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KCBH - Beverly Hills, California USA (date unknown)Credit: Broadcasting and Radio Photo Archives by Marvin CollinsIn addition to KCBH, several other call signs have been used on the 98.7 MHz frequency in the history of radio in the Los Angeles area including KMGM and KJOI. These days it is KYSR that broadcasts one of the worst versions of the “alternative rock” format ever concocted.

KCBH - Beverly Hills, California USA (date unknown)

Credit: Broadcasting and Radio Photo Archives by Marvin Collins

In addition to KCBH, several other call signs have been used on the 98.7 MHz frequency in the history of radio in the Los Angeles area including KMGM and KJOI. These days it is KYSR that broadcasts one of the worst versions of the “alternative rock” format ever concocted.

fadedsignals: Here’s a great 1950 ad celebrating KOIN-AM/Portland’s 25-year anniversary. KQP signed on the air in 1925.  The call letters became KOIN (“Know Oregon’s Independent Newspaper” — The Portland News owned the station) in 1926.  The station joined CBS in 1928.   Some details about KOIN’s early days from PDXHistory.com:  Live music made up 8 out of 12 programs during the day and KOIN maintained its own orchestra of versatile musicians and in the early days. The first conductor of KOIN’s Orchestra was Mischa Pelz. Live music was featured four hours a day during the first two months on the air and within six months, it was featured as much as eight hours a day. A new pipe organ was purchased in 1926 for $25,000 and it was installed in the hotel studios. Live music was KOIN’s mainstay. KOIN’s staff of performers and musicians was larger than all of Portland’s other stations combined. The station moved to 970 AM in 1941.  KOIN-FM started in 1948 and KOIN-TV in 1953.  It was one of the last radio stations in the country with staff musicians, but live music broadcasts ended in 1971. KOIN had a middle-of-the-road format before Gaylord Broadcasting bought the station in 1977, flipped it to Top 40 and changed the call letters to KYTE.  Owners tried country, adult standards, classical, oldies, alternative rock and other formats (along with several sets of new call letters) before settling on the current incarnation: “Freedom 970,” a talk station with KUFO call letters. The KOIN call letters remain on Channel 6. Source: Wikipedia (KUFO)

fadedsignals:

Here’s a great 1950 ad celebrating KOIN-AM/Portland’s 25-year anniversary.

KQP signed on the air in 1925.  The call letters became KOIN (“Know Oregon’s Independent Newspaper” — The Portland News owned the station) in 1926.  The station joined CBS in 1928.  

Some details about KOIN’s early days from PDXHistory.com: 

Live music made up 8 out of 12 programs during the day and KOIN maintained its own orchestra of versatile musicians and in the early days. The first conductor of KOIN’s Orchestra was Mischa Pelz. Live music was featured four hours a day during the first two months on the air and within six months, it was featured as much as eight hours a day. A new pipe organ was purchased in 1926 for $25,000 and it was installed in the hotel studios. Live music was KOIN’s mainstay. KOIN’s staff of performers and musicians was larger than all of Portland’s other stations combined.

The station moved to 970 AM in 1941.  KOIN-FM started in 1948 and KOIN-TV in 1953.  It was one of the last radio stations in the country with staff musicians, but live music broadcasts ended in 1971.

KOIN had a middle-of-the-road format before Gaylord Broadcasting bought the station in 1977, flipped it to Top 40 and changed the call letters to KYTE.  Owners tried country, adult standards, classical, oldies, alternative rock and other formats (along with several sets of new call letters) before settling on the current incarnation: “Freedom 970,” a talk station with KUFO call letters.

The KOIN call letters remain on Channel 6.

Source: Wikipedia (KUFO)

Faded Signals

While a relatively new blog here on the Tumblr platform, I am compelled to give Faded Signals my absolute highest recommendation. While there are many blogs and other websites that focus on vintage radio and television, the author, Brian Shrader, does so from the mostly hidden facet of the industry’s old trade magazines. This gives readers not familiar with the broadcasting industry a very good look at how these businesses were run and how they sold America’s eyes and ears to advertisers.

While that might sound a little dry, it is all accompanied by ads with great old-style graphics and copy along with some fantastic history notes and other links provided by Mr. Shrader. He seems to also have a knack for unearthing great rarities posted on YouTube as well.

I realize it is next to impossible to get hardly anybody of an age much younger than mine excited about broadcasting, especially radio. I know this all too well because my own posts on these subjects often go completely un-noted. It is my hope that, even if modern radio and TV are a turn-off, Faded Signals can at least be enjoyed for the great visuals it is churning out that are just as good as they are for any other product of the past. Then, if people stick around, maybe they’ll learn a little something and find out how important these media were even if they mostly suck today.

I will be Reblogging some entries from Faded Signals in January once we get past the holiday season. Still, I want as many people to know about it and start Following as, for people like me that still hold the spirit of radio and the magic of television, it should not be missed.

blech: More from Ptak Science Books: Fantastic Cover Art: a Picture of the Future of Television: This image is that of the television antenna of station WNBT and for many years it sat on top of the Empire State Building. WNBT was the flagship station of NBC, which was owned by RCA (Radio Corporation of America, 1919-1986) which (according to its name) was really the first national broadcasting radio network in the United States, and which (as experimental station W2XBS) became the first to broadcast a television picture (of a papier mache Felix the Cat) in 1928. This fantastic cover art for a 1947 promotional for the company pictured the famous antenna, the great visual of the company’s external hardware, right there on top of the world’s tallest building.

blech:

More from Ptak Science Books: Fantastic Cover Art: a Picture of the Future of Television:

This image is that of the television antenna of station WNBT and for many years it sat on top of the Empire State Building. WNBT was the flagship station of NBC, which was owned by RCA (Radio Corporation of America, 1919-1986) which (according to its name) was really the first national broadcasting radio network in the United States, and which (as experimental station W2XBS) became the first to broadcast a television picture (of a papier mache Felix the Cat) in 1928. This fantastic cover art for a 1947 promotional for the company pictured the famous antenna, the great visual of the company’s external hardware, right there on top of the world’s tallest building.