KNAC 105.5 FM was the first major-market commercial radio station in the United States dedicated entirely to hard rock and heavy metal, flipping to its legendary ‘Pure Rock’ format on January 8, 1986 in Long Beach/Los Angeles, California. For nearly a decade, KNAC championed unsigned and emerging acts alongside established heavyweights, playing a pivotal role in breaking bands such as Metallica, Guns N’ Roses, Megadeth, Pantera, Alice in Chains, and Soundgarden before they achieved mainstream success. The station signed off for the final time on February 15, 1995, but its spirit endured — KNAC relaunched as an online streaming station at knac.com and continues to broadcast pure rock programming.
