Showing posts with label Oldies. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Oldies. Show all posts

Monday, June 1, 2026

Rock Radio 50 Years Ago ♪ June 1976

 You Feelin’ It? Summer’s Rockin’ Good Vibrations  

The late 1970s gave us a diverse mix of music and varieties on the Pop charts. Take your pick … Hard Rock, Heavy Metal, and Disco, blended our senses to join mainstream Pop Rock and old Rock & Roll style as Psychedelia blew our minds.

From Diana Ross to Queen, McCartney & Wings to John Travolta and Todd Rundgren, our Summer music of June 1976 heated up the airwaves and miraculously, I’m beginning my Summer with a full article ON the 1st! Albeit, we need a few more fun images, but they’ll be along in a couple of days. In the meantime, enjoy50 Years Ago this Month   

º JUNE 1976 Radio News & Muse   
What was your fave DJ playing when you turned on your tinny transistor radio 50 Years Ago? Two powerhouse West Coast Radio stations ruled the SoCal music scene. You’re going to see a lot of Callie Radio charts in coming months and years.
       Yep, it’s my home and dictated what stations I was most interested in when collecting the vintage charts years before I wrote the BFYP books or began this monthly article. I will, however, lean on the stalwart ARSA collections to bring you a little variety throughout the national Radio spectrum—um, except for this month.
       Hopefully, you Rock & Roll fans east of the Rockies won’t get too bored. Perhaps compare our tastes with yours …  

June 1976 brought a variety of talent to the airwaves as well as the music. B-100 KFMB/San Diego, California, begins its rise to Rock & Roll fame with ultimate program director, Bobby Rich, attracting up-and-coming DJs like Shotgun Tom Kelly and this month, Dave Conley, just in the first two years.
       Shotgun will be featured on August ’76’s cover in that month’s article, and in our hearts, as he prepares to be inducted into the Radio Hall of Fame this October 8th. Learn of his early rise to Rock Radio stardom in Blast From Your Past’s Rock & Roll Radio DJs: The Swinging Sixties.

B-100’s dial position, at 100.7, was originally a far cry from Rock, having soothed your senses first, with Beautiful Music before its flip to Top 40. But Top 40 was popular and in with the in-crowd. Beginning in 1975, Rock was home for nearly twenty years. The new "Better Boogie" station reportedly came to be the first FM station to reach #1 in a major media market. But times changed and so did its format—a couple of times—until now, it rests with Regional Mexican & KFBG. 

In its best days DJ Dave Conley was in full bushy-beard mode for fans of B-100/KFMB-FM, on the cover of Chart #59, June 3, 1976. He and Shotgun Tom Kelly had worked together a couple of times beginning around 1970 and is credited with contributing to Shotgun’s name fame. I could only spot bits and pieces in researching Dave’s history, apparently known as “San Diego’s Favorite Lady’s Man.” 
       Ironically, most of the comments were of him at KHJ a few years earlier. If you’d like to hear archived segments of him in action at KCBQ/San Diego (also a few years earlier), it’s available by
RetroRadioJoe on Mix Cloud. Report is, Dave passed into Radio Heaven in 2005.  

Although B-100 battled for San Diego’s top spot against the legendary KCBQ in 1976, it still took second to renowned KHJ/Los Angeles. As our June 22, 1976 Featured Radio Survey, KHJ sported the infamous Machine Gun Kelly on the cover of Issue No. 572.
       Really? “Machine Gun”? And yes, it was partly in deference to the original infamous gangster, “
George Machine Gun Kelly,” from the Prohibition Era. Who was DJ Machine Gun Kelly, really? Gary D. Sinclair from Ada, Oklahoma. And as an actor, just call him Michael Gary “M.G.” Kelly.
       By this time, Kelly had been behind the mic at KHJ for a couple of years and feeling its waning popularity, eventually jumping ship to rival station KTNQ in 1978.
       KHJ has had a complicated history since its 1922 inception. A lot of frequency, call sign and format switches. During the 1960s’ Boss Radio years, KHJ was instrumental in Boss Jocks’ careers that made them broadcast stars. But by 1980, their Top 40 format spun around to a boot-scootin’ Country music crowd. Ah, but wait! That only lasted six years … you may know it now, as the powerhouse classic hits station, KRTH (K-Earth 101).  

Enjoy the memories of what and who you were listening to while you sunbathed … 50 Years Ago this Month! 

June 10th: Were you there?! Did you wait with bated breath for Paul McCartney to step on stage in the U.S. for one of his first American concerts in ten years? He broke the mold on this day in 1976 when he brought his new band, WINGS on stage in the Kingdome, Seattle, Washington. With 67,000+ fans, McCartney & WINGS grabbed the record for highest attendance in an indoor concert, to date. Whether as a Beatle, flying solo or with WINGS, McCartney is always his best on stage … 

June 17th: Who remembers Blondie, one of the early eclectic bands of the ‘70s, known for mixing and matching music genres? Their debut single, “X Offender” released today in 1976 from their self-titled first album, had moderate success, but it wasn’t ‘til their 1979 third album that US music fans embraced them en masse, with “Heart of Glass.”

June 18th: While this isn’t a US music milestone, it was too good to pass up. On this day, the night before King Carl XVI Gustaf, reigning king of Sweden was to marry Silvia Sommerlath and make her his queen, ABBA performed their soon-to-be hit tune, “Dancing Queen” for the first time, on Swedish television. How cool is that?! It was released in August for distribution. Anni-Frid Synni Lyngstad, a founding member of ABBA, performed the song in a cappella for the queen’s 50th birthday in 1993.

June 1976 Song of Note  
Good, good, good … good vibrations Summer vibes reverberate off the SoCal ocean waves. Did we have a time warp? Are we back in the surreal surf music of after-summer October 1966? Not exactly. 1) It isn’t The Beach Boys moving “Good Vibrationsup the Radio chart, but (2) Todd Rundgren, faithfully reproducing the ultimate summer feel-good song as a force of musical nature in his own right, ten years later. June 1976 it was chugging up the chart at #18 with San Diego’s B-100 KFMB fans, topping out at #2 in early July.
       Generally, I like to find a YouTube rendition of the Song of Note, in a live performance, around the time it was popular. However, there seemed to be no live Todd Rundgren version, so hope you enjoy an original of The Beach Boys played over great ‘70s-era “day-in-the-life” pictures of a happening concert.
       An infamous Brian Wilson composition with Mike Love lyrics, “Good Vibrations” in the ‘60s was ahead of its time, taking us into the late ‘70s’ with a natural vibe of Rock, Pop and Psychedelia. The Beach Boys did the heavy lifting in creating an intricate arrangement that not many could imitate. Later, a few brave artists attempted remakes in their own style, but only Rundgren’s replication made it as another commercial success.
       At least, in the West. I spent waaaay too much time researching across the nation and could not find Rundgren’s hit version listed anywhere else on Top 40 charts. Ah well …we were either way ahead of the hits, way behind the hits, or makin’ hits on our own … and here we are, 50 Years Later
   I'm picking up good vibrations | She's giving me excitations | Good bop bop, good vibrations    

June 2026 Music Events & More    
We can Rock our “Good Vibrations” and dream of surf and sand in June’s International Surf Music Month! The sponsor link is to a terrific surf organization in Connecticut, and I recognize their enthusiasm for surfing and the music that surrounds it. And intellectually, I know the East Coast has its own hang-ten culture, however, I can’t help thinking that California is surf music “home.”

       We can all agree, though, that June is also a great time to reconnect with your portable Radio—perhaps on the beach—for National DJ Month! As the sponsor, Music Talkers says, “Whether broadcasting to listeners on the radio, engaging TV audiences or just setting the mood of a party … the DJ is an essential part of our culture.” I can vouch for that—and did—in two books about Rock Radio DJs’ pioneering days.

The Summer sun, surf music and your Rock’n Radio, sets the Summer mood, no matter where you are, or what digital or terrestrial Radio station you’re tuned to …

June 20th: It’s great to see worldwide support for International Surfing Day! Wikipedia is actually the primary history link for the day, with a fun UK neighbor link. The day itself, was established by Malibu, California’s, Surfrider Foundation and the now-defunct, Surfing Magazine, a full 21 years ago, in 2005. Celebrate! Find a beach to watch the sunset surfers, or join them!   

June 25th: This is truly, originally, a love letter from superfan, Faith Cohen, when she established Global Beatles Day in 2009. A literal lifelong advocate for the Fab Four, her effort to establish this day as a global “… love letter from the world to The Beatles,” has indeed, progressed to a global level. See what you can do with your fun and worthwhile obsessions?! Enjoy the music, the memories, and the four talented teens who changed our lives, whether we know it or not.
      
I wasn’t always a Beatles fan like Ms. Cohen … but that changed when they came to San Francisco and has never waivered since. It’s been a “Long and Winding Road.” I’ll play my vintage Beatles records on the 25th. How about you?

BFYP Featured Radio Survey    
June 22, 1976 ~ KHJ/Los Angeles, California, Issue No. 572 … this month’s vintage radio music chart tells you to “Get Up & Boogie,” have an “Afternoon Delight,” and if all else fails, “Kiss and Say Goodbye,” “If You Know What I Mean.” Oh, I’m just having too much fun with the hot Summer tunes of yesteryear, how’s about you? Do you recall the classically handsome and wildly popular DJ Machine Gun Kelly pictured on the cover, kicking off “The Beach Boys Weekend” … “More Summer for You Times Two on 93/KHJ”? … 50 Years Ago this Month in Rock & Roll Radio! Where were you that groovy day when your radio played 

Rock JUNE 1976 and Rock Out & Feel the Vibes!  

BFYP Book 1 (1954-1959) on Amazon         
BFYP Book 2 (Swinging ‘60s) on Amazon  
Blast from Your Past Gifts  
Share your Golden Oldies R&R fun on X: @BlastFromPastBk 

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LinDee Rochelle is a writer and editor by trade, and author by way of Rock & Roll. Two books (of three planned) are published in her Blast from Your PastTM series, available on Amazon: Book 1Rock & Roll Radio DJs: The First Five Years 1954-1959TM (eBook only; coming soon in updated print edition) and Book 2Rock & Roll Radio DJs: The Swinging SixtiesTM (eBook & print). Coming soon-ish … Book 3The Psychedelic Seventies!TM 

Note: FYI – All links in the BFYP site are personally visited, verified, and vetted. Most are linked to commonly accessed sites of reputable note. Occasionally, since I often feature real people and/or singular sources there may be an unsecured link. As with everything cyber-security, use at your own discretion and risk. This site is wholly owned by LinDee Rochelle & sponsored by PenchantForPenning.comTM. No compensation is received for any mentions of businesses, products, or other commercial interests. *All holiday and special event days are found at Brownielocks.com’s calendar site. Enjoy! 
            RE: AI – The Blast from Your Past site has never and will never (knowingly) be written or assisted, by Artificial Intelligence. It’s just stupid ol’ “I” and I enjoy writing these articles. They soothe my soul. So why would I hand that indulgence over to an artificial, soulless entity that can’t feel pleasure?!

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Friday, August 1, 2025

Rock Radio 50 Years Ago ~ August 1975

Endless Summer of Rockin’ Radio Miracles   

Well, here we are, the 11th of the month—latest this article has ever been. So, I’ve progressed from elevated and iced foot to a post-op shoe. Still aggravating, but at least more mobile. Never thought a toe could cause so much irritation.

Our final super-fun “Endless Summer” article includes an in-depth look at one of our pioneering Rock Radio DJs, plus all the regulars … Song of Note, Featured Radio Survey and … okay, I’ll shut up and get on with August 197550 Years Ago this Month 

Hot Summer nights were made for Rock & Roll music. Or is it vice versa? I have the distinct pleasure of being old enough to enjoy memories of August 1975 … and just so ya know (if you’re not “of a certain age”), sex, drugs, and Rock & Roll were all right there with me! And so was Radio …
       My jam-packed issue of Blast from Your Past ~ 50 Years Ago this Month features a trio of dynamite Rockin’ music charts from which only one can emerge as the month’s
Featured Radio Survey. No mean feat to choose; will you agree with my fave? Before we check ‘em out, let’s see what was riding high in music news 50 Years Ago

º August 1975 Radio News & Muse  

August 4th: The Led Zeppelin we all know and love, was nearly extinguished at the height of their popularity, on this date 50 Years Ago. Were you a zealous fan (and there were/are many) who anguished over the news of Robert Plant and family’s auto accident on an idyllic, but isolated island of Greece?
       Zep’s August 8th
press release of cancelled concerts is an item of historical interest on their website today, telling of the accident that fortunately was not fatal; however, it put the band’s future at stake. By the end of September, Plant was rolling around stage in a wheelchair, but not quite ready to perform.
       To keep them in your minds and hearts,
Wolfman Jack’s Midnight Special November 14th aired a tribute show for Led Zeppelin, with a previously recorded Plant interview (March ’75). Still, no tour plans were considered until Plant was fully healed. Obviously, that eventually happened, and Zeppelin fans breathed a sigh of relief in coming months. 

August 5th: A historic date in popular music, as Stevie Wonder, known by family as Stevland Hardaway Morris (né Judkins), signed a monumental contract, re-upping with Motown Records, to the tune of a $13 million advance. Although, there was trouble in music paradise, as reportedly, the deal wasn’t finalized until April 1976.  

August 9th: Fancy that, on this day, with the lead tune from their newest album, Main Course, at the top of charts, the Bee Gees’ comeback was complete when “Jive Talkin’” hit the one-million-sales mark for a platinum honor. The momentum inspired them all the way through the ‘70s.  

On Your Tinny Transistor Radio  
Where were you sippin’ your Endless Summer smoothie 1975? Join us this month as we explore the West Coast ocean waves and airwaves in Sacramento, California, up to Portland, Oregon, and all the way back down to the surf in San Diego! Three dynamic radio stations vie for Featured Radio Survey – which will grab the honor? Here’s a sample of what and who you were listening to August 1975

When I scored the vintage radio survey for KNDE/Sacramento, California, back in 2011, I had no idea just how great a find it was! Even the venerable WIKI doesn’t have proper info on the station, like I found on general radio history sites, including the link above. That link is only a paragraph on KNDE, but filled in the gaps of yet another convoluted station background. It began as a Progressive Rock station, eventually morphing into the Top 40 format.

       More importantly, I learned that DJ Neale Blase, who’s in my BFYP Book 2: The Swinging Sixties, floated into KNDE and helped it reign supreme in Sacto area Rock, 1973- until its unnoticed demise,” obviously after the Fall of 1975. Neale had a way of slipping in and out of radio stations like going through a revolving door. In fact, his own book, reflects his self-named career, Radio on the Run: Hired 40 Times … Fired 22. The August 27, 1975 “Rock KANDIE 147” 1470 on your dial, sports iconic art of the Psychedelic Seventies and a Top 30 list of hits. On the front, the “Rock Pile” and inside at #1? “Fallin’ In Love” by H.J.F. and Reynolds—better known as Hamilton, Joe Frank & Reynolds. (Follow the link and note the unmistakable Playboy logo on the album cover. Yep, Playboy anything was popular then, including Playboy Records label.)  

As we scoot up the coast to Portland, Oregon, it’s with heavy hearts and misty eyes, we peruse the KISN 91 radio survey and its early image of Black Sabbath and Ozzy Osbourne at the height of their run, lounging on the cover. A simple review of history has turned into a tribute to Ozzy, our self-proclaimed “Prince of Darkness,” with his July 22, 2025, rise to Rock & Roll Heaven. R.I.P. His Back to the Beginning concert event July 5, 2025, raised $184,907,335.01 (£140 million) for charity. Giving back before he even left. Awesome. 
       
Apparently, Portland’s first Top 40 station in 1960, KISN continued to generate Rock & Roll heat through the years, attracting great air talent like "The Real" Don Steele. Sadly, the station took a direct hit as a property owned by Star Stations, which reportedly battled corruption issues in Indiana during the early ‘70s. It all came to a head in 1975 and the FCC shuttered all Star Stations, requesting termination of broadcasting by September 2nd. So the August 26, 1975, survey may well be their last hurrah.

Finally, slip-sliding down to San Diego, we finish our Endless Summer with August’s Featured Radio Survey, and San Diego’s celebrated Top 40 station, KCBQ, August 25, 1975
       Who recalls the
Jerry Lewis MDA Labor Day Telethons that raised millions each year for muscular dystrophy? The annual event was beloved by many and played a vital role in the charity’s funding. This month’s vintage KCBQ/San Diego, California, survey features hotshot DJ of the SoCal Radio airwaves, Shotgun Tom Kelly on the cover, with the incomparable Jerry Lewis (1926-2017).
       Inside the 1170AM music chart, Issue #230, are San Diego’s Top 20 hits of the day, a list of top fifteen albums, and a tell-all set of lyrics to David Bowie’s “Fame,” that seemingly gnawed at his sanity.
       KCBQ was at the height of its Rock station status, becoming a SoCal icon by 1975. Many super-power DJs took over its studios and Rocked your world. Says the Historical Marker Data Base, 1958—1978: During this period, KCBQ AM 1170 was one of the best known and imitated radio stations in the broadcast industry.
This takes you to a brief history and plaque dedication, with many of the Top 40 personalities’ names engraved on it. Is your fave there? Shotgun Tom Kelly spearheaded the campaign for a monument and along with his name, you’ll find etched in stone, Bill Gardner, Scotty Day, Happy Hare, Jack Vincent, Jimmy Rabbit,
Rich “Brother” Robin
, Neil Ross, Bob Shannon, Charlie Tuna, Casey B. Quack, Phil Roberts,
William F. Williams, and SO many more! (Bold and linked names are in BFYP books!)
       Follow this link to DJ Shotgun Tom Kelly’s BFYP Swinging Sixties book excerpt and MORE fun trivia on San Diego’s own Walk of Fame DJ! (
The Answer San Diego (KCBQ-AM) is now owned and operated by Salem Media Group, with talk, news and music programming.
       What super song had San Diegans voted to top of the August 25, 1975, KCBQ chart? The Bee Gees’ “Jive Talkin’” was again #1, with seven weeks on their Top 20!
With all your jive-talkin', you're telling me lies, yeah | Jive-talkin', you wear a disguise   

Shotgun Tom isn’t our only celeb DJ here. BFYP’s DJ emeritus, Bill Gardner, predates Tom a bit. He too, was into radio, even as a young’un, and served as a mentor for his two younger DJ brothers. August marks a momentous event for Bill and American Rock Radio. “This is an anniversary!” says Bill on his website, “It was 60 years ago this week that America got the FIRST FM Top 40 station, as I launched KLZ-FM/Denver!” (FYI, Bill’s posts change every Friday. But he's having too much fun with KLZ--again; so he says you can enjoy his AM/FM memories all month!)  

       You read it right—FM. Up until that moment on August 4, 1965, all Rock Radio stations were on the AM band only. Bill’s story is delightful—and it’s short! Go read more like, “I still remember the first song I ever played that day.... "California Girls" by the Beach Boys.” Ten years later, by 1975, FM had exploded, with Rock and Roll taking over the radio band that had once carried “beautiful music,” classical strings, or soft jazz.
       Though we know we’re only “
39 and Holding,” at times it’s often difficult to believe we had a life before old age set in. As Bill said recently, “… the picture of me there has lots of dark brown hair and looks like plenty of Brylcreem too. Yeesh.” 

August ’75 Song of Note
Christmas isn’t the only time of year for miracles. We often have them in our Endless Summers, like
Jefferson Starship’sMiracles,’ written by Starship member, Marty Balin. (Warning! This is the long version, nearly 7 minutes of undeniably awesome ‘70s Rock; it was shortened for radio play.) For KCBQ fans, it’s sitting at #8, after a healthy leap up its Top 20 chart from #16 the previous week, but wasn’t on the KISN/Portland chart at all, and only just made its debut at #29 for listeners at KNDE/Sacramento.
      
“Miracles” is not a song of marvels and phenomena, but love, pure and simple in all its forms, perfect for a Summer crush. It swings from ethereal love to valentine love to erotic love in one swift movement I can hear windmills and rainbows | Whenever you're talkin' to me | I feel like swirling and dancin' | Whenever you're walking with me  
       Of course, we know the band began as Jefferson Airplane and that entity notwithstanding, “Miracles” helped bring the next generation of Jefferson Starship into full stardom. Grace (Slick) and Marty interpreted the lyrics perfectly, paying tribute to Marty’s love of the moment. Give yourself a break. Listen to “Miracles” and daydream how you can manifest your own Summer Love. If only you believe in miracles, baby | So would I   

August 2025 Music Events & More    

Friday ~ August 8th – 16th: Who recalls a dynamic Elvis in Blue Hawaii? The movie was a quintessential expression of America’s 50th state in eternal Summer Love. Surely, if you check out the Elvis website you can’t help to enjoy memories of Summer Love during Elvis Week! Just think … a warm August night, a bright full moon, your Summer Love, and you!

Tuesday ~ August 12th: It’s time to dig your ol’ phonograph out of storage, lovingly pull out your 45s or albums, and make a date with your Oldies! It’s Vinyl Record Day! For some stupid reason, the original sponsor of this day has disappeared. But we found a great article for you in the link above —especially if you don’t know what a vinyl record is (!).
       Yes, I know new artists are making vinyl recordings again, but they’re nothing like the originals that are still making memories today.

Wednesday ~ August 20th: Technically sponsored by a Wiki page, National Radio Day is claimed by WWJ/Detroit, Michigan, which purports to be “… the ‘World's First Station’ and where ‘commercial radio broadcasting began’ … however, there are reportedly four stations vying for that auspicious title: WWJ, KDKA/Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, WHA/Madison, Wisconsin and KCBS/San Francisco, California. Take your pick!

Friday ~ August 29th: Holy Margaritaville! It’s Jimmy Buffet Day! We still miss the world’s favorite and now, eternal, surf bum (1946-2023). Talk about an island state of mind … he used to put me in one often. Beginning as a troubadour on the streets of New Orleans in the late 1960s, Jimmy released “A Pirate Looks at Forty” in February 1975. He didn’t even turn 30 ‘til Dec. 1976. Guess he was feeling older … Have you ever felt Yes I am a pirate, two hundred years too late | The cannons don't thunder, there's nothin' to plunder | I'm an over-forty victim of fate   

BFYP Featured Radio Survey August 25, 1975 ~ KCBQ/San Diego, California. A silly quirk of radio stations back in the day, was to alter their music charts with their call letters inserted into a Top 10 song’s title or artist name. This month, listed at #3 on the “Q Hits” list was “Get Down Tonight,” by KCBQ Sunshine Band (KC & the Sunshine Band). Do a little dance, make a little love | Get down tonight  50 Years Ago this Month in Rock & Roll Radio! Where were you that groovy day when your radio played

Let’s Enjoy AUGUST 1975 and Rock our Endless Summer Hits!  

BFYP Book 1 (1954-1959) on Amazon         
BFYP Book 2 (Swinging ‘60s) on Amazon 
Blast from Your Past Gifts 
Share your Golden Oldies R&R fun on X: @BlastFromPastBk 

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LinDee Rochelle is a writer and editor by trade, and author by way of Rock & Roll. Two books (of three planned) are published in her Blast from Your PastTM series, available on Amazon: Book 1Rock & Roll Radio DJs: The First Five Years 1954-1959TM (eBook only; coming soon in updated print edition) and Book 2Rock & Roll Radio DJs: The Swinging SixtiesTM (eBook & print). Coming soon-ish … Book 3The Psychedelic Seventies!TM 

Note: FYI – All links in the BFYP site are personally visited, verified, and vetted. Most are linked to commonly accessed sites of reputable note. Occasionally, since I often feature real people and/or singular sources there may be an unsecured link. As with everything cyber-security, use at your own discretion and risk. This site is wholly owned by LinDee Rochelle & sponsored by PenchantForPenning.comTM. No compensation is received for any mentions of businesses, products, or other commercial interests. *All holiday and special event days are found at Brownielocks.com’s calendar site. Enjoy! 
            01/01/25: The Blast from Your Past site has never and will never (knowingly) be written or assisted, by Artificial Intelligence. It’s just stupid ol’ “I” and I enjoy writing these articles. They soothe my soul. So why would I hand that indulgence over to an artificial, soulless entity that can’t feel pleasure?!

Partial post 08/01/25: Yep, late again. … this time, it’s even more aggravating for me than it is for you. I broke my toe. Now, it’s just a toe, so you wouldn’t think it would be a big deal. Without going into detail, and not posting a sad photo of me with my foot elevated in an orthopedic “shoe,” suffice it to say, I’m lagging.

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