KCAQ

KCAQ
City Camarillo, California
Broadcast area Ventura County, California
Santa Barbara, California
Branding Q95.9
Slogan "The 805's Hip-Hop and R&B"
Frequency 95.9 MHz
First air date September 27, 1958 (as KAAR at 104.7)
Format Rhythmic top 40
ERP 1,200 watts
HAAT 444 meters (1,457 ft)
Class B1
Facility ID 25092
Callsign meaning K CAlifornia
Q-105 (previous branding as mainstream top 40 station)
Former callsigns KAAR (1958-1964)
KPMJ (1964-1978)
KACY-FM (1978-1983)
Former frequencies 104.7 MHz (1958-2016)
Owner Gold Coast Broadcasting LLC
Sister stations KFYV, KOCP, KQAV, KQIE, KWIE, KKZZ
Webcast Listen Live
Website q959.fm

KCAQ (95.9 MHz, "Q95.9") is a commercial FM radio station which is licensed to Camarillo, California and serves the Ventura County, California area. The station is owned by Gold Coast Broadcasting LLC and airs a rhythmic top 40 music format.

History

Early years

KCAQ was one of the first FM stations to sign on in the Oxnard/Ventura radio market, having debuted on September 27, 1958 as KAAR on the 104.7 MHz frequency.[1] In 1964, the station changed its call letters to KPMJ and began airing soft rock with the branding "K-105".[2][3] In 1977, Channel Islands Broadcasting Corporation purchased KPMJ; the following year, the station adopted the call sign KACY-FM to match that of its sister station (now KKZZ) and instituted an easy listening format.[1][4]

Q105 (1983-1996)

In November 1982, Channel Islands Broadcasting sold KACY-AM-FM to Sunbeam Radio Partnership for $2.59 million.[5] Harold A. Frank, vice president and general manager of WINZ-AM-FM in Miami, became both a partner in Sunbeam Radio and the new general manager of the Oxnard stations.[6]

KACY-FM changed its call letters to KCAQ on February 21, 1983.[7] The new station adopted the branding "Q105" and aired a mainstream top 40 format. The original Q105 on-air staff included E. Curtis Johnson in mornings, Johnny Dolan in middays, and Brian Thomas in afternoons. Weeknights were hosted by Gwen Johnson and later Famous Amos who was popular with the teenage demographic; Jay Porter hosted late nights. Dolan was selected as KCAQ's first program director; Thomas would replace him only months later.[8]

KCAQ was an immediate ratings success, climbing to number one with double-digit ratings in both the Arbitron and Birch ratings reports. In the station's first full year as Q105, as measured by Arbitron, the station garnered a share of 11.0 and captured most key demographic groups including teens, adults 18-34, and women 18-49.[9]

In October 1987, Sunbeam Radio Partnership sold KCAQ and its AM sister, then known as KTRO, to Greater Pacific Radio Exchange Inc., a company owned by Frank, for $4.5 million. As Frank was also the minority partner in Sunbeam Radio at the time, the transaction gave him complete ownership of the station pair.[10]

By 1988, KCAQ evolved into a rhythmic top 40 outlet, filling the void left by Rhythmic competitor KMYX when it flipped formats to country music the following year.[11]

Q104.7 and Q95.9 (1996-present)

In the summer of 1996, KCAQ and KTRO were sold to Gold Coast Broadcasting for $3.65 million.[12] Under the direction of program director Dan Garite, brought over from KOCP, KCAQ changed its branding to "Q104.7" and began tightening its rhythmic contemporary format. Garite programmed Q104.7 to compete directly with Los Angeles market stations including KPWR (Power 106),[13] dropping mainstream pop in favor of more R&B, hip hop, dance, and rhythmic pop selections. Garite's successful campaign to boost KCAQ's ratings in its home market also included hiring local, and especially Latino, on-air talent and stressing the station's "805" roots.[14]

Two prominent on-air personalities brought on in 1996 as part of Garite's overhaul of KCAQ are Jaime "Rico" Rangel and Daniel "Mambo" Herrejon. Initially, the two Latino men from Fillmore and Santa Paula, California, respectively,[15] hosted The Rico and Mambo Show weeknights; the station's Arbitron ratings share for that time slot nearly tripled within a year.[14] Soon, Rico and Mambo began hosting Q104.7's morning show, where they led the station to number one in the Oxnard-Ventura radio market.[16] In 2005, the duo left KCAQ to join rival rhythmic contemporary station KVYB (103.3 The Vibe) where they hosted morning drive until June 13, 2008.[17] After being dismissed from KVYB in 2008, Rangel and Herrejon returned to KCAQ on October 5, 2009.[16]

On July 1, 2016, KCAQ swapped frequencies with sister station KOCP, moving from 104.7 FM to 95.9. This move brought the rhythmic oldies format back to the Los Angeles market (on 104.7) for the first time since February 2015, when KHHT flipped to urban contemporary.[18]

On September 11, 2017, KCAQ began airing the nationally syndicated Tino Cochino Radio program originating from KKFR in Phoenix.[19]

Transmission issues

KCAQ operates on the same frequency, 95.9 FM, as KFSH-FM in Orange County. As such, the station competes for signal strength along the outer edge of its broadcast area, particularly in the San Fernando Valley. This interference makes both signals generally unable to be received clearly in much of northwestern Los Angeles County.[20]

References

  1. 1 2 "Directory of Radio Stations in the United States and Canada" (PDF). Broadcasting Yearbook. Broadcasting Publications Inc. 1979. p. C-24. Retrieved June 27, 2018.
  2. ↑ "For the Record" (PDF). Broadcasting. Broadcasting Publications Inc. January 20, 1964. p. 85. Retrieved June 27, 2018.
  3. ↑ "Directory of AM and FM Radio Stations in the U.S." (PDF). Broadcasting Yearbook. Broadcasting Publications Inc. 1974. p. B-24. Retrieved June 27, 2018.
  4. ↑ "For the Record" (PDF). Broadcasting. Broadcasting Publications Inc. January 9, 1978. p. 58. Retrieved June 27, 2018.
  5. ↑ "KACY-AM & FM Sold For $2.6 Million" (PDF). Radio and Records. November 26, 1982. Retrieved April 5, 2018.
  6. ↑ "'83 in Review: January" (PDF). Radio and Records. December 9, 1983. Retrieved April 5, 2018.
  7. ↑ "Call Sign History". Federal Communications Commission. Retrieved April 5, 2018.
  8. ↑ "Street Talk" (PDF). Radio and Records. August 19, 1983. Retrieved April 11, 2018.
  9. ↑ Duncan, James H. Jr. (Spring 1984). "Oxnard-Ventura" (PDF). American Radio. Vol. IX no. 1. Kalamazoo, Michigan: Duncan Media Enterprises (published August 12, 1984). p. 217. Retrieved May 11, 2018.
  10. ↑ "Frank Captures California Combo For $4.5 Million" (PDF). Radio and Records. October 2, 1987. Retrieved April 11, 2018.
  11. ↑ "WGCI PD Smith: 'Stunt Rivals' Growth'; Denver Trio: St. John, McClure, Gordon" (PDF). Billboard. April 8, 1989. Retrieved April 11, 2018.
  12. ↑ "Clear Channel Claims Heftel in $275 Million Stock Sale" (PDF). Radio and Records. June 7, 1996. Retrieved December 15, 2017.
  13. ↑ "From 'Radio Movie Channel' to 'K-Hits'" (PDF). Radio and Records. August 9, 1996. Retrieved December 15, 2017.
  14. 1 2 Novia, Tony (October 24, 1997). "KCAQ Reclaims Its Home Turf" (PDF). Radio and Records. Retrieved April 16, 2018.
  15. ↑ Boyd-Barrett, Claudia (September 10, 2016). "Radio duo Rico and Mambo reach 20 years on-air together". Ventura County Star. Retrieved May 8, 2018.
  16. 1 2 Mclain, Jim (October 23, 2009). "Rico and Mambo back on air at Q1047". Ventura County Star. Retrieved May 8, 2018.
  17. ↑ Hernandez, Raul (June 17, 2008). "Radio station KVYB changes its format, drops Rico, Mambo". Ventura County Star. Retrieved May 8, 2018.
  18. ↑ Venta, Lance (June 30, 2016). "Gold Coast's KCAQ & KOCP To Swap Frequencies". RadioInsight.com. RadioBB Networks. Retrieved December 20, 2017.
  19. ↑ "Tino Cochino Radio Adds Two New Affiliates". AllAccess.com. All Access Music Group. September 8, 2017. Retrieved June 27, 2018.
  20. ↑ "KCAQ-FM Radio Station Coverage Map". Radio-Locator.com. Theodric Technologies LLC. Retrieved June 27, 2018.

Coordinates: 34°25′20″N 119°02′07″W / 34.4222°N 119.0354°W / 34.4222; -119.0354

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