… Radio is important in every American home …
This is Part One of a Three Part presentation of The Birth Of A Radio Station – KPLS, Santa Rosa, California, the newest addition to the Polaris Broadcasting group. This historic event took place on Sunday, April 19, 1964 at 12Noon – and YOU are there!
Nearly everyone of any importance has recorded a greeting for “The NEW KPLS” on the first day, including a muffled California Governor Edmund G. Brown, the Mayor, a State Senator, even a Beach Boy, though his name was, unfortunately, the only piece missing from Part One.
The Polaris execs are very busy patting themselves on the back and offering congratulations from affiliates all over the country.
The “Six Swinging Gentlemen” are all here (in coats and ties, we are sure) and we hear half of them in this segment. Michael C. Allen, Program Director Les Thompson and Bruce Allen all take turns at a short DJ shift.
The PAMS jingles are very much a part of the new format, and are used liberally. The playlist seems designed for modern adults, the records are sometimes distorted, and there’s some splatter, but otherwise, this is a remarkably well-preserved archive of The Birth of a Radio Station.