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The KMGM/KCBH/KJOI/KYSR site (left) taken
in the late forties or early fifties.  It looks like it was
taken before Art Crawford built the KCBH 
transmitter/studio bulding under the self-supporting tower.

John Davis - (right) Chief Engineer KCBH circa 
1956.  John is still the tower site administrator for the 
KCBH/KJOI/KYSR site.

Doug Nelson was one of the engineers at KCBH.  Doug went on
to work as an audio mixer for many prominent network television
shows, which he is still doing.  In this photo Doug is at the KCBH
microphone.  Doug came to visit KCBH, lived with his family just
below the transmitter site in Studio City, and eventually came to 
work at KCBH. 

Don Beaty  is another KCBH engineer who 
worked part time when not at his regular job as a school
teacher.  Don later became a professor at the 
College of San Mateo and later went to KPOL part time.   

The KCBH General Electric mixing console, 
circa 1956, photo by Don Beaty while he worked at 
KCBH.  Voice tracks were played back via the
Magnecorder PT6 reel to reel machine.  The Ampex
350 was used for playing back monaural high fidelity
tapes.  John Davis wired a switch that both started the
Ampex tape machine and switched it directly into the
transmitter for maximum fidelity playback, bypassing the
GE audio console.  Later a stereo tape machine was
installed.  Stereo was broadcast at the time via linking
up with another FM station, usually KHOF-FM in Glendale.
KCBH carried the left channel while KHOF carried the
right channel.  Later when KMLA 100.3 FM came on
the air with a transmitter in a building right behind the
KCBH building stereo was transmitted with KMLA
carrying the right channel.

Gorden Karrel was an afternoon announcer
at KCBH in the mid to late fifties.

The 10 Kilowatt General Electric KCBH transmitter
(left).  Antenna gain gave KCBH an effective radiated 
power of 50 kW.  The transmitter was modified with a
different final tube, Eimac 4CX5000, such that the
effective radiated power increased to 75 kW.  KCBH
was originally put on the air as KMGM by Metro Goldwyn
Mayer studios in the late forties.  KMGM ceased
operating in the early fifties.  Art Crawford bought the 
station in about 1953 and put it back on the air as KCBH,
named after his record and Hi Fi store, Crawfords of
Beverly Hills, located at 456 North Rodeo Drive.

I remember this old ventilation fan (right).  When I first 
worked at KCBH sign on time was 3pm and sign off time
was 11pm.  The final task of the day was to turn off this fan
and then lock the door on my way out.  The building is now
air conditioned and this ventilator is not normally used. 
The orange flexible conduit contains one of three fiber optic 
cables at the KYSR transmitter site.

Self portrait of photographer Marvin Collins
taken in 1957 when I still had a full head of non gray hair.
After working at KCBH from 1954 until 1957 I moved over
to KPOL where I worked from 1957 until 1965.  Then I 
went to KRLA from 1965 until 1976.  Then I moved to 
KFI/KOST on February 9, 1976, where I worked until 
retiring September 1, 2000.

Marvin Collins at the KCBH General Electric
console circa 1956.

Fairchild crystal controlled accurate speed turntable
KCBH was really up to date in 1956 with this his 
turntable.  It was connected to the GE console.  The output
of the GE console went directly into the 10 kW transmitter.
There was no audio processing.  The sound of KCBH
was clean with full dynamic range of the source material.
Loudness was not a consideration at KCBH in 1956.

Too many years have gone by and now I can not 
remember the name  of this technician that worked
at KCBH circa 1956.

The  telegram advises the FCC of the start of 
programming on KMGM in 1948.

The letterhead is from a piece of KMGM stationary.
KMGM was  the original call sign of KCBH/KJOI/KYSR.
This letterhead would have been in use between about 
1949 and 1952.

The return address portion of a KCBH envelope.

A citation of merit issued to KCBH by HI/FI Stereo
Review Magazine in 1964.

The small window  behind this RF switchgear 
is where the old GE transmitter was located.

The present KYSR transmitter  located about
10 feet in front of where the old GE transmitter was
located.

The studio  that formerly contained the old GE 
console was through the black door on the right.  
Sitting at the console gave a view from the window on
the right.  The window was larger in the days of the old 
GE console.

Originally  the entrance to the studio was where
the wide glass door is located.  The glass door was
installed in front of an automation system in later years.

The doormat was used by Art Crawford at the front 
door of his house.  His house was the KMGM studio 
transmitter building.  The studio and transmitter were 
moved out of the building to a building Crawford 
constructed under the self supporting KCBH tower.  
The former transmitter/studio building was modified by
adding a second story to the building.  The former 
KMGM building was thus converted to a very nice, 
spacious home, with a wonderful view of Los Angeles
and the San Fernando Valley.  The door mat is now 
located at the back door of the residence.

The KYSR tower photographed in May, 2000.

The building in the center of the picture is the 
present location of the KYSR studio and office building 
at 3500 West Olive Avenue in Burbank.