San Francisco radio in 1998?

[becca]

I had a conversation from a friend about this, but we can't figure it out! Maybe you can help.

A station changed its numbers, but not it's name in sometime around 1998 (we could be off by a year or two).
They had a green logo, and a huge campaign to tell people about it.

What was this station?

 

[LKellerIII]

I had a conversation from a friend about this, but we can't figure it out! Maybe you can help.

A station changed its numbers, but not it's name in sometime around 1998 (we could be off by a year or two).
They had a green logo, and a huge campaign to tell people about it.

What was this station?

There was a lot of consolidation and frequency swapping in 98. You could be thinking of Wild 107, which became Wild 94.9 that year. They did advertise the change extensively, and they kept the same logo, but the logo was never green.

There was also KSAN, which moved the opposite direction (from 94.9 to 107.7)

 

[becca]

Wow! That is it, Wild 107, and Wild 94.9.

This message board is great.

 

[Macker]

Yeah, great station - The Dog House was huge back then

 

[Hunkey Snarkey]

Afternoon Drive was B-O-R-I-N-G,,,, One oldies station 99.7,,,, Blank & Cammy,,, Ratings may have been at an all time high,,, I still think John Mack Flanagan would have connected with the listeners much better,,,,,,,,,,,, 1998 ,, not my favorite year for bay area radio,,,,,,,,,,, Kenny in Concord

 

[Madmansam]

I had a conversation from a friend about this, but we can't figure it out! Maybe you can help.

A station changed its numbers, but not it's name in sometime around 1998 (we could be off by a year or two).
They had a green logo, and a huge campaign to tell people about it.

What was this station?

There was a lot of consolidation and frequency swapping in 98. You could be thinking of Wild 107, which became Wild 94.9 that year. They did advertise the change extensively, and they kept the same logo, but the logo was never green.

There was also KSAN, which moved the opposite direction (from 94.9 to 107.7)

I thought the year was 1997 not 1998?

 

[LKellerIII]

I had a conversation from a friend about this, but we can't figure it out! Maybe you can help.

A station changed its numbers, but not it's name in sometime around 1998 (we could be off by a year or two).
They had a green logo, and a huge campaign to tell people about it.

What was this station?

There was a lot of consolidation and frequency swapping in 98. You could be thinking of Wild 107, which became Wild 94.9 that year. They did advertise the change extensively, and they kept the same logo, but the logo was never green.

There was also KSAN, which moved the opposite direction (from 94.9 to 107.7)

I thought the year was 1997 not 1998?

You're probably right. According to Wikipedia, it was 97, which is also the year they give for the start of KISQ. All that happened at about the same time.

 

[1069_KIFR]

And there was John Mac Flanagan at Big 98.1, being let go with the change of formats

 

[Madmansam]

And there was John Mac Flanagan at Big 98.1, being let go with the change of formats

Wasn't Big 98.1 originally 70's Oldies in 1994 (February 14, I think?) then when they changed its calls KABL-FM to KBGG, didn't they change their logo to "K-Big 98.1" and tweaked their format to Classic Hits of the 60's, 70's and 80's? I believe the original 70's Oldies format wasa mix of Rock, Pop And Soul while the Classic Hits format was more Rock Oriented except for Saturday Nights and the "Saturday Night Groove Thang".

 

[LKellerIII]

And there was John Mac Flanagan at Big 98.1, being let go with the change of formats

Wasn't Big 98.1 originally 70's Oldies in 1994 (February 14, I think?) then when they changed its calls KABL-FM to KBGG, didn't they change their logo to "K-Big 98.1" and tweaked their format to Classic Hits of the 60's, 70's and 80's? I believe the original 70's Oldies format wasa mix of Rock, Pop And Soul while the Classic Hits format was more Rock Oriented except for Saturday Nights and the "Saturday Night Groove Thang".

Yes, I think that's about right. I worked in an office with a supervisor that loved K-Big and Darian O'Toole, so it was on 8 hours a day. Personally, I prefered JMF in the afternoons. In my memory, the call letter change came a little later than 94. I never heard the explanation, but I always figured the reason for the change from "Big" to "K-Big" was the change in ownership from the AM/FM Corporation to Clear Channel. Clear Channel owned K-Big in LA (call letters actually K-B-I-G), and would have made a legal fuss if another company had stolen their (possibly) copyrighted name. But once CC sucked up the bigger AM/FM Corp, there was no problem with using "K-Big."

The jingles stayed the same, with the additional letter added. I had this amusing mental image of the recording session where the jingle singers just sing "K."

Toward the end, they dropped the jingles and Top 40 oriented imaging, and went for a more classic rock format.

 

[RadioJunkieMike]

And there was John Mac Flanagan at Big 98.1, being let go with the change of formats

Wasn't Big 98.1 originally 70's Oldies in 1994 (February 14, I think?) then when they changed its calls KABL-FM to KBGG, didn't they change their logo to "K-Big 98.1" and tweaked their format to Classic Hits of the 60's, 70's and 80's? I believe the original 70's Oldies format wasa mix of Rock, Pop And Soul while the Classic Hits format was more Rock Oriented except for Saturday Nights and the "Saturday Night Groove Thang".

Big 98.1 always leaned towards rock when it was all-'70s; they ghetto-ized disco with the Saturday night dance party that launched Darien O'Toole, but you barely ever heard a black artist during the rest of the week -- nor did you hear '70s pop staples like ABBA (this was a decade before the Mamma Mia! phenomenon).  I once had a conversation with the original PD there (McKracken, or something like that) and asked where all of Aretha's '70s hits were, or James Brown's, and he said "they don't test well"!

 

[SFStatic]

The original clocks were pop-rock-soul. After Gerry McCracken left, and Bob Hamilton after that, the consultant had them drop the pop portion. BTW, even though "the Biggest Hits of the 70's," the station always played a few cuts from '68-70, and through '82.

 

[SFStatic]

Typing too fast. I intended to say the soul was dropped, not pop in the post above.

 

[radio dx]

I think radio in the bay area died in 1986! I have not found a station worth listening to or "air talent"
that is truely "talented" (my opinion). I just thank the many folks who has preserved the "classic" air checks
of radio gone by.

Listening to music and radio in the bay area back in the day was a time stamp of of our lives of a time
gone past!

Don't get me wrong we do have some talented and dedicated people in radio but not the big power house
types of yesterday.

 

[Hunkey Snarkey]

I disagree.. Radio didnt die in 1986,, it was given new life when John Mack Flanagan took charge @ KYA FM in 1990,, when he replaced Jeff Young for afternoon drive,, then in 2001,, Bobby (what a guy) Ocean returned to 99.7 for afternoon drive replacing Ron Parker,,, ( and his stint was entirely too long),,,, John Mack Flanagan & Bobby Ocean put KFRC on top!!!!!!!!!!! These two Know RADIO!! Kenny in Concord

 

[radio dx]

In my opinion ( I know I am going to get some folks mad) but the "recycled" John Mac and Bobby O was not at the top of their game as they were back in the day blame it on radio (exec.) and or consultants putting the spot light on the music rather than it's talent but I found that things just were not the same. For the record I do have great respect for both legends in bay area radio.

 

[andreajesus]

in 2001,, Bobby (what a guy) Ocean returned to 99.7 for afternoon drive,,,,Bobby Ocean put KFRC on top!!!!!!!!!!!
Kenny in Concord

I agree with you BIG time about Bobby Ocean...WHAT A GUY!!

 

[andreajesus]

In my opinion ( I know I am going to get some folks mad) but the "recycled" John Mac and Bobby O was not at the top of their game...For the record I do have great respect for both legends in bay area radio.
[/quote/]

Either (or BOTH) of those guys, RECYCLED or NOT, was and IS STILL a good deal in town for SF radio....

 

[LKellerIII]

In my opinion ( I know I am going to get some folks mad) but the "recycled" John Mac and Bobby O was not at the top of their game as they were back in the day blame it on radio (exec.) and or consultants putting the spot light on the music rather than it's talent but I found that things just were not the same. For the record I do have great respect for both legends in bay area radio.

If you're talking about JMF, I agree to a point. Not his fault, but K-Big made him read a lot of liners ("Inside another big block of classic hits from the 60s, 70s, and 80s...blah, blah"). John didn't seem to have the freedom that he had at 610/KFRC, but he was still at the top of his game.

I disagree about Bobby Ocean on 99.7/KFRC, who still had enough air time to come up with his whimsical, somewhat surrealistic observations. I notice that KOIT seems to be giving him the same freedom when he does fill in work on 96.5. Or maybe Bobby is just expert at inserting his remarks between the liners.

 

[radio dx]

Good observation LL I'll have to back down a little from my last statement!