The station switched to the country format on April 5, 2022, five years after having served as a classic hit station and in various other formats previously since going on the air in 1970.
94.5 FM history
Logo used as KFAT from 1975 to January 16, 1983
The facility went on the air in 1970 as KPER-FM at 94.3. The station broadcast in Gilroy with 3,000 watts and was co-owned with KAZA 1290 AM. KAZA and KPER-FM were split in 1973; Entertainment Radio, Inc. bought the FM and changed the call letters to KSND. Entertainment Radio filed to move the station to 94.5 from Loma Prieta Peak, noting that KPFA's grandfathered signal caused interference problems.[3] The FCC agreed. When the new station reemerged in 1975, it became KFAT in a freeformcountry/rock format. In 1976, the station was sold to Wheatstone Bridge Engineering Company, and in 1980, KFAT-Levin Radio acquired the station. KFAT was co-founded by Laura Ellen Hopper, Jeremy Lansman, and Lorenzo Milam, who helped start many of community radio's pioneering stations in the United States.
Harvey Levin, the majority owner of KFAT-Levin Radio, died of cancer in May 1982 at the age of 38,[4] setting in motion a chain of events that would lead to KFAT's demise. Levin had instructed his estate to sell KUIC in Vacaville to pay down debts and fund the continuation of KFAT, but the requested down payment on the Vacaville station was simply too high, and KFAT was sold first. Western Cities Broadcasting paid $3.6 million for the station,[5] providing vastly improved economic results what KFAT was delivering on. On January 17, 1983, KFAT flipped to CHR as KWSS. (Santa Cruz-area station KPIG-FM was heavily inspired by the legacy of KFAT.) KWSS, which moved its studios from Gilroy to San Jose shortly after the sale, was a well-regarded hit music station in the South Bay area. Bill Kelly & Al Kline were morning hosts of the station before moving to KXXX in early 1989. Other known personalities were Steven Seaweed (KLRB, KFAT, KRQR, KSAN), Craig Hunt, John Mack Flanagan (of KFRC), Barry Beck, Larry Morgan (of KIIS-FM), Danny Miller, Tim Anthony, and Dr. Dave Lewis. In late 1986, it was acquired by Nationwide Communications.
The KBAY call letters were originally assigned to a UHF television station (Channel 20), based in San Francisco. It ceased operation after a few years due to the scant number of Bay Area homes in the 1950s with UHF-capable television receivers. Channel 20 returned to the air as KEMO, eventually becoming today's KOFY-TV.
KBAY (then at 100.3 FM), which began broadcasting on 104.5MHz in the 1950s, rose to become the market leader in San Jose and enjoyed a sizable listenership in both the San Jose and San Francisco markets throughout the 1970s and 1980s. Its easy listening format gave way to light jazz instrumentals, and by the early 1990s, pop music was introduced. The Snell family guided the station and its sister station KEEN Country 1370 AM through the decades as United Broadcasting.
The Snells sold their two properties in 1997, and KBAY became a part of the American Radio Systems group, which included KKSJ (the former KEEN), KUFX, and KSJO. Shortly thereafter, a three-way swap of frequencies landed KBAY at 94.5 FM. KBAY then became known as "The Bay" for a couple of years. American Radio Systems sold KBAY to Infinity/CBS in 1999. In the early 2000s, the KBAY identity was replaced by B-94.5, "The Bee". This was an attempt to distance the station from the perceived "stigma" of its earlier life as an "elevator music" station. In September 2003, KBAY's owner CBS-Infinity Radio removed its "World Music" format, called "The Wave", from its 93.3MHz frequency in order for KBAY to simulcast on it. Infinity moved the KBAY studios to San Francisco and 94.5 became legally identified as KBAA. The simulcast experiment lasted only a year much to the relief of its staff, largely from the South Bay. 93.3 was sold and became KRZZ with a Regional Mexican music format, and the KBAY call letters returned to 94.5. CBS-Infinity Radio sold KBAY and its sister station KEZR to NextMedia Group in 2005. Effective February 10, 2014, KBAY, KEZR, and the 31 other NextMedia radio stations nationwide became part of a new broadcasting group headed by Dean Goodman called Digity LLC, an affiliate of Palm Beach Broadcasting, LLC, for a purchase price of $85 million. The company ran about 60 locally programmed stations.
Effective from February 25, 2016, Digity, LLC and its 124 radio stations were acquired by Alpha Media for $264 million.
On December 16, 2016, "Sam and Lissa in the Morning" ended its run on KBAY, as Sam Van Zandt retired, and Lissa Kreisler was let to go from the station. Van Zandt had worked in radio for 50 years, and Kreisler had worked at KBAY for 29 years. The dismissal of Kreisler was much to the disapproval of listeners, and she even stated that she "wanted a few more years." The year 2016 also saw Dana Jang, KBAY program director since 2005, depart, and Ronnie Stanton, who had last worked as program director at Vancouver's CFOX-FM, take over; evening host Nicci Ross also departed the station at the same time and moved to rival KISQ. The changes came as KBAY was facing increasing competition from KOIT and KISQ in the San Francisco market. The two San Francisco stations also appear in San Jose's ratings.
During December 2016, KBAY began running liners promoting "one last present" from the station, to come at 5 p.m. on Christmas Day. Alpha Media announced on December 21 that KBAY would end its adult contemporary format after over 20 years and flip to classic hits as 94.5 Bay FM at that time.[7][8]
In 2018, veteran programmer Dave Numme was appointed Program Director/Content Director for KBAY and its sister station KEZR. About the same time, the stations' studios were moved from downtown San Jose after 20 years to a South San Jose business park. Under Numme's leadership, ratings for "Bay FM" have consistently been number one in San Jose, as well as at the top of San Francisco's ratings for key demographics and dayparts. His on-air staff consists of Bruce Scott in mornings, longtime midday host Jona Denz-Hamilton, and Kirk Peffer in afternoons.[9] Danny Miller later took over the afternoon timeslot and is also a public address announcer for the San Jose Sharks, San Jose Earthquakes and San Francisco 49ers.
In the spring of 2021, KBAY changed its slogan to "The '80s and More" and began to add more '90s songs back to its playlist. New voice imaging was introduced along with the change. KBAY brought back Christmas music for the Holiday season after a 3-year hiatus, in December 2021, dubbing it "94.5 K-Sleigh" for the season, then returned to its Classic Hits format at 9 p.m. on December 25, with the first song being "Sunglasses at Night" by Corey Hart. The music was updated to focus on '80s and '90s hits, with a decreased emphasis on 1970s era songs.[10]
On April 5, 2022, at 3 p.m., after playing "...Baby One More Time" by Britney Spears, KBAY flipped to a country format as Bay Country, dropping live local personalities Bruce Scott mornings and Jona Denz-Hamilton, double-decade midday host. The move came ahead of the sale of KRTY to the Educational Media Foundation (EMF), which resulted in the replacement of its long-time country format with one of its Christian radio networks. The station has been simulcasting on KKDV to cover the Oakland and Berkeley areas since April 6, 2022.[11] The first song on "Bay Country" was "What's Your Country Song" by Thomas Rhett.
KITS is a commercial radio station in San Francisco, California. Owned by Audacy, Inc., it broadcasts an alternative rock radio format known as "Live 105". The studios and offices are co-located with formerly co-owned KPIX-TV on Battery Street in the North Beach district of San Francisco.
KNBR-FM is a commercial radio station licensed to San Francisco, California, serving the greater San Francisco Bay Area. Owned by Cumulus Media, KNBR-FM features a sports radio format in a simulcast with co-owned KNBR. Both stations are the San Francisco affiliates for Infinity Sports Network, the flagship stations for the San Francisco Giants Radio Network and co-flagship stations for the San Francisco 49ers Radio Network. KNBR-AM-FM are the radio home of Greg Papa and Tom Tolbert.
KSAN is a commercial FM radio station licensed to San Mateo, California, and serving the San Francisco Bay Area. It is owned and operated by Cumulus Media and it airs a mainstream classic rock radio format. It also serves as the FM flagship station for the San Francisco 49ers Radio Network. KSAN's studios and offices are located on Battery Street in San Francisco's SoMa district.
KSJO is a commercial radio station licensed to San Jose, California, and broadcasts to the San Francisco Bay Area. KSJO airs a Bollywood music radio format branded as Bolly 92.3. It is owned by Silicon Valley Asian Media Group. The studios and offices are on Hellyer Avenue in San Jose.
KRZZ is a commercial radio station located in San Francisco, California, broadcasting to the San Francisco Bay Area. KRZZ airs a regional Mexican music format branded as "La Raza". The station's studios are located in San Jose just north of downtown, and the transmitter is located in the San Bruno Mountains.
KOIT is a commercial adult contemporary radio station licensed to San Francisco, California. The station has studios along Junipero Serra Boulevard in Daly City, and transmits from Sutro Tower in San Francisco, with a power output of 24,000 watts effective radiated power. The signal can be received throughout the Bay Area with relative ease. There is also a booster station in Martinez, California called KOIT-FM3 that improves the coverage in the Diablo Valley area.
KIOI is a hot AC-formatted radio station licensed to San Francisco, California and owned by iHeartMedia, Inc. The radio studios and offices are in the SoMa district of San Francisco.
KOME was a commercial FM radio station in San Jose, California, broadcasting at 98.5 MHz. KOME was on the air from 1971 through 1998. Currently, the 98.5 FM frequency is home to KUFX "K-Fox", a classic rock station.
KISQ is a commercial radio station licensed to San Francisco. It broadcasts a soft adult contemporary radio format, known as "The Breeze," and is owned by iHeartMedia, Inc. The radio studios and offices are in the SoMa district of San Francisco.
KXSC is a radio station based in Sunnyvale, California, serving the San Francisco Bay Area. It is owned by the University of Southern California and airs a classical music format as a full-time simulcast of KDFC in San Francisco. The station broadcasts in HD.
KKDV is a commercial radio station licensed to Walnut Creek, California, and serving central Contra Costa County. It is owned by Alpha Media and it simulcasts the country music radio format of sister station 94.5 KBAY. KKDV targets listeners in the Diablo Valley who cannot get good reception from KBAY's transmitter in the South Bay. KBAY and KKDV carry The Bobby Bones Show in morning drive time, syndicated from Nashville.
KUFX is a classic rock radio station licensed to San Jose, California. Its studios are located along Junipero Serra Boulevard in Daly City, and the transmitter is located on Blackberry Hill above Los Gatos.
KEZR is a radio station licensed to San Jose, California and serving the San Francisco Bay Area. KEZR airs an Adult Top 40 format and are owned by Alpha Media through the licensee Alpha Media Licensee LLC. Co-owned with KBAY, its studios are located in South San Jose just off US 101 on Hellyer Ave, and the transmitter is based from a site in Santa Teresa County Park.
KBRG is a commercial radio station licensed to San Jose, California, with a Spanish AC radio format. The station is owned by TelevisaUnivision. Its studios are located at 1940 Zanker Road in San Jose, and the transmitter is on Loma Prieta Peak on the Santa Clara/Santa Cruz County line.
KJLV is a radio station in Los Gatos, California, United States, serving the San Jose and Santa Clara Valley area. It is owned by the Educational Media Foundation (EMF) and part of its K-Love network. The primary transmitter is on Blackberry Hill Road in Los Gatos. KJLV also has two booster stations on 95.3 MHz: KJLV-FM1 serving Scotts Valley and KJLV-FM2 at New Almaden.
KMVQ-FM is a commercial radio station licensed to San Francisco, California. It is owned by Salt Lake City–based Bonneville International and it broadcasts a Top 40/CHR format branded as 99.7 Now. The studios are at 2001 Junipero Serra Boulevard in Daly City. KMVQ is one of two Top 40/CHR stations in the San Francisco, the other being iHeartMedia's KYLD.
The year 1996 in radio involved some significant events.
KZSF is a broadcast radio station in the United States. Licensed to San Jose, California, KZSF serves the San Francisco Bay Area and has a regional Mexican music format branded "La Kaliente 1370 AM." The station has been owned by Carlos A. Duharte since 2001.
KRBQ is a classic hip hop radio station in San Francisco, California and owned by Audacy, Inc. The station transmits its signal from Mount Beacon atop the Marin Headlands above Sausalito, California, while studios are located in the KPIX-TV building in the North Beach district of San Francisco.
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