KIK-FM
(now KMXN)
94.3 MHz
Garden Grove (Anaheim), CA
 
I Was There:
1981-1998

Station Information:
Freq: 94.3 MHz
Power: 3,000 Watts ERP
Height/DA: 249' HAAT, 370' AMSL
Class: A
City Of License: Garden Grove, CA
TX Site: Former Bank of America Building at The City (now called "The Block of Orange")
Format: Country while I was there, recently switched to Hot AC then Alternative Rock

Owner: Orange Broadcasting Corp. div. of Astor Broadcast Group (N. Arthur Astor, Pres.)
GM/Stn Mgrs: Art Astor, Michael Means, Richard MacIntosh, Richard Lyons,
CEs: Paul Sakrison
PDs: Steve Thomas, John Dzima, Chris Adams (Adam Smith), Bob Harvey, Don Jeffrey, Jon Prell , Greg Edwards, Craig Powers, Frank Santangelo,
SMs: Jim Votaw, Michael Means, Bill Martinez, Mitch Seigal, Grace Madrigal, Peri Corso, Jeanette Medrano,
Engineers: Greg Ogonowski before I started, Richard _ Asst. (for about 6 month), Rick Hunt after I left
Talent: Judy Able, Chris Adams ("Cadillac Cowboy" /"Cad" /"Cheese"), Don Allen, Tom Anthony (Winston "Joe" Burnette), Dave Anthony (Steve Coyne), Jack Attack (Jack Scalfani), Mike Bennett (Mike Carlucci) , Sue Binswanger (News), Frank Cisco (Frank Santangelo), Kim Cooper, Brian "Bubba" Cowan, Dave Dame, Terry Driscoll (news), Carrie Dunne, John Dzima, Mike "Bike" Edwards (Mike Mesmer), Jack Elloitt (news), Brenda Franklin, Randy Jim Hamilton (Randy Trom), Bob Harvey, Dave Hull, Linda Jean, "Don Jeffrey" Smith, Billy The Kid (Bill Schust), Lyle Kilgore (news), Keith ("with no teeth") Lewis (news), Christine Martindale, Ford Michaels (Clifford Mullins), Bill Nesbitt, Ken O'Connor, Manny Pacheco, Sean Parr, Liz Pennington, Ed Perry, Craig Powers, Jon Prell, Gene Price, Byron Ray, Razz (Steve Brazill), Dick Riley (Richard Renkus), Mark Robinson, Eva Ross, Mark The Shark (Mark McKay), Taz (Mark Allen Graves), Steve Thomas (Randy Anderson), Marshall Thomas, Charlie Tuna, Rich Walcoff, Scott West (Scott Lockwood/Fred Krebs), Marina Wilson, Peter ??? (Leonidas Jonasson), Lawyer Lloyd (Lloyd Charton), Kent Smith, Bill Thomas, Judy Chamberlain, Wally George, Sharon Kathon (News), Dominick Garcia ("Donnie Lee"), Ricci Filliar, John Hall (Sports), Steve Kelley, Mark McKay, Ed Mann, Rich Watson, Bob Allen, Billy "The Kid" Schust, Russ Bollinger (Raiders Sports Talk), Bryan Emerson, Scott Hayden, Terry Snead, Bruce Ward, Pam King, Tammy Trujillo (News)
Sales: Michael Means, Grace Madrigal, Sherrie Orr, Garth Stern, Tom Jabinowski, Dave Shaffer, Randall DeSalvo, Peri Corso, Stu Levy, Cherie Mills, Bill Martinez, Jim Herz, Maureen "Mo" Mackie, Virginia Sibley, Rick Herrick, Patricia Munster, Marcie Shubert, Mary Stanley, Carolyn Smit, Gary Dulkowski, Bob Ranaldi, Linda Warren Dzima, Joe Cochrane, Peggy Valenzuela, Jennifer Bennett, Laura Luthe, Eric Stranger(?), Garth Stern, Kathleen Roberts, Stephanie Mallon, Tony Renfro, David Winters, John Davis, Bill Gudelman, Rick Herrick, Annamarie Joyce, Patricia Lusin, Cindy Cooley, Jennifer Rivard, Jamie Trivison,
Office/Others: Susan Burke (Exec. VP), Joann Lais (Office Mgr), Laura Astor Dame (Promotions), Johanna Flores (Traffic), Nancy Miles (Traffic), Susan Bradley (Office Mgr.), Sonia Williams (Controller), Fred "Bud" Freeman (Transportation Mgr.), Louise Fox (Office Mgr.), Michelle Osborne (Receptionist), Maria _ (Sales Secy), Greg Sipple (Car Guy), John _ (Car Guy), Steve Knoll (Traffic), _ Bustamonte (Traffic), _ _ (Traffic who married Wally George), Jeri Burrows, Trish _ (Office Mgr), Rosemary _ (Office Mgr), Kaz Neavill (Receptionist), Jill _ (Receptionist), Michelle Osborne (Reception),
Vehicles: KIK Wagon ('72 Ford station wagon, KIK Van ('84 Dodge Van), KIK Country Cruiser ('96 motor home with studio)
Call Letter History: KGGK, KTBT, KORJ, KIKF, KMXN
 
KIK-FM (actual call letters KIKF) was a Class-A, 3,000-watt FM station licensed to Garden Grove, CA. Its transmitter is still located atop the 20-story office building near the 22 freeway at The Block of Orange. When I started there in mid-1981, the studios were on the 14th floor and the transmitter was in the Generator Room on the roof.
 
KIK-FM New Studio in Anaheim
This is the current Control Room I built in 1997. The original console was and Autogram RTV-20 that came from KTID in San Rafael, CA when we sold it. It was replaced with a Wheatstone and the RTV-20 moved (again) to the Remote Studio at The Block, an upscale outdoor shopping mall in Orange at the base of the building the tranmitting tower is on. More current pictures here.

KIK-FM 1982-1997 Studio Entrance
Control Room on right, Coference Room/Public Affairs Studio on left. This was the location of KIK-FM from 1982-1997.


KIK-FM 1982-1997 Control Room
Scott West (Scott Lockwood)

KIK-FM 1982-1997 Control Room
From Central Hallway

KIK-FM 1982-1997 Control Room Console
Hank Landsberg made this console in his garage. It is Serial Number 3. There once was one of these at KIQQ, as well. One of the later Gregg Labs version of this mixer is in storage at KWIZ-FM.


KIK-FM 31' Mobile Studio
The KIK Country Cruiser had a studio in the rear former bedroom, 2 analog cellphones, Telex wireless microphone system could broadcast from anywhere with Cellular service, including driving on the freeway.

KIK-FM Van

KIK-FM Conference/Public Affairs Room
served double duty holding Sales meetings and talk show talent. Just to the right is the Production Studio.


KIK-FM Music Library
Lots of LPs were dubbed to the dreaded MusiCarts.


More KIK-FM Pictures - Click Here
The station had switched to Country about six months before I was hired. The music was being played from reels on an IGM 500 automation system that included two 48-tray Instacarts. There was a 25-Hz encoder and a Teac tape deck hooked up to the stereo in Program Director Steve Thomas' office that was used to record the tapes. After I started, KIK started buying carts to record the music onto. Eventually, all of the music was played from carts and the IGM 500 was shipped off to Barrett Associates in Oceanside for consignment sale. We bought a huge 1280-cart rack to put the carts in to.

The next project was to plan for and move the offices and studios downstairs to the adjacent 2-story Financial Center, Suite 183. The photos on this page show this compact but very functional suite. Michael Means was Sales Manager and Station Manager for many years there and the station had its greatest success in the little Suite 183. I think it had about 1,850 square feet. In the early '90s, another 900 square feet was added next door, but we never cut through between the spaces.

For about a year and a half in 1994-1996, KIK simulcast with the 94.3 in San Fernando, which was owned by Jack Siegal's Chagal Communications and LMA'ed to us. The synchronization system designed to lock the two signals together was not effective enough to eliminate the co-channel interference between them. The call letters during the LMA were KYKF and the offices were at the old KGIL Studios/AM transmitter site in North Hills, which was owned by Saul Levine. KYKF is now owned by the Libermans and broadcasts in Spanish with the call letters KBUA.

Also during this time KIK's morning man was the legendary Charlie Tuna. He was a pleasure to work with, is the consummate professional and is very kind. For almost a year he broadcast his morning show from a tiny DJ booth at Universal Citywalk whose equipment was less than reliable. Then he did his show from the old KGIL Production studio that was part of the office space we were renting for KYKF.

1995 brought the addition of the KIK Country Cruiser, a 31-foot motor home whose rear bedroom I tore out and refit as a mobile studio. I worked on it mostly at home and my wife still tells everyone about having the mobile studio in our driveway for a month.

In 1997, KIK-FM had to move to new digs because The City Shopping Center was shut down and the whole complex, except for the office building where the transmitter is, was being torn down to be replaced by The Block of Orange. After a lot of looking and space planning we found an 18,000 square foot space at 1045 S. East Street in Anaheim. This was large enough to accomodate about 2/3 of Art's cars (he had about 100 at the time), an antique radio museum and enough office space to cover any forseeable growth. The Control Room and Production Room were huge and look east out floor-to-ceiling glass. The station is still there today. It is a real showcase.

KIK had some interesting and notable talent over the years in addition to Charlie Tuna. Gene Price spent several years in the morning slot. Lyle Kilgore did morning news in the early 80s. With his voice and delivery, he could skip a line of copy and you would think it was you. KIK first PD, Steve Thomas, had a lot of talent, but had less luck in his personal life. One night at the original Crazy Horse Saloon, he asked his wife to stand up and then introduced her as his "future ex-wife". When we were building out Suite 183, he ran an audio line from Art's office to his office. The line was never hooked up and Steve's end wound up inside a wall after the wall's location had to be changed.