KYMS
Encyclopedia
KYMS was the first contemporary Christian music
station, broadcasting at 106.3 MHz FM, based in Orange, California
, and licensed to the city of Santa Ana, CA. It broadcast Christian programming for twenty years, from 1975 until its sale in 1995.
At its peak, KYMS was one of the two most popular Christian music stations in the United States.
, including the music, teaching, and culture of those new believers. The station focused on the "Jesus Music
" that had been growing during the first half of the decade. Featuring artists of the Maranatha! Music
label, as well as other ground-breaking Jesus music publishers, the station featured music, but did much more. Other program content focused on evangelism
, Christian apologetics
(defense of the faith), and Bible study
. Some of the DJs would ask for phone-in prayer requests, and then take a time during their program to actually pray for the requests that were called in.
A popular program on Saturday nights in the late 1970s was "The Bible Answer Man", hosted by Walter Martin.
The feel of the station in this era was not always polished, and never fast-paced, but was intensely sincere, a good match for the style of music that was available for them to play.
Besides playing pre-recorded music, KYMS played live concerts. The weekly "Maranatha! Concert" from Calvary Chapel
in Costa Mesa was a popular Saturday night feature.
, Phil Keaggy
, B.J. Thomas, and Albrecht, Roley, & Moore. The Saturday night live weekly concerts from Calvary Chapel continued, but were later replaced in 1982 by an alternative rock program called "Real Radio," hosted by Gord Driver. He also produced an album for a band called The Imitators. Around 1983, the program name "Real Radio" was changed to "The Edge," with no obvious change in the format.
In 1983, Program Director Greg Fast changed the direction of the station by giving it more of a "Top 40" feel. Still playing Christian music, the music was more upbeat, and the morning show was comical, entertaining and known as "The Breakfast Club." 1983-1985 were the most popular years of KYMS. They were then known as "Radio With Love." Popular groups and artists were Randy Stonehill, Steve Taylor
, Undercover
, Allies (band)
, Steve Camp
, Amy Grant, Twila Paris, 4-4-1
, Youth Choir, U2
, Rez
(formerly Resurrection Band), Cruse
, Steve Archer
, Kathy Troccoli
, and Quickflight. Air personalities included Greg Fast, Jamie Mayberry, Bill Ewing, Jimmy Hodson
, Bob Turnbull, Lane McAllister, Kevin Allison ("The Ground Floor" radio program), Mark Martinez, Robin Keith and Mike Reynolds.
Reynolds even produced a radio ad for Harrison Sales And Leasing and wrote "The Larry Harrison Rap," borrowing beats from a 1984 Steve Arrington tune (Turn Up the Love). Other major sponsors through the years included Dr. Dale Rosenblum (a podiatrist), Metro Car Wash (featuring the characters "Bubbles" and "Suds"), Rings of Gold (jewelers), and Fountain Valley Skating Center. Many young people flocked to Newport Beach on Friday nights as "Lighthouse One," a daytime-food-court-turned-dancing-establishment existed. KYMS music was played, later adding some non-Christian songs which caused a little controversy. However, no alcohol was served.
Many skating rinks in and around Orange County featured a weekly "Christian Music Skate Night" in which KYMS hits were played. In addition to Fountain Valley, there was Holiday Skating Center in Orange, Skate Depot in Cerritos, and Skate Station in Anaheim. Most skate nights were either on Mondays or Tuesdays.
By 1985, KYMS slowly dropped the hit-sounding format, and returned to more of an Adult Contemporary feel. Their new slogan was "Someone To Turn To".
" in 1976 was also characteristic of the evangelistic enthusiasm of new believers belonging to the Jesus movement
. It featured a brief clip of a song (singing, "Jesus is coming back!"), and then the announcer (Station Manager and architect of the format, Arnie McClatchey) said, "It's a new song: The Gift of 106, KYMS, Santa Ana. Call a friend now, and tell them the Good News!"
Other clips that ran between songs or at station identification breaks took the approach of a man-on-the-street interview, asking the question, "And how do you know that Jesus is real in your life?" They would then play the recorded response from someone who had been asked this question, sometimes ending with the same encouragement to the listener to call a friend and tell that friend about Jesus.
During 1977, the musical announcements gradually changed to say "There's a new song going on, on the Gift of 106, KYMS, Santa Ana". And by late in 1977, the station identification was professionally produced and performed, becoming more of a true radio jingle. Rather than voicing over an existing piece of music, this music and singing was specifically created for the station:
This style ran through the remainder of 1977 and into 1978-79.
This on-the-hour station identification jingle took nearly forty seconds to deliver its message.
By the mid-80's, the station began to brand itself as "Someone To Turn To," with an expanded jingle:
, Santa Ana, CA.
Contemporary Christian music
Contemporary Christian music is a genre of modern popular music which is lyrically focused on matters concerned with the Christian faith...
station, broadcasting at 106.3 MHz FM, based in Orange, California
Orange, California
Southern California is well-known for year-round pleasant weather: - On average, the warmest month is August. - The highest recorded temperature was in 1985. - On average, the coolest month is December. - The lowest recorded temperature was in 1950...
, and licensed to the city of Santa Ana, CA. It broadcast Christian programming for twenty years, from 1975 until its sale in 1995.
At its peak, KYMS was one of the two most popular Christian music stations in the United States.
Mid-1970s
In its early days as a Christian broadcaster, KYMS was a reflection of the Jesus MovementJesus movement
The Jesus movement was a movement in Christianity beginning on the West Coast of the United States in the late 1960s and early 1970s and spreading primarily through North America and Europe, before dying out by the early 1980s. It was the major Christian element within the hippie counterculture,...
, including the music, teaching, and culture of those new believers. The station focused on the "Jesus Music
Jesus music
Jesus music, known as gospel beat music in the United Kingdom, is a style of Christian music which originated on the West Coast of the United States in the late 1960s and early 1970s. This musical genre developed in parallel to the Jesus movement...
" that had been growing during the first half of the decade. Featuring artists of the Maranatha! Music
Maranatha! Music
Maranatha! Music began as a non-profit outreach of Calvary Chapel in 1971. The Jesus People of the late 1960s and early 1970s began to write new hymns and worship songs with a folk-rock style. Maranatha! Music was founded at this time in order to publish and promote this new type of Christian...
label, as well as other ground-breaking Jesus music publishers, the station featured music, but did much more. Other program content focused on evangelism
Evangelism
Evangelism refers to the practice of relaying information about a particular set of beliefs to others who do not hold those beliefs. The term is often used in reference to Christianity....
, Christian apologetics
Christian apologetics
Christian apologetics is a field of Christian theology that aims to present a rational basis for the Christian faith, defend the faith against objections, and expose the perceived flaws of other world views...
(defense of the faith), and Bible study
Bible study (Christian)
In Christianity, Bible study is the study of the Bible by ordinary people as a personal religious or spiritual practice. Some denominations may call this devotion or devotional acts; however in other denominations devotion has other meanings...
. Some of the DJs would ask for phone-in prayer requests, and then take a time during their program to actually pray for the requests that were called in.
A popular program on Saturday nights in the late 1970s was "The Bible Answer Man", hosted by Walter Martin.
The feel of the station in this era was not always polished, and never fast-paced, but was intensely sincere, a good match for the style of music that was available for them to play.
Besides playing pre-recorded music, KYMS played live concerts. The weekly "Maranatha! Concert" from Calvary Chapel
Calvary Chapel
Calvary Chapel is an evangelical association of Christian churches with over one thousand congregations worldwide. Calvary Chapel also maintains a number of radio stations around the world and operates many local Calvary Chapel Bible College programs. It presents itself as a "fellowship of...
in Costa Mesa was a popular Saturday night feature.
1980s
The music was rather mellow, known as Adult Contemporary. Artists then included Chuck GirardChuck Girard
Chuck Girard is a pioneer of Contemporary Christian music. He was born August 27, 1943 in Los Angeles, California, and moved to Santa Rosa, California in his young teens...
, Phil Keaggy
Phil Keaggy
Phil Keaggy is an American acoustic and electric guitarist and vocalist who has released more than 50 albums and contributed to many more recordings in both the contemporary Christian music and mainstream markets...
, B.J. Thomas, and Albrecht, Roley, & Moore. The Saturday night live weekly concerts from Calvary Chapel continued, but were later replaced in 1982 by an alternative rock program called "Real Radio," hosted by Gord Driver. He also produced an album for a band called The Imitators. Around 1983, the program name "Real Radio" was changed to "The Edge," with no obvious change in the format.
In 1983, Program Director Greg Fast changed the direction of the station by giving it more of a "Top 40" feel. Still playing Christian music, the music was more upbeat, and the morning show was comical, entertaining and known as "The Breakfast Club." 1983-1985 were the most popular years of KYMS. They were then known as "Radio With Love." Popular groups and artists were Randy Stonehill, Steve Taylor
Steve Taylor
Roland Stephen Taylor , is an American Christian singer, songwriter, record producer and film director.-Early life:Taylor, the eldest of three children, was born in Brawley, California. Taylor's father, Roland Taylor, was a Baptist minister. When Taylor was six years old, the family relocated to...
, Undercover
Undercover
Being undercover is disguising one's own identity or using an assumed identity for the purposes of gaining the trust of an individual or organization to learn secret information or to gain the trust of targeted individuals in order to gain information or evidence...
, Allies (band)
Allies (band)
Allies is a Christian rock band. They released six albums during the 1980s and early 1990s.-Band members:The most notable band members were guitarist Randy Thomas, formerly of the Jesus music group Sweet Comfort Band and vocalist Bob Carlisle...
, Steve Camp
Steve Camp
Steven J. Camp is a prominent American Dove Award and Grammy Award-nominated contemporary Christian music artist with an adult contemporary pop sound. He was very popular in the 1980s and early 1990s, where he has sold more than a million albums, who also has written or co-written 21 number one...
, Amy Grant, Twila Paris, 4-4-1
4-4-1
4-4-1 are an alternative-pop Christian rock band who played primarily in the 1980s. 4-4-1 consisted of lead singer/guitarist John McNamara, drummer Steve Giali, lead guitarist John Giali and bassist/keyboardist Glenn Holland....
, Youth Choir, U2
U2
U2 are an Irish rock band from Dublin. Formed in 1976, the group consists of Bono , The Edge , Adam Clayton , and Larry Mullen, Jr. . U2's early sound was rooted in post-punk but eventually grew to incorporate influences from many genres of popular music...
, Rez
Rez
Rez, developed under the codename K-Project, Project Eden, and Vibes, is a rail shooter video game released by Sega in Japan in 2001 for the Dreamcast and PlayStation 2, with a European Dreamcast release and United States PlayStation 2 release in 2002...
(formerly Resurrection Band), Cruse
Cruse
Cruse may refer to:* Cruse , surname * Cruse Bereavement Care, UK charity* Cruse De Ocoa, small town in the Dominican Republic...
, Steve Archer
Steve Archer
Steve Archer is an American singer-songwriter and producer. He is a pioneer of the genre of Jesus music, later to become known as contemporary Christian music...
, Kathy Troccoli
Kathy Troccoli
Kathleen Colleen "Kathy" Troccoli is a contemporary Christian singer, author, and speaker.-Personal:Born in Brooklyn, New York, on June 24, 1958, Troccoli moved at age three and was raised in Islip Terrace, Long Island, New York, graduating from East Islip High School. At 15, she lost her father...
, and Quickflight. Air personalities included Greg Fast, Jamie Mayberry, Bill Ewing, Jimmy Hodson
Jimmy Hodson
American actor, narrator, and television host Jimmy Hodson was born in Orange, California, April 16, 1962. He has been the announcer on the long running syndicated TV show Divorce Court since 1999...
, Bob Turnbull, Lane McAllister, Kevin Allison ("The Ground Floor" radio program), Mark Martinez, Robin Keith and Mike Reynolds.
Reynolds even produced a radio ad for Harrison Sales And Leasing and wrote "The Larry Harrison Rap," borrowing beats from a 1984 Steve Arrington tune (Turn Up the Love). Other major sponsors through the years included Dr. Dale Rosenblum (a podiatrist), Metro Car Wash (featuring the characters "Bubbles" and "Suds"), Rings of Gold (jewelers), and Fountain Valley Skating Center. Many young people flocked to Newport Beach on Friday nights as "Lighthouse One," a daytime-food-court-turned-dancing-establishment existed. KYMS music was played, later adding some non-Christian songs which caused a little controversy. However, no alcohol was served.
Many skating rinks in and around Orange County featured a weekly "Christian Music Skate Night" in which KYMS hits were played. In addition to Fountain Valley, there was Holiday Skating Center in Orange, Skate Depot in Cerritos, and Skate Station in Anaheim. Most skate nights were either on Mondays or Tuesdays.
By 1985, KYMS slowly dropped the hit-sounding format, and returned to more of an Adult Contemporary feel. Their new slogan was "Someone To Turn To".
Mid-1970s
The on-hour station identification "jingleJingle
A jingle is a short tune used in advertising and for other commercial uses. The jingle contains one or more hooks and lyrics that explicitly promote the product being advertised, usually through the use of one or more advertising slogans. Ad buyers use jingles in radio and television...
" in 1976 was also characteristic of the evangelistic enthusiasm of new believers belonging to the Jesus movement
Jesus movement
The Jesus movement was a movement in Christianity beginning on the West Coast of the United States in the late 1960s and early 1970s and spreading primarily through North America and Europe, before dying out by the early 1980s. It was the major Christian element within the hippie counterculture,...
. It featured a brief clip of a song (singing, "Jesus is coming back!"), and then the announcer (Station Manager and architect of the format, Arnie McClatchey) said, "It's a new song: The Gift of 106, KYMS, Santa Ana. Call a friend now, and tell them the Good News!"
Other clips that ran between songs or at station identification breaks took the approach of a man-on-the-street interview, asking the question, "And how do you know that Jesus is real in your life?" They would then play the recorded response from someone who had been asked this question, sometimes ending with the same encouragement to the listener to call a friend and tell that friend about Jesus.
During 1977, the musical announcements gradually changed to say "There's a new song going on, on the Gift of 106, KYMS, Santa Ana". And by late in 1977, the station identification was professionally produced and performed, becoming more of a true radio jingle. Rather than voicing over an existing piece of music, this music and singing was specifically created for the station:
- There's a brand new song going on
- And the notes reach up to heaven
- To hear, you just turn it on
- Your heart will reach towards heaven
- Take it to 106 (take it to 106),
- KYMS
- [spoken] Santa Ana
This style ran through the remainder of 1977 and into 1978-79.
1980s
In the early 1980s, their slogan was "Bringin' A New Song."- We're bringin', we're bringin',
- We're bringin' a new song
- We're bringin' a new song (bringin' a new song)
- We're singin' a new song
- He puts the song inside
- When He sets you free
- One oh six point three, K-Y-M-S
- We're bringin', we're bringin',
- We're bringin' a new song!
This on-the-hour station identification jingle took nearly forty seconds to deliver its message.
By the mid-80's, the station began to brand itself as "Someone To Turn To," with an expanded jingle:
- If you're feelin' lonely
- And there's no one to turn to,
- There's always an answer,
- and it's right in front of you.
- Call upon my voice,
- Let me guide you in the dark.
- Help's around the corner,
- if you open up your heart.
- I am someone you can turn to,
- 106.3.
- I am someone, someone you can turn to,
- KYMS.
1990s
In the early 1990s, the station referred to itself as "Eagle 106.3", and its on-the-hour ID mentioned the Interstate Broadcasting System.End of an era
In 1995, Interstate Broadcasting sold KYMS to Multi Cultural Broadcasting for $9.1 million The new owners promptly converted the station to international programming. Today, it is known as KALI-FMKALI-FM
KALI-FM is a Vietnamese language radio station licensed by the Federal Communications Commission to serve the community of Santa Ana, California, USA.KALI airs musical and entertainment shows...
, Santa Ana, CA.