This article is about the current station at FM 106.9. For the history of KFRC AM 610 and its FM simulcasts, see KFRC (610 AM). For KFRC-FM as "Movin' 99.7", see KMVQ-FM.
HD1 is a digital simulcast of the 106.9 FM analog signal.
HD2 was a Classic hits format, which was previously carried as the only signal on standard analog FM. It was turned off in early 2023, as part of a company-wide cost cutting measure.[2]
On December 10, 1959, the station, owned by San Francisco businessman and future San Francisco/Golden State Warriors owner Franklin Mieuli, signed on at 106.9MHz with the KPUP call letters. It was one of two Bay Area stations to sign on that day: three hours later, KWME in Walnut Creek began broadcasting.[3] In July 1960, the call letters were changed to KHIP, and the station aired jazz music programming.[4]
Mieuli sold KHIP on July 1, 1962, to Leon Crosby, who had previously owned KHYD in Hayward. Under Crosby's ownership, the station began operating in multiplex stereo, and the call letters were changed to KMPX, for "multiplex", the following month. Soon after, Crosby gained authorization by the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) to increase the station's power from the original 37,000 watts to 80,000 watts.[5]
By mid-1964, KMPX was airing a middle of the road music format. As the money-strapped station struggled, the schedule became dominated by various brokered foreign language programs by 1966.
The birth of freeform rock radio
First anniversary of freeform rock at Winterland Arena, held in 1968
Though KMPX's daytime schedule was heavy with ethnic programming, the midnight-6 AM slot was open. On February 12, 1967, on-air personality Larry Miller was given the shift, where he played his preferred folk rock music programming.[6] The popularity of what Larry Miller was doing caught on very rapidly and soon the daytime foreign language programming gave way to more rock music programming, due to the efforts of newly hired Tom Donahue. The rock music format expanded to full-time on August 6, 1967, as the last of the foreign-language program contracts expired.
In November 1967, Donahue was hired to bring the progressive rock to KMPX's sister station in Southern California, KPPC-FM. The difficulties of managing two stations and friction between Donahue and Crosby led to Donahue's resignation, followed by a strike by the loyal Donahue-led KMPX and KPPC staff on March 18, 1968,[8] principally over the DJs wanting more freedom over the songs played on the stations.[9] The DJs organized as the Amalgamated Federation of International FM Workers of the World, operating out of a ferry boat.[10] Crosby hired replacements, negotiations broke down, and the former KMPX and KPPC staffers were eventually hired by Metromedia at their stations KSAN in San Francisco and KMET in Los Angeles, both adopting the freeform progressive album-oriented rock format pioneered at KMPX and KPPC.
In 1969, KMPX and KPPC-AM-FM were sold by the Crosby-Pacific Broadcasting Company to National Science Network, Inc. in a $1.2 million transaction.[11] They continued with the freeform format, though it was tweaked over the next several years. Crosby eventually purchased a local television station, KEMO, channel 20.[12]
When Ludwig Wolfgang Frohlich,[14] the owner of National Science Network died, his estate explored various opportunities to sell the station. In 1973, a sale to KMPX, Inc.—a subsidiary of the Burbank Broadcasting Company, which bought KPPC-FM[15]—failed. A 1975 offer from film director Francis Ford Coppola to purchase KMPX for $870,000 was not consummated[5] because of problems at one of Coppola's other businesses.[16]
The company finally found a buyer in 1976, when Family Radio, owner of KEAR (97.3 FM), struck a deal to purchase the station for $1 million.[16] In accordance with FCC ownership guidelines at the time, Family Radio sold their station at 97.3 to CBS Inc. for $2 million, and CBS in turn sold their lower-powered station at 98.9 MHz to a Black-owned local company, Golden Gate Radio, for $850,000. The sale, though, caused controversy among a group of dedicated KMPX listeners, organized as the KMPX Listeners Guild. Their objections, backed by petitions signed by more than 20,000 listeners, held up the sale at the FCC and ended in a 1978 settlement where Golden Gate would take over the KMPX call letters and format on its own station.[17] Golden Gate also would operate from the former KMPX studios.[16] The three-way switch occurred September 13, 1978, with 106.9 becoming the new location of KEAR's religious format.[18]
From October 4, 1978, to October 17, 2005, 106.9 served as Family Radio's flagship Christian radio station. KEAR's programming was also syndicated to the company's other radio outlets across the country.
CBS entered the picture once again in April 2005, when parent company Viacom struck a deal with Family Radio to trade their strong-signaled AM facility, KFRC (610 AM), for the 106.9MHz facility. Until CBS was able to install their own programming on 106.9 FM, KEAR simulcast on both frequencies. The Oakland Athleticsbaseball team had a contract with KFRC to carry its games; therefore, Family Radio carried the games on 610 AM until the end of the team's 2005 season. After the baseball broadcasts concluded in October 2005, 610 AM dropped the KFRC call sign and became KEAR, while 106.9 FM became KIFR, with a new format to follow after a period of stunting.
On October 25, 2005, the Free FMtalk radio format was launched, as the station began carrying the Tom Leykis and John and Jeff shows. In addition, KIFR added locally based talk shows from The Dog House, John London, Darien O'Toole, Turi Ryder, Johnny Wendell and Scott and Casey.
When CBS' post-Howard Stern morning show strategy began in January 2006, KIFR picked up the new The Adam Carolla Show from Adam Carolla.
Weekday evenings, then middays were hosted by Chris Daniel and Brad Giese, who came together on air as the topical call-in show The Gray Area. Documentary filmmaker and San Francisco socialite Emily Morse hosted Sex With Emily, a show that started as a podcast, late Saturday nights.[19]
"On The Couch with Drew and Marcus" was a weekend show on Free FM. It was a college show at San Francisco State and became a weekend staple for Free FM. All the shows can be found online at www.drewandmarcus.com.
"Gamer!" was a one-hour weekend radio show that aired on Saturday mornings on KIFR that highlighted the world of video gaming. Hosted by Karlenea B and Keith Williams, they had interviews with video game makers, players, and other people of interest to the video gaming world.
On August 1, 2006, Opie and Anthony started airing on the station on a tape delay basis from 10 AM-1 PM.
KIFR and the Free FM format included a strong online emphasis via the 106.9 Free FM website.[20] Podcasting, online streaming, and interactive features provides a bridge between the traditional talk radio format and the "on-demand" features of developing new media.
On October 30, 2006, CBS Radio and the Oakland Athletics agreed to a three-year contract to broadcast Oakland Athletics baseball games, 162 regular season games and 15 spring training games, and all playoff games. The contract lasted through 2009 and noted 106.9 as the "official radio home of the Oakland A's."[21]
Revival of KFRC
On May 17, 2007, following that day's game between the Oakland A's and the Kansas City Royals, CBS Radio moved the KFRC call letters from 99.7 FM to 106.9 FM, and changed 106.9 FM's format to classic hits. At the time of 610 KFRC's sale to Family Radio, 99.7 FM and 610 AM had been simulcasting a similar format, also under the KFRC call letters. 106.9 FM's format change served as a revival of this format. Local management announced that some of the Free FM shows and hosts, such as Carolla, Leykis, and Opie and Anthony, would move to KYCY 1550 AM. 99.7 FM would receive the new call letters KMVQ. (KYCY would subsequently be replaced on January 1, 2009, with a version of KFRC affiliated with The True Oldies Channel, which was itself discontinued on August 31, 2011, in favor of Indian programming as KZDG.)
Simulcast of KCBS
On October 27, 2008, at 7:40a.m., after playing "Don't Stop Believin'" by Journey, and a 6+1⁄2-minute montage of famous events and songs from the 20th century, CBS Radio replaced KFRC's Classic Hits format with a simulcast of its all news AM station, KCBS.[22] KFRC continues to broadcast classic hits on KFRC-FM HD2. The station's calls were not converted to KCBS-FM, because its Los Angeles sister adult hits station on 93.1 holds those calls, and Nielsen Audio's Portable People Meter ratings system does not require call letter verification by panelists. CBS Radio retained the calls to keep control of the historic callsign rather than risk having another Bay Area station take them and trade on their nine-decade heritage in the area. KFRC's call letters are only mentioned in form of station identification as "KCBS-AM, KFRC-FM and HD1, San Francisco, Oakland, San Jose" at :59 past the hour.
On February 2, 2017, CBS Radio announced it would merge with Entercom.[23] KFRC-FM, along with KCBS, KITS, KLLC and KZDG were retained by Entercom, while KMVQ was placed in a divestiture trust (along with Entercom's KOIT, KBLX and KUFX) in preparation of a sale to a permanent owner. The merger was approved on November 9, 2017, and was consummated on November 17.[24][25]
Booster
KFRC-FM is rebroadcast on the following FM Booster:
KCBS is an all-news AM radio station located in San Francisco, California. It is owned by Audacy, Inc., which took over after its merger with CBS Radio.
KCBS-FM is a commercial radio station in Los Angeles, California, serving Greater Los Angeles. It is owned by Audacy, Inc., and broadcasts an adult hits music format branded as "93.1 Jack FM".
KMET was a Los Angeles FM radio station owned by Metromedia that broadcast at 94.7 MHz beginning on May 2, 1966. It signed off permanently on February 14, 1987 after a 21-year run on air. The station, nicknamed "The Mighty Met", was a pioneering station of the "underground" progressive rock format.
KLLC is a commercial radio station located in San Francisco, California, broadcasting to the San Francisco Bay Area. The station is owned by Audacy, Inc. Its transmitter is off Wolfback Ridge Road on Mount Beacon in the Marin Headlands near Sausalito, California. The studios and offices are co-located with formerly co-owned KPIX-TV on Battery Street in downtown San Francisco.
KNX-FM is a commercial radio station in Los Angeles, California, United States. The station is owned by Audacy, Inc. and airs an all-news radio format in a full-time simulcast with KNX. The station has studios at the intersection of Wilshire and Hauser Boulevards in the Miracle Mile district of Los Angeles, and the transmitter on Mount Wilson.
KTWV is a commercial radio station licensed to Los Angeles, California, and broadcasting to the Greater Los Angeles area. The station is owned by Audacy, Inc., and airs an urban adult contemporary radio format. KTWV has studios on Wilshire Boulevard in the Miracle Mile district of Los Angeles. As "94.7 The Wave," the station was known for pioneering the smooth jazz radio format in the late 1980s.
KSOL is a Spanish language radio station in San Francisco, California. KSQL simulcasts the station in Santa Cruz. KSOL and KSQL program a format consisting of regional Mexican music and talk shows. Both stations are owned by TelevisaUnivision USA. Its studios are located at 1940 Zanker Road in San Jose, and the KSOL transmitter is on Mount Sutro.
Free FM was a short-lived, mostly-talk-radio format and brand name for eleven FM CBS Radio stations in the United States, and was created because of Howard Stern's departure to Sirius Satellite Radio in January 2006. Free FM was given its name to highlight that its stations broadcast free-to-air, instead of requiring a subscription fee like satellite radio services. Launched on October 25, 2005, Free FM was phased out over the course of 2007, with the final station using it, KLSX, dropping the brand in November 2008.
KBLX-FM is a commercial radio station licensed to Berkeley, California, and serving the San Francisco Bay Area. It is owned by Salt Lake City–based Bonneville International. The radio studios and offices are along Junipero Serra Boulevard in Daly City. The transmitter is atop the San Bruno Mountains.
KZDG is a commercial radio station licensed to serve San Francisco, California, and services the San Francisco Bay Area. Owned by Satish Chandra, through licensee Factorial Broadcasting, LLC, the station broadcasts a South Asian format known as "Radio Zindagi". Its transmitter facilities are located in the nearby suburb of Belmont. In addition to a standard analog transmission, KZDG is available online.
KEAR (610 kHz), is a non-commercial Christian AM radio station in San Francisco, California and is the flagship station of the reorganized Family Radio network and airs several Christian ministry broadcasts from noted teachers such as RC Sproul, Alistair Begg, Ken Ham, John F. MacArthur, Adriel Sanchez, Dennis Rainey, John Piper, & others as well as traditional and modern hymns & songs by Keith & Kristyn Getty, The Master's Chorale, Fernando Ortega, Chris Rice, Shane & Shane, Sovereign Grace Music, Sara Groves, & multiple other Christian and Gospel music artists.
KFRG is a commercial radio station licensed to San Bernardino, California, and broadcasting to the Riverside-San Bernardino-Inland Empire radio market. KFRG airs a country music radio format calling itself "K-FROG" and is believed to be the original "Frog" station under previous owner Keymarket. The brand name has been subsequently licensed by Keymarket to dozens of American radio stations.
KYMX is a commercial radio station that is licensed to Sacramento, California, United States. The station is owned by Salt Lake City–based Bonneville International and broadcasts an adult contemporary format. KYMX's transmitter is located in Natomas and its studios are in North Sacramento.
KGMZ-FM is a sports radio station licensed to San Francisco, California, and serving the San Francisco Bay Area. The station is owned by Audacy, Inc., and broadcasts from studios on Battery Street in the North Beach section of San Francisco. KGMZ-FM serves as the flagship station for the Golden State Warriors basketball team. The station also broadcasts games of the Bay Area Panthers indoor football team.
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.
KFRC was a radio station in San Francisco, California, United States, which made its first broadcast on Wednesday, September 24, 1924, from studios in the Hotel Whitcomb, at 1231 Market Street. KFRC originally broadcast with 50 watts on the 270 meter wavelength, then moved to 660 kHz in April 1927. As part of nationwide frequency reallocations on November 11, 1928, KFRC was moved to 610 kHz, where the call letters remained until 2005.
KZTM is a Regional Mexican radio station serving the Tacoma and Olympia, Washington area. Owned and operated by Bustos Media, through licensee Bustos Media Holdings, LLC, the station is licensed to McKenna, Washington. The transmitter site is in Capitol State Forest near Olympia, while its studios are located in Kent.
KYLD is a commercial radio station in San Francisco, California, serving the San Francisco Bay Area and owned by San Antonio–based iHeartMedia. The station airs a Top 40 (CHR) format on its analog primary signal. The station has studios located in the SoMa district of San Francisco, and the transmitter is located atop the San Bruno Mountains.
KROQ-FM is a commercial radio station licensed to Pasadena, California, serving the Greater Los Angeles. Owned by Audacy, Inc., it broadcasts an alternative rock format known as "The World Famous KROQ".
KPPC was a radio station in Pasadena, California, United States, broadcasting on 1240 kHz between 1924 and 1996. Operating as a limited-hours, low-power station for most of its history, it carried primarily Christian radio programming and was originally owned by the Pasadena Presbyterian Church. Toward the end of its existence, it also aired ethnic programs. KPPC also spawned KPPC-FM 106.7, which was an influential free form, progressive rock station in the late 1960s and early 1970s and went on to become KROQ-FM.
† = Operated by Bloomberg L.P. pursuant to a time brokerage agreement.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply. Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.
