In a recent rare visit to Cannery Row I noticed that there are very few landmarks left. The cannery buildings are all but gone and replaced with replicas. What those that are still there have changed drastically to accommodate imprisoned fish, tourists and more commerce. Gone forever are original bohemian places like Odyssey Records, Kalisa’s, Capone’s Warehouse and The 812 Cinema. One thing that has not really physically changed in over 35 years is the radio station offices, studio and transmitter that broadcasts at 1240 AM. Once Monterey’s only top 40 pop station KMBY, it’s now a talk radio format known as KNRY. Back in the 1970s, friends and I would often visit the studio, whether to collect prizes won in the many call in contests, or just see the DJ working at the turntables. Here’s a photo collection of the studio as it is today.
Antenna sits on shoreline of Macabee Beach.
View from Foam Street
A long way up
Danger! Rock and Roll RF!
Coverage from that antenna:
The Bear Flag Building.
1929
Sign over the door.
Sign on street.
Entry Way.
Going upstairs. Everything is the same as I remember from the 70s.
Reach the top, go around the corner . .
The Hallway. Door to studios, observation window, door to offices.
Here’s where you’d see real live DJs spinning 45s like The Monkees or Martha And The Vandellas.
If you went into the office lobby, you could pick up the latest survey of the “Top 12 plus 40”
Time to leave. Going downstairs you’d notice the low ceiling. The redwood ceiling is from the 70s era.
Thanks for the memories. Step out and back out into the phony charm.
i remember walking into the station back in 1960 with my sister, who admonished me, “you better behave yourself while we’re here”….an admonishment that proved unnecessary as i was absolutely bowled over by what i saw…thinking to myself at the time “one day i’m gonna work here”, a propecy that came true in 1986 when i worked with a deejay named dennis terry for a few weeks…i then started working there in earnest in 1993 to supplement my income from krkc in king city. i worked at knry until 1998. not exactly certain if i miss it or not, but like a house one might’ve lived in at one time, occasional visits seem compelling.
p.s….i have a bunch of kmby top 40 surveys from between 1963 and 1967…
oh…by the way…if you happen to see an 8-bay uhf antenna on the roof, i left it there in 1998.
This is for Frank –
Hello Frank – I received this from my wife at the time. I was, during my two year run in ’65 – ’66, the morning guy, mid days and evenings – Even a stint on the all night show as punishment for lack of show prep due to my producing shows at the fairgrounds.
I noted your mention of a number of surveys [which cover my time at the station] and, if at all possible would love to take a peek at the ones during my stay, even if just online.
Thanks Frank,
Norman
this is just too cool…to get a response from one of the deejays i used to listen to! you, shane, robert o. and the rest, just a great bunch of guys for a pre-teen (and early teen) like myself on the monterey peninsula to listen as they spun the boss sounds of the mid ’60’s! i have some of my surveys on my myspace page (type “frankenotter” to get to them), monochrome photocopies, actually. i have others,from your tenure there (including one dated september 16, 1966 with your picture on it) but i haven’t yet gotten clearence from the person off whose copies mine were taken (unlike my myspace ones, these are in color). as soon as i get the okay, they will be posted there, too.
one more thing…what do you know about a group known as “the rock shop” on a small record label named “rowena” ?
take care and i hope to have them posted soon!
frank a. lowry
Worked there in the Kennedy era. Too bad no shots of the tiny booths we worked in. (Guy that uses the on air name of Bobby Ocean now got his start there as a cartoonist and fill in during that same time period.)
Also note that no one mentions that the place was actually a converted cat house!