KOST 103.5 streams adult contemporary hits, soft rock, and love songs live from Los Angeles, California, one of the city's most listened-to FM stations. You can stream it free anytime on Radio Shuffle.
Nearly Seventy Years on the Air
KOST first signed on August 8, 1957, and spent its early decades cycling through several identities, including the call signs KFSG-FM, KPUL, KGLA, and KADS, according to the station's broadcast history. The adult contemporary format Angelenos know today did not arrive until November 15, 1982, when KOST flipped formats and signed on its new sound with "You Can Do Magic" by America as the first song played.
Mark Wallengren and Kim Amidon took over as KOST's morning hosts on February 3, 1986, a partnership that anchored the station's mornings for decades until Wallengren departed in January 2020 amid a round of mass layoffs across the industry.
The Christmas Format That Changed the Industry
KOST's biggest cultural footprint may have nothing to do with its regular adult contemporary rotation at all. In 2001, two months after the September 11 attacks, KOST put an all-Christmas format on the air early in the season, blending holiday standards from Bing Crosby, Frank Sinatra, and Nat King Cole with newer recordings. That decision became what industry coverage has called a genuine format tipping point, with stations across the country following KOST's lead on early, all-Christmas programming in the years since, now one of the most recognizable seasonal radio traditions in the United States.
What You'll Actually Hear
Expect adult contemporary hits, soft rock favorites, and dedicated love song programming blocks for most of the year, then a full seasonal switch to Christmas music that has become as much a Los Angeles tradition as the station's regular format.
KOST 103.5 is free to stream on Radio Shuffle alongside thousands of other stations from around the world. Press play for one of LA radio's longest-running soundtracks.