KRTF AM 1040 / KKTO AM 1200
Pioneering Low Power AM stations
KKTO began operation on April 5, 1983 in the back of a house on Old Farm Rd. in the heart of Thousand Oaks, California. In 1983 computers in a radio station were unheard of, instead we program KKTO the old fashion way with live DJ's that used cassette decks, reel to reel and turntables as the primary programming sources. Despite the labor involved, KKTO ran with live DJ's all day and recorded programs overnight; including CNN News and Radio Australia. When KKTO AM signed on the air in 1983, transmitters were limited between LPB (expensive) or Panaxis. Before KKTO, KRTF (Radio Ten Forty) ran from the same location years earlier with an old Graymark 505 tube transmitter on 1040AM from 1973-1976, coverage was limited to a few blocks, but still had a large following, since it was sandwiched between two High Schools and could be herd in both parking lots as well as the Park Oaks shopping center, a popular teen hang out at the time with a McDonalds and movie theater.
KRTF was so popular, that on one Friday night we invited listeners over for a party; within 30 minutes we had two hundred teenagers surrounding the studio! We were surprised just how many teens showed in such a short time! Who would have guessed a little 100 milliwatt station could draw such a big crowd! Despite the large gathering on our first night, the neighbors were very impressed with how well behaved a couple hundred teens were. Nothing broken or stolen, today a teen party of that size would result in a shooting or stabbing!
Where is KKTO today? The call letters are used by a NPR station in Tahoe City California and in New Mexico, KKTO is a TV station. Many members of KKTO Thousand Oaks crew, are now involved in the Radio Brandy Broadcast Workshop and XRQK Media Group, spawning a new generation of broadcasters.
