KMPC
Encyclopedia
KMPC is a radio station
based in Los Angeles, California and is owned by P&Y Broadcasting Licensee, LLC. Radio Korea is a division of the Radio Korea Media Group. The station airs Korean-language programming. It broadcasts news, information, and entertainment for the largest Korean-American community in the United States
, and the largest Korean community outside of Korea.
KMPC is one of three radio stations in the greater Los Angeles
area that broadcast entirely in Korean; the others are KYPA
and KFOX
.
as an all-sports station
. However, some of the network's daily programming did not regularly air on the station.
The station covered San Diego Chargers
football (one of two flagship stations for the Chargers Radio Network, the other being KIOZ
in San Diego), and selected Westwood One
sports programming not carried by CBS Radio
's KFWB-AM
and KLSX-FM
. Among the broadcasts that KMPC carried from Westwood One: NCAA basketball, PGA Tour
golf tournament updates (mostly those covered by CBS Sports
television), The Masters Tournament
, NFL football (including Monday Night Football
on occasion), and more.
In 2006, KMPC lost the broadcast rights to USC
basketball and football
to rival KSPN-AM
, and the station then acquired the local broadcast rights of the University of Notre Dame
's football games from Westwood One
. The station also stopped covering NASCAR
races after having done so for several years.
The station's regular talk-show hosts included Tony Bruno
, who began his morning show in April 2005 following the departure of Roger Lodge
; long-time local sports talk host Dave Smith (whose show became part of Sporting News Radio
in June 2006), and a late-afternoon show hosted by former USC football player Petros Papadakis
.
Former Los Angeles Dodgers broadcaster Ross Porter filled in for Roggin on an early-June 2005 broadcast.
Roger Nadel, former GM of all-news KFWB in Los Angeles, was the station's VP/GM and Program Director.
In June 2006, former afternoon host and current KNBC-TV sports director Fred Roggin
left KMPC and a new program, the Atlanta
-based 2 Live Stews
, took his place. Roggin's departure, a result of his increased commitments to KNBC and NBC Sports
, triggered a shift in the station's daily programming lineup. Smith and Papadakis switched dayparts, accommodating the Los Angeles debut of the 2 Live Stews.
On September 5, 2006, KMPC's parent company, Sporting News Radio
, was sold to American City Business Journals
for an undisclosed price, The Sporting News
magazine. KMPC, and WSNR
in New York and WWZN
in Boston, were briefly operated by Paul Allen
's Vulcan Inc.
until the three stations were sold off separately.
In 2007, before the station's sale to Radio Korea, there were no local shows on the station. Bob Keisser of the Long Beach Press-Telegram
said that KMPC is "on life support." (Page B2, December 29, 2006 issue).
On March 30, 2007, AllAccess.com, an online news service covering the radio and music industries, reported that Vulcan had decided to sell the station to P&Y Broadcasting, doing business as Radio Korea Media Group. Again, the price was not revealed.
. It aired a wide variety of formats until the early 1980s. KPOL also advertised on the 1959 television series Home Run Derby
.
Throughout the 1980s and much of the 1990s, this frequency broadcast in Spanish, first as KXEZ
then as KXMG "Mega 1540." In 1997, One on One Sports Inc. of Northbrook
, Illinois
purchased the station and converted it to sports radio. It was part of the sale to Paul Allen's Vulcan Ventures in 2001.
, Robert W. Morgan
, Bob Arbogast
, Geoff Edwards
, Ira Cook, Roger Carroll, Wink Martindale
, Jim Lange
, Gary Owens
, Johnny Magnus, Kathy Gori
, Sonny Melendrez
and Vance Graham.
A powerhouse in local sports reporting, KMPC-710 broadcast Los Angeles Rams, California Angels
, and UCLA football games. Some of the notable sports announcers were Fred Hessler, Don Wells
, Bob Starr, Jim Healy
, Kent Derdivanis
, Dave Niehaus
, Dick Enberg
, and Joe Torre
.
KMPC-710 was also noted for its extensive use of field reporters and news/traffic aircraft. It was also the first station to issue Sigalert traffic alerts.
At one time, KMPC was owned by the famous singing cowboy Gene Autry
.
KMPC appeared fictionally in the Steven Spielberg
movie "1941" (see 1941 (film)
, the dance contest broadcast), and in That Thing You Do (brief interview).
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...
based in Los Angeles, California and is owned by P&Y Broadcasting Licensee, LLC. Radio Korea is a division of the Radio Korea Media Group. The station airs Korean-language programming. It broadcasts news, information, and entertainment for the largest Korean-American community in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
, and the largest Korean community outside of Korea.
KMPC is one of three radio stations in the greater 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...
area that broadcast entirely in Korean; the others are KYPA
KYPA
KYPA is a Korean-language radio station in Los Angeles, California. It is owned by Multicultural Broadcasting.KYPA is one of three radio stations in the greater Los Angeles area that broadcast entirely in Korean; the others are KMPC and KFOX.The format includes various shows that serve the largest...
and KFOX
KFOX (AM)
KFOX is a Korean language AM radio station licensed to Torrance, California, broadcasting to the Los Angeles metropolitan area on 1650 kHz AM.KFOX is one of three radio stations in the greater Los Angeles area that broadcast entirely in Korean; the others are KMPC and KYPA.KFOX was launched in 1997...
.
KMPC 1540 history
KMPC began airing Radio Korea programming on May 1, 2007; before that, it was an owned-and-operated affiliate of Sporting News RadioSporting News Radio
Yahoo! Sports Radio, formerly Sporting News Radio is a United States sports radio network that broadcasts sports news, talk, scores, and highlights 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. On August 1, 2011, it was announced the network would change its name to Yahoo! Sports Radio, effective...
as an all-sports station
Sports radio
Sports radio is a radio format devoted entirely to discussion and broadcasting of sporting events. A popular format with an almost exclusively male demographic in most areas, sports radio is characterized by an often-boisterous on-air style and extensive debate and analysis by both hosts and...
. However, some of the network's daily programming did not regularly air on the station.
The station covered San Diego Chargers
San Diego Chargers
The San Diego Chargers are a professional American football team based in San Diego, California. they were members of the Western Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League...
football (one of two flagship stations for the Chargers Radio Network, the other being KIOZ
KIOZ
KIOZ, also known as Rock 105.3, is a Rock station in San Diego, California. It is licensed in San Diego, California, and is owned by Clear Channel Communications.- History :...
in San Diego), and selected Westwood One
Westwood One
Westwood One was an American radio network and was based in New York City. At one time, it was managed by CBS Radio, the radio arm of CBS Corporation, and Viacom and was later purchased by the private equity firm The Gores Group...
sports programming not carried by CBS Radio
CBS Radio
CBS Radio, Inc., formerly known as Infinity Broadcasting Corporation, is one of the largest owners and operators of radio stations in the United States, third behind main rival Clear Channel Communications and Cumulus Media. CBS Radio owns around 130 radio stations across the country...
's KFWB-AM
KFWB (AM)
KFWB is a Los Angeles, California AM radio station operating on 980 kHz with 5,000 watts of power from a transmitter site near Lincoln Park . The station had a mostly all-news format from 1968 until September 8, 2009, after which it converted to a news-talk format...
and KLSX-FM
KLSX
KAMP-FM 97.1 FM, known on-air as 97.1 AMP Radio, is a Rhythmic Contemporary radio station in Los Angeles, California. The station is owned by CBS Radio.The station had long been known as KLSX before the call sign changed on June 30, 2009....
. Among the broadcasts that KMPC carried from Westwood One: NCAA basketball, PGA Tour
PGA Tour
The PGA Tour is the organizer of the main men's professional golf tours in the United States and North America...
golf tournament updates (mostly those covered by CBS Sports
CBS Sports
CBS Sports is a division of CBS Broadcasting which airs sporting events on the American television network. Its headquarters are in the CBS Building on West 52nd Street in midtown Manhattan, New York City, with programs produced out of Studio 43 at the CBS Broadcast Center on West 57th Street.CBS...
television), The Masters Tournament
The Masters Tournament
The Masters Tournament, also known as The Masters , is one of the four major championships in professional golf. Scheduled for the first full week of April, it is the first of the majors to be played each year...
, NFL football (including Monday Night Football
Monday Night Football
Monday Night Football is a live broadcast of the National Football League on ESPN. From to it aired on ABC. Monday Night Football was, along with Hallmark Hall of Fame, and the Walt Disney anthology television series, one of the longest running prime time commercial network television series...
on occasion), and more.
In 2006, KMPC lost the broadcast rights to USC
University of Southern California
The University of Southern California is a private, not-for-profit, nonsectarian, research university located in Los Angeles, California, United States. USC was founded in 1880, making it California's oldest private research university...
basketball and football
USC Trojans
The USC Trojans are the athletic teams representing the University of Southern California in Los Angeles, California. While the men's teams are nicknamed the Trojans, the women's athletic teams are referred to as either the Trojans or Women of Troy...
to rival KSPN-AM
KSPN (AM)
KSPN is an all-sports radio station based in Los Angeles, California. It is owned by Disney. It is an ESPN Radio owned-and-operated station.-Play-by-play:...
, and the station then acquired the local broadcast rights of the University of Notre Dame
University of Notre Dame
The University of Notre Dame du Lac is a Catholic research university located in Notre Dame, an unincorporated community north of the city of South Bend, in St. Joseph County, Indiana, United States...
's football games from Westwood One
Westwood One
Westwood One was an American radio network and was based in New York City. At one time, it was managed by CBS Radio, the radio arm of CBS Corporation, and Viacom and was later purchased by the private equity firm The Gores Group...
. The station also stopped covering NASCAR
NASCAR
The National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing is a family-owned and -operated business venture that sanctions and governs multiple auto racing sports events. It was founded by Bill France Sr. in 1947–48. As of 2009, the CEO for the company is Brian France, grandson of the late Bill France Sr...
races after having done so for several years.
The station's regular talk-show hosts included Tony Bruno
Tony Bruno
For Tony Bruno, the musician, see Tony Bruno Tony Bruno is an American sports talk radio personality in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania....
, who began his morning show in April 2005 following the departure of Roger Lodge
Roger Lodge
Roger Lodge is an American game show host, sports radio host, and actor.-Life and career:Lodge was born as Rogelio Chavez in Fontana, California and raised in Cerritos, California. Lodge currently serves as Executive Producer and host of HDNET's "CELEBRIDATE", scheduled to debut in October of 2011...
; long-time local sports talk host Dave Smith (whose show became part of Sporting News Radio
Sporting News Radio
Yahoo! Sports Radio, formerly Sporting News Radio is a United States sports radio network that broadcasts sports news, talk, scores, and highlights 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. On August 1, 2011, it was announced the network would change its name to Yahoo! Sports Radio, effective...
in June 2006), and a late-afternoon show hosted by former USC football player Petros Papadakis
Petros Papadakis
Petros Papadakis is an American television personality and radio co-host of the Petros and Money Show on Fox Sports Radio. He is a former tailback and American football team captain for the University of Southern California Trojans football team. He is also known as "The P."Papadakis's family...
.
Former Los Angeles Dodgers broadcaster Ross Porter filled in for Roggin on an early-June 2005 broadcast.
Roger Nadel, former GM of all-news KFWB in Los Angeles, was the station's VP/GM and Program Director.
In June 2006, former afternoon host and current KNBC-TV sports director Fred Roggin
Fred Roggin
Fred Roggin is the sports anchor at KNBC-TV in Los Angeles, California. He was also a sports talk radio host at KMPC in Los Angeles, and until Fall 2007 hosted a morning sports show on KLAC with Los Angeles Times sports columnist T.J. Simers and Simers' daughter, Tracy Simers...
left KMPC and a new program, the Atlanta
Atlanta, Georgia
Atlanta is the capital and most populous city in the U.S. state of Georgia. According to the 2010 census, Atlanta's population is 420,003. Atlanta is the cultural and economic center of the Atlanta metropolitan area, which is home to 5,268,860 people and is the ninth largest metropolitan area in...
-based 2 Live Stews
2 Live Stews
The 2 Live Stews is an American syndicated sports talk radio show originating from WQXI, AM 790 the Zone, in Atlanta, Georgia hosted by brothers Doug and Ryan Stewart.-The hosts and cast:...
, took his place. Roggin's departure, a result of his increased commitments to KNBC and NBC Sports
NBC Sports
NBC Sports is the sports division of the NBC television network. Formerly "a service of NBC News," it broadcasts a diverse array of programs, including the Olympic Games, the NFL, the NHL, MLS, Notre Dame football, the PGA Tour, the Triple Crown, and the French Open, among others...
, triggered a shift in the station's daily programming lineup. Smith and Papadakis switched dayparts, accommodating the Los Angeles debut of the 2 Live Stews.
On September 5, 2006, KMPC's parent company, Sporting News Radio
Sporting News Radio
Yahoo! Sports Radio, formerly Sporting News Radio is a United States sports radio network that broadcasts sports news, talk, scores, and highlights 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. On August 1, 2011, it was announced the network would change its name to Yahoo! Sports Radio, effective...
, was sold to American City Business Journals
American City Business Journals
American City Business Journals is an American newspaper chain based in Charlotte, North Carolina owned by Advance Publications. It has a range of media including 41 primary metropolitan weekly publications, which reach 4 million readers with business community related news, and Bizjournals, the...
for an undisclosed price, The Sporting News
The Sporting News
Sporting News is an American-based sports magazine. It was established in 1886, and it became the dominant American publication covering baseball — so much so that it acquired the nickname "The Bible of Baseball"...
magazine. KMPC, and WSNR
WSNR
WSNR, AM 620, is a radio station in the New York metropolitan area with a brokered time format owned by Blackstrap Broadcasting. On Saturdays and Sundays WSNR, AM 620, is a radio station in the New York metropolitan area with a brokered time format owned by Blackstrap Broadcasting. On Saturdays and...
in New York and WWZN
WWZN
WWZN is an AM radio station licensed to serve the Boston media market. Its programming is a time-brokered mix between progressive talk radio during the daytime , sports talk and religious programming in the overnight hours...
in Boston, were briefly operated by Paul Allen
Paul Allen
Paul Gardner Allen is an American business magnate, investor, and philanthropist. Allen co-founded Microsoft with Bill Gates...
's Vulcan Inc.
Vulcan Inc.
Vulcan Inc. is an investment and project management company founded in 1986 by Paul Allen, co-founder of Microsoft, to manage his investments...
until the three stations were sold off separately.
In 2007, before the station's sale to Radio Korea, there were no local shows on the station. Bob Keisser of the Long Beach Press-Telegram
Long Beach Press-Telegram
The Press-Telegram is a daily newspaper published in Long Beach, California. Tracing its history to 1897, it is currently published by the Los Angeles Newspaper Group, a division of newspaper conglomerate MediaNews Group, which purchased the newspaper from Knight Ridder in 1997; Ridder and Knight...
said that KMPC is "on life support." (Page B2, December 29, 2006 issue).
On March 30, 2007, AllAccess.com, an online news service covering the radio and music industries, reported that Vulcan had decided to sell the station to P&Y Broadcasting, doing business as Radio Korea Media Group. Again, the price was not revealed.
Dispersal of former programming
- The Chargers' current local affiliate is KLAC, a change made for the 2008 season2008 NFL seasonThe 2008 NFL season was the 89th regular season of the National Football League, themed with the slogan "Believe in Now."Super Bowl XLIII, the league's championship game, was at Raymond James Stadium in Tampa, Florida on February 1, 2009, with the Pittsburgh Steelers coming out victorious over the...
. In 20072007 NFL seasonThe 2007 NFL season was the 88th regular season of the National Football League.Regular-season play was held from September 6 to December 30....
, the Chargers had signed KSPNKSPN (AM)KSPN is an all-sports radio station based in Los Angeles, California. It is owned by Disney. It is an ESPN Radio owned-and-operated station.-Play-by-play:...
as the new local affiliate in the Los Angeles area. Some early season games were not available in 20072007 NFL seasonThe 2007 NFL season was the 88th regular season of the National Football League.Regular-season play was held from September 6 to December 30....
due to KSPN's coverage of the Los Angeles Angels of AnaheimLos Angeles Angels of AnaheimThe Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim are a professional baseball team based in Anaheim, California, United States. The Angels are a member of the Western Division of Major League Baseball's American League. The "Angels" name originates from the city in which the team started, Los Angeles...
and the Major League BaseballMajor League BaseballMajor League Baseball is the highest level of professional baseball in the United States and Canada, consisting of teams that play in the National League and the American League...
postseason. (The Angels have since changed the flagship station to KLAA.) - Most Westwood One sporting events, including the NCAA Men's Division I Basketball ChampionshipNCAA Men's Division I Basketball ChampionshipThe NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Championship is a single-elimination tournament held each spring in the United States, featuring 68 college basketball teams, to determine the national championship in the top tier of college basketball...
, NFL footballNFL on Westwood OneThe NFL on Westwood One is the brand name given to weekly National Football League games carried on the radio over the Dial Global Radio Network...
, and the Summer Olympic GamesSummer Olympic GamesThe Summer Olympic Games or the Games of the Olympiad are an international multi-sport event, occurring every four years, organized by the International Olympic Committee. Medals are awarded in each event, with gold medals for first place, silver for second and bronze for third, a tradition that...
, moved to KSPN in 2008. By 2010, however, KSPN terminated its deal with Westwood One to emphasize ESPN RadioESPN RadioESPN Radio is an American sports radio network. It was launched on January 1, 1992 under the original banner of "SportsRadio ESPN." ESPN Radio is located at ESPN headquarters in Bristol, Connecticut...
and local talk shows centered around the Los Angeles LakersLos Angeles LakersThe Los Angeles Lakers are an American professional basketball team based in Los Angeles, California. They play in the Pacific Division of the Western Conference in the National Basketball Association...
and other home teams. One consequence was that the gold medal game of the 2010 Winter Olympics ice hockey tournamentIce hockey at the 2010 Winter Olympics - Men's tournamentThe men's tournament in ice hockey at the 2010 Winter Olympics was held in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada, from 16 to 28 February 2010. Games were hosted at two venues – Canada Hockey Place and UBC Thunderbird Arena...
was not available on any local radio station in the L.A. area. - Westwood One's NFL games have been split among four different stations at various times since 2007: KSPN, KLAC, KTLK, and KABCKABC (AM)KABC is a Los Angeles radio station, and a West Coast flagship station for the Cumulus Media company. A pioneer of the talk radio format, the station went "all-talk" in 1960 and was one of the first stations to do so...
. KABC aired the Sunday night games in 2007 before assuming Los Angeles DodgersLos Angeles DodgersThe Los Angeles Dodgers are a professional baseball team based in Los Angeles, California. The Dodgers are members of Major League Baseball's National League West Division. Established in 1883, the team originated in Brooklyn, New York, where it was known by a number of nicknames before becoming...
broadcast rights the following year. KLAC also airs the Super BowlSuper BowlThe Super Bowl is the championship game of the National Football League , the highest level of professional American football in the United States, culminating a season that begins in the late summer of the previous calendar year. The Super Bowl uses Roman numerals to identify each game, rather...
on radio each year. - Fighting Irish football, now distributed by ISP Sports Properties, debuted on KLAA in 2008; the station has carried most games since.
- No new local affiliate has been found for the Masters golf tournament.
- Roggin and Papadakis joined the lineup of KLAC, in morning drive and afternoon drive respectively. Roggin and co-hosts T.J. Simers and Tracie Simers were removed in October 2007 in favor of Dan PatrickDan PatrickDaniel Patrick Pugh , professionally known as Dan Patrick, is an American sportscaster, radio personality, and actor from Mason, Ohio...
. Papadakis remains on KLAC. - Bruno debuted on KLAC on September 29, 2009, replacing Joe McDonnell at 7 p.m. weeknights. Bruno's program, like Patrick's, is syndicated by Content Factory.
- Neither the 2 Live Stews nor Sporting News Radio are available in the L.A. area. Some SNR shows are available via satelliteSatelliteIn the context of spaceflight, a satellite is an object which has been placed into orbit by human endeavour. Such objects are sometimes called artificial satellites to distinguish them from natural satellites such as the Moon....
on XM Sports NationXM Sports NationSirius XM Sports Nation is a work-in-progress channel on Sirius XM Radio, and is mainly the result of a merging of Sirius Sports Central and XM Sports Nation, and a couple programming changes with sister channel Mad Dog Radio....
. XX 1090, broadcasting from San Diego to most of southern California, carried some SNR shows until October 2010, when it dropped those shows in favor of ESPN Radio. - NASCAR races have not been readily available on local radio since KMPC chose not to renew the rights. The 2006 Sony HD 500 was heard on KLAC, but it was only a one-race deal with Motor Racing NetworkMotor Racing NetworkThe Motor Racing Network is the principal radio broadcasting operation of NASCAR, promoting themselves as "The Voice of NASCAR." It broadcasts coverage of most major NASCAR races at the top three levels of NASCAR at tracks owned by International Speedway Corporation as well as Dover International...
. KKGO "Go Country 105" promised coverage, but no races were ever broadcast on that station. In 20092009 NASCAR Sprint Cup SeriesThe 2009 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series season was the 61st season of professional stock car racing in the United States, which began at Daytona International Speedway in Daytona Beach, Florida, with the 2009 Budweiser Shootout at Daytona, a race for the top six teams of the four brands in the 2008...
, MRN and Performance Racing NetworkPerformance Racing NetworkThe Performance Racing Network is a radio network controlled by Speedway Motorsports, Inc..Performance Racing Network broadcasts all NASCAR-sanctioned Sprint Cup and Nationwide Series events held at Speedway Motorsports-controlled tracks which include Atlanta, Bristol, Infineon, Las Vegas,...
debuted on KFRG, which signal carries into Orange CountyOrange County, CaliforniaOrange County is a county in the U.S. state of California. Its county seat is Santa Ana. As of the 2010 census, its population was 3,010,232, up from 2,846,293 at the 2000 census, making it the third most populous county in California, behind Los Angeles County and San Diego County...
and part of the Long BeachLong Beach, CaliforniaLong Beach is a city situated in Los Angeles County in Southern California, on the Pacific coast of the United States. The city is the 36th-largest city in the nation and the seventh-largest in California. As of 2010, its population was 462,257...
area, and the HD2 subcarrier of KLSXKLSXKAMP-FM 97.1 FM, known on-air as 97.1 AMP Radio, is a Rhythmic Contemporary radio station in Los Angeles, California. The station is owned by CBS Radio.The station had long been known as KLSX before the call sign changed on June 30, 2009....
. KLSX then became KAMP-FM and within months of the change, owner CBS RadioCBS RadioCBS Radio, Inc., formerly known as Infinity Broadcasting Corporation, is one of the largest owners and operators of radio stations in the United States, third behind main rival Clear Channel Communications and Cumulus Media. CBS Radio owns around 130 radio stations across the country...
removed KFRG from the subcarrier.
Before KMPC
The history of AM 1540 goes back to its days as KPOLKPOL (AM)
KPOL was a radio station that operated in Los Angeles, California, USA. The station played a number of music formats, including polka, top 40, rock, and beautiful music, from 1952 to 1981....
. It aired a wide variety of formats until the early 1980s. KPOL also advertised on the 1959 television series Home Run Derby
Home Run Derby (TV series)
Home Run Derby is a 1960 television show that was held at Wrigley Field in Los Angeles putting the top sluggers of Major League Baseball against each other in nine-inning home run contests...
.
Throughout the 1980s and much of the 1990s, this frequency broadcast in Spanish, first as KXEZ
KXEZ
KXEZ is a radio station broadcasting a Classic Country format.Licensed to Farmersville, Texas, USA, the station serves the Sherman-Denison area. The station is currently owned by Metro Broadcasters - Texas, Inc. and features programing from Dial Global.-History:92.1 Was Originally an Oldies...
then as KXMG "Mega 1540." In 1997, One on One Sports Inc. of Northbrook
Northbrook, Illinois
Northbrook is a village located at the northern edge of Cook County, Illinois, which is also a North Shore suburb of Chicago. The population was 33,170 at the 2010 census....
, Illinois
Illinois
Illinois is the fifth-most populous state of the United States of America, and is often noted for being a microcosm of the entire country. With Chicago in the northeast, small industrial cities and great agricultural productivity in central and northern Illinois, and natural resources like coal,...
purchased the station and converted it to sports radio. It was part of the sale to Paul Allen's Vulcan Ventures in 2001.
KMPC-710
Prior to November 21, 1997 the call letters KMPC were assigned on AM-710, and it was at one time one of the top AM radio stations in Southern California. In the 1960s and 70s, it used the moniker "The Station of the Stars" and featured a number of notable DJs, including Dick WhittinghillDick Whittinghill
Dick Whittinghill was an American movie and television actor, recording artist and radio disc jockey in the United States...
, Robert W. Morgan
Robert W. Morgan
Robert Wilbur Morgan was an award-winning morning radio personality best known for his work at several stations in Los Angeles, California, in particular KHJ-AM....
, Bob Arbogast
Bob Arbogast
Robert "Bob" Arbogast was an American radio broadcaster, voice actor, and television host.-Biography:...
, Geoff Edwards
Geoff Edwards
Geoffrey Bruce Owen "Geoff" Edwards is an American television actor, game show host and radio personality. Over the past decade and a half, he has been a writer and broadcaster on travel. He was born in Westfield, New Jersey....
, Ira Cook, Roger Carroll, Wink Martindale
Wink Martindale
Winston Conrad Martindale , known professionally as Wink Martindale, is an American disc jockey and television game show host.-Radio:...
, Jim Lange
Jim Lange
Jim Lange is a former American game show host and disc jockey. He was particularly well known to listeners in the San Francisco and Los Angeles radio markets with stints at several stations in both markets, racking up over 45 years on the air...
, Gary Owens
Gary Owens
Gary Owens is an American disc jockey and voice actor. His polished baritone speaking voice generally offers deadpan recitations of total nonsense, which he frequently demonstrated as the announcer on Rowan and Martin's Laugh-In. Owens is equally proficient in straight or silly assignments and is...
, Johnny Magnus, Kathy Gori
Kathy Gori
Kathy Gori is an American voice actress, radio personality and screenwriter.-Biography:She was born in San Francisco, California....
, Sonny Melendrez
Sonny Melendrez
Sonny Melendrez is an American actor, radio-TV personality, and keynote speaker based in San Antonio, Texas, USA, and is the host of SonnyRadio.com....
and Vance Graham.
A powerhouse in local sports reporting, KMPC-710 broadcast Los Angeles Rams, California Angels
Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim
The Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim are a professional baseball team based in Anaheim, California, United States. The Angels are a member of the Western Division of Major League Baseball's American League. The "Angels" name originates from the city in which the team started, Los Angeles...
, and UCLA football games. Some of the notable sports announcers were Fred Hessler, Don Wells
Don Wells
Don Wells is a former defensive end in the National Football League. He was drafted by the Green Bay Packers in the sixth round of the 1945 NFL Draft and would later play four season with the team.-References:...
, Bob Starr, Jim Healy
Jim Healy
Jim Healy was a longtime Los Angeles, California, sports commentator , whose daily solo radio show featured a number of sound effects and audio clips of famous sports personalities, which he played repeatedly to affect an acerbically humorous tone.Excerpting from his entry on the...
, Kent Derdivanis
Kent Derdivanis
Kent Derdivanis is an American sportscaster.Derdivanis career began as a play by play announcer for University of Arizona Wildcats football and basketball games. In 1981, Derdivanis became the voice of the Milwaukee Brewers on WVTV. He left WVTV in 1984 to become the NESN's first play by play...
, Dave Niehaus
Dave Niehaus
David Arnold Niehaus was an American sportscaster. He was the lead play-by-play announcer for the American League's Seattle Mariners from their inaugural season in until his death after the 2010 season. In 2008, the National Baseball Hall of Fame awarded Niehaus with the Ford C. Frick Award, the...
, Dick Enberg
Dick Enberg
Richard Alan "Dick" Enberg is an American sportscaster. He currently provides play-by-play for telecasts of San Diego Padres baseball on 4SD, following a long career calling various sports for such networks as NBC, CBS, and ESPN...
, and Joe Torre
Joe Torre
Joseph Paul Torre is a former American professional baseball player and manager who currently serves as Major League Baseball’s Executive Vice President of Baseball Operations. A nine-time All-Star, he played in Major League Baseball as a catcher, first baseman and a third baseman for the...
.
KMPC-710 was also noted for its extensive use of field reporters and news/traffic aircraft. It was also the first station to issue Sigalert traffic alerts.
At one time, KMPC was owned by the famous singing cowboy Gene Autry
Gene Autry
Orvon Grover Autry , better known as Gene Autry, was an American performer who gained fame as The Singing Cowboy on the radio, in movies and on television for more than three decades beginning in the 1930s...
.
KMPC appeared fictionally in the Steven Spielberg
Steven Spielberg
Steven Allan Spielberg KBE is an American film director, screenwriter, producer, video game designer, and studio entrepreneur. In a career of more than four decades, Spielberg's films have covered many themes and genres. Spielberg's early science-fiction and adventure films were seen as an...
movie "1941" (see 1941 (film)
1941 (film)
1941 is a 1979 period comedy film directed by Steven Spielberg, written by Robert Zemeckis and Bob Gale, and featuring an ensemble cast including John Belushi, Ned Beatty, John Candy, Toshiro Mifune, Christopher Lee and Dan Aykroyd...
, the dance contest broadcast), and in That Thing You Do (brief interview).