Blake Lawrence on KKBQ Houston | 1985
Here’s an aircheck that’s most definitely worth posting here! Broadcasting in AM Stereo, KKBQ, known as “Hot 79Q” is a serious Top 40 contender.
You have to have been there. In 1985, there was, for a time, a resurgence of AM top 40 as a handful of stations nationwide tried to come back as music stations while pushing the then FCC endorsed C-Quam AM Stereo system. It sounded great on the stations that did actually go stereo and many of these stations had fantastic sounding streamlined CHR formats! Unfortunately, the AM stereo experiment was an utter failure, mainly because of the failure of the industry and radio manufacturers to promote or even mass produce receivers capable of receiving AM Stereo. Kinda like today’s HD Radio, aka IBOC (which stands for In Band, On Channel), so this is a familiar situation.
KKBQ - long gone now as a Top 40 station but the scoped ‘check you’ll hear here was as good if not better than it’s FM competition!
This one’s not in stereo, sadly, but the aircheck itself sounds good enough to have come straight out of the studio skimmer!
(2 votes, average: 5 out of 5)
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The WXLO aircheck is interesting. I’m not positive about the date of the check, but if it’s accurate, it is just around the time that Bobby Rich took over. His changes hadn’t yet materialized. Rich took the station in a slightly more AOR direction, playing some album cuts not normally heard on top 40 radio. He brought in the likes of Su O Neil and John Laraby (sorry for the incorrect spelling). Morgan’s first night on WXLO (probably a practice run if you will) he identified himself as “Uncle Fred.”
I liked this aircheck! I was told some years ago that the reason why 93-Q and 79-Q had slightly different CHR formats from each other was because of FCC regulations wouldn’t allow for a full-time simulcast. So they went with different airstaffs for each station, but simulcasting “The Q Zoo” in the morning. This arrangement would last until 1987 when the AM staff was dismissed.
Robyn
Even in non-stero this check sounds great. A shame the couldn’t keep the AM stero going.