Little Bit of Heaven 94.7 KMET Tweedle Dee, and What FM Radio used to be.
The subject of FM Tuners got brought up again and got me to thinking about FM Radio in general and the lack of quality program material and lack of listener involvement these days.
I am speaking from a mostly Rock & Roll DJ time slot. I am not referring to Classical, Jazz or Talk Radio.
In June 1968 94.7 KMET was born and radio in Southern California was changed forever and it would appear will never be the same again.
The birth of Free-Form Radio on the West Coast. The DJ’s involved the listeners in their 4 hours sets. I call them sets because that’s what they were, it was not a time slot or a block. We would base gatherings at one another’s homes and listen and take part of that particular DJ’s “set”. Heck we would even sit in a car somewhere and listen to a set, plenty of dead car batteries.
We were able to call in and go on the air live and have an effect on the momentum of the set, actually choose the songs played. They would hold local events and we got to meet and party live on the air with other listeners in and around the area. The concert events were legendary. We could actually hang with and talk to these people.
Mr. Jim (Lord have mercy) Ladd ran a 10pm to 2am set every night that we at least weekly, more often in the summers, we would gather all the necessary supplies, turn it up to 11 and get into and participate in the set. When it was over we would pile into our cars and go to JoJo’s and graze. We all listened to his set every night, even when not together as a group, and would talk about it the next day. We were there when he coined the “Headsets” name for his show. His shows always did and still do, he is on XM Deep Tracks, have themes that the listener determines the final destination. He calls his faithful his “Tribe”.
All the other DJ’s, Cynthia Fox, Raechel Donahue, Bob Coburn, Dr. Demento, Jeff “Gonzo” Gonzer, Paraquat Kelly, China Smith, The Burner Mary Turner, Ace Young and the rest of the cast of misfits all had their own shows with personality, character and intractability.
Here in Southern California with the fair weather also holds special KMET memories with the radio blasting, abundant sunshine and tanned bikini clad (married one of them) girls running around, refreshments everywhere and just enjoying the moment. At one two week gathering at my parents’ house (they were out of town), my buddies all brought over their stereos and we patched them all together through the tape circuits and we had 7 pairs of speakers in the living room, our own Wall of Sound if you will. We had multiple turntables and tape decks and would mix our own sets, Great Times!
If no one wanted to mix a set, flip on KMET and let it rip, no worries other than commercials.
At 10pm every night during that two week period we would put the 14 speakers in a circle, all other activities came to a halt, and sit in the middle and listen to Jims set for the full 4 hours. It was something that just happened and we looked forward to it. It was religion.
You never had to worry about a bad set, you could ALWAYS count on KMET to instantly cover the moment’s music needs.
Then corporate radio happened. KMET came to an end 1/14/87 (actually 1/6/87)in an instant no warning to them.
All the DJ’s literally came to work that day and found locked doors and a final check. They all went over to KLOS and had a big cry out that day live on the air.
Such a fantastic station with so much soul zapped into DJ free smooth jazz station that just sucked. It was a business decision and in the end the DJ’s did not hold a grudge.
KMET was inducted into the Rock Radio Hall of Fame in the Legends of Rock Radio Stations in 2014.
In 2009 and 2013, 100.3 The Sound had KMET tribute days and all the KMET DJ’s came in and did sets like in the old days.
Jim Ladd, the father of Free-Form radio is on XM Deep Tracks and with the exception of a few that have passed, the rest are still on the air on other stations mostly in the Southern California area.
That magic has never been recaptured. KLOS came close but is a corporate playlist, as well as KLSX was, before it went 24/7 talk.
KMET spawned KNAC for Heavy Metal for many years but at least when KNAC went down the DJ’s knew about it and were able to do a proper farewell. There last song was Fade To Black by Metallica, then the next song was Spanish music, as it still is today.
The only station Southern California has now that even has a hint of rebel is 100.3 The Sound where my friend Uncle Joe Benson (R.I.P. The Seventh Day) is a DJ. They shake it up as much as they can, but ultimately it’s a corporate playlist. For those that never got to partake in The Seventh Day, on Sunday nights Joe took seven albums and played them in their entirety. What a fantastic way to hear new music.
I love FM radio and still put a giant antenna on my roof (or attic) with a rotor and listen to radio, it just does not have the same magic.
The jingle
A TV spot
Some radio time on KLSX the next week after getting axed. Oh god that week of that relentless heart beat. Plus you learn where Whoo.a or Whoo.ya came from. That phrase was used so much by the youth of the time.
The subject of FM Tuners got brought up again and got me to thinking about FM Radio in general and the lack of quality program material and lack of listener involvement these days.
I am speaking from a mostly Rock & Roll DJ time slot. I am not referring to Classical, Jazz or Talk Radio.
In June 1968 94.7 KMET was born and radio in Southern California was changed forever and it would appear will never be the same again.
The birth of Free-Form Radio on the West Coast. The DJ’s involved the listeners in their 4 hours sets. I call them sets because that’s what they were, it was not a time slot or a block. We would base gatherings at one another’s homes and listen and take part of that particular DJ’s “set”. Heck we would even sit in a car somewhere and listen to a set, plenty of dead car batteries.
We were able to call in and go on the air live and have an effect on the momentum of the set, actually choose the songs played. They would hold local events and we got to meet and party live on the air with other listeners in and around the area. The concert events were legendary. We could actually hang with and talk to these people.
Mr. Jim (Lord have mercy) Ladd ran a 10pm to 2am set every night that we at least weekly, more often in the summers, we would gather all the necessary supplies, turn it up to 11 and get into and participate in the set. When it was over we would pile into our cars and go to JoJo’s and graze. We all listened to his set every night, even when not together as a group, and would talk about it the next day. We were there when he coined the “Headsets” name for his show. His shows always did and still do, he is on XM Deep Tracks, have themes that the listener determines the final destination. He calls his faithful his “Tribe”.
All the other DJ’s, Cynthia Fox, Raechel Donahue, Bob Coburn, Dr. Demento, Jeff “Gonzo” Gonzer, Paraquat Kelly, China Smith, The Burner Mary Turner, Ace Young and the rest of the cast of misfits all had their own shows with personality, character and intractability.
Here in Southern California with the fair weather also holds special KMET memories with the radio blasting, abundant sunshine and tanned bikini clad (married one of them) girls running around, refreshments everywhere and just enjoying the moment. At one two week gathering at my parents’ house (they were out of town), my buddies all brought over their stereos and we patched them all together through the tape circuits and we had 7 pairs of speakers in the living room, our own Wall of Sound if you will. We had multiple turntables and tape decks and would mix our own sets, Great Times!
If no one wanted to mix a set, flip on KMET and let it rip, no worries other than commercials.
At 10pm every night during that two week period we would put the 14 speakers in a circle, all other activities came to a halt, and sit in the middle and listen to Jims set for the full 4 hours. It was something that just happened and we looked forward to it. It was religion.
You never had to worry about a bad set, you could ALWAYS count on KMET to instantly cover the moment’s music needs.
Then corporate radio happened. KMET came to an end 1/14/87 (actually 1/6/87)in an instant no warning to them.
All the DJ’s literally came to work that day and found locked doors and a final check. They all went over to KLOS and had a big cry out that day live on the air.
Such a fantastic station with so much soul zapped into DJ free smooth jazz station that just sucked. It was a business decision and in the end the DJ’s did not hold a grudge.
KMET was inducted into the Rock Radio Hall of Fame in the Legends of Rock Radio Stations in 2014.
In 2009 and 2013, 100.3 The Sound had KMET tribute days and all the KMET DJ’s came in and did sets like in the old days.
Jim Ladd, the father of Free-Form radio is on XM Deep Tracks and with the exception of a few that have passed, the rest are still on the air on other stations mostly in the Southern California area.
That magic has never been recaptured. KLOS came close but is a corporate playlist, as well as KLSX was, before it went 24/7 talk.
KMET spawned KNAC for Heavy Metal for many years but at least when KNAC went down the DJ’s knew about it and were able to do a proper farewell. There last song was Fade To Black by Metallica, then the next song was Spanish music, as it still is today.
The only station Southern California has now that even has a hint of rebel is 100.3 The Sound where my friend Uncle Joe Benson (R.I.P. The Seventh Day) is a DJ. They shake it up as much as they can, but ultimately it’s a corporate playlist. For those that never got to partake in The Seventh Day, on Sunday nights Joe took seven albums and played them in their entirety. What a fantastic way to hear new music.
I love FM radio and still put a giant antenna on my roof (or attic) with a rotor and listen to radio, it just does not have the same magic.
The jingle
A TV spot
Some radio time on KLSX the next week after getting axed. Oh god that week of that relentless heart beat. Plus you learn where Whoo.a or Whoo.ya came from. That phrase was used so much by the youth of the time.
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