KYMS (defunct)

KYMS was one of the first "album rock" FM stations in Southern California, before becoming the first contemporary Christian music station, broadcasting at 106.3 MHz FM, based in Orange, California, and licensed to the city of Santa Ana, CA. It broadcast Christian programming for twenty years, from 1975 until its sale in 1995.

At its peak, KYMS was one of the two most popular Christian music stations in the United States.

KYMS's rock format was similar to that of Los Angeles-based KMET during that period.

In its early days as a Christian broadcaster, KYMS was a reflection of the Jesus Movement, including the music, teaching, and culture of those new believers. The station focused on the "Jesus Music" that had been growing during the first half of the decade. Featuring artists of the Maranatha! Music label, as well as other ground-breaking Jesus music publishers, the station featured music, but did much more. Other program content focused on evangelism, Christian apologetics (defense of the faith), and Bible study. Some of the DJs would ask for phone-in prayer requests, and then take a time during their program to actually pray for the requests that were called in.

A popular program on Saturday nights in the late 1970s was The Bible Answer Man, hosted by Walter Martin. A Monday through Friday daily broadcast at 9:15 am featured "A quarter-hour-of-encouragement with Brother Roland " (Roland Henderson). Brother Roland became a KYMS staple within six weeks of its first broadcast. A mix of contemporary Christian music (such as Chuck Girard) blended with live call-ins from listeners needing encouragement or simply "praise reports". The tonality of this program was evangelistic, warm and very personal. Brother Roland represented a local church, Crossroads Of Revival, a Pentecostal persuasion. Brother Roland turned the program over to Pastor Chuck Kruse in the spring of 1977.

The feel of the station in this era was not always polished, and never fast-paced, but was intensely sincere, a good match for the style of music that was available for them to play.

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