KFI - Programming

Programming

When KFI went on the air March 31, 1922, the station was mostly an experiment to determine if anyone could hear radio voice transmissions. "Can you hear me?," Earle C. Anthony would yell into a carbon microphone from his garage transmitter location. "Yes, I can hear you", a family member would reply from a nearby house, listening to Anthony's transmission on an early, very primitive radio receiver. The station's operating frequency was not necessarily 640 kHz in those days, but any frequency where Anthony could get the transmitter to operate.

Later, the Federal Radio Commission (prior to the Communications Act of 1934) mandated that all stations would operate on a frequency of 833 kHz (360 meters). One station would operate on this frequency for a period of time. Then, it would go off the air so another one could use the same frequency.

The first station would invariably make the decision to continue to stay on the air after the second one had came on, causing massive interference. Later, after the establishment of the Communications Act of 1934, stations were assigned specific operating frequencies. KFI was assigned its present call letters and ended up with its 640 kHz operating frequency, a fortuitous happening, since radio signal propagation seems to be better at low end of the AM band than at the upper end.

In addition, being the first station on 640 kHz, KFI would not be required to erect a directional antenna system to protect other stations. Those that came on the air on 640 kHz following KFI would, instead, have to protect it. With its low operating frequency, its 50,000 watts of power, and its non-directional, 722-foot, single tower, antenna system, KFI's night-time signal could be heard over vast sections of the United States and various parts of the world.

From 1922 to 1926, early programming consisted of such things as reading news from a newspaper and local gossip. Broadcasting hours were very short, since Anthony was involved in many other activities, and programming sources were very limited. In other words, it was a hobby.

However, in November 1926, the National Broadcasting Company (NBC) was incorporated. When NBC's network facilities were finally extended to the west coast of the United States, KFI immediately became one of its affiliates. In joining this network, KFI had the advantage of NBC's vast entertainment and news resources. One of the first NBC programs to reach the west coast, and KFI, was the broadcast of the 1927 Rose Bowl Game from Pasadena, California, with announcer Graham McNamee.

As the years progressed into the 1930s and 1940s, NBC's, and KFI's, programming improved. The network was owned by its parent company, the Radio Corporation of America (RCA), which also owned the Keith - Albee - Orpheum vaudeville circuit, later renamed Radio - Keith - Orpheum (RKO). RKO handled many vaudeville comedians that were ideally suited for radio. Some of them were Jack Benny, Burns and Allen, Fred Allen, Eddie Cantor, and Rudy Vallee, among others.

During the depression of the 1930s, many people could not even afford the admission price of a movie ticket, but they could afford to purchase a radio where they could listen to free entertainment, interspersed with commercial announcements.

During the dark days of World War II, KFI was there to provide air raid and blackout warnings. It was believed that an attack on the west coast of the United States was imminent, so people were warned to turn off their lights, and drape black cloths over their windows, so the expected bombers would see nothing but blackness. Periodically, KFI, and the other Los Angeles radio stations would go off of the air so the bombers could not use the signals to pinpoint their bomb dropping locations, as they did at Pearl Harbor, Hawaii.

An actual incident occurred on February 25, 1942, known as The Battle Of Los Angeles, where U.S. Army anti-aircraft artillery emplacements fired 1440 shells at something they thought were enemy aircraft, but turned out to possibly be UFOs, or something else unknown to them.

President Franklin D. Roosevelt, in his "Fireside Chats" broadcast from the White House in Washington D.C., used NBC and KFI to reassure the public that everything was safe and under control. People were glued to their radio receivers and KFI during this time to get news, any news, no matter how small, concerning the outcome of the war, the safety of themselves, their families, and their country.

Following World War Two, the homecoming G.I.s infused a spark of life and prosperity into the U.S. economy.

In 1942, under the provisions of the Sherman Anti-Trust Act, NBC was required to divest itself of its Blue Network, which later became The Blue Network Incorporated, and subsequently The American Broadcasting Company.

As a result of this divestiture and a booming economy, more money was available to NBC to develop better, higher quality programming. In the 1940s, NBC was known as the network of the radio comedians, which gave it the distinction of being the network with the largest listener base. KFI, being an NBC Radio Network affiliate, also shared in this wide listening audience. If one wanted to hear the great radio comedians in the Los Angeles area, and in the western United States, one listened to KFI.

As the years continued into the 1950s, television began to cut inroads into radio advertising revenues and sponsors began the gradual migration from radio to television. As a result, less money was available to support quality radio network entertainment programming.

Gradually, NBC and the other radio networks began dropping large-budget entertainment shows in favor of news and information programming. "NBC News On The Hour" and "Emphasis" became the network staples as entertainment programs were slowly phased out.

NBC radio affiliates, including KFI, had the tough decision to eventually reduce, or completely eliminate, their network connections in order to maintain their profit structures. At that time, KFI became a disk jockey station, that is, live hosts playing phonograph records on the air.

Later, when music licensing fees became too difficult to maintain, KFI became a news and information outlet.

KFI is now a talk radio station owned by Clear Channel Communications, the largest U.S. radio owner. Syndicated personalities who began on KFI include Bill Handel with Handel on the Law, and Leo Laporte. Local programs include The Bill Handel Show, Tim Conway Jr. Show and The John and Ken Show. Scotch-Canadian talk show host Bill Carroll was added to middays in February 2010.

The weekend lineup includes tech expert Leo Laporte's The Tech Guy show (originally local-only, now nationally syndicated via Clear Channel's Premiere Radio Networks since February 2007), topical-talkers Wayne Resnick and Charles Payne (journalist), a local version of the John Batchelor news magazine, Gary Hoffmann, and Tim Conway Jr..

In addition to originating syndicated programs such as Bill Handel's afternoon and weekend shows, Laporte's The Tech Guy and Sunday's The Jesus Christ Show, KFI carries other well-known syndicated programs such as The Rush Limbaugh Show and Coast to Coast AM, with the Ian Punnitt. Afternoon hosts John and Ken were syndicated from KFI during their first run on the station, but are heard only on KFI now. In 2009, John and Ken began airing on KNEW in Northern California. Bryan Suits hosts "Dark Secret Place", where he discusses the War on Terror and all things foreign policy from 2 to 4 PM. As of April 2000, Lisa Ann Walter ( Actress & Comedian)Joined KFI's weekends afternoon slot from 4 to 7 PM. Wayne Resnick now hosts the 7 PM to 10 PM.

Like that of most talk radio stations, programming on KFI has a reputation for political conservatism. However, while KFI's highest-rated syndicated hosts Rush Limbaugh and now former KFI host Laura Schlessinger are traditionalists, in general the local hosts on the station in recent years would more accurately be described as tending towards libertarianism.

KFI also has an extensive news department, and produces news updates for other Clear Channel stations in the Los Angeles market. KFI employs 20 broadcast journalists. KFI's newscasts air at :59 and :29 past the hour, with brief headlines approximately halfway between the fuller newscasts during local programming. The newscasts primarily focus on local news with relevant national and international stories included.

KFI also has traffic reports four times an hour. Only two news reports and traffic reports an hour are provided during the overnight hours on Coast-to-Coast. KFI is a member of the Fox News Radio network and Fox News reporters appear on the station (but not its commentators, who have shows on competing stations in the market). However, the entire Fox News Radio newscast is not aired.

For its efforts, KFI was named the Radio & Records News & Talk Radio Station of the Year in 2004.

In 2009, Schlessinger's program shifted to KFWB. To replace her, morning host Handel agreed to take on another air shift, noon to 2 pm, which was the first two hours of the Dr. Laura program. Handel quit the extra show a few months later, citing the fact that it overwhelmed him. John and Ken expanded to take up what was the third hour once occupied by Dr. Laura and the other two hours were used for incoming Bill Carroll's radio show.

Two Los Angeles TV stations do live segments with cameras in KFI's studios: KTTV (Bill Handel) and KTLA (John and Ken).

With its wide signal coverage, and its varied program schedule, KFI continues to remain a major force in American radio broadcasting.