KROQ-FM

KROQ-FM is a commercial radio station located in Los Angeles, California, broadcasting on 106.7 FM to the greater Los Angeles area. KROQ-FM airs a modern rock music format branded as 106.7 K-Rocq. The call sign is pronounced "kay rock." It is the flagship station of Loveline hosted by Dr. Drew Pinsky, and The Kevin and Bean Morning Show.

History

KPPC

Originally, 106.7 FM was KPPC-FM, owned by the Pasadena Presbyterian Church. They broadcast religious programming with a co-owned AM station. As the church encountered difficulties operating the stations, they sold the two stations to an outside company, Crosby-Avery Broadcasting, with the church retaining the right to broadcast its services over both stations. Until 1969, the station still broadcast from the basement of the church.

In 1967, Tom and Raechel Donahue created a freeform progressive rock format at co-owned KMPX in San Francisco. KMPX became a big success, and in 1968, the Donahues were sent to Pasadena to introduce the format to the ailing KPPC-FM.

The following year, after a few bounced paychecks, dress code regulations, and other rules changes, The Donahues and the disc jockeys at both KMPX and KPPC walked out on the stations in what was called by some at the time as "The Great Hippie Strike." The former KMPX and KPPC staffers were later hired at Metromedia-owned KSAN in San Francisco and KMET in Los Angeles. KPPC hired new staffers and kept the freeform format, though they floundered for several years following the strike. In 1969, the two stations were sold to the National Science Network.

In April 1970, the studios were moved out of the church basement. In September of that year, the FM transmitter was moved to Flint Peak, a mountaintop adjacent to Pasadena, and the station's power was significantly upgraded.

KROQ-AM and KROQ-FM

Country music station KBBQ (1500 AM) in Burbank became KROQ in September 1972, changing its format to Top-40 and hiring established disc jockeys from other stations. The new KROQ called itself the "ROQ of Los Angeles". In 1973 KROQ's owners bought the struggling KPPC-FM from National Science Network, which was forced by the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) to sell their stations due to compliance issues, changed the calls to KROQ-FM and hired Shadoe Stevens to create a new rock format described as high energy "all-cutting-edge-rock-all-the-time" and began simulcasting as "The ROQs of L.A.: Mother Rock!" (KPPC (AM) was sold to Universal Broadcasting, and remained on the air with its limited-schedule of Wednesday evening and Sunday operation until subsequent owners took the station — by then, KBLV — off the air permanently in 1996.)

The two stations were wildly successful initially with the new format, but poor money management by the general managers resulted in more bounced paychecks, and in 1974, Shadoe quit and the entire staff walked out, shutting the stations down. In 1976, the FCC ordered KROQ to return to the airwaves or surrender the stations' licenses. With barebones equipment, KROQ returned to the airwaves, broadcasting initially from the transmitter location, followed by a penthouse suite in the Pasadena Hilton Hotel, then across the street from the Hilton (117 S. Los Robles). At that time, Shadoe Stevens was re-hired as a programming consultant and air personality with others like Los Angeles radio legends "The Obscene" Steven Clean and Frazer Smith. At this time Rodney Bingenheimer also joined the station introducing many new and local bands, including The Sex Pistols, The Ramones and The Runaways on his Sunday night show.

The management of KROQ once again had problems maintaining payroll, and the staffers again quit, taking all of the station's records with them. Bingenheimer was the only one who stayed. KROQ scrambled to find new air personalities. One of the new on-air talents was Jed Gould, aka Jed the Fish, who is still with the station. Around this time, the owners pared down to one station when they sold the weak-signalled KROQ-AM, which switched to an ethnic format briefly, then went off the air in 1986 when the new owners lost their lease on the property where the transmitting towers were located.

By 1978, new wave and punk rock were becoming increasingly popular, and KROQ started adding more of it to their freeform format. Shadoe Stevens once again left the station and Rick Carroll took over as Program director in late 1979 and took the new music and combined it with a Top 40 formatic structure. Subsequently, KROQ became an even greater success. The "Rock of the Eighties" was born.

The station still mixed the new music of the Talking Heads and Blondie with established artists such as The Rolling Stones, AC/DC and Lynyrd Skynyrd, but by 1982, the station was full-fledged modern rock.

The station's proximity to Hollywood and the Los Angeles punk rock scene gave it a unique place in the development of the new wave and alternative rock genres, and KROQ quickly became one of the most influential radio stations in broadcast history, particularly when Carroll, as a consultant, took the "Rock of the 80s" format to other stations, including 91X in San Diego, KYYX in Seattle and The Quake in San Francisco.

In 1986, KROQ was purchased at a then record $45 million by Infinity Broadcasting, which merged with CBS in 1997, and is now owned by CBS Radio.

KROQ helped to launch the careers of previously low-key Southern California bands The Offspring, The Red Hot Chili Peppers and Sublime. They pride themselves on being "world famous" for their discovery of up-and-coming artists and are often the first station to promote new rock bands before their large-scale success.

KROQ today

Originally located at 117 S. Los Robles Avenue in Pasadena, the station moved to 3500 W. Olive Avenue in Burbank in 1987 as part of the purchase agreement and to be closer to the music industry. In 2002, the station was moved to a facility at 5901 Venice Blvd. in Los Angeles to consolidate operations with K-Earth.

Unlike most other (Class B, but with grandfathered greater than B facilities) FM stations in Los Angeles whose transmitters are atop Mount Wilson, KROQ's (Class B) transmitter is located on Tongva Peak (which replaced Flint Peak in Glendale at an altitude of 2500 ft), which results in somewhat weaker signal coverage.

In 2004, KROQ began broadcasting in HD Radio for a higher quality broadcast. On February 20, 2006, KROQ added streaming music from the radio station to their website. On June 9, 2006, KROQ launched an HD sub-carrier, KROQ HD Channel 2, which now replicates the original Roq of the Eighties format. This somewhat justified the dropping of the long-running Flashback Lunch, until then nearly the sole remnant of the new wave and '90s modern rock days.

In February 2010 CBS Radio, which controls the live stream, blocked access for listeners outside of the United States. This move angered fans of the station all over the world.

Programmed by Kevin Weatherly, KROQ’s line-up includes Kevin and Bean from 5:30 – 10 a.m.; Kat Corbett 10 a.m. – 1 p.m.; Sluggo 1 p.m. – 4 p.m.; Stryker 4 p.m. – 8 p.m.; Nicole Alvarez 8 p.m. – midnight; and Loveline with Dr. Drew midnight - 2a.m.

Steve Jones, from the groundbreaking indie 103.1, recently began a Sunday night show.

Personalities

The early success of the radio station can be attributed to the station's almost anarchic beginnings, playing music that was not being aired anywhere else. The personalities and their willingness to explore and take risks led to the station's success among the young and burgeoning punk and new wave scene of the late-1970s and early-1980s. Rodney on the Roq was the original new music guru, while Richard Blade, Freddy Snakeskin, Dusty Street and Jed the Fish championed the burgeoning UK music scene. Many of these personalities are still working at the radio station. The promotion of the Poorman from local surf reporter to full-time air personality reflected KROQ's tradition of occasionally giving airshifts to fans of the radio station.

Awards

In 2007, the station was nominated for the top 25 markets Alternative station of the year award by Radio & Records magazine. Other nominees included WBCN in Boston, Massachusetts, KTBZ-FM in Houston, Texas, KITS, in San Francisco, KNDD in Seattle, Washington, and WWDC in Washington, DC.

Notable former staff

Richard Blade (1982–2000)

Adam Carolla Loveline, "Mr. Birchum" on the morning show (1995–2005)

Carson Daly (1996)

Raechel Donahue (1980–86)

Mark Goodman (1990s)

Chris Hardwick (1994–1998)

Tami Heide (1991–2004)

J.J. Jackson (1987)

Jed the Fish

Kennedy (1991–92)

Jimmy Kimmel "Jimmy the Sports Guy" on the morning show (1994–99)

"Spacin'" Scott Mason (1979–2000), now Director of Engineering; West Coast at CBS Radio

Frank Murphy, producer of Kevin and Bean

Cassandra Peterson "Elvira Mistress of the ROQ" (1982–83)

Riki Rachtman Loveline (1993–96)

Frazer Smith (1976–80)

Matt "Money" Smith "KROQ Sports Guy" (1994–2005)

Shadoe Stevens (1973–80) First air personality and founding program director.

Jim Trenton "The Poor Man", creator and host of Loveline. He hosted the show for many years with co-host Dr. Drew Pinsky (1982-1993)

Ian Whitcomb (Weekends - early 1980s)

Notable concerts and communities

KROQ Almost Acoustic Christmas, first aired in December 1990

KROQ Weenie Roast, first aired in June 1993; from 2005 to 2009, this festival had been presented in May. For the first time in six years, it returned to its original air time on June 5, 2010.

KROQ LA Invasion, first aired in August 2001; this festival has not been presented since 2007.

Epicenter, first aired in August 2009.

KROQ-related albums

KROQ Calendar & New Music, a compilation of new singles that premiered in the subsequent year. (1995–present)

Rodney on the ROQ, Vol. 1 a classic punk compilation from KROQ's Rodney Bingenheimer.

Rodney on the ROQ, Vol. 2 more good punk from KROQ's Rodney Bingenheimer.

Rodney on the ROQ, Vol. 3 even more punk from KROQ's Rodney Bingenheimer.

At KROQ, a CD-single by Morrissey.

On KROQ's Loveline, CD by Hagfish

The Best of KROQ's Almost Acoustic Christmas (1999), a compilation of concerts recorded at the Acoustic Christmas.

Kevin & Bean's Super Christmas (2006)

Kevin & Bean's Christmastime In The 909 (2004)

Kevin and Bean: The Year They Recalled Santa Claus (2003)

Kevin and Bean: Fo' Shizzle St. Nizzle (2002)

Kevin and Bean: Swallow My Eggnog (2001)

Kevin and Bean: The Real Slim Santa (2000)

Kevin and Bean: Last Christmas (1999)

(1998)

(1997)

Kevin and Bean: Christmastime in the LBC (1996)

Kevin and Bean: How the Juice Stole Christmas (1995)

Kevin and Bean: No Toys for OJ (1994)

Kevin and Bean: Santa Claus, Schamanta Claus (1993)

Kevin and Bean: We've Got Your Yule Logs Hangin' (1992)

Kevin and Bean: Bogus Christmas (1991)

(1990)

Kroqing in Pasadena, a single from XTC (198?)

Richard Blade's Flashback Favorites, Volumes 1-6 (1993)

References

External links

Official Website

Complete countdown list of KROQ songs (1980-present)

History of KROQ 1968-1979

History of KROQ 1980-1990

KROQ: An Oral History

List of KROQ Top 106.7 countdowns with a searchable archive

KROQ/KPPC Reunion held August 4, 2001. Mainly just pictures available.

Listing of Former KROQ/KPPC jocks and info on where they are now

Pictorial tour of the transmitter facility on Verdugo Peak

Collection of KROQ jingles from the 70s and ROQ of the 80s

ROQ-FM Category:Modern rock radio stations in the United States Category:Radio stations established in 1962