1260 KOIT AM

[RadioStarOne]

The infamous Mr. White (Chris Edwards) in a post yesterday? Said that AM 1260 KOIT was sold for 14 Million. If so who bought it? Or was Mr. White just blowing hot air again?

 

[HHalland]

So is Mr White a real guy? Does he have a cousin? Who is he? Does he really own KYA stations? Wow..can you let me know more about him while you are on the subject? I imagine he's a pretty powerful fellow. I didn't see 1260 sold except that Entercom was going to get some properties again in SF, and that must be one of them. Knowing Entercom as I do they wouldn;t spend that mich money for an AM I don't think.

Howard Halland
Thank you

 

[DrAkbar]

The un-real Chris Edwards said 14m for 12~Sixty. But Nurse Jeff and I don't know if that's dollars, pesos or whatever the hell they use to barter in Firebaugh. Seeing that TMISU paid King about $3.5m for it, anything north of $10m is a deal in our book. We aint talkin' about a 5k torch at 6~Ten with this station!

 

[radio dx]

From what I understand and correct me if I am wrong, KOIT FM was included in a station swap but the AM side (1260) was not. About the issue of "Chris Edwards" I have an air check taken off the air from K-101's time machine I would like to check to see if it matches the "Chris Edwards"
in question.(maybe it's a multi- personality thing)

 

[radio dx]

From what I understand and correct me if I am wrong, KOIT FM was included in a station swap but the AM side (1260) was not. About the issue of "Chris Edwards" I have some air checks taken off the air from K-101's time machine I would like to check to see if it matches the "Chris Edwards"
in question.(maybe it's a multi- personality thing)

 

[newsperson]

Newsperson replies to Radio DX:

As the late Phil Hartman would say when he was imitating Ed McMann, " you are correct sir!"

Bonneville is doing a tax deffered exchange with Entercom receving 3-FMs in San Francisco in exchange for 5 other stations.

Because KFRC-AM sold for 35 million in May of 2005, Bonneville got excited about the value of KOIT-AM
and thought it was worth 20 million.

As stated in other postings, Bonneville will sell KOIT-AM for cash which may be close to 14 million. Since their cost was 3.5 million they will have a hefty capital gain which will not be tax deffered (we will not cry for them).

Bonneville will not program KOIT-AM seperatly because it is not necessary and they do not want to. It will remain a simulcast of KOIT-FM until it transfers or LMAs to a new buyer. Bonneville is saying goodbye to San Francisco.

In regard to Chris Edwards White, I asked my friend Jackson Ivey (of KGO) who did work at KYA-FM about it. His viewpoint is that Chris Edwards White sounds nothing like the real Chris Edwards and that listeners who remember Chris Edwards could tell the difference.

Since I spent a lot of those years (the 70s & 80s) in Sacramento where you could not receive KYA AM or FM I would have only heard Chris Edwards while visiting San Francisco so I do not remember him.

On a related note I do remember picking up 560 KSFO in Sacramento when it simulcasted with KYA-FM in the 80s. It was a very refreshing oldies station at the time. Gene Nelson was the morning guy and Dick Bartly would fly in from New York for a week to fill in when Gene was on vacation. It also had great jingles.

Does anyone remember the year that KSFO/KYA started as oldies and when it ended?

Does anyone know what happened to Gene Nelson and if he is alive, well and happy in retirement?

Newsperson

 

[LKellerIII]

"On a related note I do remember picking up 560 KSFO in Sacramento when it simulcasted with KYA-FM in the 80s. It was a very refreshing oldies station at the time. Gene Nelson was the morning guy and Dick Bartly would fly in from New York for a week to fill in when Gene was on vacation. It also had great jingles.

Does anyone remember the year that KSFO/KYA started as oldies and when it ended?"

Newsperson - I'm not good with exact years - but I can give you some background, and perhaps somebody else can fill in the exact years.

In the early 80s - 1983 maybe, KYA-AM (the 1260 we've been talking about lately) sold to Bonneville. Around the same time, Golden West Broadcasters ("singing cowboy" and business tycoon Gene Autry) sold all of his broadcast properties, including KSFO. I don't recall who the subsequent owner was, but they operated KSFO and KYA-AM as Oldies stations. By the way, the PD hated the word "Oldies" - that word was never uttered on the station - they were "Rock and Roll Classics." At first, because of FCC simulcast limitations, they only simulcast together a few hours a day - KSFO concentrated on 50s Oldies, and KYA-FM concentrated on the 60s. "Emperor" Gene Nelson was the morning man, but I think he might have been a holdover from the station's MOR days. It didn't matter, because Oldies listeners remembered him from KYA 1260 in the 1960s. As an aside, during this period, Gene Nelson would sometimes fill-in for Pat McCormick on the Channel 2 "Dialing for Dollars Movie."

After the FCC relaxed the simulcast rules, it became a KSFO/KYA-FM simulcast, even the jingles were sung together. Around 1992 or 93, as deregulation gained steam, KSFO was sold, became a talk station, and was soon re-sold to ABC. According to the 440 Website, Gene Nelson retired in 1994. KYA-FM operated by itself as an Oldies station for a couple of years after that, and brought in the Johhny Mann jingle packages. For those of us who grew up in Los Angeles in the 60s listening to KHJ, the "93/KYA" jingles were highly nostalgic. Meanwhile, Infinity had purchased KFRC (AM & FM), which simulcast Oldies, and had a better signal on FM. At that point, KYA and KFRC sounded almost identical in format, jingles, playlist, etc. About 1995 (estimating), Viacom/CBS bought Infinity and KYA-FM, and flipped KYA to "Young Country" KYCY.

 

[radio dx]

The last I heard "The Emperor" Gene Nelson is retired and is living in paradise(Hawaii)

 

[MikeAmatori]

"On a related note I do remember picking up 560 KSFO in Sacramento when it simulcasted with KYA-FM in the 80s. It was a very refreshing oldies station at the time. Gene Nelson was the morning guy and Dick Bartly would fly in from New York for a week to fill in when Gene was on vacation. It also had great jingles.

Does anyone remember the year that KSFO/KYA started as oldies and when it ended?"

Newsperson - I'm not good with exact years - but I can give you some background, and perhaps somebody else can fill in the exact years.

In the early 80s - 1983 maybe, KYA-AM (the 1260 we've been talking about lately) sold to Bonneville. Around the same time, Golden West Broadcasters ("singing cowboy" and business tycoon Gene Autry) sold all of his broadcast properties, including KSFO. I don't recall who the subsequent owner was, but they operated KSFO and KYA-AM as Oldies stations. By the way, the PD hated the word "Oldies" - that word was never uttered on the station - they were "Rock and Roll Classics." At first, because of FCC simulcast limitations, they only simulcast together a few hours a day - KSFO concentrated on 50s Oldies, and KYA-FM concentrated on the 60s. "Emperor" Gene Nelson was the morning man, but I think he might have been a holdover from the station's MOR days. It didn't matter, because Oldies listeners remembered him from KYA 1260 in the 1960s. As an aside, during this period, Gene Nelson would sometimes fill-in for Pat McCormick on the Channel 2 "Dialing for Dollars Movie."

After the FCC relaxed the simulcast rules, it became a KSFO/KYA-FM simulcast, even the jingles were sung together. Around 1992 or 93, as deregulation gained steam, KSFO was sold, became a talk station, and was soon re-sold to ABC. According to the 440 Website, Gene Nelson retired in 1994. KYA-FM operated by itself as an Oldies station for a couple of years after that, and brought in the Johhny Mann jingle packages. For those of us who grew up in Los Angeles in the 60s listening to KHJ, the "93/KYA" jingles were highly nostalgic. Meanwhile, Infinity had purchased KFRC (AM & FM), which simulcast Oldies, and had a better signal on FM. At that point, KYA and KFRC sounded almost identical in format, jingles, playlist, etc. About 1995 (estimating), Viacom/CBS bought Infinity and KYA-FM, and flipped KYA to "Young Country" KYCY.

Just a few Corrections...And Some Answers...

Autry sold 3 stations at the end of 1983 KSFO was one of them...It was part of a trust
that had been set up after his first wife Ina Autry died. They had to be sold.

Gene Left KSFO in the early 80, May of 1981 believe. He went to work for KYA 1260 then owned by King Broadcasting. He had no love for the KSFO managment at that time.
They were Allan Hotlan PD and Jim Myers GM. He did mornings on 1260.

Dec 13, 1983 KSFO (GWB) was sold to King Broadcasting, who spun there 1260AM to Bonneville (KOIT). They kept 93.3 FM Then KLHT (K-LITE) Changed it to KYA-FM and operated KSFO seperatly Gene had been doing mornings at 1260 KYA and the Did Mornings at KSFO.

1983 Ken Dennis was the PD at KSFO and KYA FM, he left, and Rick Scott took over as PD of KSFO, Bill Minckler was PD of KYA FM. Bill left in 1985 to go program KCBS-FM in LA. Rick Scott left a short to go to KJR, Ken Dennis was the GM by that time and also covered PD Duties. He hired Bob Hamilton (KEARTH) in early 1986 to be PD...They made KSFO/KYA a simulcast on July 4th weekend 1986. We ran the History od Rock and Roll and simulcast the A's Games on both Stations, It become R&R Classics. That is when they offically went oldies on both Stations. KYA 1260 had been oldies since 1981, the FM was Lite Rock, When they bought KSFO, They made 560 kind MOR with Oldies and KYA-FM was oldies.
1260 went to KOIT as a simulcast.

On January 27th 1992, King sold KSFO/KYA to First Broadcasting, Ron Unkafer who owned the Good Guys Stereo Store. Gene stayed and worked for him, he fired everyone else.
Gene stayed because he had a Big Contract and ratings. Unkafer also hired Terry McGovern to Afternoons on the simulcast, Celeste Perry stayed and did midays. By Mid 92 I belive, Unkafer stoped simulcasting. Split the am/FM Moved Terry to mornings on the FM and Gene stayed with KSFO. KSFO did the early oldie KYA did the 60s stuff.

In early 1994 Unkafer sold KYA to the folks who ran KFRC, I don't know if it was Infinity, it may still have been Alliance owned by John Hayes. In any case, they kept 93.3 oldies for just a short time and then went country (Young Country) that happened by Mid 94.

KSFO was still doing music for a few months after the KYA Sale, till Unkafer decided to sell it. Bob Hamilton had returned to KSFO/KYA to program the stations for Unkafer, who had fired him 2 years previously. After KYA was sold, KSFO went talk with Gene Nelson still on in the mornings. Syndicated stuff for the most part, they even took Gene Burns (Now KGO) syndicated show at the time. on Sept 1 1994 KSFO was sold to ABC who did a crappy format called Attitude radio. Which included Jeff Blazy, Dr.Laura, the Sports Babe etc That lasted Till Jack Swanson, who had just left KING A/F in Seattle as GM Came back to KGO and KSFO. On Jan 1, 1995 KSFO went Hot Talk. Attitude radio lasted 4 months. It's been HotTalk ever since.

Autry sold KSFO for 6 Million to KING B'Casting who sold KSFO and KYA FM to Unlkafer for
13 Million, He in turn sold KYA to Alliance or Infinity for 17 Million and KSFO to ABC for 10 Million...Not a bad return for only 2 1/2 years of owning.

With the exception of the Unkafer years 1/27/92-9/1/94 I worked for these stations, and still do. So please except the timeline and ownership as correct, because the are. Bob
Hamilton, Ken Dennis, Jack Swanson are all personal friends along with dozens of folks
who worked there too.

BTW, When Hamilton first came to KSFO and KYA in early 1986 (Kings Ownership) he was the one who brought in the old jingle (KHJ for KYA BUT We did not use the old Jonny Mann stuff for KSFO it was somthing else, They were old Jingle packages resung. When it was decided to Simulcast with 2 different Call letters Bob went to Dallas and Cut the New Custom (Which had 9 Call letters and 6 Numbers) for (560 KSFO/KYA-FM 93.3)
Also, the original KSFO Jingles were sung By the Johnny Mann singers and Co wrote With Johnny Mann and Hugh Heller. When King Broadcasting bought KSFO in 1983 the relicensed
The Sound of the City Jingle...Hamilton did not use it when he took over in 86.

Gene retired at the end of August 1994 when ABC took ownership of KSFO. By that time KSFO under Unkafers ownership was a tiny staff...Hamilton was the GM when ABC took over, he was also PD. Mostly Board Op's a few sales folks and enough folks to keep it running.

 

[newsperson]

Thanks to Lkella, Radio dx and production boy for the replies.

So Gene Nelson has retired to Hawaii, sounds like a fun place to retire to.

I do remember going into KSFO/KYA to meet with Bob Hamilton. I was pursuing some part time on the air work while I still lived in Sacramento.

I also spent some time with Bob Hamilton and Dick Bartley at a radio convention in L.A. during the time of KSFO/KYA. Dick Bartley said he had recorded his Saturday night syndicated show so he could come to the convention and save money on the air fare by staying over a Saturday night.

 

[XM RADIO]

Yes I do , In 1992 it was Roger Carey on Evenings effective Jan 27 1992, and middays was "Lee Baby Simms"' Those were some Great Talent!!! Kenny in Concord

 

[SFStatic]

Rockin' Roger was in Vegas doing voice work, last I heard. A great guy.