Instead of simulcasting KOB, KOB-FM featured a completely automated format, operating from 6:30 a.m. to midnight. It played "modern, stereophonic music performed by the top recording artists of the day". Selections included "bright uptempo sounds" in the morning. Jazz and light classical music were heard in the evenings. KOB-FM was the first station to broadcast from atop Sandia Crest. The broadcast range at the time was determined to be about 150 miles. Management stated: "The decision to program from the transmitter atop the mountain stems from the fact that stereophonic programming material relayed to a transmitter via microwave results in a reproduction of lower sound quality". From the late 1960s until 1981, KOB-FM carried a beautiful music format, still largely automated.
