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 on KFRC), Bobby Dale, Robert W. Morgan, Ron Lyons, Chris Borden, Don Bowman, Ken Knox, Ron Reynolds, Ted Randal, Michael Jackson (the talk show host, known as Michael Scotland at KYA) and the one and only Real Don Steele. Throw in the innovative programming skills of Chuck Blore, and the recipe for success was complete.
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.).
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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.
— Exhibit includes text and audio.
—
Jingles only.
JZ
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