Wondering how Los Angeles sports fans stay connected. It is through stations like KFWB-AM and KLAC-AM. Let’s explore the story of these influential voices in the city.
KLAC-AM first signed on in 1924 as KFPG. It became KMTR in 1925. The call sign honored the new owner K. M. Turner a radio dealer. By the 1930s KMTR broadcast with 1000 watts from studios on North Formosa Street.
In 1946 Dorothy Schiff bought the station. Schiff was the publisher of the New York Post. She renamed it KLAC for Los Angeles California. During the 1940s Douglas Adamson worked at KLAC. He was a disc jockey voted one of Billboard’s top ten DJs. Al Jarvis created his West Coast Make Believe Ballroom version. A 1947 KLAC ad called Jarvis the dean of the nation’s disc jockeys. The show promised listeners a new Mercury and diamond rings.
KLAC added a TV station KLAC-TV on channel 13. Both radio and TV operations were at 1000 North Cahuenga Boulevard in Hollywood. Al Jarvis hosted a TV edition of Make Believe Ballroom. Betty White Regis Philbin and Leonard Nimoy worked behind the scenes. In 1953 KLAC-TV was sold and became KCOP-TV.
KLAC-FM began experimenting with FM broadcasts in 1948. It officially signed on in 1961. The station mostly simulcasted the AM station. In the late 1960s it aired its own programming. In 1975 the station was sold. It later became KIIS-FM.
Metromedia purchased KLAC and KLAC-FM in 1963. They programmed a middle of the road MOR format. It included popular music news and sports. KLAC and KLAC-FM featured talents like Les Crane Louis Nye and Lohman and Barkley. Metromedia also owned KTTV channel 11. All three stations resided at Metromedia Square on Sunset Boulevard.
In the mid-1960s KLAC became a talk radio format called Two-Way Radio. Joe Pyne was one of the hosts. In the 1970s KLAC switched to adult standards. It played music from the 1940s and early 1950s.
On September 28 1970 KLAC flipped to country music. The station’s first number one song was For The Good Times by Ray Price. Original DJs included Deano Day Gene Price and Harry Newman.
In 1984 Metromedia sold KLAC to Capital Cities Communications. Capital Cities sold KZLA to Spanish Broadcasting System. Malrite Communications bought KLAC and KZLA-FM. KLAC then switched to classic country. One exception was Wally George’s combat talk show.
In 1993 KLAC fired its DJs and newscasters. It adopted Westwood One’s adult standards service Stardust. The station played vocalists from the 1960s and 70s.
Clear Channel owned KLAC until 1993. In 2001 KLAC became a talk radio station.
On February 4 2005 KLAC became XTRA Sports 570. All on and off-air personnel were reassigned.
In 2009 KLAC merged with Fox Sports Radio. In 2014 the Dodgers bought an equity stake in KLAC.
On March 15 2015 KLAC changed to AM 570 LA Sports. The LA in KLAC’s logo comes from the Dodgers’ cap insignia.
KLAC became the flagship station for the Los Angeles Clippers on March 16 2016.
Switching gears to KFWB. KFWB first signed on March 3 1925. Sam Warner a co-founder of Warner Bros started it. The station launched the careers of Ronald Reagan Alan Ladd and Bing Crosby.
In 1932 Al Jarvis began playing recorded music on KFWB. In 1950 KFWB was sold to Harry Maizlish.
In 1958 KFWB became a rock and roll powerhouse. In 1966 KFWB was purchased by Westinghouse Broadcasting. On March 11 1968 KFWB became an all-news radio station. In 1995 Westinghouse bought CBS Inc.
On September 8 2009 KFWB adopted a news-talk format. On September 22 2014 KFWB became a CBS Sports Radio Network affiliate.
On October 4 2016 Lotus Communications agreed to purchase KFWB. On October 31 2016 KFWB switched to a regional Mexican music format.
From Warner Brothers to news to sports and beyond KFWB-AM and KLAC-AM have mirrored the city’s vibrant story. These stations connect Los Angeles through every changing format.