Despite
only being in existence for less than eight years, Oakland's KEWB —
which evolved from the pioneering Oakland Tribune station KLX and
later became KNEW — made a lasting impact on Bay Area listeners through
its innovative Top 40 programming, sponsorship of local events, and a
parade of talent that was hard to beat.
From June 8, 1959, when KLX became KEWB, until September 1966, when KEWB
became KNEW, fans of Color Radio Channel 91 were able to tune in some of
the most notable voices in the history of radio — Top 40 or otherwise —
including Gary Owens, Casey Kasem, Don MacKinnon,
K.O. Beachin (real
name: Bob Elliott, later known as K.O. Bayley),
Bobby Dale, Robert W.
Morgan, Ron Lyons, Chris Borden,
Don Bowman, Ken Knox, Ron Reynolds, Ted Randal, Michael Jackson and the one and only
Real Don
Steele.
Throw in the innovative programming skills of Chuck Blore, and the
recipe for success was complete.
KEWB
came into being during the Summer of 1959 after Crowell-Collier
Publishing purchased KLX (910 kilocycles on the AM dial) for $750,000
from its original owners, the Tribune Publishing Company of Oakland,
which had founded the station thirty-seven years earlier.
The Oakland Tribune, owned by the Knowland family since 1915, was
one of countless newspapers across the United States that saw the
potential benefits of radio in the dawning days of commercial
broadcasting, and debuted 250-watt KLX on May 3, 1922, from the landmark
Tribune Tower at Thirteenth and Franklin streets.
Through its familial relationship with the Tribune, KLX became a
popular and influential voice on the Bay Area airwaves, increasing its
transmitter power incrementally over the years to 5,000 watts. The
station moved out of the Tribune Tower — where it had occupied the 19th,
20th and 21st floors at the top of the venerable edifice — to new
studios and offices in the Bermuda Building on Franklin Street in
Oakland in the latter part of 1956.
This move was a prelude to the sale to Crowell-Collier, a company that
was best known for publishing Collier's, a weekly
magazine that once enjoyed circulation levels on a par with its main
competitor, the Saturday Evening Post. However, by the 1950s,
Collier's had begun to fade; it ceased publication on December 16,
1956, as its owner ventured into the world of broadcasting. Eventually,
Crowell-Collier would own three historic Top 40 stations: KFWB/Los
Angeles, KDWB/Minneapolis and KEWB/Oakland-San Francisco, each of which
received the distinctive programming imprint of Chuck Blore.
Crowell-Collier sold KEWB to Metromedia Radio in April 1966 for nearly
2.5-million dollars. The station became KNEW in September of that year
under its new owners.
Some representative lineups for KEWB over the years, based on
information from the station's music surveys, included:
September 1959 — Gary Owens (6 to 9
a.m.), Ted Randal (9 a.m. to noon), Frank Bell (noon to 3 p.m.), Mark
Foster (3 to 7 p.m.), Buck Herring (7 p.m. to midnight), Bill Wood
(midnight to 6 a.m.).
January 1960 — Gary Owens (6 to 9
a.m.), Ted Randal (9 a.m. to noon), Frank Bell (noon to 3 p.m.), Mark
Foster (3 to 6 p.m.), Buck Herring (6 to 9 p.m.), Bill Wood (9 p.m. to
midnight), Bob Dunn (midnight to 6 a.m.), Bill Enis (Saturday 9 a.m. to
1 p.m.).
September 1961 — Don MacKinnon (6 to
9 a.m.), Chris Borden (9 a.m. to noon), Ken Knox (noon to 3 p.m.), Don
Bowman (3 to 6 p.m.), Buck Herring (6 to 9 p.m.), Casey Kasem (9 p.m. to
midnight), Michael Jackson (midnight to 6 a.m.).
December 1963 — Honest John Trotter
(5:30 to 9 a.m.), Scott Bridges (9 a.m. to 1 p.m.), Art Nelson (1 to 4
p.m.), Bobby Dale (4 to 8 p.m.), Ron Lyons (8 p.m. to midnight), Carr
Pecknold (midnight to 5:30 a.m.), Perry Roberts (Saturday 3 to 8 p.m.,
Sunday 7 p.m. to 1 a.m.).
October 1964 — Scott Bridges, Jim
Tharp, Pete Bunny, Art Nelson, Don Steele, [Robert W.] Morgan, Perry Roberts.
(Airtimes not noted.)
December 1964 — [Robert W.] Morgan
(6 to 10 a.m.), Art Nelson (10 a.m. to 3 p.m.), Don Steele (3 to 7
p.m.), K.O. Beachin (7 p.m. to midnight), Ron Dunn (midnight to 6 a.m.).
This rare and interesting recording by Jim
Zahn captures a historic moment in local radio history: the
departure of the pioneering Oakland station, KLX, after
nearly four decades of ownership by the Tribune, and the
launch of Top 40 KEWB in its place. The broadcast begins
with "stunting" by KLX, consisting mostly of the recitation
of listeners' names and occasional announcements of what is
to come. Finally, KEWB arrives with a message by new
president Robert M. Purcell, followed shortly by the
station's raucous new star, Gary Owens.
— Exhibit includes text and audio.
— Audio presentation only. —
Edited broadcast.
— Jingles only (no program content).
DB
— Courtesy of David Billeci.
BAR
— Courtesy of Barry Salberg.
FK — Courtesy of Fred Krock;
compilation by Norm Howard.
JZ — Courtesy of James Zahn.
RL — Courtesy of Ron Lyons.
Real Player (free
download) is required to play these exhibits.
THE BAY AREA RADIO MUSEUM IS A
CALIFORNIA NON-PROFIT CORPORATION
DEDICATED TO PRESERVING AND HONORING THE HISTORY OF
RADIO BROADCASTING IN THE SAN FRANCISCO BAY AREA
A MEMBER IN GOOD STANDING OF THE BROADCAST &
NEWSPAPER
MUSEUM OF NORTHERN CALIFORNIA CONSORTIUM,
THE CALIFORNIA ASSOCIATION OF MUSEUMS,
THE AMERICAN ASSOCIATION FOR STATE AND LOCAL HISTORY,
AND THE ASSOCIATION OF BROADCASTING HISTORICAL SOCIETIES
— Exhibit includes text and audio.
—
Jingles only.
JZ
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