There are four digital streams available on KKGO (105.1 FM) if you have an HD radio. HD1 is the simulcast of Go Country 105; HD2 is the simulcast of K-Mozart KMZT (1260 AM); HD3 was a second version of K-Mozart playing a slightly different classical music selection; and HD4 is smooth jazz.
For the past two weeks, KKGO HD3 has been “stunting” by playing a loop of “Back in the Saddle Again” by Gene Autry. Some of you noticed and asked what was going on, and for a time, it was up in the air.
The obvious guess would be country oldies, but that was done and dropped already … Go Country Gold ran on 1260 AM and one of the HD streams for a few months beginning late 2024, only to be dropped by April of 2025.
Other rumors revolved around all-news, a new full-service format, and even “yacht rock,” something the station owner has spoken of launching many times.
And yet when you think about it, country oldies makes the most sense, given the recent surge in the popularity of country music in general and Go Country in particular, which has seen its highest ratings ever in recent Nielsens.
Turns out that country oldies are indeed coming. When it will happen, no one knows — I asked owner Sam Levine, and he said he was still working out the details of the format. This much is clear — he wants to make a splash.
It probably won’t be called “oldies,” as that term is apparently out of style. But the format will feature country music from the 1970s through the ‘90s, under the name “Big Country.”
I wonder if they will play the 1983 hit “Big Country” by the Scottish band Big Country on Big Country? Just a thought. That’s a great song no one plays anymore.
Anyway, it makes sense. Much more than a second classical stream. Go Country Gold had a decently solid following during its short tenure, and that was with no promotion or advertising. I would expect the new Big Country to be on the air by the time you read this, or soon if not by then. It will be available in an app as well. Will it also be on 1260 AM as it should? When I asked him, Levine said that the decision had not been made yet.
Levine did tell me that there will be “no changes to Go Country 105.”
Flashback
Reader and author David Schwartz (best known for the Encyclopedia of Television Game Shows) sent along a link to a YouTube “video” of Robert W. Morgan’s first day back on KHJ in January of 1972, after the morning man spent about 18 months on WIND/Chicago. Also included is a short segment with 9 a.m. to noon DJ Pete McNeal.
“Looking at their hit-list,” asks Schwartz, “I wonder how many of these songs would be played on a top 40 station today?”
Probably none. And it actually says a lot about not only how radio has changed over the years, but how good KHJ really was. The music list was absolutely fabulous, including hits that many associate more with FM rock stations. Yet they were heard on KHJ: “Stay With Me” by Faces, “Hey Big Brother” by Rare Earth, “Sunshine” by Jonathan Edwards, and even a special live concert version of “Just Like a Woman by Bob Dylan, George Harrison, and Leon Russell.
All of that intermixed with the more traditional pop hits like “Have You Seen Her” by the Chi-Lites, “Day After Day” by Badfinger, and the number one song of the week, “Brand New Key” by Melanie. Plus news from the amazing J. Paul Huddleston and the brilliant — yet quick — banter of Morgan and the other DJs, all with very few commercials.
KHJ could run fewer commercials due to a solid business decision; because they had fewer of them, they exposed advertisers better and were able to charge more for each ad they did run. Being number one in the ratings helped a lot, too, of course. But limiting the number of commercials and commercial sets was a rule the station followed since launching Boss Radio in 1965, and allowed them to dominate the ratings for years.
Unfortunately, the recording is oddly edited, with some songs partially cut, others full; newscasts cut, commercials cut sometimes … kind of random. But it is well worth hearing. In fact, it is a very enjoyable recording, and it runs almost 3-1/2 hours.
I am told that Morgan’s return caused a rift between him and Charlie Tuna, who took over mornings when Morgan originally left. When Morgan came back, Tuna was offered the 9 a.m. shift with the same salary as mornings; instead, Tuna left KHJ for KCBQ/San Diego (1170 AM) until his non-compete clause concluded; once that was done, he came back to work at the new KROQ (then at 1500 AM). Later, Tuna became the morning man and programmer for KKDJ, now known as KIIS-FM (102.7).
Neither ever said anything bad about the other to me, however, so the rumor may be “fake news.”
Richard Wagoner is a San Pedro freelance columnist covering radio in Southern California. Email rwagoner@socalradiowaves.com.