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KEWB Channel 91, Oakland
Fabulous Forty Survey
January 23, 1960
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By early 1960, KEWB had dropped its Big Bay Radio “fat man” logo and had switched to the “My mommy listens to KEW-B” little girl logo, ubiquitous among Crowell-Collier stations — including KFWB/Los Angeles and KDWB/ Minneapolis — at this time. (Crowell-Collier had acquired KEWB from its original owner, the Oakland Tribune, in mid-1959, ending 37 years of ownership by the newspaper.)
The biggest star of the Channel 91 lineup continues to be Gary Owens, who in a year will be moved to sister station KFWB by Crowell-Collier Top 40 programming guru Chuck Blore, along with KEWB stablemate Ted Randal (who had also worked at pioneering Bay Area rocker KOBY in 1956).
Holding on at #1 for another week is Johnny Preston’s million-selling “Running Bear,” written by J.P. “The Big Bopper” Richardson, who had been killed along with Buddy Holly and Ritchie Valens in a plane crash the previous March; Richardson and budding country legend George Jones provided the backing “Indian sounds” on the record. Moving up quickly — very quickly — are the Everly Brothers, whose “Let It Be Me” jumps all the way to #2 from #24. Also on the chart: “Have Love Will Travel,” Richard Berry’s follow-up to his timeless composition “Louie Louie” and Bobby Darin’s fast-rising “Beyond The Sea.”
SOURCE: Bay Area Radio Museum Collection.
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