L-A Radio: KSWD Signs-Off, KKLQ Launches

At 1 p.m. Thursday, Nov. 16, classic rock station KSWD 100.3 FM 'The Sound' went off the air with side two of The Beatles' Abbey Road.

The move came as a result of a deal The Sound's new  parent company, Entercom, struck with the FCC to divest three of its stations in exchange for regulatory approval of its $1.7 billion merger with CBS Radio, which also owns several stations in the L.A. market, including KROQ.

The 100.3 FM frequency was sold to Educational Media Foundation for an undisclosed amount. EMF, based in Rocklin, owns 770 FM stations and translators and specializes in Christian music. After The Sound went off the air, the new owners immediately flipped KKLQ 100.3 FM's format to K-LOVE, a Christian contemporary station, which specializes in light rock songs with Christian themes, such as Chris Tomlin's "Jesus Messiah" and Matthew West's "Grace Wins."

KKLQ 100.3 FM (5.4 Kw) Red=Local Coverage Area

"We are particularly excited to see what God has in store for the people of Los Angeles, through our new station, ‘Positive & Encouraging’ K-LOVE at 100.3 FM," EMF CEO Mike Novak told Variety. "The people at Entercom have been a joy making this purchase possible.”

During The Sound's final hours, most of the station's DJs and on-air personalities dropped by the studio to say their goodbyes, including longtime DJs Uncle Joe Benson, Cynthia Fox, Rita Wilde and Mimi Chen, and morning-show hosts Andy Chanley and Gina Grad, according to The LA Weekly.

"We always pretty much shut up and let the music talk," Chanley said, before playing side two of Abbey Road, whose last song, "The End," concludes with one of the best-known lyrics in the classic-rock canon: "And in the end, the love you take is equal to the love you make."

After that, Chanley signed off with a simple, "This has been KSWD Los Angeles. This is The Sound."

Here is a scoped aircheck of the final 5 hours of 100.3 The Sound featuring Andy & Gina and Uncle Joe Benson, and others.  Also includes the format change to K-Love.