Airwaves: March 5, 2010
Gene Chanault Passes
Gene Chenault, half the the legendary Drake-Chenault programming
and consulting team credited with remaking and revolutionizing top-40 radio
in the 1960s, passed away on February 23rd of non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma.
He was 90.
The owner and general manager of KYNO/Fresno in the early 1960s, Chenault
hired Bill Drake to program the station, taking the low-rated station
to the top of the Fresno ratings within a few months. And the top was really
the top ... Drake and Chenault’s KYNO had ratings that surpassed every
other station in town, combined.
Working as a team Drake-Chenault first invaded San Diego to help revive KGB,
then in 1965 brought the concept of tight rotations and low commercial-loads
and limited disk jockey chatter to KHJ (930 AM) in Los Angeles. “Boss
Radio,” as it was called here, proved to be an amazing success, setting
up Drake-Chenault to be the consultant team for all of RKO’s AM
radio stations.
The idea was simple: play more music, make every element of the station entertaining,
train and support your on-air staff, and present the station and personalities
as bigger than life.
On a psychological standpoint, the station call letters were never allowed
to be said going into a commercial, making listeners associate the station
only with music. News was moved to 20 minutes before the hour to pick up listeners
who left other stations. And jingles were quick, emphasizing once again, the
music.
Drake passed away in late November, 2008. so if you believe in heaven, the
team credited with taking top-40 radio into the modern age is united once again.
He is survived by his wife Susan, son Mark, daughter Carol Moore, two grandsons
and three great-granddaughters.
KFWB Evolution
If the rumor mill rings true, more changes are coming to KFWB (980 AM).
According to knowledgeable sources, the Laura Ingraham Show will be
replaced by Dave Ramsey on March 17th. Ingraham’s program is currently
heard weekdays from 9 AM to 12 noon, and Ramsey is on KFWB from 10 PM to 1
AM.
No word on what will happen to Ramsey’s current time slot after the change.
KCSN Flips
Cal State Northridge’s KCSN (88.5 FM) has changed formats as of
March 1st to become what is known as AAA or Triple-A: Adult Album Alternative.
The change was made at 10 AM with the playing of Come All Ye by Fairport
Convention.
“KCSN has been the little station that’s been looking for its niche
and I think this is it,” general manager Karen Kearns told Don
Barrett’s LARadio.Com. “We looked at The Sound (100.3 FM)
and KCRW (89.9 FM) as the two stations we think we might cross over in
playlist but we think we are a niche in the middle, providing different music.”
Classical music will continue on the station’s HD-2 stream and online
at kcsnclassical.org.
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Copyright © 2010 Richard Wagoner and Los Angeles Newspaper Group.
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