KNX 1070 NEWSRADIO Marks 45 Years Of All-News Programming
LOS ANGELES (KNX 1070) — KNX 1070 NEWSRADIO, Southern California's only station with around-the-clock news programming, celebrated its 45th anniversary in the all-news format on Monday.
A stunned nation was still in shock following the assassination of Martin Luther King when just 11 days later on April 15, 1968, CBS-owned KNX-AM significantly increased the time it devoted to news coverage, essentially launching an all-news format that continues today.
Less than two months after the King shooting in Memphis, KNX would be covering another national tragedy — this one with indelible ties to Los Angeles — when Sen. Robert F. Kennedy was killed at the Ambassador Hotel on Wilshire Boulevard.
Before the 60s drew to a close, KNX would cover a moon landing and a Manson massacre, symbolic of the mix of prominent national and local events that were to become the fabric of KNX's dedication to reporting major news stories.
Today more than 1.5 million people turn to KNX 1070 every week for its comprehensive coverage of local, national and international news, its trademark Traffic & Weather Together on the Fives, business, sports and entertainment reports, and network programming from CBS News.
The station, owned and operated by CBS Radio, is managed by senior vice president and Los Angeles market manager Steve Carver. Andy Ludlum serves as director of news programming and Julie Chin is the news director.
Over the years, the station and its anchors, reporters, writers, producers and editors have amassed hundreds of awards for broadcast excellence.
"Since 1968 we've seen eight U.S. presidents, six California governors and five L.A. mayors," Ludlum said. "We've had riots, fires, earthquakes, mudslides, hosted the Olympics, lost a couple of football teams, rooted the Lakers to 11 titles, watched OJ run wild on the freeways and recently endured a nightmarish hunt for a fugitive cop-killer."
"And through it all, KNX has embodied trust, integrity and credibility," Ludlum added. "We all feel a sense of responsibility to follow in the footsteps of so many great KNX news people like Bill Keene, Alex Sullivan, Jon Goodman, Barry Rohde, Beach Rogers, Dave Zorn and Harry Birrell, to name just a few. You hear the pride in the great heritage of KNX in the work of today's anchors like Dick Helton, Vicky Moore, Tom Haule, Linda Nunez, Diane Thompson, Jim Thornton and Chris Sedens."
KNX 1070 utilizes an array of innovations that did not exist 45 years ago, broadcasting with HD technology, disseminating news and streaming live on CBSLA.com, offering podcasts and videos, and breaking news via text alerts and social media.
According to broadcasting historian Jim Hilliker, the station began broadcasting in 1920 and was originally granted its license in 1921, making it the oldest radio station in Los Angeles. Historical documents trace the birth of KNX's call letters to May, 1922.
