Aug 28.cwk

Airwaves: August 28

Clearing out the mailbag...

Q: I have been following your radio column and would like to know if you have the answers to two questions:

First, is Chuck Cecil and The Swingin’ Years still on any local stations? I have followed him from his days on KFI (640 AM). Second, I can no longer pick up The Toad KTTD (1350 AM), a country station from the San Bernardino area. Do you know anything about that? -- Ted Creveling, email

A: Swingin’ Years is the easy one: K-JAZZ (88.1 FM) carries Cecil’s long-running show Saturdays and Sundays from 6 to 9 AM, and you can listen online from the K-JAZZ website, jazzandblues.org. The program had its genesis on KFI back in 1962, making it the longest-running program in town.

The second question is harder, partly because I can’t get it either ... unfortunately I don’t know if I ever could where I live. I put a call into K-TOAD’s engineering department and will let you know if I get an answer. A quick guess: interference from something is blocking the signal. Again, you can listen online if you go to the station’s website, toad1350.com.

Q: Did you make a mistake regarding Laura Ingraham moving to KFWB next month? I thought it was the Dr. Laura Schlessenger Show, currently on KFI, making the move. I hope you were correct! -- Dave Mysza, Sierra Madre

A: I don’t make mistakes. And if programers just listened to my advise, all stations in town would earn 10+ shares of the audience every month. And the world would be at peace.

But seriously, it is actually both Laura’s (no plans, yet, to change the calls of KFWB to KLRA). Ingraham will be be tape-delayed and against KFI’s Rush Limbaugh from 9 AM to 12 noon rather than running live 6 to 9 AM; Dr. Laura will be live in her regular spot, 12 noon to 3 PM. On a related note, as of press time no host has been selected for afternoon drive on the new KFWB yet. Names that have been suggested by readers include Larry Elder, Tom Leykis, and Joe Crummy, among others; KFWB management has been mum so far.

Q: I was one of the 509,000 people listening to Finally a KMET Friday on June 10th. I think it would be prudent for The Sound to take advantage of the situation and change their call letters to KMET, if that’s possible. It would also be cool to lure some of the original DJs over too. It’s amazing how great that station was! -- Sharon Nixon, email

A: I would tend to agree. At the very least, I think The Sound could launch KMET on their digital HD-2 signal to gauge the popularity at minimal cost and with no disruption to the Sound format. If suddenly a ton of HD radios are sold, you’d know you have a hit.

Q: As an American Standards devotee, please tell me who I need to write to in order to add my voiced to those who would like to see KGIL return to Standards full time. And you can add my name to the list of consumers who would buy an HD radio if there was a standards station available on it. -- Christine Krieve, Los Angeles

A: To me it’s a no-brainer. The demand for standards is well-documented, and the format appeals to a younger audience than many realize, something that should appease the sales staff. Try writing to the general mailbox, info@1260.am. Or call the station directly at 310-478-5540.

Goodnight

Tuesday, September 1st at 2 PM, KCRW (89.9 FM) will rebroadcast a one-hour documentary that originally aired 20 years ago. Called Goodnight Children, Everywhere, the program tells the story of The Great Evacuation, in which the children of England’s major cities were evacuated as the country prepares for war against Germany. Parents, who had been asked not to send them off at railway stations, had no idea where their children were going or if they would even ever see them again.

Produced originally for the 50th anniversary of the evacuation, it is being rebroadcast on the 70th anniversary of the event. Still a vivid memory for those involved, the documentary brings their stories to life in their own words. Chilling.

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