Station: 100.3 KIQQ Los Angeles, California, USA
Featured Air Personality: Eric Chase
Comments:
K100 was L.A.’s first serious contender in the top 40 wars, and this short glimpse into mid-70s KIQQ sounds great. Eric Chase was better known in San Francisco at KFRC, and his personality is the same here. He’s an enormously talented jock and this aircheck proves it.
By the time of this aircheck, K100 was on the decline, its best talent, Robert W. Morgan, The Real Don Steele and Humble Harve having recently (at the time of this recording) having quit. This station was the first programming project for Bill Drake after leaving RKO General.
Well I had to listen to that great aircheck twice. After I die, I wanna be re-born with Eric Chase’s pipes and just half his talent… I’ll do just fine then.
I’ll assume you meant “first serious FM contender in the Top 40 wars”…though that’s still not right. KKDJ-FM beat KIQQ to the format by more than a year and was closing in on the top 10 when KIQQ launched in December, 1973 and split the available FM Top 40 audience.
KKDJ became KIIS-FM and went Adult Contemporary in October, 1975. KIQQ held in as a Top 40 until the early-mid 80s, and had some decent books along the way (most after Drake left), but never enough to be the leader in the format.
Funny that you say Chase was better known at KFRC. Probably true based on the number of people who heard him, but he spent less than 2 years at KFRC…and 7 or 8 in L.A. at KIQQ and KFI.
I worked there in 1975/76. Followed Jim Carson who did nights and then babysat Tom Rivers who was the morning man. Tom came from 1050 CHUM and didn’t have a 3rd phone so he needed a meter reader. I did midnight to six and then sat with Tom for his morning show. That’s called “a producer” now.
I remember listening to K-100 and Eric Chase. Nice to hear the jingle again. Nice aircheck, but wish it were longer and included the legal ID.
Was that the same Eric Chase that was at Pittsburgh’s 13Q. I had a music survey from them (I believe it was 1976), and the picture on the cover showed Eric Chase “The Half Bee” (whatever that meant. Also, on the fade, I heard Bazuka’s “Dyn-o-Mite” (albeit just the opening notes). That was a popular expression at the time, made so by J.J. on the “Good Times” sitcom. I haven’t heard it all the way through since its chart run; have to give it a listen on youtube.
I worked with his brother at KROY and met him at Tom’s wedding. He was a great inspiration. He’s a Facebook friend now and lives in Texas where he has worked on air as Paul Christy. K100 had some great pass through, especially during the Drake era. It was a favorite when I would visit my sister in LA.