Because thing never change...In 1963 KMAK-AM suspended their news-car 100 feet off the ground from a crane over the Fresno County fair. It's a distance approximately equivalent to the roof of a 5 story building. In the car was DJ Jim price. Jim lived in and broadcasted from the car for the last 6 days of the fair while still suspended in the air.
It was promoted as a hang-a-thon, a term that would have entirety different implications in the South. The KMAK calls today reside on 100.3 FM a piece of the "La Favorita" simulcast stretching up California's Great Valley from Bakersfield into the Modesto market. KMAK-FM signed on with a whopping 72 watts in 1990.
1340 KMAK-AM was a country music station back in the late 60s, they kept that format until 1989. You probably can guess that from the appearance at a fairgrounds. They actually we're almost what we now call a "farm" station. they carried the “Farm Bureau on the Air” program produced by the Fresno County Farm Bureau. That program was hosted by Bill Allison. It was owned by McMahon Broadcasting in those days. Today it's Sports talk KCBL-AM. It's all Fox Sports and there are no Stupid DJ tricks.
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Ah...but in the early 60s (including 1963, the year of this stunt), KMAK was Top 40 and engaged in "The Battle of Fresno" with crosstown competitor KYNO.
ReplyDeleteKMAK's PD was Ron Jacobs. KYNO's was Bill Drake. KYNO won the battle and Ron went home to Hawaii, but in 1965, when RKO hired Bill Drake to work his magic on KHJ, Los Angeles, he hired Ron to be the PD...and KMAK's Robert W. Morgan (who had moved on to KEWB, Oakland) to do mornings.
Jim Price? Became a legend at Drake-consulted KGB, San Diego.
Why hasn't anyone written a book abotu Drake and Chenault?
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