KDAY
Encyclopedia
KDAY in Redondo Beach
and KDEY in Ontario
are a pair of synchrocasting radio station
s based in South Los Angeles
that airs an Classic hip-hop format aimed at African Americans in the 18-49 range. The station is owned by Magic Broadcasting, LLC and broadcasts at 93.5 MHz on the FM dial. The station has obtained a construction permit from the FCC for a power increase to 4.2 kW.
From 2004 to 2008, KDAY and KWIE in Ontario, California
were a pair of synchrocasting radio station
s serving LA/Orange County and Riverside/San Bernardino
. But on August 14, 2008 both stations ended their simulcast as KDAY increased its signal coverage and began focusing on the Los Angeles area as a hybrid Urban/Talk outlet targeting 18-49 year olds, while KWIE flipped to a Rhythmic Adult Contemporary
format covering the Inland Empire. In September 2009 KWIE dropped the Rhythmic AC format and returned to simulcasting KDAY.
and DJ Yella
with their World Class Wrecking Cru, a popular mix show of the time. There were others that were very instrumental in bringing 'AM Stereo KDAY' to a 3.0 rating like Russ Parr, Steve Woods, JJ Johnson, Jack Patterson, Roger Aldre, Lee Marshall 'King News', 'The Brown Beauty On Duty' Jesse Torrero, Lisa Canning, Mark Morganella, Don Tracey, Tony G, The High Energy Mixers Hazze (aka Hamburgar Helper), and DJ Eddie (aka La Flavour), Rory Kaufman, Ed Kirby, Andy Laired, Dane Johnson, Jon Badeaux and so many others during that era that made 'AM Stereo 1580 KDAY' the power house of innovation, change, and musical leadership in the Hip-Hop, R&B, and Dance Music Worlds. With shows like the Traffic Jam, Friday Night Live, The High Energy Show, World On Wheels, Skateland USA, custom song mixes, interviews, heavy community service in schools, community centers, youth and church groups, community events, and the in street cutting edge programing, contests, and freshness many major players in the radio, and record business got their careers going on this odd 50,000 watt AM directional signal in Los Angeles. If an artist came to the West Coast, KDAY was their destination in Los Angeles.
AM 1580 was sold in 1991 to realtor Fred Sands (who also owned iconic heavy metal station KNAC
); it officially went off the air on March 29 of that year. Hours before that, phone calls were streaming into the station as the on-the-air DJs encouraged KDAY listeners to protest against the shutting down of the station. It was too late and KDAY turned into business-oriented radio station KBLA
later that day. The final songs played that signaled the end of the original KDAY was "Ain't No Future in Yo' Frontin'" by MC Breed
and "Turn Off the Lights" by Teddy Pendergrass
. After that, silence came to one of the AM band's last new music stations in the Los Angeles market.
Currently, KBLA
is a Spanish-language evangelical
Christian
station.
, The Baka Boyz and Julio G
, all of which previously were at KKBT
. Today, as its campaign suggests, KDAY plays a variety of hip-hop and R&B from the 80's, 90's, and now.
In April 2006, KDAY began moving away from a Rhythmic Contemporary
leaning direction to an Urban Contemporary
approach as the station refocuses its target audience towards African Americans. This was probably in response to competitor KPWR
tilting back from Urban to Rhythmic in order to target Hispanic
listeners. Due to sinking ratings, a month later, long-time hip-hop/R&B station KKBT
eliminated hip hop from the format in favor of becoming a mixture of Urban AC
and urban talk radio
, similar in format to KHHT
and KJLH
. (Only afterwards did KKBT "The Beat" change its calls and name to KRBV "V-100"). In addition, KDAY brought Steve Harvey
on board on Memorial Day
weekend 2006. Harvey had been released by KKBT the previous year. Weeks later, rival KKBT signed on Tom Joyner
, to carry his syndicated morning show there, but in December 2006 KKBT would ax Joyner due to low ratings for Joyner, partly attributed to Harvey's success. Technically, the Steve Harvey Show plays R&B music on an Urban AC format, which backs up KDAY's Urban Contemporary
format . Since the format altering, KDAY added slow jams during nighttime and gospel music on Sunday mornings.
On July 23, 2007 KDAY/KDAI temporarily moved from an Urban Contemporary
format to a rhythmic format under the consultancy of Harry Lyles and newly-installed PD Theo. In a statement to the website All Access, Lyles commented to the changes: "I am very excited and thrilled to be working with Don McCoy, Roy Laughlin and Theo. All we're doing is playing to the taste of Los Angeles and if we play what they want, they will listen. With PPM coming, this will make things a lot more interesting in Los Angeles." The format turnback might have been spurred by Magic's sale of KWIE. The KDAY call letters were originally intended to be dropped in favor of the station changing to Wild 93.5 and picking up KWIE calls in its place. For a time, the station only referenced itself as "93.5" in the promos until it can come up with a name and calls to fit the rhythmic format. This happened in July 2007, when the sale of KWIE "Wild 96.1" was completed to Liberman Broadcasting and that station became KRQB. The KWIE call sign moved to the Ontario station, which was KDAI. After the sale was completed, it turned out that the format altering was only temporary so they could have the KWIE listeners in the Riverside/San Bernardino area migrate to the 93.5 signal, as KDAY reverted back to classic hip-hop the following August.
On April 8, 2008, Radio One inked a deal with KDAY, which saw the station pick up the former "Beat" logo and several syndicated shows from Radio One. The move came after Radio One sold KRBV to Bonneville International, who in turn dropped KRBV's Urban AC format the previous day (April 7, 2008); that station is now KSWD. From that point, the station used the slogan "The Beat of LA," a nod to the popular hip-hop station during the 90's and early 2000s. Michael Baisden
, host of the syndicated afternoon show Love Lust and Lies, returned to Los Angeles on KDAY on August 18, 2008 as KRBV previously aired the show until the format switch.
On August 14, 2008 KDAY was upgraded from 3.4Kw to 4.2Kw, thanks to a new tower that gave the station more coverage in the metro. The new tower will replace its former one, which had been in use for fifty years. Another move was the alteration of its Mainstream Urban
format, as KDAY tweaked its direction to a hybrid Urban Contemporary/Urban Talk approach (a direction similar to Urban AC but featuring current adult-friendly R&B music with less Hip-Hop product and on-air talk personalities) targeting a 18-49 audience, with most of its programming being filled by syndicated shows during the day, except for DJ Theo's slow-jam show "Theo After Hours," which airs live from 8PM to 12AM weekdays. The move also ended the simulcasts of both KDAY and KWIE as the latter flipped to Rhythmic Adult Contemporary
and targeted the Inland Empire on the same day.
Despite the changes, there had been criticism from listeners over KDAY's decision to move away from being a station that once supported Hip-Hop and a live airstaff to one that featured syndicated shows and an Urban Adult Contemporary/Talk format, claiming that the owners had ruined the legacy of both KDAY and "The Beat". Those upset with that new approach predicted its demise as it was already tried before (and failed) at KKBT, while also feeling that Los Angeles could not support two Adult R&B outlets (referring to KDAY's main competitor, KJLH
; KHHT
is a Rhythmic AC aimed at Hispanics). But according to station management, the decision to tweak the format was due to Arbitron
's plans to implement the PPM
in the Los Angeles radio market and where they feel they can tap into certain areas where they can attract the African American audience. The new changes resulted in R&R
and BDS
removing the station from the Urban reporting radio panel in its August 29, 2008 issue.
's nationally syndicated show which aired in the afternoon drive was dropped on August 6, 2009. Keith Sweat
's nationally syndicated show The Keith Sweat Hotel was next in line to be dropped from KDAY.
At the Fresh Fest concert in Downtown Los Angeles's Nokia Theatre, hints were made on stage that a full-blown format flip to resemble the original KDAY's Classic Hip Hop sound would occur on August 17 at 7:30 am, when they drop the branding of The Beat and become simply KDAY. The new logo was shown on all stage banners and screen graphics.
As promised, the change came that very Monday morning with Boyz II Men
's End Of The Road signaling the wrap of the old The Beat format and Snoop Dogg
's Gin & Juice being the first song under the new KDAY format. Station spots in between songs indicated that the previous syndicated fare was a programming mistake that did not reflect what Los Angeles fans were looking for and that the station would "never do that again." It officially left Los Angeles
as the largest market without an urban contemporary
station.
In a press release, the station's PD/OM, Adrian (A.D.) Scott, explained in detail: "The landscape of Los Angeles radio has been ever changing over the last several years and the programming at 93.5 is taking an exciting turn for the better. “The Beat” will be dropped as focus is placed on the brand equity in KDAY and its deep musical roots. Los Angeles has been missing the west coast sound. By eliminating syndicated programming, KDAY can now focus on its strengths as a local, independent station that connects with the diverse culture that is Los Angeles. With a mix of the old school and the new music that is enjoyed today, I feel we have a unique and winning recipe." While they may have returned to the format, KDAY still plays many classic hip hop songs without live DJs on the air. In September 2009, KWIE, after splitting from KDAY to broadcast a Rhythmic Hot AC format to target the Riverside-San Bernardino market, returned to simulcasting KDAY's format.
In November 2009, station management at KDAY made more changes by bringing in veteran programming consultants Bill Tanner and Steve Smith to help evolve the station alongside PD Scott, new OM Brian Bridgman and new GM Zeke Chaidez. In a interview from All Access, Tanner explained what was in store for KDAY pertaining to the future adjustments for the format: "Brian, Steve and I have offered some refinements based on our many years of experience in Los Angeles," then added that "We’re just getting started with the music. We will be adding jocks and more surprises in the weeks ahead." Mixing was soon brought back to the station with the additions of Mr. A.D, Eddy Xpress, Dj Class1c and DJ Dense.
For KDAY being an urban adult hits station, it puts competition up against urban adult contemporary
radio station KJLH
and rhythmic oldies
station KHHT
.
to SoCal935, LLC for $35 Million dollars. The principal investors Warren Chang and John Hearne also have a financial stake in recent Riverside Rhythmic Top 40 station KQIE
. However, the Federal Communications Commission, which must approve the sale before SoCal935 can take operating control, has thus far declined to do so. Magic Broadcasting thus remains the owner of KDAY until the FCC takes action; it is unknown if there is any sunset provision in the sales agreement which would cause it to expire if the FCC does not approve the deal by a specific date.
The next known transmission of 93.5 was KKOP and it played mellow pop music and even copied the playlist of the now defunct KNHS 89.7 of Torrance. One of the station's early owners was game show producer Jack Barry, who later stated that he bought the station specifically because it would require him to have a license from the FCC
, and that if the FCC would be willing to grant him a license, it would effectively show that he no longer was "tainted" by the game show scandals
.
Later in the 1970s the call letters KFOX were assigned to the station, which like its predecessor at 1280AM (now KFRN
) played country music
. This format continued until the mid-1980s, when the owner decided to sell blocks of air time to various producers; KFOX evolved into a multi-ethnic, multi-lingual format such as Radio Rangarang (Persian), Radio Omid (Persian) and Radio Naeeri (Armenian). In the mid-1990s, this became "Radio Korea USA" with an all-Korean
format. This continued until 1999, when the Church of the Foursquare Gospel, which, as a condition of selling 96.3 KXOL-FM
moved the KFSG call letters and format to 93.5, which was acquired by 96.3's new owners, Spanish Broadcasting System
, specifically for the purpose of relocating KFSG. In 2002, the lease arrangement with Foursquare ended, and SBS switched to a Spanish-language outlet, first as KMJR
(La Mejor) and later KZAB.
got his West Coast break at KDAY with original comedy partner Jack Burns
as a morning team in the early 1960s. The pair spent much of their down time rehearsing their sketches for local coffee house performances. When those performances went well, they soon left radio for touring and television. Carlin asked that his star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame
be placed outside the KDAY studios.
Wolfman Jack
did a program in the early 1970s at the original KDAY(AM) (licensed to Santa Monica) after his departure from border blaster station XERB (then at 1090-AM which is now XEPRS).
Redondo Beach, California
Redondo Beach is one of the three Beach Cities located in Los Angeles County, California, United States. The population was 66,748 at the 2010 census, up from 63,261 at the 2000 census. The city is located in the South Bay region of the greater Los Angeles area.Redondo Beach was originally part of...
and KDEY in Ontario
Ontario, California
Ontario is a city located in San Bernardino County, California, United States, 35 miles east of downtown Los Angeles. Located in the western part of the Inland Empire region, it lies just east of the Los Angeles county line and is part of the Greater Los Angeles Area...
are a pair of synchrocasting radio station
Radio station
Radio broadcasting is a one-way wireless transmission over radio waves intended to reach a wide audience. Stations can be linked in radio networks to broadcast a common radio format, either in broadcast syndication or simulcast or both...
s based in South Los Angeles
South Los Angeles
South Los Angeles, often abbreviated as South L.A. and formerly South Central Los Angeles, is the official name for a large geographic and cultural portion lying to the southwest and southeast of downtown Los Angeles, California. The area was formerly called South Central, and is still widely known...
that airs an Classic hip-hop format aimed at African Americans in the 18-49 range. The station is owned by Magic Broadcasting, LLC and broadcasts at 93.5 MHz on the FM dial. The station has obtained a construction permit from the FCC for a power increase to 4.2 kW.
From 2004 to 2008, KDAY and KWIE in Ontario, California
Ontario, California
Ontario is a city located in San Bernardino County, California, United States, 35 miles east of downtown Los Angeles. Located in the western part of the Inland Empire region, it lies just east of the Los Angeles county line and is part of the Greater Los Angeles Area...
were a pair of synchrocasting radio station
Radio station
Radio broadcasting is a one-way wireless transmission over radio waves intended to reach a wide audience. Stations can be linked in radio networks to broadcast a common radio format, either in broadcast syndication or simulcast or both...
s serving LA/Orange County and Riverside/San Bernardino
Inland Empire (California)
The Inland Empire is a region in Southern California. The region sits directly east of the Los Angeles metropolitan area. The Inland Empire most commonly is used in reference to the U.S. Census Bureau's federally-defined Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario metropolitan area, which covers more than...
. But on August 14, 2008 both stations ended their simulcast as KDAY increased its signal coverage and began focusing on the Los Angeles area as a hybrid Urban/Talk outlet targeting 18-49 year olds, while KWIE flipped to a Rhythmic Adult Contemporary
Rhythmic Adult Contemporary
Rhythmic adult contemporary is a format used on stations in the United States and Canada. It usually gears toward an older audience, ages 25 to 54. Stations using this format play disco from the 1970s and early 1980s, dance/pop music, adult-friendly hip hop/old school tracks, R&B, dance/freestyle...
format covering the Inland Empire. In September 2009 KWIE dropped the Rhythmic AC format and returned to simulcasting KDAY.
The "Original" KDAY
93.5 KDAY is a resurrection of the original R&B/dance/pop and Hip-Hop station of the 1970s and 1980s, KDAY AM 1580. During the 1980s KDAY featured a plethora of R&B, Hip-Hop and 1980s L.A. Disco/HI-NRG, and became the first station in the world to go 24/7 Hip-Hop. KDAY also helped bring into prominence the West Coast rap scene, and for that matter, the global rap scene. Its musical director, afternoon host Greg Mack 'The Mack Attack', transformed N.W.A. from an unknown group to one of the most prolific performing acts of the hip-hop generation. It also had earlier launched the careers of N.W.A. core members Dr. DreDr. Dre
Andre Romelle Young , primarily known by his stage name Dr. Dre, is an American record producer, rapper, record executive, entrepreneur, and occasional actor. He is the founder and current CEO of Aftermath Entertainment and a former co-owner and artist of Death Row Records...
and DJ Yella
DJ Yella
DJ Yella is the stage name of Antoine Carraby , a DJ, drummer, music producer, film director and pornographer from Compton, California. He was a member of the World Class Wreckin' Cru along with Dr. Dre. He later became a founding member of the pioneering gangsta rap group N.W.A...
with their World Class Wrecking Cru, a popular mix show of the time. There were others that were very instrumental in bringing 'AM Stereo KDAY' to a 3.0 rating like Russ Parr, Steve Woods, JJ Johnson, Jack Patterson, Roger Aldre, Lee Marshall 'King News', 'The Brown Beauty On Duty' Jesse Torrero, Lisa Canning, Mark Morganella, Don Tracey, Tony G, The High Energy Mixers Hazze (aka Hamburgar Helper), and DJ Eddie (aka La Flavour), Rory Kaufman, Ed Kirby, Andy Laired, Dane Johnson, Jon Badeaux and so many others during that era that made 'AM Stereo 1580 KDAY' the power house of innovation, change, and musical leadership in the Hip-Hop, R&B, and Dance Music Worlds. With shows like the Traffic Jam, Friday Night Live, The High Energy Show, World On Wheels, Skateland USA, custom song mixes, interviews, heavy community service in schools, community centers, youth and church groups, community events, and the in street cutting edge programing, contests, and freshness many major players in the radio, and record business got their careers going on this odd 50,000 watt AM directional signal in Los Angeles. If an artist came to the West Coast, KDAY was their destination in Los Angeles.
AM 1580 was sold in 1991 to realtor Fred Sands (who also owned iconic heavy metal station KNAC
KNAC
KNAC is an internet based heavy metal music radio station. It was previously a Los Angeles, California area FM radio station.-KNAC at 105.5 FM:...
); it officially went off the air on March 29 of that year. Hours before that, phone calls were streaming into the station as the on-the-air DJs encouraged KDAY listeners to protest against the shutting down of the station. It was too late and KDAY turned into business-oriented radio station KBLA
KBLA
KBLA is a radio station licensed to Santa Monica, California, with an Spanish religious radio format. It broadcasts at 1580 kHz with 50,000 watts day and night. Most of this station's signal is dumped over the Pacific Ocean, however, in order not to interfere with radio station KMIK KBLA (1580 AM)...
later that day. The final songs played that signaled the end of the original KDAY was "Ain't No Future in Yo' Frontin'" by MC Breed
MC Breed
Eric Breed better known as MC Breed, was an American rapper best known for his singles "Ain't No Future in Yo Frontin", which peaked at #66 on the Billboard Hot 100, and "Gotta Get Mine", featuring 2Pac, that made it to #6 on the Hot Rap Singles.-Biography:Born in Flint, Michigan, Breed is also...
and "Turn Off the Lights" by Teddy Pendergrass
Teddy Pendergrass
Theodore DeReese "Teddy" Pendergrass was an American R&B/soul singer and songwriter. Pendergrass first rose to fame as lead singer of Harold Melvin & the Blue Notes in the 1970s before a successful solo career at the end of the decade...
. After that, silence came to one of the AM band's last new music stations in the Los Angeles market.
Currently, KBLA
KBLA
KBLA is a radio station licensed to Santa Monica, California, with an Spanish religious radio format. It broadcasts at 1580 kHz with 50,000 watts day and night. Most of this station's signal is dumped over the Pacific Ocean, however, in order not to interfere with radio station KMIK KBLA (1580 AM)...
is a Spanish-language evangelical
Evangelicalism
Evangelicalism is a Protestant Christian movement which began in Great Britain in the 1730s and gained popularity in the United States during the series of Great Awakenings of the 18th and 19th century.Its key commitments are:...
Christian
Christian
A Christian is a person who adheres to Christianity, an Abrahamic, monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus of Nazareth as recorded in the Canonical gospels and the letters of the New Testament...
station.
The "New" KDAY
KDAY was resurrected as an FM station in summer 2004, with a new campaign "Hip-Hop Today and Back in the Day." During its first few weeks, KDAY aired continuous music with no commercials and no disc jockeys. Shortly after, KDAY signed on some of Southern California's most popular DJs, including former West Coast female rapper rapper Yo-YoYo-Yo (rapper)
Yo-Yo is a Grammy-nominated American hardcore rapper and actress. Much of her music has advocated female empowerment, denouncing the frequent sexism found in hip-hop music. She is the protege of gangsta rapper Ice Cube...
, The Baka Boyz and Julio G
Julio G
Julio G is an influential West Coast hip hop DJ who was born and then raised in Lynwood, CA, and is credited for being responsible for the rise of gangsta rap as part of the KDAY radio station on-air talent in Los Angeles, CA. Following KDAY, he was a DJ at 92.3 The Beat...
, all of which previously were at KKBT
KKBT
KSWD is a Bonneville International-owned radio station licensed to Los Angeles, California, USA. The station currently broadcasts a wide-ranging classic rock format...
. Today, as its campaign suggests, KDAY plays a variety of hip-hop and R&B from the 80's, 90's, and now.
In April 2006, KDAY began moving away from a Rhythmic Contemporary
Rhythmic Contemporary
Rhythmic contemporary, also known as rhythmic top 40, rhythmic contemporary hit radio or rhythmic crossover, is a music radio format that includes a mix of EDM, upbeat rhythmic pop, hip-hop and R&B hits. Rhythmic contemporary rarely uses rock music or country music in its airplay, but it may...
leaning direction to an Urban Contemporary
Urban contemporary
Urban contemporary is a music radio format. The term was coined by the late New York DJ Frankie Crocker in the mid 1970s. Urban contemporary radio stations feature a playlist made up entirely of hip hop/rap, contemporary R&B, pop, electronica such as dubstep and drum and bass and Caribbean music...
approach as the station refocuses its target audience towards African Americans. This was probably in response to competitor KPWR
KPWR
KPWR is a commercial radio station located in Los Angeles, California, broadcasting to the Greater Los Angeles area on an analog signal and in HD Radio...
tilting back from Urban to Rhythmic in order to target Hispanic
Hispanic
Hispanic is a term that originally denoted a relationship to Hispania, which is to say the Iberian Peninsula: Andorra, Gibraltar, Portugal and Spain. During the Modern Era, Hispanic sometimes takes on a more limited meaning, particularly in the United States, where the term means a person of ...
listeners. Due to sinking ratings, a month later, long-time hip-hop/R&B station KKBT
KKBT
KSWD is a Bonneville International-owned radio station licensed to Los Angeles, California, USA. The station currently broadcasts a wide-ranging classic rock format...
eliminated hip hop from the format in favor of becoming a mixture of Urban AC
Urban Adult Contemporary
Urban adult contemporary is the name for a format of radio music, similar to an urban contemporary format. Radio stations using this format usually would not have rap music on their playlists. The format was designed by Barry Mayo when he, Lee S. Simonson and Bill Pearson organized Broadcast...
and urban talk radio
Talk radio
Talk radio is a radio format containing discussion about topical issues. Most shows are regularly hosted by a single individual, and often feature interviews with a number of different guests. Talk radio typically includes an element of listener participation, usually by broadcasting live...
, similar in format to KHHT
KHHT
KHHT is a radio station licensed to Los Angeles, California, USA with a Rhythmic Oldies musical format. It is owned by Clear Channel Communications.-KFAC:...
and KJLH
KJLH
KJLH is an Urban Adult Contemporary radio station serving the Los Angeles area and offers More of a variety of Today's R&B & Classic Soul with a taste of Hip-Hop, Gospel and sometimes Smooth Jazz. The station, which is owned by Stevie Wonder's Taxi Productions, operates at 102.3 MHz with an...
. (Only afterwards did KKBT "The Beat" change its calls and name to KRBV "V-100"). In addition, KDAY brought Steve Harvey
Steve Harvey
Broderick Steven "Steve" Harvey is an American actor, comedian, entertainer, television and radio personality and best-selling author. He is best known as the star of the WB sitcom The Steve Harvey Show, and as one of the four comedians featured in the Spike Lee film The Original Kings of Comedy...
on board on Memorial Day
Memorial Day
Memorial Day is a United States federal holiday observed on the last Monday of May. Formerly known as Decoration Day, it originated after the American Civil War to commemorate the fallen Union soldiers of the Civil War...
weekend 2006. Harvey had been released by KKBT the previous year. Weeks later, rival KKBT signed on Tom Joyner
Tom Joyner
Thomas "Tom" Joyner is an American radio host, host of the nationally syndicated The Tom Joyner Morning Show, and also founder of REACH Media Inc., the Tom Joyner Foundation, and BlackAmericaWeb.com.-Early life:...
, to carry his syndicated morning show there, but in December 2006 KKBT would ax Joyner due to low ratings for Joyner, partly attributed to Harvey's success. Technically, the Steve Harvey Show plays R&B music on an Urban AC format, which backs up KDAY's Urban Contemporary
Urban contemporary
Urban contemporary is a music radio format. The term was coined by the late New York DJ Frankie Crocker in the mid 1970s. Urban contemporary radio stations feature a playlist made up entirely of hip hop/rap, contemporary R&B, pop, electronica such as dubstep and drum and bass and Caribbean music...
format . Since the format altering, KDAY added slow jams during nighttime and gospel music on Sunday mornings.
On July 23, 2007 KDAY/KDAI temporarily moved from an Urban Contemporary
Urban contemporary
Urban contemporary is a music radio format. The term was coined by the late New York DJ Frankie Crocker in the mid 1970s. Urban contemporary radio stations feature a playlist made up entirely of hip hop/rap, contemporary R&B, pop, electronica such as dubstep and drum and bass and Caribbean music...
format to a rhythmic format under the consultancy of Harry Lyles and newly-installed PD Theo. In a statement to the website All Access, Lyles commented to the changes: "I am very excited and thrilled to be working with Don McCoy, Roy Laughlin and Theo. All we're doing is playing to the taste of Los Angeles and if we play what they want, they will listen. With PPM coming, this will make things a lot more interesting in Los Angeles." The format turnback might have been spurred by Magic's sale of KWIE. The KDAY call letters were originally intended to be dropped in favor of the station changing to Wild 93.5 and picking up KWIE calls in its place. For a time, the station only referenced itself as "93.5" in the promos until it can come up with a name and calls to fit the rhythmic format. This happened in July 2007, when the sale of KWIE "Wild 96.1" was completed to Liberman Broadcasting and that station became KRQB. The KWIE call sign moved to the Ontario station, which was KDAI. After the sale was completed, it turned out that the format altering was only temporary so they could have the KWIE listeners in the Riverside/San Bernardino area migrate to the 93.5 signal, as KDAY reverted back to classic hip-hop the following August.
On April 8, 2008, Radio One inked a deal with KDAY, which saw the station pick up the former "Beat" logo and several syndicated shows from Radio One. The move came after Radio One sold KRBV to Bonneville International, who in turn dropped KRBV's Urban AC format the previous day (April 7, 2008); that station is now KSWD. From that point, the station used the slogan "The Beat of LA," a nod to the popular hip-hop station during the 90's and early 2000s. Michael Baisden
Michael Baisden
Michael Baisden is an American author, motivational speaker, host of the TV One talk show Baisden After Dark, and host of his own nationally-syndicated radio show.-Career:...
, host of the syndicated afternoon show Love Lust and Lies, returned to Los Angeles on KDAY on August 18, 2008 as KRBV previously aired the show until the format switch.
On August 14, 2008 KDAY was upgraded from 3.4Kw to 4.2Kw, thanks to a new tower that gave the station more coverage in the metro. The new tower will replace its former one, which had been in use for fifty years. Another move was the alteration of its Mainstream Urban
Mainstream Urban
Mainstream Urban is a term used to describe a radio format similar to an Urban Contemporary format. The format differentiates itself due to two factors: playlist composition and target demographic...
format, as KDAY tweaked its direction to a hybrid Urban Contemporary/Urban Talk approach (a direction similar to Urban AC but featuring current adult-friendly R&B music with less Hip-Hop product and on-air talk personalities) targeting a 18-49 audience, with most of its programming being filled by syndicated shows during the day, except for DJ Theo's slow-jam show "Theo After Hours," which airs live from 8PM to 12AM weekdays. The move also ended the simulcasts of both KDAY and KWIE as the latter flipped to Rhythmic Adult Contemporary
Rhythmic Adult Contemporary
Rhythmic adult contemporary is a format used on stations in the United States and Canada. It usually gears toward an older audience, ages 25 to 54. Stations using this format play disco from the 1970s and early 1980s, dance/pop music, adult-friendly hip hop/old school tracks, R&B, dance/freestyle...
and targeted the Inland Empire on the same day.
Despite the changes, there had been criticism from listeners over KDAY's decision to move away from being a station that once supported Hip-Hop and a live airstaff to one that featured syndicated shows and an Urban Adult Contemporary/Talk format, claiming that the owners had ruined the legacy of both KDAY and "The Beat". Those upset with that new approach predicted its demise as it was already tried before (and failed) at KKBT, while also feeling that Los Angeles could not support two Adult R&B outlets (referring to KDAY's main competitor, KJLH
KJLH
KJLH is an Urban Adult Contemporary radio station serving the Los Angeles area and offers More of a variety of Today's R&B & Classic Soul with a taste of Hip-Hop, Gospel and sometimes Smooth Jazz. The station, which is owned by Stevie Wonder's Taxi Productions, operates at 102.3 MHz with an...
; KHHT
KHHT
KHHT is a radio station licensed to Los Angeles, California, USA with a Rhythmic Oldies musical format. It is owned by Clear Channel Communications.-KFAC:...
is a Rhythmic AC aimed at Hispanics). But according to station management, the decision to tweak the format was due to Arbitron
Arbitron
Arbitron is a consumer research company in the United States that collects listener data on radio audiences. It was founded as American Research Bureau by Jim Seiler in 1949 and became national by merging with L.A. based Coffin, Cooper and Clay in the early 1950s...
's plans to implement the PPM
Portable People Meter
The Portable People Meter is a system developed by Arbitron to measure how many people are listening to individual radio stations and television stations, including cable TV. The PPM is worn like a pager, and detects hidden audio tones within a station or network's audio stream, logging each...
in the Los Angeles radio market and where they feel they can tap into certain areas where they can attract the African American audience. The new changes resulted in R&R
R&R (magazine)
R&R was a weekly music trade publication that followed the radio industry and tracked the monitoring of current songs by format, station and audience cumes...
and BDS
Nielsen Broadcast Data Systems
Nielsen Broadcast Data Systems, better known as BDS, is a service that tracks monitored radio, television and internet airplay of songs based on the number of spins and detections...
removing the station from the Urban reporting radio panel in its August 29, 2008 issue.
Changes
There had been hints of possible changes coming over the past several months, which became evident in its decision to replace Mo'Nique's syndicated show in October 2008 for more music-driven local content. Another move would come with Theo's exit several weeks later. As a result, KDAY made a shift back to Urban and was reinstated to R&R/BDS' Urban panel in January 2009. The following March, KDAY re-added local air personalities to its lineup, with DJ Dense taking middays and Tha Goodfellas, who had been handling afternoons and weekends, was moved to the 7–10 pm slot. The Steve Harvey morning show was dropped on May 29, 2009, but later resurfaced on KJLH. In addition, Michael BaisdenMichael Baisden
Michael Baisden is an American author, motivational speaker, host of the TV One talk show Baisden After Dark, and host of his own nationally-syndicated radio show.-Career:...
's nationally syndicated show which aired in the afternoon drive was dropped on August 6, 2009. Keith Sweat
Keith Sweat
Keith Sweat is an American R&B/soul, singer-songwriter, record producer, radio personality and a major contributor to the new jack swing era.-Music career:...
's nationally syndicated show The Keith Sweat Hotel was next in line to be dropped from KDAY.
At the Fresh Fest concert in Downtown Los Angeles's Nokia Theatre, hints were made on stage that a full-blown format flip to resemble the original KDAY's Classic Hip Hop sound would occur on August 17 at 7:30 am, when they drop the branding of The Beat and become simply KDAY. The new logo was shown on all stage banners and screen graphics.
As promised, the change came that very Monday morning with Boyz II Men
Boyz II Men
Boyz II Men is an American R&B vocal group best known for emotional ballads and a cappella harmonies. They are the most successful R&B group of all time, having sold more than albums worldwide. In the 1990s, Boyz II Men found fame on Motown Records as a quartet, but original member Michael McCary...
's End Of The Road signaling the wrap of the old The Beat format and Snoop Dogg
Snoop Dogg
Calvin Cordozar Broadus, Jr. , better known by his stage name Snoop Dogg, is an American rapper, record producer, and actor. Snoop is best known as a rapper in the West Coast hip hop scene, and for being one of Dr. Dre's most notable protégés. Snoop Dogg was a Crip gang member while in high school...
's Gin & Juice being the first song under the new KDAY format. Station spots in between songs indicated that the previous syndicated fare was a programming mistake that did not reflect what Los Angeles fans were looking for and that the station would "never do that again." It officially left Los Angeles
Los Ángeles
Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...
as the largest market without an urban contemporary
Urban contemporary
Urban contemporary is a music radio format. The term was coined by the late New York DJ Frankie Crocker in the mid 1970s. Urban contemporary radio stations feature a playlist made up entirely of hip hop/rap, contemporary R&B, pop, electronica such as dubstep and drum and bass and Caribbean music...
station.
In a press release, the station's PD/OM, Adrian (A.D.) Scott, explained in detail: "The landscape of Los Angeles radio has been ever changing over the last several years and the programming at 93.5 is taking an exciting turn for the better. “The Beat” will be dropped as focus is placed on the brand equity in KDAY and its deep musical roots. Los Angeles has been missing the west coast sound. By eliminating syndicated programming, KDAY can now focus on its strengths as a local, independent station that connects with the diverse culture that is Los Angeles. With a mix of the old school and the new music that is enjoyed today, I feel we have a unique and winning recipe." While they may have returned to the format, KDAY still plays many classic hip hop songs without live DJs on the air. In September 2009, KWIE, after splitting from KDAY to broadcast a Rhythmic Hot AC format to target the Riverside-San Bernardino market, returned to simulcasting KDAY's format.
In November 2009, station management at KDAY made more changes by bringing in veteran programming consultants Bill Tanner and Steve Smith to help evolve the station alongside PD Scott, new OM Brian Bridgman and new GM Zeke Chaidez. In a interview from All Access, Tanner explained what was in store for KDAY pertaining to the future adjustments for the format: "Brian, Steve and I have offered some refinements based on our many years of experience in Los Angeles," then added that "We’re just getting started with the music. We will be adding jocks and more surprises in the weeks ahead." Mixing was soon brought back to the station with the additions of Mr. A.D, Eddy Xpress, Dj Class1c and DJ Dense.
For KDAY being an urban adult hits station, it puts competition up against urban adult contemporary
Urban Adult Contemporary
Urban adult contemporary is the name for a format of radio music, similar to an urban contemporary format. Radio stations using this format usually would not have rap music on their playlists. The format was designed by Barry Mayo when he, Lee S. Simonson and Bill Pearson organized Broadcast...
radio station KJLH
KJLH
KJLH is an Urban Adult Contemporary radio station serving the Los Angeles area and offers More of a variety of Today's R&B & Classic Soul with a taste of Hip-Hop, Gospel and sometimes Smooth Jazz. The station, which is owned by Stevie Wonder's Taxi Productions, operates at 102.3 MHz with an...
and rhythmic oldies
Rhythmic oldies
Rhythmic Oldies is a radio format that concentrates on the rhythmic, disco or dance genres of music. Playlists may span from the 1970s through the early 1990s...
station KHHT
KHHT
KHHT is a radio station licensed to Los Angeles, California, USA with a Rhythmic Oldies musical format. It is owned by Clear Channel Communications.-KFAC:...
.
Change of Ownership
On Monday, December 27, 2010, Radio-Info.com reported that the KDAY/KDEY simulcast had been sold by Magic BroadcastingMagic Broadcasting
Magic Broadcasting, LLC is a company which owns and operates five radio stations in Alabama.-History:Magic Broadcasting, LLC, formerly Styles Media Group, LLC, was founded in 1989. The name was changed to Magic Broadcasting in June 2006. The company is based in Panama City, Florida...
to SoCal935, LLC for $35 Million dollars. The principal investors Warren Chang and John Hearne also have a financial stake in recent Riverside Rhythmic Top 40 station KQIE
KQIE
KFYZ-FM is a commercial radio station in Santa Barbara, California, broadcasting on 94.5 FM. Previously a simulcast of Regional Mexican KIST, the station flipped to a Top 40/CHR format on December 23, 2010, with a emphasis on upbeat currents and classic party hits from the 80s and...
. However, the Federal Communications Commission, which must approve the sale before SoCal935 can take operating control, has thus far declined to do so. Magic Broadcasting thus remains the owner of KDAY until the FCC takes action; it is unknown if there is any sunset provision in the sales agreement which would cause it to expire if the FCC does not approve the deal by a specific date.
The 93.5 signal itself
The 93.5 frequency, in Redondo Beach, signed on in the early 1960s as KAPP-FM. Chuck Johnson and Lonnie Cook came to 93.5 from 103.9 in Inglewood. The frequency was shared as the signal's programming came from Redondo Beach in the daytime, and the Pop / Blues / Doo Wop / Jazz format being aired by Johnson and Cook(from Chuck's home) at night. It has been determined that their FM Top 40 chart is the oldest one known to exist.The next known transmission of 93.5 was KKOP and it played mellow pop music and even copied the playlist of the now defunct KNHS 89.7 of Torrance. One of the station's early owners was game show producer Jack Barry, who later stated that he bought the station specifically because it would require him to have a license from the FCC
Federal Communications Commission
The Federal Communications Commission is an independent agency of the United States government, created, Congressional statute , and with the majority of its commissioners appointed by the current President. The FCC works towards six goals in the areas of broadband, competition, the spectrum, the...
, and that if the FCC would be willing to grant him a license, it would effectively show that he no longer was "tainted" by the game show scandals
Quiz show scandals
The American quiz show scandals of the 1950s were a series of revelations that contestants of several popular television quiz shows were secretly given assistance by the show's producers to arrange the outcome of a supposedly fair competition....
.
Later in the 1970s the call letters KFOX were assigned to the station, which like its predecessor at 1280AM (now KFRN
KFRN
KFRN 1280 AM is a non-commercial traditional Christian radio station licensed to Long Beach, California and serving the Los Angeles market, which runs programming from Family Radio. Its transmitter is located in Wilmington, California....
) played country music
Country music
Country music is a popular American musical style that began in the rural Southern United States in the 1920s. It takes its roots from Western cowboy and folk music...
. This format continued until the mid-1980s, when the owner decided to sell blocks of air time to various producers; KFOX evolved into a multi-ethnic, multi-lingual format such as Radio Rangarang (Persian), Radio Omid (Persian) and Radio Naeeri (Armenian). In the mid-1990s, this became "Radio Korea USA" with an all-Korean
Korean language
Korean is the official language of the country Korea, in both South and North. It is also one of the two official languages in the Yanbian Korean Autonomous Prefecture in People's Republic of China. There are about 78 million Korean speakers worldwide. In the 15th century, a national writing...
format. This continued until 1999, when the Church of the Foursquare Gospel, which, as a condition of selling 96.3 KXOL-FM
KXOL-FM
KXOL-FM 96.3, Latino 96.3, is a Latin leaning Rhythmic music radio station in the Los Angeles area.-History:For many years 96.3 was a Christian radio station in Los Angeles known as KFSG, owned by the International Church of the Foursquare Gospel...
moved the KFSG call letters and format to 93.5, which was acquired by 96.3's new owners, Spanish Broadcasting System
Spanish Broadcasting System
Spanish Broadcasting System, Inc. is one of the largest owners and operators of radio stations in the United States. SBS is also invested in television and internet properties, deriving the majority of its income from advertising through its media products.SBS owns the internet portal LaMusica.com...
, specifically for the purpose of relocating KFSG. In 2002, the lease arrangement with Foursquare ended, and SBS switched to a Spanish-language outlet, first as KMJR
KMJR
KMJR is a radio station broadcasting a Regional Mexican format. Licensed to Portland, Texas, USA, the station serves the Los Angeles area. The station is owned by Tejas Broadcasting Ltd., Llp.-History:...
(La Mejor) and later KZAB.
Notable alumni
Comedian George CarlinGeorge Carlin
George Denis Patrick Carlin was an American stand-up comedian, social critic, actor and author, who won five Grammy Awards for his comedy albums....
got his West Coast break at KDAY with original comedy partner Jack Burns
Jack Burns
Jack Burns is an American comedian and voice actor.-Biography:In 1959, he began his career as a comedy team with George Carlin when both were working for radio station KXOL in Fort Worth, Texas...
as a morning team in the early 1960s. The pair spent much of their down time rehearsing their sketches for local coffee house performances. When those performances went well, they soon left radio for touring and television. Carlin asked that his star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame
Hollywood Walk of Fame
The Hollywood Walk of Fame consists of more than 2,400 five-pointed terrazzo and brass stars embedded in the sidewalks along fifteen blocks of Hollywood Boulevard and three blocks of Vine Street in Hollywood, California...
be placed outside the KDAY studios.
Wolfman Jack
Wolfman Jack
Robert Weston Smith, known commonly as Wolfman Jack was a gravelly voiced US disc jockey who became famous in the 1960s and 1970s.-Early career:...
did a program in the early 1970s at the original KDAY(AM) (licensed to Santa Monica) after his departure from border blaster station XERB (then at 1090-AM which is now XEPRS).