KING-AM
For several decades, the 1090 kHz frequency was home to KING-AM, founded in 1947 by broadcasting pioneer Dorothy Bullitt. KING was known as the "Mighty 10-90," and featured legendary radio personalities such as Frosty Fowler, Ray Court, Mark Wayne and late night talk with Irving Clark's "Clark on King." The station was an NBC Radio network affiliate which had many monitor features and local news, often using KING-TV anchors. The format of music was MOR, but also mixed in with jazz, bossa nova and some swing. When compared to KJR, KING had a light-hearted and upbeat direction, an opposition to KJR's hip direction, as well as not being as staid as KIRO. The late '60s personalities defected to KIRO and other markets. Bob and Jim, a duo team was brought in from KREM in Spokane, but by then, personality Larry Nelson on KOMO (AM), and KIRO's news was beginning to gain traction in the market. Later in its life, KING focused on left-leaning political talk during the final years.
During the 1970s, the station flipped to CHR and changed monikers to "Musicradio 11 KING" and competed even more closely with KJR. The line-up at the time included such Seattle radio personalities as Gary Lockwood (who later defected to KJR) and Bruce Murdock, with the Murdock in the Morning show (he would later move to KLSY and is now heard at KKCW in Portland). When KJR unveiled its yellow "Sunshine" window sticker, KING followed with its own red "Sunburst" sticker.
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