If you ever turned on the radio during a late night drive, you’ve probably heard a love song dedication — when listeners call in and send a special message to a loved one. These dedications have a special connection to Southern California.

Los Angeles Times staff writer Julia Carmel joined Lisa McRee on "LA Times Today" to talk about how LA became hopelessly devoted to radio dedication shows. 

Carmel traced radio song dedications back to the 1940s, when Art Leboe would take listeners’ calls and repeat them on air.

“Art Leboe, who was just starting his radio career up by San Francisco, was doing this thing where he was basically putting out his number for callers, taking the calls and then repeating the calls over the air because he didn’t have the technology to actually play them for listeners,” Carmel explained. “People loved it. And when he moved down to Southern California a few years later and out to Palm Springs, he was broadcasting on the only radio station in town. He had a late night spot on the weekends. And so everyone was just listening to him and everyone was calling in and trying to buy this man drinks and talk to him after he got off the show.”

Another famous radio host who plays songs from listeners got her start a few decades later.

“Delilah, who is probably the most nationally recognizable, started in the 1980s up in Seattle and is now the most listened to woman on radio," said Carmel. "She’s still doing that same format where people just call in and tell her stories, and she dedicates love songs for them. Eight million [people tune in] weekly."

The power of the radio deejay was lessened in 1996, when the FCC enacted the Telecommunications Act, which allowed media conglomerates to own several radio stations. Carmel explained the law’s impact.

“That was something that actually ended up flattening out radio personalities because when you have someone overseeing all these stations who’s presenting [what] songs you can play," said Carmel. "It really changes the thing was going on in the 1970s and 1980s, where deejays could really do whatever they wanted for the most part. They could do any show format, they could play whatever music. And now, there are only a few of these deejays left doing this full time."

Click the arrow above to watch the full interview.

Watch "LA Times Today" at 7 and 10 p.m. Monday through Friday on Spectrum News 1 and the Spectrum News app.