The full story of 30 year Urban powerhouse KACE is provided in pieces elsewhere on the web. So, we’ll just stick to the basics.
This recording comes to us from Contributor Jeffrey James, on CD mastered from his original tapes. KACE was an Urban formatted ratings leader in Southern California through the 80s and 90s. By the late 90s, the stations ratings had dropped considerably. For a time, the station was simulcast on 98.3 but that ended sometime around 1998 when that station flipped to Alternative Rock. In 2000, KACE owner Cox Media sold it and sister station KRTO to Hispanic Broadcasting Corporation, and the format flipped from Urban to Spanish Contemporary. This recording is from the final hours of Urban programming before the switch.
Nice sounding station.
Isn’t the format actually urban oldies?
Tony
Yes, Tony, it was urban oldies.
Hi, Airchexx!
Always nice to hear my voice by surprise; in this case on that KACE aircheck. KACE did alright in the L.A. marketplace. As for waning ratings; I’m not sure that’s true. The positioning of the station within the L.A. market was limiting, though most stations have similar crosses to bear. I know this: KACE never lost a dime and, in fact, was profitable to the last. It was sold as part of a package which included sister stations KFI and KOST. The sale of KACE was not a distress sale, by any means.
J.J. Johnson
ex-KACE, ex-KJLH, ex-1580 KDAY and others
J.J. I got one from 1580 KDAY from 89 I think but don’t know if you’re on it….JJ
I grew up with KACE I still miss It! Oh man the memories!
I’m trying to find some archive online on the KACE battle of the band concert that was in 1981-82 at Watts, California. I was there with the of the band participants. Does anyone old enough have any information on that?
What was the final
Song played on the last night of KACE? I stayed up through that night but cannot for the life of me remember the last song. I know it was a classic. They hit me hard that night
@ mo the final song played on KACE before it went Spanish was George Benson “Moody’s Mood For Love”.
There was a local RNB station that flipped formats just the other day. It went from Rnb to mostly hip hop.
I realy miss kace
as a radio announcer… i interned aT kace IN THE 80S…A FEMALE TOOK MY NEWS JOB BY SLEEPING AROUND SHE ALSO TOOK MY BOYFRIEND..I DESERVED THE JOB THE MAN I THINK HE LOST OUT…BUT I CAN LOOK BACK AND SAY I LOVED KACE…SORRY IT WENT BEFORE I COULD MAKE IT FAMOUS JOANN HILLMAN…
used to wake up to AJW Alvin John Waples, Helen Waples baby boy every morning on my way to work… loved aces back to back, and aces WILD how I yearn to listen once again….. NOW THAT WAS MUSIC AT IT’s BEST!
I can’t hear it and boy do I ever want to. I listened to the station on this very last day and man had me in tears.
Easy’s mood for love hearing your girl name and her request and Easy saying your name was the shit. Cuz the next day everybody would talk about you getting a shout out on the radio. Don’t forget about Aces back to back!
KACE-FM Inglewood – a classic. When I joined R&R in December 1995 I’d moved from Washington, DC, and the Urban Oldies format at K-Ace was far removed from what we had at WOL or Majic 102.3. The station tried expanding its format under Cox Radio with the acquisition of the 98.3 signal in West Covina, which had been the original “rock en español” signal in the market as “Ritmo 98.3” circa 1996. As the “Double Aces” nothing happened — and they still could not cover the San Fernando Valley and much of Orange County. So they went from covering 25% of the market to 45% of the market — and the valuations for properties at the height of the Latino radio boom were insane. So in walks Hispanic Broadcasting — and the rest is history. I miss K-Ace and the format could work as a Rhythmic Oldies station with a broader multicultural coalition of listeners, as was tried at the original Mega 100 before it was tweaked and twerked and it no longer worked.
Uncle Woody, KACE RADIO was a true Los Angeles BLACK radio station that knew how to black music and black air tenant together establishing one of the best programming formats in all of the west coast. We were bless to listen to KACE FM RADIO 0
KACE RADIO was a true Los Angeles BLACK radio station that knew how black music and black air tenant together establishing one of the best programming formats in all of the west coast. We were bless to listen to KACE FM RADIO
I miss the Traffic Jam. does anyone have them or know of them online anywhere?
I have many memories of KACE — beginning in the late summer of 1994. I would listen on school nights and discovered tons of classic R&B oldies as a young 14 year old girl. It’s milestones like KACE that helped the then younger generation appreciate “real” music. Karla with a K was my heroine and I so clearly remember that final night when “Moody’s Mood” by George Benson and Patti Austin played…those ending guitar riffs fading out to static into a Spanish language song. Those were the days you could tape live radio onto cassette tapes. I sure wish I had captured those memories of KACE. We never really appreciate what we’ve “had” until its gone…
Easy Wiggins….. Easy’s Mood For Love!!! His choice of tracks he played, seeming always at the right time was amazing. His rich deep voice was nice for a slow jam session. I’ll always remember the Quiet Storm 103.9 “EASY’S MOOD FOR LOVE”. MikeD
Oh how we miss KACE! We were listening that last night as well …what a sad time. As a young teen I’d listen & the music, the personalities, y’all brought me so much peace. As I got older & met my future husband, we’d connect by reminiscing about songs that we’d hear on KACE. Those songs that you’d always let play out. I loved that music. Then as we listened to the end of an era that night, we wished someone would come in & save the day, save KACE before it was too late.
I miss it…do a comeback and let me run the mood for love show…I’ll jam just like easy 💗
Memories. From 1980 to 1984 AJW, Easy “Easy Does It” Wiggins, Lon mc Q, Aces Back to Back and Aces wild were a fixture as well as the traffic jam, i was a die hard Ace listener where my buddies liked Kjlh and kday sweet memories and thank you 103.9 KACE …..Would. Live to hear there radio jingle one more time 😀
These kind of stations are the kind that can influence a person’s musical tastes. Hearing Rise late night, Can’t Hide Your Love, Sexual Healing. I remember listening in the days leading up to their final sign off. They were playing songs that they wouldn’t have in their normal rotation because what were they going to do at that point. I remember on the last day they were playing a couple rare Marvin Gaye each hour up til the last. Deeper cuts they wouldn’t normally are off the I Want You album, some from In Our Lifetime? and Here, My Dear. I think their final Marvin song was “Everybody Needs Love.” Still miss the station dearly. This from a 20 year old back then.