Station: 102.9 KSDO-FM (KSWV/KCLX-FM/KKBH-FM/KJQY/KCDE/KLQV), San Diego, California, USA
Format: CHR Trademarked “Hot Hits” tm Branded “KS-103”
Featured Air Personality: Mike Preston
Date of Posting: 09.03.2017
Total Time: 9:05 Telescoped
Airchexx Entry: 1,505
Comments:
Be listening for “Billie Jean” by Michael Jackson – when you hear it, be the 30th caller…!
“Hot Hits” was/is a trademarked CHR format invented by consultant Mike Josephs. For a time in the late 1970s and early 1980s, this format – from it’s use of jingle placement, weather elements and other ‘formatics’ was used at dozens of stations in the U.S. and even Canada. Some examples of this format in various stages of its evolution are WTIC-FM Hartford, WBBM-FM Chicago, WMAR-FM Baltimore and WCAU-FM Philadelphia.
Here, it’s essentially the start of the Hot Hits ™ format in San Diego, as we hear the night show and start of the “Top 8 at 8” with Mike Preston. This version of CHR utilizing “Hot Hits” would last a relatively short time, however the station would remain a CHR station through 1987.
I really liked Hot Hits. The first time I heard it was in 1979 on WTIC-FM. That’s when I became a fan of Bill Lee but that’s not what this post is about.
Mike Preston fit in at KS103. The music at that time was good too.
Mike Joseph got it. He understood about localism, finding out where his audience hung out, talking to them, keeping the energy level up and playing the songs they liked.
It’s too bad nothing similar to what KS103 and the other stations that went with Hot Hits exists today. It’s one of the reasons radio is in trouble. Not dead but not what it could be.
Thanks for another great aircheck.
I used to listen to KS-103. Their jingle was the same melody as “Kiss-FM” in Los Angeles. Doubly interesting because “KS” looks like the word “KisS”. I used to wonder why they didn’t just call themselves “Kiss 103” or “103 Kiss-FM”.
I remember Z100 was a Hot Hits for a short time.
Z100 did call themselves Hot Hits for a short time but they didn’t do the Mike Joseph format or utilize the package stations like KS 103 and others did.
Adding “Hot Hits” to the jingles (such as here and at KIIS-FM in LA) made the jingles sound contrived. My understanding is that KIIS licensed them, but did not use Joseph as a consultant. Regardless, the localism was amazing and why all these stations are lightyears ahead of what is available now.
Steve: Because KIIS-FM (owned by the same company) threw a decent signal into parts of San Diego and vice-versa. With KIIS at 102.7 and KSDO-FM at 102.9, they wanted to avoid confusion. Of course, now, you’d simply simulcast the two and call it “Southern California’s KISS-FM”.
Is that the same Mike Preston from SMN’s “Pure Gold” format? What happened to him?