KFXM and KMEN the Top 40 stations of the Inland Empire (San Bernardino/Riverside)in the 1960's. This site will bring you information and pictures from these two stations KFXM 590 and KMEN 1290. For other musical and miscellaneous interests take a look at.........................http://djsgone.blogspot.com/
Also known as........UNDERGROUND VAULT of Records, Music and all kinds of Stuff
Wow, Jonny Bruce was just a young whippersnapper back in those days with weekend shifts at KFXM. Now on KDES in Palm Springs. At least 45 years in the radio business, quite an accomplishment!
The KFXM djs had longer "shows" then the KMEN djs but I remember that KMEN djs usually did news segments for 3 hours after their own show. I just don't remember how KFXM did news. Did their djs do news as well or was it handled by the KDUO news person, or did the KFXM djs also do KDUO news?
Sherman Mason was the KFXM newsman during this time period. He delivered the news on KFXM as well as KDUO. The night time jocks read their own news. Pretty sure K/men had the same type of set up....one newsman during the day and the DJ's covered the night hours.
As most disk jockey alumni can well recall, it was usually the old "RIP AND READ" when it came time for doing their own newscasts. That meant having to tear off the latest sheet(s) of news, sports and weather bulletin printed out from the UPI Teletype and then as quickly editing it/scoping it for immediate reading over the air.
Oh yeah, you also had to make sure your pipes were cleared out beforehand. That meant no more tokin' until after the newscast!
The Caretakers (local San Bernardino group) are number 11 on the KFXM survey with "Good Inside". They're not mentioned at all on the KMEN survey. They appeared at a couple of concerts in 1967 and maybe 1968 at the Swing Auditorium and probably at the Purple Haze teen club in Riverside as well.
The Caretakers last appeared at the Custom Car & Hot Rod Show (along with the Strawberry Alarm Clock) at the National Orange Show on Friday night, October 25, 1968... That date, time and place coincides with the infamous strike and walkout by KFXM/KDUO-FM disk jockies, announcers and newsmen that very day -- earlier at 6:00 a.m. In fact, the very well-known Tiger Radio air personalities who were expected to be in attendance at the Car Show were, instead, standing outside the venue handing out the goldenrod flyers to passerbys which gave written AFTRA union announcement explaining why the strike took place, their grievances and demands about what later became known as the Jones Boys era. Working in place for the regular DJ's was one Al Barnett, who manned the remote broadcast console that evening for the event.
Good reason why Caretakers never appeared on KMEN chart: Group was on a label owned by Bill Bellman, salesman at KFXM. KMEN was not about to play it. Address for the label, as printed on ROCK-IT records, 958 Edgemont Dr., San Bernardino, CA. Probably home to Bellman or Andy Gray, coowner of ROCK-IT label.
Another group on the label was The Good Feelins in 1967 with IM CAPTURED. Not sure if KMEN played that one. Great little rocker.
That is a great information tidbit about the Caretakers and ROCK-IT records. I sort of suspected that something connected with someone at KFXM might have been involved. Could well be that the KFXM survey position was valid and KMEN ignored it because of the connection to KFXM. Probably not the only time something like that happened.
Wow, Jonny Bruce was just a young whippersnapper back in those days with weekend shifts at KFXM. Now on KDES in Palm Springs. At least 45 years in the radio business, quite an accomplishment!
ReplyDeleteThe KFXM djs had longer "shows" then the KMEN djs but I remember that KMEN djs usually did news segments for 3 hours after their own show. I just don't remember how KFXM did news. Did their djs do news as well or was it handled by the KDUO news person, or did the KFXM djs also do KDUO news?
ReplyDeleteSherman Mason was the KFXM newsman during this time period. He delivered the news on KFXM as well as KDUO. The night time jocks read their own news.
ReplyDeletePretty sure K/men had the same type of set up....one newsman during the day and the DJ's covered the night hours.
Anybody ever remember the great
ReplyDeletenewscaster "JIM NESS in the K-MEN
News Bureau"???
As most disk jockey alumni can well
ReplyDeleterecall, it was usually the old
"RIP AND READ" when it came time
for doing their own newscasts.
That meant having to tear off the latest sheet(s) of news, sports and weather bulletin printed out from the UPI Teletype and then as quickly editing it/scoping it for immediate reading over the air.
Oh yeah, you also had to make sure your pipes were cleared out beforehand. That meant no more tokin' until after the newscast!
The Caretakers (local San Bernardino group) are number 11 on the KFXM survey with "Good Inside". They're not mentioned at all on the KMEN survey. They appeared at a couple of concerts in 1967 and maybe 1968 at the Swing Auditorium and probably at the Purple Haze teen club in Riverside as well.
ReplyDeleteThe Caretakers last appeared at the Custom Car & Hot Rod Show (along with the Strawberry Alarm Clock) at the National Orange Show on Friday night, October 25, 1968... That date, time and place coincides with the infamous strike and walkout by KFXM/KDUO-FM disk jockies, announcers and newsmen that very day -- earlier at 6:00 a.m.
ReplyDeleteIn fact, the very well-known Tiger Radio air personalities who were expected to be in attendance at the Car Show were, instead, standing outside the venue handing out the goldenrod flyers to passerbys which gave written AFTRA union announcement explaining why the strike took place, their grievances and demands about what later became known as the Jones Boys era.
Working in place for the regular DJ's was one Al Barnett, who manned the remote broadcast console that evening for the event.
Good reason why Caretakers never
ReplyDeleteappeared on KMEN chart:
Group was on a label owned
by Bill Bellman, salesman at
KFXM.
KMEN was not about to play it.
Address for the label, as printed
on ROCK-IT records, 958 Edgemont
Dr., San Bernardino, CA.
Probably home to Bellman or Andy Gray,
coowner of ROCK-IT label.
Another group on the label
was The Good Feelins in 1967
with IM CAPTURED. Not sure if KMEN
played that one. Great little rocker.
That is a great information tidbit about the Caretakers and ROCK-IT records. I sort of suspected that something connected with someone at KFXM might have been involved. Could well be that the KFXM survey position was valid and KMEN ignored it because of the connection to KFXM. Probably not the only time something like that happened.
ReplyDeleteI'm Captured was also on the Rock-It label. KMEN listed it on their surveys and it got up to #3 in 1967. On KFXM it got up a little higher #2.
ReplyDeleteIf you want to listen to the Caretakers you can go to youtube.com and put "caretakers good inside" in the search box (without quotes) to find it.
ReplyDeleteWeb Guy