KFI (640 kHz) is an AM radio station in Los Angeles, California, owned and operated by iHeartMedia. The company received its license to operate on March 31, 1922 and commenced operations on April 16, 1922, and after a succession of power increases, it became one of the first and most powerful channel stations in the United States. KFI is a 50,000 watt Class station. It airs the radio talk format, with most local hosts and news updates frequent.
The studios are located in Burbank between Warner Bros. Studios and The Burbank Studios, and has a transmitting location at La Mirada near the Artesia Boulevard exit of Interstate 5, Santa Ana Freeway. During the day, the signal can be heard around Southern California and at night, can be taken in and around Western North America.
KFI is licensed by the U.S. Federal Communications Commission. to broadcast in HD (hybrid) format. Despite earlier HD AM stations, on August 12, 2015, Los Angeles media reported that KFI turned off HD.
Video KFI
History
In 1922, Earle C. Anthony was the founder and owner of what eventually became KFI, a radio station he controlled until his death in 1961. From 1929 to 1944 he also had KECA 1430, then 780 and now 790 KABC. The E.C.A. in KECA means Earle C. Anthony.
He was the initial president of the National Association of Broadcasters and, during his tenure, oversaw the creation of the organization's first paid staff. He was also the founder of one of the earliest television stations in Los Angeles, KFI-TV (now KCAL-TV) and KFI-FM, both discarded in 1951.
Initially KFI uses a 50 watt transmitter made from a crank phone. From the beginning, Anthony operated the station from his garage, and then from the top of his Packard car dealer. In the early days, usually only in the air for four and a half hours a day.
Since its inception in 1926, the National Broadcasting Company (NBC) operates two networks, the Red Network and the Blue Network. The Red Network undertakes a sponsored commercial program, while Blue Network brings the retain (those without a commercial sponsor). The red and blue colors come from the color of the lines drawn on the network map. In 1931, NBC reorganized its operations on the West Coast, creating an Orange and Blue network for the region to replace the previous Pacific Coast network. KFI is part of the Orange group, along with KGO, Oakland; KGW, Portland, KOMO, Seattle, and KHQ, Spokane.
KFI, 640 kHz, is an affiliate of NBC Red Network and KECA, 1430 kHz, bringing programs from Blue Network. In 1939, KECA moved to 780 kHz, the frequency of the previous KEHE. Anthony sold the KECA in 1944 and transferred it to 790 kHz and became KABC.
KFI helped maintain calm during the dark days of World War II by displaying "Fireside Chats" President Franklin D. Roosevelt. Later, he brought "Monitor," a highly successful weekend network radio service.
As an additional note to KFI's participation in World War II, there was a bullet hole in the transmitter building ceiling, located in La Mirada, California, where a National Guard accidentally released his rifle on December 10, 1941, three days after Serang at Pearl Harbor. The bullet hole still exists to this day, preserved as a monument to the KFI war service.
KFI calling letters are assigned in sequence but many people assume that "FI" means "Farmer Information." Every winter night between 1924 and 1956, KFI would deliver a frozen report at 8 pm that would tell the orange farmer whether to turn on a wind machine or "stain pot" to keep orange and lemon from freezing. The frost warning moved to 7 pm until the late 1970s when they were removed from the schedule.
KFI placed the first FM station in the air, west of Mississippi, in August 1941 from Mount Lee. The K45LA on the old 42-50 megacycle FM band. This is what immediately became KHJ-FM and today is KRTH at 101.1 MHz. It was at 44.5 MHz initially, but when an old 42-50 megahertz band was needed for television, the FCC allocated 88-108 MHz as an FM band. Thus, KHJ-FM was moved to 99.7 in 1945 and in 1948 to 101.1 FM [1].
On 29 November 1944, KFI officials made a breakthrough at Mount Wilson for the construction of new FM and TV transmission facilities. The ceremony was broadcast live via KFI (AM) from Mount Wilson from noon to 12:15 pm that afternoon. KFI-FM aired from the site at 105.9 megacycles (Megahertz today) in July 1946 with its first test program, although some sources later said the station was airing in 1947. This station lasted only until 1951 when its owner, Earle C. Anthony, decided to turn off the FM station and return the license to the FCC. This was common at the time, when some station owners did not see money from FM and there was no future on FM. In the early 1950s, while audio quality was much better than AM, FM radio was not cheap, there was no AM-FM combination radio and stereo broadcasting on FM did not happen until 1961.
KFI-FM is the first Los Angeles FM station to have a transmitter on Mt. Wilson. According to an article written by Marvin Collins a few years ago, KFI-FM uses a 3 kW General Electric Phasotron transmitter, operating with a 2-bay antenna, providing an ERP station of 10,000 watts. Then, in 1951 the Broadcasting Yearbook recorded the power of KFI-FM as 16,500 watts.
Through 1948 and 1949, KFI-FM broadcast its own music program, separate from KFI (AM). For example from the Los Angeles Times radio page for December 1949 from 3 am to 9 pm shows KFI-FM offers them with an FM receiver program with titles such as Evening Melody, Classics, Music For You, Symphony Atmosphere and World of Music. In 1950, KFI-FM simultaneously broadcast the same program from KFI/640. Five other FM stations are also simulcasting programs from their AM stations, while at least three other FM stations have their own programs, according to Los Angeles radio logos Times . Most of the FM is only in the air from mid afternoon until around 9 pm, while some others like KFI-FM are in the air from 6 am to midnight with their AM stations broadcast.
Together with KHJ-FM, other early FM stations in the Los Angeles area that aired in 1946 were KUSC/91.5 and KCRW/89.9 non-commercial. KFI-FM and KMPC-FM were broadcast in 1947. In 1948 and 1949, other early FM stations in the band around L.A. including KNX-FM at 93.1; KWIK-FM on Burbank at 94.3; KFMV-Hollywood at 94.7; KECA-FM 95.5; KRKD-FM 96.3; KVOE-FM in Santa Ana at 96.7; KKLA (owned by KFSG/1150) at 97.1; KAGH-FM in Pasadena at 98.3; KMGM (owned by a movie studio) at 98.7; KMPC-FM at 100.3; KNOB at Long Beach at 103.1 (moved to 97.9 in 1958); KFAC-FM at 104.3 (moved to 92.3 by 1955); KCLI/105.1 and KFI-FM at 105.9. (KCLI is owned by the founder of KIEV/870 in Glendale.)
In 1950, KCLI went with KMPC-FM. KFI-FM was enrolled in the 1951 Broadcasting Yearbook, but disappeared from newspaper radio records in mid 1951 and disappeared from the 1952 Annual News Book. KKLA-97.1 also went on air for good in 1951.
So, while KFI-FM made history as the first Los Angeles FM to send from Mt. Wilson, his short history lasted only about five years at 105.9. The station is not for sale. The owner, Earle C. Anthony, simply closes the station and returns the license to the FCC. The new license for 105.9 in Los Angeles was issued in 1956 with a KBMS (Better Music Station) call letter. The official city of this FM station is Glendale. The new station license has no connection with KFI-FM that is dead. After several call letter changes, the FM 105.9 license is currently on-air today and has been known for many years as KWST, KMGG and since 1986 has been a KPWR.
During the early days, KFI brought sporting events such as the World Series and Rose Bowl. From 1960 to 1973, the station was the main station of the Los Angeles Dodgers radio network. The program was diverted during this period from block programming, often featuring a 15-minute program, to full service radio with disc jockey playing recordings interspersed with aggressive local news coverage. In April 1972, KFI celebrated its 50th anniversary with a special 12 hours, featuring interviews and comments from many former NBC Radio personnel in the past.
In 1973, Cox Broadcasting, headquartered in Atlanta, bought KFI for $ 15 million, at that time the highest amount ever paid for a radio station. James Wesley, Cox's manager at WIOD in Miami and the station's Operations Manager, Elliot "Biggie" Nevins, was sent to Los Angeles to run the station. Cox instructed Wesley to look for FM facilities in the Los Angeles market and buy them as well. The deal was reached with broadcaster Dallas Gordon McLendon, to buy KOST-FM for $ 2.2 million. Wesley also decided not to extend a long-term agreement to bring Dodger's baseball, positioning KABC to become the new Dodger radio station in Los Angeles.
Beginning in the mid-1970s, KFI successfully programmed Top 40 music. Cox Broadcasting owners hired John Rook as program director. The castle is considered the force behind the success of WLS in Chicago. One of Rook's first employees was Dave Sebastian (Williams) as Director of Music and Air Personality. Dave just left 930 KHJ, Los Angeles. Rook's first air staff included "The Lohman and Barkley Show" with Al Lohman and Roger Barkley (top-rated in the morning), Mark Taylor (midday), Bob Shannon (afternoon Drive), (Music Director) Dave Sebastian Williams day). In the first year Dave went all of a sudden to crosstown Top Forty rocker KTNQ (Ten-Q). John Rook then moved to Eric Chase (midday), Charlie Fox (afternoon) and Dave Diamond (late at night). In the late 1970s, staff was revised to Lohman & amp; Barkley morning, Team & amp; Ev Kelly in the middle of the day, Jack Armstrong afternoon, Big Ron O'Brien and Charlie Fox evenings at night. The castle and some of the remaining airborne figures in the early 1980s with KFI softened to more of the top 40 Adults (among Top 40 and Contemporary Adults) formats. In the mid-1980s the station was more news and intensive personality than the intensive music with the Complete Service format.
In the 1970s and '80s, the station featured a hybrid format that incorporated adult contemporary music with a comedian host. In addition to Lohman and Barkley, other hosts include Hudson & amp; Landry (from "Ajax Liquor Store" fame), Charlie and Mitzi (Charlie Brill and Mitzi McCall from Rowan & Martin's Laugh-In), and Gary Owens. In the early 1980s, KFI began broadcasting stereo, with the C-QUAM system (continued until January 2000) [2].
In the mid-1980s, ratings began to slip, while listening to music switched to FM dial. In the spring of 1984, KFI was ranked twenty-eight in the Los Angeles Arbitron rankings, in front of only KHJ among AM music stations in the market. KFI transferred the music to more Soft Gold-Based Air Conditioners and started playing less and less. The talk show moves from a mix of entertainment, comedy and lifestyle to more political issues. Writer/Producer John Thomas assigned to Lohman & amp; Barkley in 1984 and upgraded to a morning show to be the number 1 tie in demographic 25-54 in the fall of 1985. Shortly after Thomas left KFI for WLS in Chicago, the morning show was a mess. Barkley broke away from the morning show to go to KABC. The music was dropped in 1988 and KFI evolved into a problem-oriented speech format. The first host is a psychologist. Toni Grant, TV game host Geoff Edwards spoke in the middle of the day, and Tom Leykis organized a politically oriented "combat radio" program. The KABC competitor, who has been conducting radio talks for some time, sued KFI in US District Court for KFI to stop and stop using the term "Radio Talk" with a summons. Therefore, the slogan Radio Stimulation Talks Others has been created. Rush Limbaugh replaced Edwards in 1989 after Edwards refused to play a promotional venue for the controversial Leykis show.
The station was owned by Cox Radio until 1999 when Chancellor Media traded 13 stations to Cox for him along with KOST 103.5. Cox chose to leave the Los Angeles market and focus on the medium-sized radio market and his TV station.
The Chancellor joined Capstar in 1999 and is known as AMFM Inc. In 2000, they joined Clear Channel Communications to create AM AM radio station AMKM in Los Angeles. (In 2014, Clear Channel will become iHeartMedia after the iHeartRadio internet streaming platform.) Like other stations owned by iHeartMedia, KFI uses iHeartRadio to stream its webcasts. The legal title of the station continues to be held by a subsidiary of Capstar. [3]
Maps KFI
Emergency Preparedness
Because KFI and KNX competitor stations are the main entry points for the Southern California Emergency Alert System, they are responsible for activating EASs when dangerous weather warnings, disaster area declarations, and kidnapping of children are released.
Programming Then
When KFI went to the air on April 16, 1922, the station was largely an experiment to determine if anyone could hear radio transmissions. "Can you hear me?" Earle C. Anthony will shout into a carbon microphone from his garage transmitter location. "Yes, I can hear you," a family member would answer from a nearby home, listening to Anthony's transmission on a very primitive radio receiver. The operating frequency of the station was not at 640 kHz at the time, but the frequency at which Anthony could get the transmitter to operate.
Later, the Federal Radio Commission (prior to the Communications Act of 1934) mandated that all stations will operate at a 360 meter wavelength (about 833 kHz). One station will operate at this frequency for a certain period of time. Then, it will go from the air so that the others can use the same frequency.
The first station will always make the decision to continue airing after the second one arrives, causing great disruption. Then, after the establishment of the Communications Act of 1934, the station was given a certain operating frequency. KFI is given the current call letter and ends with a 640 kHz operating frequency, which happens to happen, because radio signal propagation seems to be better in the low end band AM than at the top end.
In addition, as the first station at 640Ã, kHz, KFI will not be required to install a directional antenna system to protect other stations. Those who come in the air at 640 kHz after KFI will, on the contrary, have to protect it. With low operating frequency, 50,000 watt, and non-directional, 722-foot, single-tower, antenna system, KFI night-time signals can be heard in many parts of the United States and around the world.
From 1922 to 1926, the initial program consisted of things like reading news from newspapers and local gossip. The broadcasting hour is very short, because Anthony is involved in many other activities, and programming sources are very limited. In other words, it is a hobby.
In November 1926, NBC was founded. When the NBC network facility was eventually extended to the west coast of the United States, KFI soon became one of its affiliates. In joining this network, KFI has the advantage of NBC's extensive entertainment and news resources. One of the first NBC programs to come from the West Coast, and KFI, was a broadcast of the 1927 Rose Bowl Game from Pasadena, California, with announcer Graham McNamee.
As the years progressed to the 1930s and 1940s, the NBC program, and KFI, increased. The network is owned by its parent company, Radio Corporation of America (RCA), which also has the Keith-Albee-Orpheum vaudeville circuit, later renamed Radio-Keith-Orpheum (RKO). RKO handles many comedians and vaudeville singers who are ideal for radio. Some of them are Jack Benny, Burns and Allen, Fred Allen, Eddie Cantor, and Rudy Vallee, among others.
During the Great Depression of the 1930s, many people were not even able to pay for movie ticket tickets, but they were able to buy radios where they could listen to free entertainment, interspersed with commercial announcements.
During the dark days of World War II, KFI was there to provide air strikes and warnings of power outages. It is believed that the attack on the west coast of the United States is imminent, so people are warned to turn off their lights, and hang a black cloth over their windows, so that the expected bomber will see nothing but darkness. Periodically, KFI and other Los Angeles radio stations will go from the air so that bombers can not use signals to determine the location of dropping their bombs, as they did in Pearl Harbor, Hawaii.
The actual incident occurred on February 25, 1942, known as the Battle of Los Angeles, where US Navy artillery troops shot 1440 shells at something they thought were enemy aircraft. President Franklin D. Roosevelt, in his "Fireside Chats" broadcast from the White House, uses NBC and KFI to convince the public that everything is safe and under control. People are fixated on their radio receivers and KFI during this time to get news, news of any kind, no matter how small, about the outcome of the war, their own safety, their families, and their country.
In 1942, under the terms of the Sherman Anti-Trust Act, NBC was asked to release himself from the Blue Network, which later became Blue Network Incorporated, and later the American Broadcasting Company.
As a result of this divestment and the booming economy, more money is available for NBC to develop better programming and higher quality. In the 1940s, NBC became known as a radio comedian network, which gave it a distinction as a network with the largest list of listeners. KFI, as an affiliate of NBC Radio Network, also shares in this vast audience audience. If someone wants to hear a great radio comedian in the Los Angeles area, and in the western United States, someone listens to KFI.
As the 1950s grew, television began to cut radio advertising revenue and sponsors began gradual migration from radio to television. As a result, less money is available to support quality radio network entertainment programs.
Gradually, NBC and other radio networks began dropping large-scale entertainment events supporting news and information programs. "NBC News on the Hour" and "Emphasis" became network staples when entertainment programs were slowly removed.
NBC radio affiliates, including KFI, have a difficult decision to ultimately reduce, or completely eliminate, their network connections to maintain their profit structure. At that time, KFI became a jockey disc station, that is, the host instantly rotated the record in the air. Between 1968 and around 1975, the KFI program switched between streamlined MOR and full-service programming, degrading most of the NBC programming in the long form.
Later, when music license fees became too difficult to maintain and since FM had replaced AM radio as the main source for contemporary music, KFI became a news and information outlet.
KFI is crowned as Radio & amp; Recording News & amp; Talk Radio Station of the Year in 2004.
Two Los Angeles TV stations do direct segments with cameras in KFI studios: KTTV (Bill Handel) and KTLA (John and Ken).
Broadcasting
KFI began as an experimental radio station in the garage of Earle C. Anthony. As the program progressed and more money was available, the station was transferred to the Packard car dealership, previously located in the Tenth and Hope Road in Los Angeles, with a "T" antenna mounted on its roof between two short towers. The site is maintained as an emergency transmitter for many years, but is supported by 5,000 watts transmitters.
The main transmitter was eventually moved from Anthony's business establishment to its present location in La Mirada, California, where a "T" antenna was erected between two minarets and KFI studios, and studios from his brother's station KECA, moved. to 611 South Ardmore Avenue. The 611 South Ardmore Avenue building has now disappeared, replaced by a parking lot. In 1948, the "T" antenna was replaced by a 722-foot vertical tower and an emergency vertical tower 200 feet long, long before the vertical antenna was set superior to the "T" antenna for high-powered stations, although 195 degrees (which would be 828 feet at 640 kHz) would be optimal. KNX competitors only use towers as high as 195 degrees, as do many U.S. non-directional stations. other, and even some non-directional stations of Class B.
Today, KFI broadcasts from Burbank, California studios at 640 kHz at a 50,000 watt AM transmitter located near La Mirada at 33 Â ° 52 '47 N, 118 Â ° 47 '47 "W. As a class A signal, KFI can be heard throughout Southern California and some distance to Nevada, Arizona, northwestern Mexico, and, at night, in parts of Hawaii and most western United States. According to May 1, 2004 broadcast by Art Bell, this station can even be heard by sensitive recipients in some parts of the Eastern United States. Some Canadians in British Columbia while others in Alaska are able to pick up KFI signals in the winter months, and even as far as Japan, the Philippines, Guam, American Samoa, New Zealand, Australia and parts of Central America up to Panama.
In the summer of 2004, KFI became the most audible radio station in the United States, beating WABC New York City in cumulative audience numbers during the rating period.
On August 10, 2015, KFI started simulcast on HD 2 KOST FM signal.
With the NFL Chargers move from San Diego to Los Angeles, KFI will serve as the main station for all gameday team broadcasts.
FEC complaints
In recent years, especially since the 2003 California Governor's memories, in the afternoon, hosts John and Ken have been actively involved in several political causes, especially illegal immigration. In the months leading up to the 2004 election, the host incited several political rallies supporting the defeat of Congressman David Dreier (a Republican) and Joe Baca (a Democrat), both of whom felt wrong to support illegal immigration. As a result, the John and Ken show was the subject of a Federal Electoral Commission complaint filed by the Republican National Committee, alleging that John and Ken were involved in an illegal campaign against members of Congressman Dreier. Despite the huge amount of publicity received quite unbelievably, the "Political Man's Political Sacrifice" campaign they called it did not work, as both Dreier and Read were re-elected, though Dreier was a much smaller percentage than in the past. On March 16, 2006, the complaint was dismissed.
Tower destroyed
On Sunday, December 19, 2004 at 9:45 Pacific Standard Time, Jim and Mary Ghosoph were killed when their Cessna 182P chartered plane, traveling from El Monte Airport to Fullerton City Airport, crashed into the KFI transmission tower, located in the City of La Mirada.
They had descended from El Monte Airport with a planned stop at Fullerton Airport to pick up two passengers. From there, the plan is to fly to the island of Catalina to spend the day, after which they will return to Fullerton and then to El Monte.
The solid steel frame, originally built in 1948, collapses on itself, mostly landing in the parking lot to the north of the site (KFI is relatively late to convert from horizontal to vertical antenna - the same class Class A KNX converted to a vertical in 1938 , and the same classes as the KGO and KPO Class (now KNBR) were changed to vertical in 1941 and 1949, respectively). The KFI signal is thrown from the air for about an hour.
Pilots have been complaining for years to KFI management that they need to install strobe lights in the tower and a very reflective ball on the person's wire. The management of KFI and Clear Channel Communications responded by saying the tower was in compliance with the Federal Communications Commission and Federal Aviation Administration regulations and did not need to make any changes. Until successful replacement is established, the station is transmitted from an additional 200-foot tower with a strength of 25,000 watts, but provisions have been made to ship from an unused KRKD (KIIS) 1150 AM site north of downtown Los Angeles, wherever the RF field goes to the crew erection of the tower will exceed the safety limit.
The work was done on the site on November 19, 2006, while interrupting the talk show broadcast Leo Laporte KFI Tech Guy at 11:55 am
Replacement tower collapse
On Tuesday, March 18, 2008 at 2:30 pm Pacific Standard Time, the replacement tower collapsed while it was being built. The tower was about 300 feet high (the last height was 684 feet) when a support wire man failed, causing the tower to tip over the opposite direction. There are no major injuries, and only limited collateral damage. The reason for the failure is assumed to be a combination of factors, including per unit weight higher than the new 84 "cross-section tower, compared to 1948 towers having 42" cross sections, and 1948 pier and guy wire termination inadequacies, one of which had previously been modified into cantilever design for ease the vehicle journey under that discontinuation (and, it is the catastrophic failure of the cantilever during this erection attempt). All of these structural components are replaced or reinforced in preparation for the installation of a third tower, which is identical in design with a replacement tower (which fails).
The third tower finished
Syndication Rush Limbaugh Show was heard at KFI from 4 July 1988 to 20 January 2014, when moving to KEIB sister station.
References
External links
- KFI's official website
- Request the AM FCC station database for KFI
- Radio-Determination Information at KFI
- Request the AM Nielsen Audio station database for KFI
- An article about John Ziegler's time at KFI from LA Observed
- Articles from LA Daily News about Bryan Suits and John Ziegler
- The falling KFI tower image
- Incremental Photo of the Falling Tower
- Construction drawings and failure of the new KFI tower
- KFI Tower Completed 14 Days August 14, 2008
Source of the article : Wikipedia
0 Comments