After what many listeners and people in the industry perceived as a long steady decline in the station's output, attributed by most accounts to the station's decision to bring in consultant Lee Abrams and the strict "album-oriented rock" formatting he favored, KMET management shocked southern California and all of radio by abruptly dumping rock music, the call letters, and the entire air staff on February 14, 1987, becoming KTWV ("The Wave"), featuring a new age format with no DJs at all.

David Perry, Ace Young, Jack Snyder, Damion, and the late personalities B. Mitchel Reed and J. J. Jackson, were also among those identified by their actual "air names".

In July 1995, Ladd and the entire KLSX staff were summarily fired as the station abruptly changed its format to talk radio.

[7] Ladd and his free-form rock music returned to KLOS in 1997 and aired until October 26, 2011, Monday thru Thursday from 10PM to 2AM (PDT) and on Sunday from 9PM to Midnight.

In addition, he produced, wrote, and narrated a number of nationally syndicated programs, including interviews, concert specials and album premieres.

On December 2, 2011, Sirius XM Radio announced that Jim Ladd would host a live, daily free-form music show on Deep Tracks, channel 27 (now 308).