Charlie Tuna, KROQ 1500 AM Los Angeles | June, 1973

Dec 20, 2009 4 Comments

Charlie TunaA slice of L.A. Radio history is heard in this rare recording of the legendary Charlie Tuna (left) on KROQ-AM. A time before the now-legendary K-Rock on FM, this station started out as an original Top 40, KBLA, and after a number of format changes, returned to Top 40 from the ashes of Country station KBBQ in 1972. The next year (around the time of this aircheck), the former KPPC-FM 106.7 was added, and today’s KROQ-FM was born.

This is so unique. A tradtional, 70s-style, Rock-based Top 40 station on AM, with news and other full-service elements not found anywhere on music radio today. You will enjoy. You WILL.




Old KROQ Poster

Above: an old KROQ AM 1500 poster featuring Paul Oscar Anderson

former KROQ-AM Array, photo copyright 2006 Scott Fybush

Scott Fybush took this photo of the old KROQ-AM Antenna Array in 2006 during one of his antenna site trips.

Copyright 2006, Fybush.com

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Charlie Tuna, Los Angeles
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4 Responses to “Charlie Tuna, KROQ 1500 AM Los Angeles | June, 1973”

  1. Calradiopd Reply Dec 22, 2009 at 11:20 am

    This might have been one of the last Tuna shows on KROQ.

    KROQ’s original lineup imploded in the summer of 1973 when paychecks started bouncing. Jay Stevens, J. Paul Huddleston and Jimmy Rabbitt had already left.

    Tuna did a traditional Top 40 morning show, but the station as a whole leaned toward a lot harder rock than KHJ and KKDJ did at the time and, unlike them, played LP cuts(listen to the first few songs on the Sam Riddle portion of this aircheck).

    After Tuna left for KKDJ, the station went to a very eclectic album rock format, simulcast on FM from its acquisition in November, 1973 until the stations went dark for a couple of years in 1974.

  2. Calradiopd Reply Dec 22, 2009 at 12:40 pm

    HR Haldeman testified on July 31…this aircheck is from August 1, 1973.

    Tuna went to KKDJ in mid-October.

  3. Steve West Reply Dec 23, 2009 at 1:42 am

    Thanks for the wealth of information. Obviously from someone who was there. As I explained in another post recently, the dates I get on these airchecks are what’s written on the source tape. As I’ve found out all too often this year, the written dates aren’t always correct.

    In all honesty, I had forgotten the date of Haldeman’s testimony… I was quite young back then, not quite 10 years old, so perhaps that’s why. Either way, there’s a lot of investigative work that has to go into these airchecks to get everything right with regards to historical data. That’s why comments like yours are so important. Thank you for filling us in.

    - West

  4. Calradiopd Reply Dec 23, 2009 at 7:18 am

    Steve:
    I didn’t remember the date. But 30 seconds with Google can do wonders.