KLOS

Early years

KECA-FM first signed on December 30, 1947, simulcasting the programming of AM sister station KECA. The two stations were owned by ABC and, in 1954, the call letters of the AM and FM stations were accordingly changed to KABC and KABC-FM, respectively. In 1960, KABC adopted an all-talk format. On January 1, 1968, due to new Federal Communications Commission (FCC) rules requiring FM stations to have separate programming from their AM counterparts, KABC-FM experimented with a schedule of all-news radio, the first station in Los Angeles so formatted. This experiment did not last long: KABC-FM dropped all-news programming on March 11, 1968, the same day that KFWB switched to the format.

Switch to rock format

KABC-FM then adopted a progressive rock format. It used taped programming known as "Love", also run on other ABC-owned FM stations across the country. The syndicated format was voice-tracked by Brother John Rydgren. "Love" was soon dropped in favor of live, locally programmed freeform/progressive rock music, which became the norm on most ABC owned-and-operated stations by the mid-1970s. In 1971, the station adopted the KLOS call letters^[3] to avoid confusion with its AM talk station.^[4] In the late 1971, the freeform progressive rock sound ended, as ABC-owned FM Stations Vice President Allen Shaw and KLOS program director Tom Yates launched the first album-oriented rock (AOR) station in the United States. Under AOR, KLOS played only the top tracks from the best-selling rock albums and used the slogan was "Rock 'N Stereo".

The initial slate of disc jockeys on KLOS includes Jeff Gonzer, J.J. Jackson, Jim Ladd, and Damion. The station promoted an outdoor rock concert called "California Jam", held April 6, 1974 at the Ontario Motor Speedway in Ontario, California. By 1972, KLOS had become the top-rated FM rock station in Los Angeles.^[5]

In the spring of 1987, KLOS general manager Bill Sommers hired longtime rock radio programmer Charlie West to be the station's new program director. West hired Stephanie Mondello as music director for the station. By fall, West brought Mark & Brian (Mark Thompson and Brian Phelps) to KLOS for morning drive. The station's ratings grew steadily under West's direction; by 1988, KLOS emerged as the leader among Los Angeles album rock stations, finishing fifth overall in the market with a 4.3 share, up from a 3.6 the previous ratings period.^[6]

When Charlie West left KLOS in early 1989, Stephanie Mondello assumed programming duties, directing all key decisions and overall revenue and ratings strategies. The station maintained its fifth-place ranking overall in the market and reached the number-one position in its target young male demographics, defeating main rivals KLSX, KROQ, and the upstart KQLZ ("Pirate Radio"). Mondello left KLOS in late 1990.

In the early 1990s, with the popularity of the grunge-based alternative rock format on rival KROQ, KLOS altered its format, dropping its existing DJs and most of the classic rock music. This experiment failed; within a year, most of the alternative music was jettisoned and the classic rock returned.

In 1997, KLOS hired John Duncan, previously at KYYS in Kansas City, Missouri, as program director and took the station in an adult rock direction. As part of his efforts to turn around the station, Duncan brought back Jim Ladd and hired Garth Kemp and other longtime Los Angeles radio personalities. Also during this period, KLOS ran a billboard campaign with lines such as, "We lost our mind for a moment, but we're okay now". Within eight months, the station moved from number 18 to fifth place among Los Angeles adults ages 25-54, reclaiming its status as L.A.'s top adult rock station. Duncan left KLOS in late 1998.

On Sunday mornings, Chris Carter hosts the long-revered program Breakfast With The Beatles. Prior to landing at KLOS, Carter was heard on KACD-FM (Channel 103.1) in 2000 when it played adult album alternative (AAA) music. He is also the former bass player and producer for Dramarama and produced and supervised the music for the film Mayor of the Sunset Strip, a rock documentary about influential Los Angeles DJ Rodney Bingenheimer of KROQ-FM.

In 2005, classic rock rival KCBS-FM flipped to adult hits as Jack FM.^[7] The switch made KLOS the market's only full-time classic rock station.

In October 2006, KLOS restructured its daily lineup of radio hosts, Cynthia Fox, "Uncle Joe" Benson, and Jim Ladd saw each of their daily air shifts increased by one hour. However, this resulted in the temporary dismissal of former evening DJ Gary Moore; he returned in late 2007. Former overnight jock Mark Miller, previously from the long-defunct KQLZ (Pirate Radio), hosted The Best of Mark & Brian Saturday Special shows Saturday mornings. Miller's overnight shift was replaced with automated programming, billed as "KLOS After Hours". This show follows the usual classic rock format, though occasionally KLOS plays deep cuts and live versions of songs that are not usually played during the daytime.

In 2007, the station came under the ownership of Citadel Broadcasting after it merged with The Walt Disney Company's ABC Radio.

Cumulus era

On September 16, 2011, Cumulus Media purchased Citadel, acquiring KLOS and sister station KABC.^[8]

On August 17, 2012, Mark Thompson and Brian Phelps appeared on KLOS for the final time, effectively ending The Mark & Brian Show after 25 years (including two years on previous station WAPI in Birmingham, Alabama).^[9] Three days later, on August 20, Cumulus announced that Heidi Hamilton and Frank Kramer, former hosts on KLSX and KABC, would host morning drive beginning September 4.^[10] On August 15, 2016, Cumulus announced that Frosty Stillwell, with whom Hamilton and Kramer have co-hosted at the same two stations, would join the duo weekday mornings effective September 6.^[11]

Former DJs

KLOS has been home to many prominent progressive and AOR rock DJs from Los Angeles radio history. Bob Coburn, a former program director in Chicago and an assistant program director at KMET, was heard on KLOS from 1980 to 1994, and later worked at KLSX, KCBS-FM and KZLA before returning to KLOS. He also hosted the syndicated Rockline program. Coburn died of lung cancer December 17, 2016, at age 68.^[12]

Marc Coppola, who moved on KGB-FM in San Diego, was on KLOS in 1977 and reappeared when it aired Westwood One's Rock 'N Roll Never Forgets. Damion and Steve Downes both co-hosted with Marc from 1986 to 1990.

In addition to his work with KLOS, renowned veteran disc jockey Jim Ladd also appeared on KNAC in its progressive days, KMET, and KLSX. Often dubbed "The Last DJ", after the Tom Petty song that was written about him, Ladd was allowed unusual latitude in selecting the music for his program. His show was routinely the number-one music-based show in its time slot. Ladd left KLOS in October 2011 and joined SiriusXM the following January, hosting daily on the Deep Tracks channel.^[13]

Joe Reiling worked at KLOS from 1977 to 1981 and from 2003 to 2009. Joe started the Local Music Show (later renamed Local Licks). Most of Reiling’s time away from the station found him hosting his own alternative rock show worldwide on AFN (American Forces Network and formerly AFRTS, Armed Forces Radio and Television Services). He was also involved in managing, producing and programming the in-flight audio entertainment for many domestic and international airlines as well as Air Force One. Joe died October 7, 2017.^[14]

Dion hosted late nights on a part-time basis for several years. He also hosted at KLSX during its classic rock era. In 2005, Al Ramirez, another longtime late night DJ at KLOS, died of natural causes at the age of 54.

Longtime KLOS personality Frank Sontag hosted a public affairs call-in talk show that aired Sunday nights and early Monday mornings. He was part of the Mark & Brian morning team and ran the control board, also contributing to the show at times. In 2009, Sontag left the station and in 2013, became the host of a Christian talk and discussion program, The Frank Sontag Show, on KKLA-FM.^[15]

Cynthia Fox, former KMET and KLSX personality, hosted the weekday show In Tune at Noon, featuring a daily celebration of events in rock and roll history and in the news. She left KLOS in July 2013 and eventually joined rival classic rock station KSWD.^[16][17]

Other former KLOS personalities include longtime morning hosts Mark Thompson and Brian Phelps, as well as Geno Michellini, Joe Benson, Steve Downes and full-time fill-in Lynda Clayton. One former KMET DJ, Denise Westwood, was also heard on KLOS handling weekends and fill-in starting in 2000 for 16 years. During her last few years Denise also hosted the Sunday morning public affairs show Spotlight on the Community. Former program director Rita Wilde, who later went on to KSWD, had been choosing the music on KLOS for decades; afternoon DJ Joe Benson also left for KSWD.

Former shows

Jim Ladd^[18] used to bring his brand of "free-form" radio, interrupting the regular classic rock radio format during his show middays and Sunday evenings. Ladd picked the music personally, often based on listener requests, and played it in thematic sets. On Wednesday nights at midnight, Ladd devoted an hour to "Headsets", which combines music with a slightly more "sonic" quality (designed to be heard with headphones, or with no background noise interfering), spoken-word poetry, and audio clips from movies and television. On Sundays, Ladd presented "Theme of Consciousness", with all songs within a three-hour window devoted to a singular word or "theme" and chosen entirely by the listening audience.

Periodically, KLOS abandoned its format with an "A to Z" special, where songs from the KLOS library were played alphabetically by title. Running 24 hours a day (with breaks only for Mark & Brian and Jim Ladd's show), it generally lasted about two weeks with no repeated songs. Unlike many similar specials, the KLOS A to Z unearthed a large number of rarely heard songs; this marked a stark contrast with the station's regular playlist. In its final years, the A to Z special aired around the Christmas holidays. Since the dismissal of program director Rita Wilde, the A to Z countdown has not aired on KLOS. However, then-classic rock competitor KSWD (100.3 The Sound), which hired Wilde, revamped the idea with a very similar, though shorter, compilation of familiar hits and deep tracks.

Mark & Brian was a sketch comedy show. It aired weekday mornings from September 8, 1987 until August 17, 2012. Highlights from the show aired weekdays for one hour before each regular weekday program. A recap edition, featuring the best of Mark & Brian each week, aired Saturday mornings.

Horns Up was a program featuring heavy metal music that aired Saturday nights starting in February 2016. The show has since been replaced with a regular classic rock mix hosted by Greg Beharrell.

KLOS Blood Drive

KLOS has sponsored a blood drive in conjunction with the American Red Cross annually since 1982. Blood donation centers are set up throughout the station's listening area for several days, usually in the summer months when donation levels are typically low.^[19] In 2014, the blood drive collected approximately 7,900 units of whole blood, which can be separated into red blood cells and plasma. As a token of gratitude, the station has given donors rewards such as T-shirts and vouchers toward concert tickets.^[20]

St. Jude Rocks

On February 8-9, 2018, KLOS was one of 14 rock radio stations owned by Cumulus Media to take part in the "St. Jude Rocks" nationwide fundraising campaign. KLOS listeners contributed more than $725,000 to St. Jude Children's Research Hospital in Memphis as part of the over $2 million total raised by participating Cumulus stations.^[21]