KRAK 1140 Sacramento
KRAK-AM was originally licensed to Hercules Broadcasting, operating at 1140 kHz with 50,000 kW of power. This station started as KGDM, based in Stockton, California which was an early programmer of rock n' roll. By the 1960s, the station had moved to new facilities at the popular Country Club Center in Sacramento, flipped to a country format, and adopting the call letters KRAK. Some of the early personalities included "Oakie Paul" Westmoreland, Walt Shaw, and Dick Baines "at the reins."
With country music moving more into the mainstream during the 1970s, KRAK became one of the Sacramento area's most popular stations. Listeners were not only exposed to artists such as Johnny Cash, Kris Kristofferson, Waylon Jennings, and Willie Nelson, but were blessed with two decades of on-air personality stability. Joey Mitchell worked the 6:00 - 10:00AM "Drive Time" and was named "Sacramento Radio Personality of the Year" several times. Rick Stewart could be heard middays between 10:00 - 2:00PM. Big Jim Hall covered the 2:00 - 6:00PM "Afternoon Drive." Hal Murray worked evenings. All had Top 40 backgrounds which led to a tighter, more upbeat format.
KRAK-AM continued to broadcast into the 1990s, long after other music stations had switched to the FM band. KRAK-FM would eventually move ahead in the ratings, later becoming KNCI through changes after purchase by CBS Radio and dial switching. KRAK-AM became KHTK, first a talk station, later flipping to an all-sports format. KRAK-AM would make a brief return as a country oldies station at 1470 kHz before that station was sold to Radio Disney. The call letters would then be assigned to 910 kHz in Victor Valley, California.
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