KTOB
Encyclopedia
KTOB is a radio station
that broadcasts in a Regional Mexican
format. Licensed to Petaluma, California
, it serves the Santa Rosa
area. The station is owned by Moon Broadcasting Licensee LLC.
The KTOB transmitter building and radio tower were featured in the film American Graffiti
. The interior "DJ" scenes, featuring the late Wolfman Jack
, were filmed at KRE in Berkeley, California
.
On Tuesday January 10, 1950 at 6 a.m., 1490 KC commenced broadcasting as KAFP which, seriously, stood for 'Krowing Always For Petaluma,' associating the city with its poultry-processing status. Under the original ownership of Harold Sparks and Forrest Hughes, aka Petaluma Broadcasters, KAFP initially broadcast a hodgepodge of local and network/syndicated programs such as Sammy Kaye's music show, UP Radio News, a.o. For most of its life, 1490 signed off around Midnight, though it was licensed to broadcast 24 hours daily.
KAFP, now owned by Lloyd Burlingham, became KTOB at 6:45 p.m. on January 10, 1961, exactly eleven years after signing on. The format remained relatively the same, with a mix of news, talk, sports and music shows geared toward the Petaluma community.
During its life, KTOB was fraught with financial problems. On September 30, 1963, KTOB was shut down due to bankruptcy, but was resuscitated two weeks later. At that time, October 13, 1963, a gentleman became closely associated with KTOB's mostly-MOR (Middle Of The Road) programming over the next several years, and eventually became a part-owner: Ron Walters.
Local sports broadcasts, church features, and a strong community-orientation were hallmarks of KTOB well into the 1980s. Notable air talent in this era included two sports personalities: John Emmett, who later became play-by-play broadcaster for the AAA baseball Richmond Braves; and Ken Korach, who is presently the play-by-play man for the Major League Oakland A's.
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...
that broadcasts in a Regional Mexican
Regional Mexican
Regional Mexican is a radio format for music radio, typically defined to include Banda, Ranchera, Mariachi and Norteña. It is the most popular radio format targeting Hispanic Americans in the United States....
format. Licensed to Petaluma, California
Petaluma, California
Petaluma is a city in Sonoma County, California, in the United States. In the 2010 Census the population was 57,941.Located in Petaluma is the Rancho Petaluma Adobe, a National Historic Landmark. It was built beginning in 1836 by General Mariano Guadalupe Vallejo, then Commandant of the San...
, it serves the Santa Rosa
Santa Rosa, California
Santa Rosa is the county seat of Sonoma County, California, United States. The 2010 census reported a population of 167,815. Santa Rosa is the largest city in California's Wine Country and fifth largest city in the San Francisco Bay Area, after San Jose, San Francisco, Oakland, and Fremont and 26th...
area. The station is owned by Moon Broadcasting Licensee LLC.
The KTOB transmitter building and radio tower were featured in the film American Graffiti
American Graffiti
American Graffiti is a 1973 coming of age film co-written/directed by George Lucas starring Richard Dreyfuss, Ron Howard, Paul Le Mat, Charles Martin Smith, Cindy Williams, Candy Clark, Mackenzie Phillips and Harrison Ford...
. The interior "DJ" scenes, featuring the late 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:...
, were filmed at KRE in Berkeley, California
Berkeley, California
Berkeley is a city on the east shore of the San Francisco Bay in Northern California, United States. Its neighbors to the south are the cities of Oakland and Emeryville. To the north is the city of Albany and the unincorporated community of Kensington...
.
On Tuesday January 10, 1950 at 6 a.m., 1490 KC commenced broadcasting as KAFP which, seriously, stood for 'Krowing Always For Petaluma,' associating the city with its poultry-processing status. Under the original ownership of Harold Sparks and Forrest Hughes, aka Petaluma Broadcasters, KAFP initially broadcast a hodgepodge of local and network/syndicated programs such as Sammy Kaye's music show, UP Radio News, a.o. For most of its life, 1490 signed off around Midnight, though it was licensed to broadcast 24 hours daily.
KAFP, now owned by Lloyd Burlingham, became KTOB at 6:45 p.m. on January 10, 1961, exactly eleven years after signing on. The format remained relatively the same, with a mix of news, talk, sports and music shows geared toward the Petaluma community.
During its life, KTOB was fraught with financial problems. On September 30, 1963, KTOB was shut down due to bankruptcy, but was resuscitated two weeks later. At that time, October 13, 1963, a gentleman became closely associated with KTOB's mostly-MOR (Middle Of The Road) programming over the next several years, and eventually became a part-owner: Ron Walters.
Local sports broadcasts, church features, and a strong community-orientation were hallmarks of KTOB well into the 1980s. Notable air talent in this era included two sports personalities: John Emmett, who later became play-by-play broadcaster for the AAA baseball Richmond Braves; and Ken Korach, who is presently the play-by-play man for the Major League Oakland A's.