The Radio Stations

The Radio Stations. Historic Graffiti Cruise Route. Wolfman Jack (Robert Weston Smith), as seen in George Lucas' classic film American Graffiti, howled out to cruisers in Modesto beginning in 1963, but only after all the local AM radio stations signed off for the night. It was then that the 50,000 watt "border blaster" transmitter of XERB located in Tijuana, Mexico broadcast the Wolfman's program over Los Angeles, California and beyond, even reaching Modesto. , Modesto had its first radio station in 1933, the first to go on the air in any community between Sacramento and Fresno. Late in 1932, Bill Bates, a 33-year-old radio engineer, who owned and operated a radio service shop in Modesto, applied for a commercial radio broadcast license and went on the air June 18, 1933. The station was located at McHenry and Sylvan Avenues and was called KTRB. It was the home to Chester Smith and hosted country and rockabilly greats from all over the USA. Chester would later give advice to Buck Owens, then working at the cannery, to move to Bakersfield to get on the radio there. , KMOD came into being in 1950 as Modesto's second radio station under the ownership of Jud Sturtevant. The transmitters were located on East Orangeburg Avenue and broadcast on 1360 Khtz AM. In November of 1956, the station was acquired by the Kilibro Broadcasting Company and the call letters changed to KFIV, serving Modesto with the rock 'n roll Top 40 format. "K-5" is the radio station that most closely resembles the one depicted in American Graffiti. KFIV continued as the station for rock 'n roll during the '60s and '70s, and the personalities became quite well known in the area, promoting concerts and special events. Their weekly Top 40 flyers became the ultimate authority for the local music fan. , KBEE, 970 Khtz, started in 1951 as KBOX and was built by former attorney, Assemblyman and Speaker of the California House of Representatives, Ralph Brown. It was purchased by the McClatchy Broadcasting Company in August of 1956. As KBOX, studios were located in the Black Building on I Street. KBOX had the first rock 'n roll DJs in Modesto with Pete and Mike Pappas in 1953. They first presented the rock 'n roll idea to KTRB, who declined, so they went to Cecil Lynch at KBOX and he went for it. KBOX was broadcast from a studio directly behind Burge's Drive at 10th and O Streets. , With the purchase by McClatchy Newspapers, the KBOX call letters changed to KBEE and station studios moved to the Modesto Bee Building on H Street. , KMOD/KFIV had a small remote studio inside Burge's Drive-In where Dwight Case would sit at a booth, play records and do song dedications. He later became a regional manager for KROY in Sacramento, and then a national radio executive for RKO. This was very important to the cruise, as you could make a song dedication, and since everyone in Modesto was listening to KFIV, the person you dedicated the song to would surely hear it. , Modesto's last radio station to go on the air was KLOC, licensed actually to Ceres, California. Chester Smith, formerly a country disc jockey on KTRB and country band leader, received FCC approval for "Clock Radio" in 1963, and began his format of country-style music on 920 Khtz, a daytime-only 500 watts station. , K-FIV continued to lead rock 'n roll through the '60s and '70s with a popular group of DJs. DJ Bob DeLeon received the Lifetime Award from the Modesto Area Music Association (MAMA) for his pioneering role in Kent Whitt and the Downbeats and his years of radio service. The voices of the radio DJ were as much a part of the music culture as the music, and it is this connection with radio that made music part of the American Graffiti soundtrack. , The classic DJs of the day still meet regularly and share stories of the American Graffiti years through the '60s, '70s and '80s as the Central Valley Broadcasters. You can sometimes hear them on the air on K-FIV during Graffiti Summer. , For additional information about Modesto area radio station history, visit modestoradiomuseum.org, Were You There? Tell us your story at: [email protected] , Researched by: Chris Murphy . www.ModestoCruiseRoute.com