Thanks to our good friends at California Aircheck, we have a fresh copy of this excellent aircheck! This is right from the master copy so enjoy, and be sure to visit their website for more goodies!
Certainly, Kiss-FM is and has been the premier Top 40 station in L.A. for decades now, but what’s this slogan, “The Hits of the 80s and 90s”? Sounds AC-ish. Indeed, listening to this recording the music is what we’d think of as Adult Contemporary by today’s standards, but this is CHR and it illustrates just where the format has been.
Bruce Vidal is sounding good here, albeit a bit like Rick Dees (at least the voice is similar).
My guess is more towards late 1992, early 1993, given the ad for a ’93 Toyota, “My Cousin Vinnie,” En Vogue’s “Giving Him Something He Can Feel” and “Walking On Broken Glass” by Annie Lennox. A lot of those songs I remember watching on VH1 when I was 6 (July 29, 1992-July 28, 1993). However, excellent aircheck of KIIS-FM in L.A, very reminiscent of what Star 94 in Atlanta was back then as well. Thanks, Robyn Watts.
Hi Richard, and thanks for the comments! You’ve nailed the time period.
As for KIIS’s Hot AC sound, it was done in order to keep the older demos that listened to KIIS during the 80s with the station. The then-current pop product, IIRC, wasn’t so good. Remember Whitney Houston had a remake of “I Will Always Love You” from “The Bodyguard” that was #1 on the charts around this time, Ugh!!!.
I believe Jeff Wyatt was the station’s PD during this time. He did cross the street from the PD chair at KPWR, KIIS prime competitor earlier in 1992.
Robyn
Hi. I loved KIIS-FM back in the day. That was actually the Hot AC / Top-40 format. I wish Rick Dees was back at KIIS FM. They totally ruined the Station with Ryan Secrest on it. Now they just play too many Hip Hop songs. I really wish they went back to Hot AC again. Instead of the Top-40 format. They ruined it now.
This is was a rough time period for CHR… kinda like the post-disco years of 80 & 81. So many CHR’s bit the dust between 92-93. Eagle 106 flipped, Z100 started leaning alternative, B104 Baltimore flipped, WAVA was sold, and so on.
But Power 106 In The ’90’s Ruled The CHUrban Airwaves As “L.A.’s Party Station” And Even Though Jay Thomas And Jeff Wyatt Left In ’92 Power 106 Continue To Rule From 1990 To 1999.
Whats that “take my breath away” remix?
It was done by Clivilles + Cole. It was a good sized Dance hit in 1991.
Robyn
Clivilles + Cole, BTW, is the duo that made up C+C Music Factory.
Robyn
I heard the late great Ernie Anderson voice an ad too. Lord rest his soul
i think your station kicks ass
i love your station
OMG i love kiss fm! but if they wlod play some aqua songs and if they played clumsey and its remix it wold be even bater!
Do you have another KIIS-FM aircheck like the year of 2000 or 1998 1999????
Yeah, 1990-93 were some dark years for CHR with many flipping to AC. KIIS was able to do the dance that so many stations couldn’t do: deliver the 25-54’s that sales wanted without totally giving up the format. The biggest problem was pop music of the day was pretty terrible. No wonder they started promoting their gold titles…