KIISing away the summer days in Balboa

Todd Karella

Nothing says summer fun more than having your very own beach

house, or at least that’s what KIIS-FM (102.7) counted on when it

launched its Summer Beach House promotion on the Balboa Peninsula

earlier this summer.

The radio station has been broadcasting live from the house on

weekends since Memorial Day and plans to continue until its Labor Day

Blowout this weekend.

After spending the last four summers broadcasting from a Venice

Beach location, station officials decided to move to a hipper, cooler

Orange County location.

“And, of course, the most beautiful setting in Orange County is

Newport Beach,” said Vice President of Marketing Von Freeman.

“I love it. It’s a beautiful place with beautiful beaches and a

kick-back attitude,” disc jockey Gary Spears said.

The house is not only for the people who can come down to the

house, but also for the millions of listeners no matter where they

are, station representatives said.

“Radio is a theater of the mind. Most people can’t be at the

beach, so we are trying to bring that feeling to them,” Spears said.

While anyone is welcome to visit the house, some might be hesitant

about taking young children with them because of Bud Light’s

co-sponsorship.

“I couldn’t take my 11-year-old granddaughter, Tabitha, to a

Budweiser house,” said Balboa Peninsula resident Gay Wassall-Kelly

after arriving at the house, which boasts giant signs every weekend

promoting the alcoholic beverage.

However, her mind was changed after spending time there. Tabitha

got to be on the radio, participate in a soda taste test and was

allowed to call her friends on radio-provided cell phones.

“There were lots of kids there, and it was lots of fun,”

Wassall-Kelly said.

Not only is the general public invited to drop by, but celebrities

have too, including the cast of the new Universal Studios movie “Blue

Crush” and Anna Nicole Smith, Spears said.

There are no celebrity events scheduled, but there is nothing

stopping the many celebrities who live in the area from stopping by.

“If you booked someone like ‘N SYNC, you would have 10,000 people

show up,” Freeman said. “We are trying to be careful and not block

the boardwalk or hurt the neighborhood.”

The KIIS-FM Beach House is at 2400 Ocean Front and broadcasts live

from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday and Sunday.