KPWR
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| KPWR | |
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| City of license | Los Angeles, California |
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| Broadcast area | Greater Los Angeles |
| Branding | Power 106 |
| Slogan | Where Hip-Hop Lives |
| Frequency | 105.9 (MHz) (Also on HD Radio) |
| First air date | 1946 |
| Format | Rhythmic Contemporary Hit Radio |
| ERP | 25,000 watts |
| HAAT | 925 meters |
| Class | B |
| Callsign meaning | K PoWeR |
| Owner | Emmis Communications |
| Sister stations | KMVN |
| Website | www.power106.com |
KPWR is a commercial radio station located in Los Angeles, California, broadcasting to the Greater Los Angeles area on 105.9 FM in analog and HD. KPWR airs a Rhythmic Contemporary Hit Radio format branded as "Power 106".
According to R&R, KPWR is the top-ranked Rhythmic Contemporary Hit Radio formatted radio station in the United States based on audience cumes.
Contents |
[edit] History
105.9 FM signed on as easy listening KFI-FM on July 15, 1946, later becoming KBMS in 1958 before adopting the KWST call letters and "K-West 106" moniker in 1969. During its years as KBMS and later KWST, its format had been beautiful music prior to its flip to a rock format on January 1, 1975. K-West emulated the then-popular sound of KMET & KLOS. By 1981 though, the rating had slipped and KWST had changed to a Top 40 format, and let all of their disc jockeys go. KWST eventually evolved into KMGG, or "Magic 106" in 1983, and played upbeat Adult Contemporary music.
KMGG changed formats, from adult contemporary to a dance music/Top 40 direction on January, 11 1986 and became KPWR, "Power 106." In its first seven years, the playlist concentrated mostly on an upbeat, party-style mix of dance, house, freestyle, and urban pop while avoiding hard rock. This mix of music became known as crossover, due to the way in which dance and urban music were presented to an audience that liked pop, and vice versa. Around 1993, KPWR began to focus on urban music with hip-hop as the musical base.
By January 2005, the station had woven in non-R&B/hip hop artists such as Natalie, Baby Bash, NB Ridaz and Gwen Stefani to the mix, resulting in a return to rhythmic contemporary hit radio. The move may have been a response to a change in directions at rival station KIIS, which was programming Top 40 hits, until they started a shift towards a Rhythmic lean, since the market itself is heavily hispanic and tends to favor this genre.
KPWR picked up additional competition in May 2005 when KXOL dropped their Spanish adult contemporary format for a Hispanic Rhythmic, or hurban, format known as "Latino 96.3". The format is a crossover mix of Hispanic hip hop, reggaeton, dancehall, and R & B/hip hop targeting a bilingual audience. However, the abrupt switch violated a transmitter lease agreement that KXOL's parent company, Spanish Broadcasting System (SBS), had with Emmis; the agreement required formal notification to Emmis of any change in format and expressly prohibited KXOL from programming to directly compete with KPWR. SBS switched formats anyway, and Emmis filed a lawsuit to force SBS to either drop the format switch or find a new transmitter. SBS announced that KXOL would move to another transmitter site a month later, and both parties settled the dispute sometime after.
Shortly after the debut of Latino 96.3, KPWR replaced the majority of their non Latino dj's with personalities of Latino descent who often pepper their broadcasts with Spanish words, in an effort to regain some of the audience lost to Latino 96.3. Today Big Boy and Fuzzy Fantabulous (both African-American) remain as the only non-Latino personalities at the station.
On August 17, 2006, KPWR's Country music sister station KZLA flipped directions to Adult Rhythmic Contemporary as "Movin' 93.9." Most of the songs played on Movin' 93.9 consists of Rhythmic Pop and Dance hits from the 1980s and 1990s to the present day, along with classic Disco and Freestyle tracks thrown in for balance.
With the unique combination of both KPWR and KZLA, the move gives Emmis and Los Angeles its first Rhythmic duopoly, as well as the second duopoly in California with this arrangement, the other being Clear Channel Communications siblings KMEL and KYLD in San Francisco.
[edit] Programming
Despite their on air slogan of "Where Hip Hop Lives", KPWR continues to claim to potential advertisers that its true format is Rhythmic Contemporary Hit Radio. Station management resists the R&B/Hip-Hop format label in part because of its Hispanic audience – and because Top 40 stations attract more advertising than stations on the R&B/Hip-Hop reporting panels (It should be noted that KPWR was a reporter to the Billboard Radio Monitor R&B/Hip-Hop Airplay panel from 1997 to 2005).
Leaning heavily on hip hop and broadening their music mix to challenge competitors, KPWR's core listening audience is geared toward youth and young adults ages 12 to 24, including a large bilingual Hispanic group of listeners. KPWR is the only full market hip hop station, after rival KKBT (now KSWD) switched from mainstream urban to urban adult-contemporary. Other stations in the market have other primary interests; KIIS plays Top 40 music, KXOL has their hurban format, and KDAY does not cover the market in full (KDAY/KWIE broadcasts from two separate Class A transmitters in Torrance and Ontario that are limited in signal range vs KPWR's Class B; ironically KDAY had shifted back to Rhythmic in July 2007, only to return to Urban a few weeks later).
KPWR receives criticism for small playlists and repetitions of the same songs hour after hour, as do other radio stations. Their program includes regular shows such as the Pocos Pero Locos radio show, which showcases Latin Hip Hop music, and is nationally syndicated to 40+ markets including New York, Chicago, San Francisco, Dallas and Houston.
Although they had moved away from the Dance music scene and at times are criticized for abandoning it in favor of pleasing the Hip-Hop crowd, KPWR continues to support the genre through the program "Power Tools", produced by Gerry Meraz and hosted by Richard Vission. Power Tools, which airs late night Saturday/Early Sunday morning from 2 to 4am, is also the station's longest running program, debuting in 1992. In addition, they do revisit their Dance and Freestyle music roots during their mixes, especially the The World Famous Aquanet Set, which they air on Fridays.
For a time in 1996, Power 106 switched genres and began to focus more on house music which then was very popular among Latino listeners. They began to play less hip-hop, as many listeners switched over to rival station KKBT. They eventually reverted to Hip-Hop/R&B by the fall of that year, and hired former security guard Big Boy to host the morning show, replacing the veteran Baka Boyz. The Baka Boyz were moved to afternoons, before being dropped by Power and moving to KKBT in 1999, where they would only last several months before KKBT switched genres. The Baka Boyz has moved to San Diego and now work for XHMORE ("Blazin 98.9 FM"), a Rhythmic Top 40 radio station with the same format as Power 106.
KPWR launched a Spanish-language HD2 subcarrier channel called Power Dos in August 2006. A press release from Emmis describes the new channel as a “bilingual and musically extended version” of KPWR. [1]
[edit] Big Boy's Neighborhood
Big Boy's Neighborhood is the nationally-syndicated morning show for KPWR, airing Monday through Friday from 5:00 AM to 10:00 AM PST.
Big Boy is best known in the local area for his billboards. In 2002, Big Boy was morbidly obese; Will Smith agreed to donate to a charity of Big Boy's choice an amount equal to $1,000 times the number of pounds he lost. Through a strict diet and by using a personal trainer, Big Boy lost 110 pounds, and as promised, Will Smith donated $110,000 to charity. By 2003, Big Boy had gained all the weight back, plus some, and weighed 510 pounds. In November 2003, Big Boy had bariatric surgery to lose a large amount of the weight. He underwent duodenal switch surgery and has since lost more than 250 pounds (114 kg). KPWR billboards showed off his new look after his surgery.
On August 6, 2007, Big Boy signed a multi-year deal with ABC Radio Networks to syndicate the show, and his weekend show Big Boy's Hip Hop Spot.[2] The show launched nationally on August 20. Big Boy will continue to work for Emmis, thus KPWR is now the flagship station for the originally locally based morning show.
[edit] Flava Unit
The Power 106 Flava Unit is the Promotions Team that goes out on the streets of Los Angeles and promotes the radio station and it's advertising partners to the city, specifically targeting urban latino youth. The Flava Unit consists of at least one MC, "rocking the mic", and is sometimes partnered with a Flava Unit Mixer (the disc jocky). They are also there to help when there are live broadcasts that consist of the on-air jocks and/or mixers.
Some notable Flava Unit Alumni include DJ Reflex (on-air mixer), DJ Los (on-air mixer), DJ Sourmilk (on-air mixer), DJ Eric-D-Lux and DJ Big Syphe (afternoon on-air talent and mixers), DJ J-Boogie (currently the host of "CW Now", "Yo Momma" on MTV, and the show "TeeNick" on Nickolodean), Mando (late- night on-air talent), Junior M. (club promoter and marketing specialist).
[edit] Concerts
Bands listed in reverse order of night's performance.
[edit] Powerhouse
Held at the Arrowhead Pond which changed the name to Honda Center in Anaheim,CA.
Tuesday September 5, 2000
Eminem with Xzibit
Jay-Z
Ja Rule
Cypress Hill
Tha Alkaholiks
DJ Quik & Suga Free
TQ
Shade Sheist with Kurupt
Nate Dogg(Cancelled)
Saturday August 25, 2001
Outkast
Nelly
Ja Rule
Ludacris
Kurupt
Xzibit
DJ Quik
Shaggy
Fabolous
Lil Mo
Jagged Edge
Afroman
Jurassic 5
Saturday, August 24,2002
Nelly and the St. Lunatics
Westside Connection featuring Ice Cube, Mack 10,WC
Ja Rule & Ashanti
Bone-Thugs-N-Harmony
DJ Quik
Knocturnal
Shade Sheist
Saturday June 21, 2003
Westside Connection featuring Ice Cube, Mack 10, WC
Busta Rhymes
Nas
Nate Dogg
Pharrell Williams of N*E*R*D
Fabolous
Clipse
Tyrese
Sean Paul
Thursay July 1, 2004
Big Boi from OutKast
Kanye West
Beastie Boys
Ludacris
Too Short
Xzibit
Murphy Lee
Twista
Ying-Yang Twinz
Baby Bash and Frankie J
Saturday May 21,2005
Snoop Dogg
The Game
Busta Rhymes
Bone Thugs-N-Harmony
N.B. Ridaz
Saturday June 24,2006
Ice Cube with WC
Kanye West
E 40
L.L. Cool J.
Chamillionaire
Pitbull with Lil’ Jon
Lil’ Rob
Paul Wall
Saturday June 23, 2007
The Game
Ludacris
Bone Thugs-N-Harmony
T.I.
Bow Wow with Omarion
Lil' Wayne & Birdman
Lloyd
Mims
Saturday June 21, 2008
Ice Cube
The Game
Chris Brown
Lil' Wayne
T-Pain
Colby O'Donis
[edit] Comedy Fiesta
Held at Verizon Wireless Amphitheater in Irvine, CA
Hurricane Katrina Relief
Sunday Semptember 25, 2005
D.L. Hughley
Carlos Mencia
Tracy Morgan
Charlie Murphy
Pablo Francisco
Gabriel Iglesias
Willie Barcena
Russell Peters
Lisa Lampanelli
Steve Trevino
Brad Williams
Sunday August 20, 2006
Cheech Marin
Gabriel Iglesias
Katt Williams
Raphie May
Lisa Lampanelli
Mike Epps
Russell Peters
Al Madrigal
Dennis Gaxiola
Rex Navarrete
Sunday September 22, 2007
Carlos Mencia
Lisa Lampanelli
David Alan Grier
Gabriel Iglesias
Jeff Garcia
Darren Carter
Jo Koy
Anjelah Johnson
[edit] Cali Christmas
Held at the Gibson Amphitheatre in Universal City, CA
Thursday December 6, 2007
Fabolous
Pitbull
T-Pain
Lupe Fiasco
Baby Bash
Cassidy
[edit] P3: Power Music, Power Sports, Power Cars
P3 was a day-long concert and festival that only lasted two years. The festival featured the Dub Magazine Super Series Custom Car Show, and power sports that covered Moto X, BMX, skateboarding and vert ramp demonstrations.
P3 was held at Glen Helen Blockbuster Pavilion which changed the name to Glen Helen Hyundai Pavilion in Devore, CA.
Saturday October 5, 2002
Westside Connection featuring Ice Cube, Mack 10, WC
Public Enemy
West Coast All-Stars featuring Nate Dogg, Warren G and Knocturnal
Suicidal Tendencies
E 40
Dilated Peoples
Xzibit
Erick Sermon & Keith Murray
The Clipse
Apex Theory
Killer Mike
Jurassic 5
LA Symphony
Syc Bois
Abstract Rude
Saturday, October 4, 2003
213 featuring Snoop Dogg, Nate Dogg, Warren G
Ludacris
Obie Trice
Lil' Jon and the Eastside Boyz
Suga Free and Hi-C
Murphy Lee
Dilated Peoples
[edit] Summer Splash
Held at the Queen Mary Park in Long Beach, CA
Saturday, August 19, 2006
Sean Paul
Kelis
Christina Millian
Baby Bash
Paula De Anda
Quinto Sol
Farenheit
Blu
J Smooth
[edit] Logos
 KPWR logo from 1986 to 1993 (1992-93 edition) |
 KPWR logo from 1993 to the present |
[edit] External links
- Power 106 - official site
- Power 106 MySpace page
- KPWR's history as KWST at socalradiohistory.com
- Query the FCC's FM station database for KPWR
- Radio Locator information on KPWR
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