KFRC-AM

[michael hagerty]

To me, the death of The KFRC (original Top 40 - not the Oldies station) is the result of RKO General's stupid decision to sell 106.1 in 1977. It took (IIRC) about 7 years for KMEL to switch from AOR to the "All Hit" format which was the final nail in KFRC's coffin, along with the other nails - K-101, KYUU, and Hot Hits KITS to a lesser extent.

I've never been in the radio biz, but it was pretty clear to me by 1977 that FM was the future - most everybody I knew in my age-group (baby boomers), had abandoned AM for music a few years before 77. K-101 in particular, was getting solid ratings in the early 70s...though their format at the time was closer to "chicken-rock" than real Top 40. I realize that there was still some hope at that time for AM stereo, but for the most part, the ship had sailed.

RKO never seemed to know what to do with 106.1. IIRC, they simulcast Dr. Don Rose, but otherwise ran poorly executed automated pop formats - "K-106" being the worst. Even in those days, with FCC rules about simulcasting, the smart thing would have been to put the same Big 610 format on the FM, and simulcast as many hours as were then allowed.

Llew: You're right. RKO should never have sold 106.1.

The rules allowed up to 12 hours of simulcast. KFRC chose 9 p.m. to 9 a.m. Poor choice. They should have gone for 6 a.m. to 6 p.m. or broken it up by simulcasting DDR 6-9 a.m., going to an automated hit format with zero personality from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m., back to a simulcast 3 p.m. to midnight and back to the automation midnight to 6 a.m. That would have given the younger audience for afternoon drive and evenings the ability to listen on FM, and protected DDR. At some point, you might have been able to ease the AM format completely over to FM, and then automate 12 hours of the AM.

And they started the simulcast in 1974, so I would have done the above from the beginning.

 

[MarioMania]

If RKO did that & would be successful would KFRC still be on 106.1?

 

[michael hagerty]

If RKO did that & would be successful would KFRC still be on 106.1?

There's no way to know. Even if they'd maintained ratings dominance, KFRC would have been sold, as RKO was forced to divest its stations in the late 80s. Dr. Don Rose would likely still have had to retire due to health problems in the mid-80s. Those two factors alone could have made KFRC vulnerable to competitors. If it had survived and thrived, it would have done so by continuing to evolve with the times as it did before (listen to KFRC airchecks from 1967, 1972, 1977 and 1982 in chronological order and you'll be amazed at how KFRC changed in each of those 5-year spans) and would likely be a rhythmic CHR with very little appeal to those of us who remember it in the 60s and 70s.

 

[MarioMania]

There prob won't be a KMEL if KFRC was on 106.1 in the 80's

 

[K.M. Richards]

There prob won't be a KMEL if KFRC was on 106.1 in the 80's

Did you read what Michael said?

There's no way to know.

These "what if" games may be entertaining in some people's minds, but for those of us out here in the real world, they are an unwelcome diversion ... especially when posted as grammatically flawed, incomplete sentences.

If you're going to make these kinds of conjectures, at least give us some detail as to why you think that. Then we would have something that could be discussed in historical perspective.

 

[MarioMania]

Yes I did

I'm just sayin if it did, The past it's the past, No one knows

The CHR market in SF might have been different

 

[K.M. Richards]

You still haven't told us why you think that, Mario.

Here is the sum total of your posts in this thread:

I wished KFRC was still on AM

What's the Game Zone you speak of?

When I saw The Game Zone, I'm thinking of Video Games of the 80s

If RKO did that & would be successful would KFRC still be on 106.1?

There prob won't be a KMEL if KFRC was on 106.1 in the 80's

... and then this last post, which is the first time you posted more than one line:

Yes I did

I'm just sayin if it did, The past it's the past, No one knows

The CHR market in SF might have been different

Please, tell us why you think that. How might it have been different? What do you think could have happened?

Those one-line posts give us nothing to discuss!

 

[MarioMania]

So I hard time explaining it

So sue me I can't come up with a valet answer...

Like how you say "One Liners" about stuff like I wish KFRC would still on AM, I would listen to it if CBS brought it back

The Game Zone thing is, I love Video Games..That's the 1st thing I saw when I saw that. I take that back

 

[michael hagerty]

There prob won't be a KMEL if KFRC was on 106.1 in the 80's

Century Broadcasting, which bought 106.1 from RKO, wanted to be in San Francisco. They likely would have bought a different FM, and if they liked the "Camel" brand, would have applied it there.

Even before KMEL's flip to CHR, KYUU, K-101 and KITS were eating away at KFRC's cume and share. If it had been on FM, KFRC would have had plenty of competition, and unlike KFRC versus KYA on AM, they would not have had a significant signal advantage over their rivals by being at 106.1.

 

[MarioMania]

How far South and North & can 106.1 go before it breaks up?

 

[semoochie]

How far South and North & can 106.1 go before it breaks up?

Here's the protected contour: https://maps.google.com/maps?q=http...NCISCO&state=CA.kml&output=classic&dg=feature Where it actually breaks up is subject to all sorts of factors.

 

[MarioMania]

I know heading to Sacramento it breaks up in Vacaville

Then KCFA takes over 106.1

 

[stewie]

Here's the protected contour: https://maps.google.com/maps?q=http...NCISCO&state=CA.kml&output=classic&dg=feature Where it actually breaks up is subject to all sorts of factors.

Keep in mind there's an on channel booster on Mt. Diablo. I agree though, where is breaks up depends on a number of factors including thermal ducting.

 

[semoochie]

Keep in mind there's an on channel booster on Mt. Diablo. I agree though, where is breaks up depends on a number of factors including thermal ducting.

Any booster coverage has to be within the protected contour of the main station.

 

[LKellerIII]

I know heading to Sacramento it breaks up in Vacaville

Then KCFA takes over 106.1

When did KCFA first go on the air? I've been travelling 505 and I5 to visit friends in the Mt. Shasta area for over 30 years. I recall that in the early days (early 80s perhaps) that 106.1 from San Francisco was still strong on 505, and didn't fade out until the merge back with I5 near Dunnigan. So I asume that KCFA is a more recent development.

 

[semoochie]

When did KCFA first go on the air? I've been travelling 505 and I5 to visit friends in the Mt. Shasta area for over 30 years. I recall that in the early days (early 80s perhaps) that 106.1 from San Francisco was still strong on 505, and didn't fade out until the merge back with I5 near Dunnigan. So I asume that KCFA is a more recent development.

The license application was submitted on August 7, 1995, so that's pretty close.

 

[W7PAT]

In Portland, KGW had their version.

 

[stewie]

Any booster coverage has to be within the protected contour of the main station.

Very true but the Bay Area's topography is funny for FM. While I can't be certain, before 106.1 in Arnold came on-air, that Diablo booster was sent signal to the east in the shadow of the main TX.

 

[stewie]

When did KCFA first go on the air? I've been travelling 505 and I5 to visit friends in the Mt. Shasta area for over 30 years. I recall that in the early days (early 80s perhaps) that 106.1 from San Francisco was still strong on 505, and didn't fade out until the merge back with I5 near Dunnigan. So I asume that KCFA is a more recent development.

I was disappointed when KCFA came on the air. It used to be fun to FM DX KMEL (and pretty easy to do).

 

[MarioMania]

Right before KCFA came on, How much was KMEL a reg in the Sacramento Valley?