K-Car Radio Flips Formats

Saul Levine launched a new radio station in Pasadena on October 30. He changed the call letters of 1260 AM from KMZT to KKAR. The station, branded as K-Car, began broadcasting a mix of music. The playlist includes oldies dating back to 1955 and soft tunes from the 1970s.

The launch was not smooth. For the first week, the station changed its programming frequently. It switched between oldies, classical music, and Christmas songs. At one point, the station went off the air completely. By late afternoon on November 9, it was playing classical music after having aired oldies earlier that day.

Levine recently mentioned vandalism at the transmitter site. This event may explain the technical problems. The station has not responded to phone calls or emails from reporters. Levine usually replies quickly to inquiries. The online stream for K-Car remains available to listeners at live365.com.

Radio personality Brian Beirne released a book titled Eleven Down from Elvis. The book details his life in music and radio. Beirne, known on air as Mr. Rock and Roll, spent many years at KRTH 101.1 FM. The book recounts his career and the people he met along the way.

Beirne shares a story from when he was five years old. Doctors told his parents he had only 48 hours to live. His heart rate would not stabilize despite treatment. He survived and continued his career in broadcasting. The book title refers to the position of his star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. His star is located eleven spots away from Elvis Presley's star.

"It's my history of more than 60 years in the business, and my encounters with over 300 artists that we all know and love," Beirne said. He listed names such as The Rolling Stones, Frank Sinatra, Walt Disney, and Ray Charles. The book includes accounts of his record collection and the stations where he worked.

Listeners in Southern California can find holiday music on several stations. KOST 103.5 FM is currently playing soft hits. It may switch to Christmas music on November 13. KMEE 92.1 FM in Palm Springs began playing holiday music on Election Day. The Relevant Radio app, owned by KHJ 930 AM, also offers two streams of Christmas music.

Richard Wagoner is a freelance columnist in San Pedro who covers radio in Southern California. He provides updates on station changes and local media news. Listeners can reach him via email at rwagoner@socalradiowaves.com.