Pure Rock Celebration

It was 40 years ago — January 8, 1986 — when a format called Pure Rock hit the airwaves of Long Beach’s own KNAC (now KBUE, 105.5 FM). Metallica, Megadeth, Soundgarden, Stone Temple Pilots, Stryper, Pantera, White Zombie, and Guns ‘N Roses were core KNAC artists. It soon developed an almost cult-like following and attracted a wide cross-section of listeners, though the station’s largest demographic group was young males.

It became the little station that could, helping to propel metal and hard rock into the mainstream and serving as the voice of the heavy metal scene in Los Angeles, making waves far outside of its limited signal area. It became a cultural icon for fans around the world, due to its status of being the first major-market FM in the country to dedicate itself entirely to the genre long before it gained mainstream acceptance.

The format lasted until February 15, 1995, when Metallica’s “Fade to Black” was played and KNAC signed off the air to become Ranchera music formatted KBUE.

In recognition of the anniversary, Long Beach low-power station KLBP (99.1 FM, or online at KLBP.org) will be presenting an on-air celebration on Monday January 5th from 12:01 a.m. to 9 p.m.

As part of this Pure Rock Takeover, listeners will hear full blocks of recordings — airchecks — throughout the day, culminating with a live reunion broadcast from the Secret Island Tiki Bar, under the street at 209 Pine Ave in downtown Long Beach, beginning at 7 p.m.

Included in the on-air and streaming broadcast will be some of KNAC’s memorable DJs, including Thrasher, who will host the live event at the Tiki Bar, along with Tawn Mastrey, Gregg Steele, Sam Freeze, Scrotchin’ Scotty, Nasty Neil, Long Paul, Laurie Free, Jack Trash, “The Animal” Ana Lee, Gonzo Greg, Dangerous Darren, and more.

Immediately following the tribute, KLBP’s metal show “GenX Rock Hidden Treasures” hosted by DJ Hollywood will close the evening.

KLBP’s Michael Stark, who was with KNAC during the Pure Rock days, gave me his thoughts on the station and its memories. “We were edgy, had a horrible signal, garnered little respect from the music community, not to mention all the stereotypes of who was listening to us– the heavy metal fan or headbanger. For a radio station to still have a following for 30 years off the air, is a testament to what KNAC meant to people.”

I could not agree more. Give listeners what they want, and they will come … and stay.

Rock Against MS

Another KNAC tribute is raising money in the fight against Multiple Sclerosis with a special DJ reunion and concert at the Whiskey a Go Go, 8901 West Sunset Blvd. in Hollywood, Thursday, January 8th at 8 p.m. Led by the “ringmaster of chaos” Riki Rachtman, this tribute ion the actual anniversary will feature the DJs in a special question and answer session, along with live performances by Once Bitten, Love/Hate, Toxic Undershorts, and Little Caesar.

Proceeds benefit Rock Against MS; for more information, check out https://www.knac40.com

A Lotta Pasta

As of press time, the 15th Annual KFI (640 AM) PastaThon for Caterina’s Club at the Anaheim White House raised $1,289,920 along with 93,406 pounds of pasta & sauce, and the station still had money coming in via “Giving Machines” across Southern California through the end of 2025.

Since 2010, KFI listeners have raised over $9.8 million and over 1 million pounds of pasta & sauce for the small, local charity run by Chef Bruno Serato from the Anaheim White House Restaurant. Serato uses the donations to help feed hungry children throughout Southern California.

Just in case you needed a reminder, this shows the power of live, local radio, and the impact it has on local communities. This is what radio can and should do.

Favorite Christmas Hits

Kworb.net obtained data from Spotify, tracking the number of times a particular song has been streamed. According to this data, though December 12th, the top-three most popular Christmas songs are: 1. All I Want for Christmas (Mariah Carey), 2. Last Christmas (Wham!), and 3. Rockin’ Around the Christmas Tree (Brenda Lee).

Interesting that three of the most annoying Christmas songs are in the top-three. The similarly overplayed and perhaps more awful “Wonderful Christmastime” by Paul McCartney was 22nd.

Way too high … Maybe that’s why I don’t use Spotify that much.

Happy new year!