Benatar/”Hit Me With Your Best Shot”
The Presidents Of The United States Of America/”Lump”
Everything But The Girl/”Missing”
Yaz/”Situation”
Alanis Morrissette/”Ironic”
Spin Doctors/”Two Princes”
Collective Soul/”The World I Know”
Legal ID: KFMB-FM 100.7 San Diego
Blues Traveler/”Hook”
Weird Al Yankovic/”Gump”
Natalie Merchant/”Wonder”
Wang Chung/”Everybody Have FunTonight”
Hootie & The Blowfish/”Old Man & Me”
Green Day/”When I Come Around”
KD Lang/”Sexuality”
Soft Cell/”Tainted Love”
The Goo Goo Dolls/”Name”
Saturday, April 16 2016: Classic Rock KFMB-FM “100.7 KFM-BFM”
In April 2005, “Star 100.7” changed formats to adult hits “100.7 Jack FM, Playing What We Want.” Towards the end of its run as “Jack FM,” it reverted back towards personality-driven hot AC, but kept the “Jack FM” name. In December 2015, it flipped to all-Christmas and went into a “wheel of formats” stunting for a week and a half starting on December 26. On January 4 2016, it emerged as a wide-ranging (“whatever, whenever”) classic rocker branded as “100.7 KFM-BFM.” It did run true rock variety with a playlist spanning 1970s classic rock, 1980s rock and new wave, alternative, etc. So, this aircheck is fairly early from its “KFM-BFM” days. All around, it was a pretty good station with the broad playlist and with the San Diego-specific branding instead of another generic “Fox” or “Hawk” classic rock outlet.
The Go-Go’s/”We Got The Beat”
Led Zeppelin/”Kashmir”
Ramones/”Blitzkrieg Bop”
Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers/”I Need To Know”
Muse/”Hysteria”
Green Day/”Brain Stew”
Electric Light Orchestra/”Don’t Bring Me Down”
New Order/”Regret”
Lenny Kravitz/”Always On The Run”
Legal ID: KFMB-FM 100.7 San Diego
Peter Gabriel/”Big Time”
Scorpions/”The Zoo”
Stone Temple Pilots/”Interstate Love Song”
Profile
Then, Again: 103.7 San Diego - 1996, 2016
Unlike 100.7, the 103.7 San Diego has gone through a number of call letters since it signed on. We start with its brief time as “Rock Mix 103-7” KMKX.
Saturday, April 20 1996: Classic Rock KMKX “Rock Mix 103-7, San Diego’s Better Rock Mix”
“Rock Mix 103-7” signed on in February 1995, with the calls changing from KJQY to KMKX the following month on March 24 1995. It had a relatively short lifespan as it rebranded as rock and rock classics “103-7 the Planet” KPLN in July 1996. As such, this Saturday morning aircheck was near the end of KMKX’s time as it turned out, not a lot of people opted to “vote Rock Mix in ‘96”…
Fleetwood Mac/”Dreams”
The Who/”Behind Blue Eyes”
The Motels/”Only The Lonely”
The Eagles/”Heartache Tonight”
Crosby, Stills & Nash/“Southern Cross”
Pink Floyd/”Time”
The Police/”Wrapped Around Your Finger”
Bob Seger & The Silver Bullet Band/”Hollywood Nights”
Steppenwolf/”Born To Be Wild”
Foreigner/”Urgent”
Legal ID: KMKX 103.7 San Diego
George Harrison/”My Sweet Lord”
The Rolling Stones/”Miss You”
Eric Clapton/”Let It Rain”
The Doors/”Hello, I Love You”
John Cougar Mellencamp/”Small Town”
Supertramp/”Bloody Well Right”
Bruce Springsteen/”Glory Days”
Elton John/”Honky Cat”
Jackson Browne/”The Load Out/Stay”
Don Henley/”Dirty Laundry”
Saturday, April 16 2016: Dance Top 40 KEGY “Energy 103-7”
In October 2005, KPLN flipped to hot talk KSCF “Free FM.” In June 2007, KSCF flipped to modern AC “Sophie @ 103.7.” Sophie’s run continued until March 2012 when KSCF flipped to dance, rhythmic, and R&B-heavy top 40 “Energy 103-7.” The flip created a crowded CHR field with KEGY joining XHITZ 90.3 “Z90” and KHTS 93.3 “Channel 933” in the format. The top songs on KEGY had a high spin count…this aircheck, at just under 2 hours, has three songs getting two spins.
In February 2017, newly co-owned country KSON 97.3 and KEGY swapped calls and formats, sending the country format and KSON calls to the better 103.7 signal and KEGY going to the 97.3 spot as “Energy 97.3.” The 97.3 facility transmits from a location further south that provides less of a signal to “North County,” the northern part of San Diego County.
Z90 and KHTS are still in the format and KEGY is long gone…ratings tanked after moving to 97.3, and it flipped to an ill-fated hot talk format in March 2018 that ended the following month following unflattering press and controversy. In April, it flipped to its present day sports KWFN “97-3 the Fan” format.
Flo Rida/”My House”
Selena Gomez/”Good For You”
Alan Walker/”Faded”
The Weeknd/”The Hills”
Flume/”Never Be Like You”
DNCE/”Cake By The Ocean”
Robin Schulz/”Sugar”
G-Eazy & Bebe Rexha/”Me, Myself & I”
Jason Derulo/”Talk Dirty”
Nick Jonas (Featuring Tove Lo)/”Close”
Selena Gomez/”Hands To Myself”
Legal ID: KEGY 103.7 San Diego
DJ Snake/”Middle”
Fetty Wap/”679”
Chainsmokers (Featuring Daya)/”Don’t Let Me Down”
Mike Posner/”I Took A Pill In Ibiza”
Lucenzo/”Danza Kuduro”
Belly (Featuring The Weeknd)/”Might Not”
Justin Bieber/”Love Yourself”
Flo Rida/”My House”
Rihanna/”Kiss It Better”
Drake/”Started From The Bottom”
Flume/”Never Be Like You”
Ariana Grande/”One Last Time”
Desiigner/”Panda”
Krewella/”Alive”
Meghan Trainor/”No”
Twenty One Pilots/”Stressed Out”
Legal ID: KEGY 103.7 San Diego
Zayn Malik/”Pillowtalk”
Taylor Swift (Featuring Kendrick Lamar)/”Bad Blood”
Zara Larsson & MNEK/”Never Forget You”
DJ Snake/”Middle”
The Weeknd/”Can’t Feel My Face”
Profile
Aircheck: KHOP 104.1 “FM104 KHOP” Modesto-Stockton, April 16 1992
Moving up to Central California along the California 99 corridor, next up is the combo of KHOP 104.1 Modesto-Stockton and the adjacent Merced market KHOV 103.9 Mariposa. KHOV was a fairly new facility, getting its license to cover a few months before from the FCC to start broadcasting. It extended the reach of KHOP down the CA 99 freeway.
At this time KHOP/KHOV were top 40 “FM104 KHOP” in the final year of the CHR format on the pair as the KHOP/KHOV would flip to rock “Rock 104” by the end of the year. DJ Casinova is the air talent on this April 1992 aircheck. Today, there pair is classic rock KHKK/KDJK “104.1 the Hawk,” and the old calls are on clustermate CHR KHOP 95.1.
MC Hammer/”U Can’t Touch This”
Legal ID: KHOV 103.9 Mariposa-Merced/KHOP 104.1 Modesto-Stockton
Mitch Malloy/”Anything At All”
Amy Grant/”Good For Me”
REM/”Losing My Religion”
The Scream/”Father, Mother, Son”
Atlantic Starr/”Masterpiece”
Great White/“Once Bitten, Twice Shy”
Roxette/”Church Of Your Heart”
Def Leppard/”Let’s Get Rocked”
RTZ/”Until Your Love Comes Back Around”
Firehouse/”All She Wrote”
Eric Clapton/”Tears In Heaven”
Billy Idol/”Mony Mony”
Matthew Sweet/”Girlfriend”
Genesis/“I Can’t Dance”
Nia Peeples/”Kissing The Wind”
Jody Watley/”I’m The One You Need”
Bad Company/”Walk Through Fire”
Richard Marx/”Hazard”
Roxette/”Listen To Your Heart”
Profile
Aircheck: KHTN 104.7 “Hot 105” Merced CA, April 17 1992
For more than three decades now, KHTN has been a rhythmic leaning CHR under the “Hot” brand (“Hot 105” originally and now “Hot 104.7”). This aircheck is from Good Friday afternoon in 1992. At the time, KHTN was licensed to Los Banos; previous owned Buckley petitioned the FCC in 2003 to change the allocation from Los Banos to Planada and the license change occurred in 2004. It also made for a 36 mile transmitter location change form the old site to one on Mount Bullion, north of the Mariposa airport. The old and current coverage is shown below in the station profile.
Michael Bolton (Featuring Kenny G)/”Missing You Now”
Bas Noir/”Superficial Love”
Karyn White/”Romantic”
Luther Vandross/”Sometimes It’s Only Love”
Gloria Estefan & Miami Sound Machine/”Anything For You”
Vanessa Williams/”Save The Best For Last”
Smokey Robinson/”Just To See Her”
Atlantic Starr/”Masterpiece”
R. Kelly & Public Announcement/”Honey Love”
Legal ID: KHTN 104.7 Los Banos-Merced
Tracie Spencer/”Tender Kisses”
Icy Blu/”I Wanna Be Your Girl”
Profile
As always, the logos and other intellectual property belong to the stations. The recordings were made from over the air broadcasts.