There are a number of radio stations broadcasting in the LA area. However, the variety of radio stations perhaps doesn’t have the diversity as compared to other major cities. Also note that additional stations can be picked up if you have a HD Radio.
Historical note: Have you noticed all those antennas on Mt Wilson? LA Radio pioneer Saul Levin is long time pioneering radio mogul who has lived in Los Angeles for many years. He started his original FM radio station in 1959 as KBCA (now KKGO) by placing broadcast equipment on top of a flag pole high on the slopes of Mt. Wilson overlooking the entire Los Angeles Basin. Today he is a breath of fresh air in the Los Angeles corporate dominated radio market – still maintaining his independently owned radio stations.
Photo of billboard to right:
The Great Phil Hendrie, many years on KFI – Here’s to many more years years broadcasting from the LA market
FM Radio Stations
- KPFK 90.7 is the sister station to KPFA in Berkely California and has been on the air for 40+ years. This is the most powerful public radio FM station in the USA. Visit: www.kpfk.org
KUSC 91.5 This is a great radio station to listen to when you are fighting your way from one place to the next on one of LA’s infamous freeways. Consider that they play classical music 24/7 with NO commercials, and you can’t go wrong! With two locations on your dial, they play not only classical music but broadcast Metropolitan opera as well. USC runs this radio station broadcasting from downtown Los Angeles. They often do pledge drives to help pay the bills as this is a listener supported radio station rather one that is supported by advertising. Visit: www.kusc.orgKCBS 93.1 – otherwise known as JACK FM, playing contemporary hits. www.931jackfm.com Thanks for the bumper stickers guys!
KLOS 95.5 so called the “Legendary KLOS” is the original home of the Mark & Brian Show. This is a Classic Rock Station. Good coverage all over the LA area and up to about Santa Barbara in the north. AC/DC’s 1979 song, “Highway to Hell” can be an appropriate tune to listen to at times while driving Los Angeles freeways. Fortunately this song often makes appearances on KLOS. Website: www.955klos.comKXOL 96.3 or Latino 96.3 puts the “LA” in Latino! Upbeat fresh variety of Mexican music.
Website: www.latino963.comKYSR 98.7 or Alt 98.7 is LA’s new alternative, playing a mix of current pop and alternative hits. Listen live online. Website: www.alt987fm.com
KSWB 100.3 “the Sound” – playing rock music for Los Angeles.
KRTH 101.1 “K Earth” 101 plays a good variety of oldies and can be heard all over the LA area. Always a treat to hear some of the “so cal” featured songs. Website always changing and never seems to work so we do not list it here.
KISS 102.7 LA’s number 1 hit music station. Visit: www.kiisfm.com
KOST 103.5 Soft Rock. From personal experience they don’t accept calls from non LA area codes (in case you are calling with a cell phone with a non LA area area code to try and win one of their contests). To get around this try a service called: Spoofcard which lets you change the area code and number that shows up in caller IDs. Visit: www.kost1035.com
KBIG104.3 My FM 104 plays a variety of modern pop music. Visit: www.1043myfm.com
KKGO 105.1 “Today’s hits and yesterday’s favorites” – country music. This is Los Angeles’s only independently owned-and-operated FM radio station. Visit: www.gocountry105.com
KPWR 106.1 Power 106 bills itself as “where hip hop lives” and is found at 106.1 on your FM dial. Visit: www.power106.com
AM Radio Stations
KFI AM 640, “more stimulating radio” is a talk radio station. Lively, evocative and informative.
Visit: www.kfi640.com for more information. Some of our favorite past DJ’s include Joe Crummy, Mr. “KFI”, and Phi Hendrie. Always nice to hear familiar voices who stick with this radio station year after year.
KABC 790 AM, “talk radio with passion” Mr. KABC was one of our favorites. All news talk radio. Their signal range is not nearly as strong as say KFI or KNX but they have good coverage in both LA and Orange Counties. Sometimes they hit the road and broadcast from various venues, such as where we took this photo at Fashion Island in Orange County. KABC is also home of the Los Angeles Kings, broadcasting all their games. Visit: www.kabc.comKNX AM 1070 – is an all news station that broadcasts from on the “Miracle Mile” along Wilshire Blvd. They also have pre-set weather and sports info several times an hour. This is an amazing station, we’ve clearly heard it a number of times during mid afternoons in the winter while north of San Francisco. At night from Oahu 2200+ miles from Los Angeles in Hawaii we’ve heard KNX coming in on our cheap rental car radio. This was the ONLY USA mainland station we could even pick up. Wow! This is the best traffic station in LA – with traffic reports given on the “5’s”, i.e., every 10 minutes. KNX is also the sister station of KCBS in San Francisco. For more information visit: www.knx1070.com
KMZT AM 1260 Billed as Southern California’s number 1 classical music station, they can be found at 1260 your AM dial or 105.1 on FM HD2. Besides a lot of Mozart music, they play other classical pieces as well as movie music. They broadcast out of a studio in the Century City area. Happy 250th birthday to Mozart in 2006 which was also the year Los Angeles celebrated its own 225th birthday. Visit: www.kmozart.com
Note: Some Los Angeles area based radio stations change format, position on the dial or their name faster than it takes a jet to fly from LA to SF. We make our best effort to keep this page updated: email corrections or updates to dave@pon.net
Where is KTWV 94.7 ??