KGOE NOTES:
Alan Skuba got the license to build 850khz in Thousand Oaks
KGOE'S transmitter site was built for a 50kw upgrade that never took place. KGOE had gotten a CP in the early 70's to go 5kw days and 1kw nights, but failed to through with the project.
First song ever played: Stan Peters "Sweet City Woman"
First DJ: Frank Touch
KGOE was a RCA turnkey setup from studio to transmitter, including turntables & cart machines
KGOE sold in 1984 for $750,000, a bit shy of the 900,000 asking price. The land under the towers was also available at the time of the sale for an extra $72,000; now it's worth millions!
First call letters issued to 850 AM were KKTO, but were changed to KGOE to avoid association with Thousand Oaks. Despite its poor signal in the San Fernando Valley, the owners thought they could take on KGIL; they even used Ford Mustangs as their mobile units like KGIL did.
KGOE Tidbits:
Through KGOE's short life, many ownership changes had taken place. At one time KGOE shared ownership with
KOWN 1450 AM in Esconsido, California. KGOE was also part of a group that owned stations in Bakersfield now 550 AM KUZZ (KAFY) and KKIQ 101.7 FM Livermore California.
KGOE's program director Bob Smith, was transfered to KKIQ 101.7 FM in '75 to carry on the duties of PD there, and replaced by Johnny Darin who flipped KGOE from Top 40 to Hard Rock.
KGOE's remote trailer could often be found parked near the waterfalls in the Topanga Plaza, but rarely in the COL.
Jim Simon and others, would not let KGOE cover local news, even when a brush fire was burning right in front of their Westlake Plaza studios; the DJ was forbidden to report it.
KGOE was doomed from the start with endless ownership changes and mismanagement. shake ups started before the station hit the airwaves; according to one of the stations original partners Ted Wheeler.
In KGOE's final days, things had gotten so bad, that when they offered free Disneyland tickets to the forth caller; nobody called! Remotes were even more embarrassing; often with only a few staffers showing up!
