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iHeart 80's 103.7 is now 80s Plus 103.7

B

bobgoodbob

radioinsight.com

80s Plus 103.7 San Francisco Equals Revamped KOSF - RadioInsight

radioinsight.com

After 5 years, iHeartRadio flipped iHeart 80's to 80s Plus 103.7. They also added 70s and 90s songs back to the rotation.

Radio Insight also listed the first hour of songs, which are:

  • Joan Jett and the Blackhearts – I Love Rock ‘N Roll
  • Culture Club – Karma Chameleon
  • Robert Palmer – Bad Case Of Loving You
  • Kenny Loggins – Danger Zone
  • Whitney Houston – I Wanna Dance With Somebody
  • Spin Doctors – Two Princes
  • Van Halen – Jump
  • Michael Jackson – Beat It
  • Tiffany – I Think We’re Alone Now
  • Harold Faltermeyer – Axel F
  • Bee Gees – Stayin’ Alive
 
I'm not sure I would notice the difference. In my mind these songs on the playlist are all 80s hits. I wonder how management decided the Classic Hits station in San Francisco should be All-80s? Classic Hits stations owned by iHeart in other cities focus on the 80s but also play some 70s and a few 90s titles. So I guess KOSF is simply lining up with other Classic Hits stations.

We should also note that mornings on KOSF are hosted by Martha Quinn, one of the original DJs from MTV's early years. She had once hosted shows on SiriusXM's 80s on 8 channel. That channel still uses her voice sometimes to introduce a feature she voiced years ago. But the day-to-day DJs on 80s on 8 remain Nina Blackwood, Alan Hunter and Mark Goodman. Hunter also does shifts on Classic Rewind, while Goodman hosts afternoons on the call-in and interview channel Volume.
 
e-dawg said:
They should drop the 80s brand name and use their old branding before iHeart 80s @ 103.7 such as B103.7 or Big 103.7 or 103.7fm
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I remember 103.7 when it was Yes/No Radio KLOK-FM way back in the 1980's. They played a lot of weird songs back then.
 
My guess is the goal is to move further into the 90s, as 80s fans are going to age out of the target age group. I've listened throughout the day, and while they have played some 70s, there has been far more 90s, even late 90s. Before they flipped to iHeart80s, they gradually phased out the 70s and phased in the 80s, so this is the same cycle.

Personally, I prefer the 80s, and have enjoyed the 80s focus, since they can have a deeper playlist. However, I'm one person and they have to broaden their appeal.
 
Gregg. said:
I'm not sure I would notice the difference. In my mind these songs on the playlist are all 80s hits.
Click to expand...

You didn’t miss it by much. I noticed all 80’s hits except for one 70’s (Stayin' Alive) and one 90’s (Two Princes).

I always thought Big 103.7 sounded quite good, especially on weekends. The all 80’s format wasn’t bad either. I'll probably occasionally give this one a listen. Being in Central Time, West Coast stations tend not to be stations I listen to at work, though I did listen to KOSF on occasion during the week in its iHeart 80’s phase.
 
hey should drop the 80s brand name and use their old branding before iHeart 80s @ 103.7 such as B103.7 or Big 103.7 or 103.7fm
Click to expand...

I agree. I would've preferred a resurrection of the "Big 103.7" brand name. That said, sprucing up the existing format / brand by adding a few non-80s tunes an hour is a good move.

This change was LONG overdue.
 
Negin said:
I remember when it was KSFX Disco 104! Still have some old cassette recordings from that startion.
Click to expand...
I remember Disco 104, then it went back to Top 40 and then evolved in to AOR before going Talk as KGO-FM. Then ABC sold it to Davis-Weaver, where it became KLOK-FM. FM was still a challenge the Bay Area as there were a couple of puzzling FM discards by big broadcasters, RKO dumping, KFRC-FM in 76/77 and KGO-FM in 83/84.
 
Len Bias said:
My guess is the goal is to move further into the 90s, as 80s fans are going to age out of the target age group. I've listened throughout the day, and while they have played some 70s, there has been far more 90s, even late 90s. Before they flipped to iHeart80s, they gradually phased out the 70s and phased in the 80s, so this is the same cycle.

Personally, I prefer the 80s, and have enjoyed the 80s focus, since they can have a deeper playlist. However, I'm one person and they have to broaden their appeal.
Click to expand...
I'm right there with you on this one. I would hope that even as the classic hits format continues to adapt in the coming years, there will still be some focus on the 1980's.
 
Why is 103.7 always weak

It craps out by Vacaville, Well on my Small Radios

Did it ever get to Sacramento? Before 103.5 Signed On in '96?
 
MarioMania said:
Did it ever get to Sacramento? Before 103.5 Signed On in '96?
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While I can't speak from experience as I've never been to San Francisco outside of the airport some 30 years ago, I'd always been told you generally couldn't get San Francisco stations in Sacramento, nor Sacramento stations in San Francisco. Seems like I'd always heard 93.3 and 103.7 were among the worst San Francisco stations signal-wise.

I can't remember who it was as I had that conversation on FidoNET in the late 80's/early 90's. The same person told me KCTC 96.1 from Sacramento could be heard in parts of San Francisco on a good radio, but that was the only station that made it between the two. I also had a friend who lived between the two markets and said a ridge blocked San Francisco stations from reaching Sacramento and vice-versa. He actually lived slightly closer to San Francisco, but could only reliably get FM's from Sacramento because he was east of the ridge.
 
103.7 is a standard Class B signal, however a number of other SF's are grandfathered at higher power. There was a slight change in 103.7's signal coverage a few years ago, when they moved from Sutro Tower to Mt. San Bruno. That gave them better reception on the Penninsula and Silicon Valley (both areas with the highest incomes and populations). The vast majority of SF FM's are on San Bruno already. However, moving a few miles south I'm sure hurt their coverage in Vacaville and other northern areas a bit.
 
Not surprising. This move comes just after KBAY FM had reintroduced 90s back to their playlist in addition to their '70s/80s. They had not played 90s since their initial flip to Bay - FM back in 2016. I'm sure that KOSF felt the competition with Bay FM consistently ranking number one music wise in the South Bay market if I'm not mistaken.
P.S. RIP the Jam jingles.
 
Kent said:
While I can't speak from experience as I've never been to San Francisco outside of the airport some 30 years ago, I'd always been told you generally couldn't get San Francisco stations in Sacramento, nor Sacramento stations in San Francisco. Seems like I'd always heard 93.3 and 103.7 were among the worst San Francisco stations signal-wise.

I can't remember who it was as I had that conversation on FidoNET in the late 80's/early 90's. The same person told me KCTC 96.1 from Sacramento could be heard in parts of San Francisco on a good radio, but that was the only station that made it between the two. I also had a friend who lived between the two markets and said a ridge blocked San Francisco stations from reaching Sacramento and vice-versa. He actually lived slightly closer to San Francisco, but could only reliably get FM's from Sacramento because he was east of the ridge.
Click to expand...
The ridge your friend was referring to is the southern edge of the Vaca Mountains. It separates the towns of Fairfield and Vacaville almost exactly midway between San Francisco and Sacramento.

Most people consider Vacaville to be part of Sacramento and Fairfield to be part of the Bay Area, even though they're only ten miles apart.

The thing about not being able to get Sac stations in SF and vice versa was never true. As with most things, it depends on where exactly in each city you live, and how you're listening (car radio, portable, home stereo), and the signal quality varies, but I've listened to more than a few SF stations driving around Sac and a handful of Sacramento stations in San Francisco.
 
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