KFWB

KFWB is a commercial AM radio station licensed to Los Angeles, California, and serving the Greater Los Angeles area. Owned by Audacy, Inc., it broadcasts on 980 kHz with a power of 5,000 watts by day and 1,000 watts at night. The station has a storied history, having pioneered formats like all-news radio and serving as a major outlet for Top 40 music, leaving a significant mark on Southern California broadcasting.

History

The station first signed on the air on March 31, 1925, originally owned by the Warner Bros. film studio, with its callsign standing for "**K**eep **F**orever **W**arner **B**ros." It was an early experimenter in network radio, briefly affiliating with the Columbia Phonographic Broadcasting System, the precursor to the CBS radio network. In 1947, the station was sold to Crosley Broadcasting Corporation, which later became part of the Avco conglomerate. A pivotal moment came in 1958 when, under the leadership of programming consultant Gordon McLendon, KFWB launched a highly influential Top 40 music format branded as "Channel 98," competing fiercely with KHJ and KRLA and featuring iconic disc jockeys like Bruce Morrow and B. Mitchel Reed. In 1968, the station underwent another major transformation, switching to an all-news radio format as "KFWB News 98," becoming a direct competitor to KNX and serving the Los Angeles Basin for decades. Ownership changed several times, passing through groups like Westinghouse Broadcasting and Infinity Broadcasting, before its current ownership under Audacy, Inc.. In 2009, it abandoned all-news for a business news format, and later transitioned to brokered foreign language programming.

Programming

Throughout its history, KFWB has been defined by several distinct programming eras. Its most famous period was its "Channel 98" Top 40 music incarnation from 1958 to 1968, which played a central role in the Los Angeles radio wars and featured high-energy personalities and extensive coverage of the British Invasion. This was followed by its long-running all-news radio format, which provided continuous local and national news, traffic reports from the Metro Traffic service, and coverage of major events like the 1992 civil unrest and the 1994 Northridge earthquake. After 2009, it shifted to a business news format supplied by the Bloomberg Radio network, focusing on Wall Street and financial markets. Since 2015, the station has operated as a brokered time outlet, airing a variety of foreign language programs targeting communities such as Armenian, Persian, and Korean listeners in Southern California, including shows like "Radio Iran."

Technical details

KFWB transmits from a transmitter site in the Harbor Gateway area of Los Angeles, using a four-tower directional antenna array to protect other stations on 980 kHz, particularly WBZ in Boston. Its daytime power is 5,000 watts, but it must reduce to 1,000 watts at night due to Federal Communications Commission regulations governing AM broadcasting signal propagation. The station broadcasts in both monaural analog and in digital HD Radio format. Its signal covers the core of the Los Angeles Basin effectively during daylight hours, with reduced coverage at night due to skywave interference.

Notable alumni

Many prominent broadcasters launched or solidified their careers at KFWB. During its Top 40 heyday, legendary DJs included B. Mitchel Reed, known as "The Fastest Tongue in the West"; Bruce Morrow, who later gained fame at WABC in New York City; and Gary Owens, who also became a star on television with Rowan & Martin's Laugh-In. News personalities from its all-news era include longtime anchors Jack Popejoy and Larry Van Nuys. Other notable figures associated with the station include programmer Bill Drake, who consulted for KFWB before revolutionizing KHJ, and sportscaster Jim Healy, who began his career there.

Awards and recognition

KFWB has received numerous accolades for its journalism, particularly during its all-news period. It has been honored with multiple Golden Mike Awards from the Radio & Television News Association of Southern California for excellence in local news coverage. The station's reporting has also been recognized by the Associated Press and the Los Angeles Press Club. Furthermore, its historic "Channel 98" Top 40 format is celebrated in broadcasting lore and has been the subject of documentaries and historical retrospectives, cementing its place in the cultural history of Los Angeles.

Category:Radio stations in Los Angeles Category:Audacy Category:Radio stations established in 1925