Radio AM to FM

Radio AM to FM: January 4, 2002

Reel Quiz

In celebration of the new year, my favorite web site -- Uncle Ricky's Top-40 Radio Repository (www.reelradio.com) -- is giving away autographed copies of The Hits Just Keep on Coming by noted author Ben Fong-Torres.

The book is a history of top-40 radio filled with behind-the-scenes stories from and about those who were and are part of it. The edition being given away includes a CD with airchecks from many of the personalities profiled. Ten books will be given away through mid-January.

Here's how the contest works: every 67.2 hours, "Contest Mode" will be enabled, allowing visitors to ReelRadio to take a quiz on top-40 radio history. The questions are tough ... so tough that an above-average knowledge of top-40 trivia is recommended. Winner Mode will continue until a contestant correctly answers all ten quiz questions.

Between Contest Modes, you can safely see the questions and practice the quiz in Demo Mode.

American Music

Fans searching for Adult Standards music are out of luck as far as Los Angeles radio goes. At least until someone realizes what a market this music really has (you would think Saul Levine would start playing it on his 1260 AM station, but so far, no).

San Diego, on the other hand, has a station that plays the music full-time. KPOP (1360 AM), known as KGB in another life, has been playing adult standards for years. Interestingly, KPOP is quite successful with the format even though they are owned by Clear Channel, the same company that refused to even try to promote KLAC when that station played the music. Eventually CC changed KLAC's format to talk, and the ratings went down the toilet.

Recently KPOP announced that it is going to start focussing on popular songs from the 1940s through the 1960s with a format called "American Music Classics." Featured artists: Frank Sinatra, Tony Bennett, Nat King Cole and Ella Fitzgerald, to name a few. If you're a fan of the music -- and you have a good radio -- you might want to check it out.

We Get Letters

Regarding the Dodgers move to KFWB in 2003, a reader from Redondo beach writes, "Will Dodgers games take only 22 minutes? Will they tape the games and have the FedEx guy do play-by-play?

"It is a travesty of radio news that KFWB would allow the Dodgers games to suck up airtime. Is there no decent sports station that can handle this nonsense, or do the news stations really think there is not enough news so they should feel free to throw away precious air time on this blather? What's next, golf or bass fishing?

"The point is, even sports results are marginally news, and the content of an entire sporting event is never news. Sports are entertainment, not news -- ah, but who knows the difference anymore?"

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