Written By Ken Hulsey
This has been a profoundly sentimental week for me. It all started when I discovered that an old friend from my church congregation used to live in my hometown of Whittier, California. Before the first service, I found myself reminiscing about the local landmarks with her, which stirred up a deep sense of homesickness. From that point on, everything I encountered seemed to trigger memories of my California roots. It probably doesn't help that I frequently wander around Louisiana wearing my Dodgers baseball cap.
To cap it all off, I started listening to my favorite rock station, 91X (based in San Diego), on Thursday and haven't been able to turn it off since. Every song they play transports me back home. I even get a kick out of hearing the station's call sign "Equis-e tere-ah efe-eme, Baja California, México" play each hour! The music and familiar voices conjure up such wonderful memories - driving down to San Diego, cruising along the coast, and gazing out at the Pacific Ocean with 91X blasting through the speakers. I can also recall hearing that iconic station while browsing the comic book bins at my favorite shop, So Cal Comics. Honestly, I can't recall a single memory from San Diego that didn't feature 91X in some way, whether it was a trip to the zoo or a visit to Coronado Island. There was nothing quite like having the alternative rock soundtrack of 91X accompany the sight of fighter jets from Mira Mar soaring overhead on the freeway. Sitting here at my desk, I'm taken right back to those glory days. When it comes to rock music, 91X will always be the best station in my mind.
91X has had a long and fascinating history dating back to 1978. At that time, the station was a straightforward rock station, playing music from bands like Led Zeppelin and KISS. Though the station itself was located in Tijuana, Mexico, its content was recorded in studios in San Diego and transported across the border multiple times a day. 91X was known as a "border blaster" - one of many Mexico-based stations that aimed their signals at San Diego and the greater Southern California region, reaching as far as Riverside County.
Over the decades, the station changed ownership several times. In the early 80s, one owner even experimented with removing DJs in favor of pre-programmed content, but that didn't last long. The DJs returned, and all content was broadcast exclusively from San Diego and transmitted from Mexico. This is why 91X is still registered as a Mexican station, requiring it to air Mexican public service announcements (which they translate into English).
In early 1983, 91X and KROQ in Los Angeles unexpectedly switched their formats from rock to "modern rock," which we now call alternative rock. This change was orchestrated by 91X's general manager, John Lynch, who hired KROQ's program director, Rick Carroll, as a consultant. The switchover was dramatic - 91X played Led Zeppelin's "Stairway to Heaven," then Lynch announced the format change, and DJ Todd Ralston immediately went into Berlin's "Sex (I'm a...)."
Despite the ownership changes, 91X remained an independent alternative music powerhouse. In 2022, the station shifted to a mostly classic alternative format, featuring songs from the late 70s, 80s, and 90s, with some new releases mixed in.
Check Out:
No comments:
Post a Comment