ROCKIN' THROUGH THE YEARS WITH KROQ.

Byline: Fred Shuster Music Writer

``World famous'' KROQ-FM (106.7) finally lived up to its familiar boast by claiming the top seat in the radio ratings, the first time in six years an English-language station finished first in the region.

As a plane swept over rush-hour freeways trailing a banner trumpeting the news the other day, staffers past and present looked forward to Saturday's first-ever KROQ reunion, a night to reminisce about a station with tiny beginnings that became the country's most influential alternative-rock outlet.

``We're going to celebrate the history and growth of a little station that truly went from worst to first,'' said Scott Mason, Infinity Broadcasting's director of engineering for the West Coast. ``KROQ has been a part of the lives of so many people here. Mayor (Jim) Hahn even told me he grew up listening to KROQ. And those of us who've worked there feel we've been part of something special.''

Mason, a KROQ staffer for more than 20 years who still hosts Sunday morning's public-affairs talk fest ``Open Line'' in addition to his engineering duties, says the reunion dinner at the Pasadena Hilton is especially interesting because longtime listeners as well as past and present KROQ employees are expected to attend.

``I thought it would be great if everyone could get together and chat about our experiences,'' said reunion organizer Darrell Wayne, who worked at the station in the late '70s as program director, operations director, chief engineer and afternoon host. ``KROQ has such a diverse history, from Top 40 to progressive-rock to punk to new wave to alternative, so the cast of characters is pretty impressive.''

Among the 200 folks expected to attend Saturday are such familiar names and voices as Rodney Bingenheimer, Jed ``the Fish'' Gould, Gene ``Bean'' Baxter, Sluggo, Mason, Doc on the Roq, Ramondo, Rachael Donahue, Mark Goodman and others.

``Reaction to the reunion has been varied,'' admits Wayne, 45, who works for a Ventura County aerospace company. ``The record companies said, 'Why would we want to get together with a bunch of old DJs?' But the station has been supportive without doing any promotion.''

Wayne said the dinner - which costs $60 for singles and $100 for couples - will include testimonials, audio clips, memorabilia and photos.

``There was a lot of sex, drugs and rock 'n' roll, and people will stand up and tell their stories,'' he said. ``For years, KROQ has been a star factory.''

KROQ program director Kevin Weatherly credits the growth of the top-rated ``Kevin & Bean'' morning show and the Infinity-owned Burbank station's emphasis on new music for its current ratings success.

``We allowed Kevin and Bean time to develop and, beyond that, we've always tried to be cutting edge in terms of exposing new artists,'' he said.

Asked if he would attend Saturday's reunion, Weatherly said he preferred to look forward rather than back.

``KROQ's been around a long time and a lot of great people have been part of it,'' Weatherly said. ``My idea of the good old days was earlier this month when we hit No. 1. But that's just me.''

`KROQ REUNION''

Where: Pasadena Hilton Hotel, International Ballroom, 150 S. Los Robles Ave., Pasadena.

When: 7:30 p.m. Saturday.

Tickets: $60 singles and $100 couples (includes dinner).

Information: [phone] or www.kroqreunion.com.