The station began broadcasting on June 21, 1952, holding the call sign KBLA. It originally operated on 1490 kHz and ran 250 watts. In 1958, the owners obtained construction permit to change frequency to 1500 AM, with a power upgrade to 10,000 watts 24 hours a day. However, the station encountered several obstacles prior to completion. Hubbard Broadcasting's KSTP in St. Paul, Minnesota, contested the proposal on the basis of interference that it believed would occur within its nighttime coverage area. The Glendale, California city council and zoning board also rejected KBLA's proposed tower site. KBLA filed suit against Glendale and its mayor Cal Cannon, alleging that Cannon, who was general manager of KIEV, conspired to influence the zoning board to deny KBLA's permit. The station ended up operating at 1,000 watts at night using a directional array, protecting KSTP but shrinking the coverage area of the station. Its tower site was located in the Verdugo Mountains. The power increase and frequency change was completed on February 12, 1965. In August 1964, the station began shifting to a contemporary hits format in anticipation of the power increase and frequency change. The station had been airing block programming. The Lawrence Welk Show aired mornings on the station until 1965. The initial personalities heard on KBLA during its contemporary hits period were Tom Duggan, Sid Wayne, Jim Wood, William Mercer, Tom Clay, and Dick "Huggy Boy" Hugg. The station became completely automated in July 1965, but live DJs were brought back in December, with hosts Harry Newman, Roger Christian, Harvey Miller, Dave Diamond, Vic Gee, and William F. Williams.
On September 2, 1972, the station's call sign was changed to KROQ, and it adopted a rock format as "The Rock of Los Angeles". Personalities on KROQ included Charlie Tuna, Sam Riddle, Jay Stevens, Steve Lundy, Jim Wood, and Jimmy Rabbitt. On November 25, 1972, KROQ presented a concert at Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum, billed as "The Ultimate ROQ Concert/Festival", to benefit the Southern California Council of Free Clinics, which featured performances by Chuck Berry, Stevie Wonder, Frankie Valli and the Four Seasons, the Eagles, the Bee Gees, Sly & the Family Stone, and the Raspberries, among others. In 1973, KROQ's owners bought KPPC-FM, and on November 12th it began simulcasting KROQ, with the new call sign KROQ-FM. Less than a year later, KROQ and KROQ-FM experienced financial difficulty and owed its employees over $73,000 in unpaid salaries and owed over $14,000 to the American Federation of Television and Radio Artists pension and welfare fund. In June 1974, program directorShadoe Stevens and night personality Dana Jones resigned, followed by the entire staff going on strike that July 29th, shutting the stations down. On June 10, 1976, the stations returned to the air, as its authorization to remain off the air had expired and its license was due to be revoked. Shortly thereafter, the station would begin presenting weekend concerts, primarily featuring punk rock bands. At the time, Rodney Bingenheimer was introducing many new and local bands, including The Ramones and The Runaways on his Sunday night show. In 1980, KROQ ended its simulcast with KROQ-FM and began airing a Spanish language format. In 1982, the station's license renewal was denied by the FCC, due to numerous violations by the station's owners. KROQ-FM's license renewal was also denied shortly thereafter. These rulings were appealed, and in a 1984 settlement the license of KROQ-FM was assigned to Ken Roberts, who owned a 49% stake in the stations, and Roberts was ordered to pay compensation to the other applicants for the FM frequency. However, KROQ's license had to be surrendered, and Royce International's application for a new station on the frequency was granted; Royce International was headed by KWOD -Sacramento owner Ed Stoltz. This new station was never built, and after numerous extension using both the KRCK and KIEV calls, the permit was cancelled on February 12, 2013. On February 5, 2020, the FCC gave final approval for a new station at 1500. KWIF will be based in Culver City and will broadcast from a transmitter and tower in Montecito Heights.
