Radio This Week Back Then #61: March 23-29
Beginnings and endings: AAA KCBQ-FM "Sets FM" San Diego, CHR WBPR "Power 98" Myrtle Beach, CHR KFQX-FM "Fox 102.7" Abilene
What was on the radio this week…back then. This is a weekly visit of radio audio from this week in past years for those that enjoy radio history, those working in radio looking for promotional ideas, or stations looking to re-find lost audio of their heritage. If you enjoy these weekly audio rewinds, they take a lot of time to put together, so please do me a favor, subscribe, and share and pass it on. Thank you! A searchable and sortable index of all the audio is located on the Aircheck Index page.
Radio audio, history, and musings from radio this week back then…
San Diego | AAA KCBQ-FM “Sets FM 105.3” (1996)
Myrtle Beach | CHR WBPR “Power 98” (1989)
Abilene | CHR KFQX “Fox 102.7” (1992)
The theme this week is beginnings and endings as the airchecks come from the final days of KCBQ-FM, the initial weeks of WBPR, and the final months of the first generation KFQX-FM.
Happy reading and listening!
Related: San Diego
About 105.3
Presently rock KIOZ “Rock 105.3,” the station dates back to 1954, when it signed on as KSON-FM 101.5, the new FM sister to good music KSON 1240. Within that decade, it would relocate to 104.7 and then again to its present day home of 105.3.
The aircheck this week comes from the end of its time under the KCBQ-FM calls. It took those calls when it flipped from easy listening KITT to simulcasting its new sister, country KCBQ 1170 in 1981. In late 1986, KCBQ-FM flipped from country to oldies “Eagle 105.” In August 1993, it shifted to “modern oldies” by moving from 1950s-1970s oldies to 1970s-1980s oldies. On 3 February 1996, KCBQ-FM flipped to AAA “Sets FM 105.3,” which is this week’s audio. “Sets FM” was unique in that it would play a set of songs from the same artist. The North County Times profiled the station after it launched1:
Pledging to “eliminate artificial boundaries” and to create an entirely new radio station, KCBQ-105.3 FM rechristened itself as “Sets FM” on Saturday [3 February 1996]. Although Sets FM retains some of KCBQ’s classic rock and pop artists such as the Rolling Stones, Rod Stewart, Van Halen, Billy Joel and Paul Simon, the new station also plays some titles by new artists like Alanis Morissette, Joan Osborne, Collective Soul, Melissa Etheridge, Chris Isaak and Sheryl Crow. And each artist is featured in a two, three or four-song set.
It’s an unusual hybrid of alternative stations like 91-X [XETRA-FM 91.1], “The Flash” [then modern rock XHRM 92.5] and KUPR [95.7, then AAA] with classic rockers like KGB [101.5] and “Rock Mix” [then classic rock KMKX 103.7, see RTWBT #13]. In fact, the station decided to add artists to its library if an artist was played by at least two other stations in the market.
In other words, Sets FM is, in effect, programmed by all the other stations in town.
Sets FM plays rock music, but it sounds like an adult contemporary station. The announcers have been told to do northing but read liner cards between each “set.”
Aircheck
“Sets FM”’s time was pretty brief on 105.3. It launched 3 February 1996 and ended its run on 1 April when it was relocated to 102.1 in a swap of formats and calls with rock KIOZ “Rock 102.” This aircheck is a couple of days before the swap. With the swap, 102.1 picked up the KXST calls that better matched the “Sets” handle.
Audio
Aircheck Log
Related: Myrtle Beach
About 97.7
Currently, 97.7 is CHR WWXM “Mix 97.7.”
Aircheck
This Easter afternoon aircheck of CHR WBPR “Power 98” comes two weeks after its launch. “The power switch” is on…primarily trying to pull listeners from incumbent CHR WYAV 104.1 “Wave 104” (audio of them from way back in RTWBT #4).
Audio
Aircheck Log
Related: Abilene, 102.7 Abilene
About 102.7
Aircheck
This aircheck comes from the first pass of the KFQX-FM calls and “Fox 102.7” CHR format on the signal. Six months after the aircheck, KFQX-FM flipped to country KCWS “West 102.” “West 102” would shift to a classic rock/country hybrid the following year, then to just rock oldies the year after that and then back to country in 1996. In October 1997, it reverted back to the KFQX-FM calls and “Fox 102.7” CHR format for a brief run.
Audio
Aircheck Log
As always, the logos and other intellectual property belong to the stations. The recordings were made from over the air broadcasts. Similarly, other data (charts, ratings, etc.) belong to their respective owners.
“San Diego Could Be Losing Classical Station,” North County Times, 9 February 1996.