If you’ve ever sat in a soul-crushing crawl on the 405 or found yourself white-knuckling the steering wheel on the 101, you know the sound. It’s that rhythmic, staccato pulse of "Traffic and Weather on the 5s." For millions of Southern Californians, 1070 AM radio Los Angeles isn't just a frequency on a dial; it’s a survival tool. It’s KNX.
Radio is supposed to be dead, right? People have Spotify. They have podcasts. They have TikTok. Yet, in a city that prides itself on being the future of everything, a massive 50,000-watt transmitter in Torrance keeps pumping out a signal that reaches from the high desert down to the Mexican border.
It’s kinda wild when you think about it.
KNX Newsradio is one of the few remaining all-news stations in the country that actually feels local. Most "local" radio these days is just a guy in a booth in Nashville reading a script for 40 different cities. Not here. When a brush fire kicks up in the Santa Monica Mountains or a water main breaks in Silver Lake, 1070 AM is usually the first place people go. They don't want an algorithm. They want a human being who knows exactly which exit is blocked.
The Massive Reach of 1070 AM Radio Los Angeles
The signal is a beast. Because 1070 kHz is a "clear channel" frequency, KNX doesn't have much interference to deal with. During the day, it blankets the Los Angeles basin, but at night? That’s when the physics of the ionosphere gets interesting. The signal bounces. People have reported picking up 1070 AM radio Los Angeles as far north as Washington State and as far east as the Rockies.
It’s legacy tech that refuses to quit.
Audacy, the company that owns the station, moved the primary branding to 97.1 FM (KNX-FM) a few years back to chase a younger demographic that wouldn't know how to find the AM band if their lives depended on it. But the 1070 AM signal remains the backbone. It’s the "Class A" blowtorch. If the power goes out and the cell towers get jammed—which happens more than we'd like to admit in California—that AM signal is basically the only thing left standing.
Why People Actually Listen
Most listeners aren't tuning in for deep philosophical debates. They want the facts.
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- The Traffic Report: This is the station's bread and butter. In LA, traffic isn't a minor inconvenience; it’s a lifestyle. Hearing a reporter in a helicopter tell you that a ladder fell off a truck on the 5 is more valuable than any GPS app that just shows a red line.
- Local Breaking News: While national outlets are arguing about DC politics, KNX is talking about the LA City Council or the latest LAPD press conference.
- The Sound of Authority: There’s a specific "KNX voice." It’s professional, steady, and slightly urgent. It sounds like Los Angeles.
Honestly, the station has outlasted almost all of its competitors. Remember KFWB? It used to be the "You give us 22 minutes, we'll give you the world" station. Now it's a completely different format. KNX stayed the course. They didn't pivot to "Hot Talk" or partisan shouting matches. They just stayed as the news of record for the Southland.
The History of the 1070 Frequency
You can't talk about 1070 AM radio Los Angeles without acknowledging that it's one of the oldest stations in the United States. It started back in 1920. Think about that. 1920! That’s before the Hollywood sign was built. It was originally a small operation out of someone’s back porch in Hollywood.
By the time CBS bought it in the 1930s, it was a powerhouse.
During the Golden Age of Radio, KNX was where the stars went. It wasn't just news. It was drama, music, and comedy. The legendary Columbia Square building on Sunset Boulevard was its home for decades. If you walk by that building today, it’s been renovated into fancy offices and apartments, but the "KNX" spirit is baked into the walls.
The switch to the all-news format happened in 1968. At the time, people thought it was a gamble. Who wants to hear news 24 hours a day? It turns out, in a city that never stops moving (or getting stuck in traffic), everyone does.
The Modern Identity Crisis (And Survival)
A lot of people ask: "Is AM radio dying?"
The short answer is: maybe, but not yet.
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Car manufacturers like Ford and Tesla tried to stop putting AM radios in their electric vehicles because of electromagnetic interference. There was a huge outcry. Why? Because of stations like 1070 AM. Emergency management officials lost their minds. If there’s an earthquake, you don't want to rely on a 5G signal that might be down. You want a high-power AM transmitter.
KNX has adapted by being everywhere. You can stream it on an app, listen on your smart speaker, or catch the FM simulcast. But the "1070" brand is so strong that people still refer to it by the frequency. It's a verbal shorthand for "what's happening right now."
What Most People Get Wrong About 1070 AM
There’s a misconception that it’s just for "old people."
While the average listener might be older than the average TikTok user, the reach is surprisingly broad. When there’s a major storm or a significant civic event, the numbers spike across all ages. It’s the "utility" factor. You don't "love" your water heater, but you’re sure glad it’s there when you want a shower. KNX is the water heater of LA media.
Another mistake is thinking the news is "slanted." In an era where every news outlet seems to have a political team, KNX manages to stay remarkably down the middle. They don't have the luxury of alienating half their audience when their primary job is telling you how to get to LAX without missing your flight.
Behind the Scenes at the Transmitter
The actual technical side of 1070 AM radio Los Angeles is pretty cool if you're a nerd for old-school engineering. The transmitter site in Torrance uses a directional antenna array. This is why the signal is so much stronger in certain directions. They have to "protect" other stations on the same frequency in other parts of the country.
At night, the power remains high, but the way the signal travels changes.
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If you're driving through the Mojave Desert at 2:00 AM, you can often hear the KNX anchors talking about a shooting in Long Beach as clearly as if you were standing on Ocean Blvd. It’s an eerie, comforting feeling.
Actionable Steps for the Modern Listener
If you’re new to the area or just rediscovered the AM band, here is how to get the most out of it.
- Program it as Preset 1: Seriously. When your phone dies or Waze glitches, you’ll want instant access to the traffic reports.
- Listen on the "5s": You don't need to listen for an hour. If you need a weather update or a traffic check, just tune in at :05, :15, :25, :35, :45, or :55. They are incredibly disciplined about this schedule.
- Use the Smart Speaker Hack: If you’re at home and want to hear local news without turning on the TV, just say, "Play KNX News." It’ll pull the digital stream, which sounds way better than the AM signal but carries the same content.
- Check the Podcasts: KNX produces "In-Depth" segments that actually go into the why of local issues. It’s a good way to catch up on the stuff that isn't just a 30-second soundbite.
The reality is that 1070 AM radio Los Angeles is part of the city's infrastructure. It’s as much a part of the landscape as the palm trees or the smog. It’s survived the rise of television, the birth of the internet, and the explosion of social media.
It survives because it does one thing really well: it tells Los Angeles what is happening right now.
Next time you're stuck on the freeway and the GPS says "20 minutes to destination" but you aren't moving an inch, flip over to 1070. Someone will be there to explain why. They’ll probably be talking about a "sig-alert" or a "stalled vehicle in the carpool lane." It’s not always pretty, but it’s always true.
Stay tuned. The news never stops, and neither does the traffic.
If you want to dive deeper into the technical side of how these 50,000-watt stations operate, look up the FCC's "Clear Channel" designations. It’s a fascinating glimpse into how the government organized the airwaves to make sure the entire country could stay informed during emergencies. Otherwise, just keep that dial set to 1070 and keep your eyes on the road.
Insights for the Road
The longevity of KNX 1070 is a testament to the power of local utility. While national media fractures into echo chambers, local news—especially news centered on the shared misery of traffic—remains a unifying force. To truly understand Los Angeles, you have to hear it. And for over a century, the city has sounded like the 1070 AM frequency. Be sure to check your car's manual if you have a newer EV; you might need to manually enable the AM band or use the integrated broadcast apps to keep this connection alive during your commute.