Hey RetroMike !!!
I don't work in radio, but I am a Sacramento-based radio fan. I was here in the late 1970s and early 1980s, and can personally attest to the radio stations of the era (big time). I became a radio geek after the demise of Progressive AOR formatted KSFM (Woodland/Sacramento) in September 1979. I'll throw in my $0.02.
> AM
> 610 KFRC (San Francisco) Top 40
> 810 KGO (San Francisco) News/Talk
> 990 KKXX (Paradise) Religion
> 1060 KPAY (Chico) Mainstream AC
> 1240 KORV (Oroville) Mainstream AC
> 1530 KFBK (Sacramento) News/Talk
Your AM listings are pretty dead on. No disagreements here at all.
>
> FM
> 91.7 KCHO (Chico) NPR
> 92.5 KAER (Sacramento) Mainstream AC
The KAER call letters are dead on. However, KAER was running an automated Easy Listening format at that time. Up until January 1979, KAER was known as KFBK-FM, and ran a Classical format. The station was run by McClatchy Broadcasting(who owned the Sacramento Bee).
When the station's call letters switched to KAER, McClatchy donated the station's Classical record library to KXPR, the soon to be CSUS-based Classical station which came on the air shortly thereafter. KAER's Easy Listening format lasted until January 1985, when the station became "Stereo Country 92-5." That format lasted until 1986, when 92.5 flipped to AC. Eventually the station flipped the call letters to KGBY and became Y-92.
> 93.1 KOSO (Patterson) AC
> 93.7 KRXQ (Sacramento) AOR
Pretty close here, frequency-wise. Actually, the station was based in Roseville and was at 93.5. In late 1979, the station had the call letters KPIP, and ran a Spanish format by day, and a "Soul" format at night. In May of 1980, the station became KPOP and fipped to an "Urban Contemporary" format. The Urban Contemprary format ran until August, 1983. The owner, Don Reeves flipped the format to the Rick Carroll-consulted "Rock of the 80s" format, while he prepared to sell the station. He sold the station to the Fuller-Jeffrey Group in December 1983. In January 1984, Fuller-Jeffrey flipped the format to a female-skewing 12-34 Top 40 format. It didn't work, so they flipped the station to a Rock 40 format in the Fall of 1985. In January 1986, the owners flipped the format to AOR under the tagline "93 Rock." Evntually, the call letters became KRXQ (after briefly being KDJQ). In order to upgrade the signal to 25K (it had been 3K), Fuller-Jeffrey moved KRXQ to 93.7 mhz in July 1988. They moved 93.7 in Chico to 93.9 (I think they purchased KFMF in the process).
> 93.9 KFMF (Chico) AOR
No argument about the format. But the station was at 93.7. It was an outstanding Progressive Rocker in the early days. There were periods in the Spring and Summer of 1980, where it sounded as though it was automated. But, it may have been automated in non-key parts of the days and on weekends (when I was able to DX it from Sacramento). In the Summer of 1988, the station moved to 93.9 FM in conjunction with Sacramento's 93.5 moving to 93.7 FM.
> 95.1 KPAY (Chico) Easy Listening
> 96.1 KCTC (Sacramento) Easy Listening
> 96.7 KNVR (Paradise) Top 40
>
> In 1977 KNVR began on the air by airing a satellite feed of
> ABC Radio Network's Top Hits (Top 40) til 1984 when they
> started hiring local DJ's, I still remember that they aired
> American Top 40 With Casey Kasem every Sunday afternoon from
> 12pm to 4pm.
I think there was a brief period when KNVR used a syndicated,automated AOR format and was known as "FM 97-Rockin' the Ridge. I seem to remember hearing a DJ known as "Tom Mitchell", who sounded just like Tom Cale (of Sacramento's KZAP, KSFM "Earthradio 102" , and KSEG). I could be wrong, but I don't think so.
> 99.9 KRFD (Yuba City) Top 40
Ahhhh K-100. Closer to AC in those days. Top 40 would come shortly thereafter. In the late 1980s, the station played a lot of Top 40 "Hair Metal" bands. On February 1, 1992, the station flipped again to a free-form Progressive format under the late Andy Emmert's (KZAP) guidance and later Pamela Roberts (KRXQ). The station rocked until March 10,1994, when it was sold to Embarcadero Media. They flipped the station to Spanish.
> 102.5 KSFM (Woodland) Top 40
>
> They have just swapped their MOR format(Earth 102) for Top
> 40 format (FM 102).
Actually it was AOR, rather than MOR. Really, it was more Progressive Rock than AOR. KSFM was known as "Earthradio 102." In terms of music presentation and air talent(IMHO) it was finest Rock station to EVER grace the Sacramento airwaves. It totally rocked from May 1974 until September 1979, when the owners (Kula Broadcasting) implemented the suggestions of radio consultant Jerry Clifton, and subsequently flipped "Earthradio 102" to a Mass Appeal/Top 40/Disco format. For information on Earthradio, please refer to Alex Cosper's (KWOD/WLUM?/KNGY) "Tangent Sunset" website for additional information:
http://www.tangentsunset.com/earthradio.htm
>
> 104.1 KHOP (Modesto) Top 40
In November 1979, KHOP flipped from an automated AOR format(as Rock 104) to a Top 40-leaning Rock format, complete with live,screaming announcers. I remember air talent by the name of Dan Gerrard and Richard Connoh. The previous automated AOR incarnation was hosted by their PD, Casey Hayes. I don't know who Casey Hayes was. I've done Google searches to no avail.
> 107.9 KXOA (Sacramento) Top 40
More of a soft Adult Rock format in 1979-1980. The station was owned by San Diego-based Brown Broadcasting (of KGB fame). The station was known as "The Mellow Home." The station featured air talent as Dusty Morgan and Tom Nakashima. Nakashima is on Entercom's Classic Rock-formatted KSEG Sacramento these days. His voice and delivery has not changed one iota since the 1970s. Dusty Morgan was on Orange County's first Progressive Rock station, KTBT (Underground 94) based out of Garden Grove in the late Summer/early fall of 1968.
>
>
> Those were radio stations that were on the old Electrophonic
> stereo..
>
>
> Mike B
>
