San Francisco Radio in 2022

[cc333]

I don't know because I wasn't there, but my understanding from what little I do know is that despite the modest turnout, it was considered relatively successful at the time?

I've never been a huge Beatles fan (sacrilege!), but it would've been a remarkable experience (good or bad doesn't matter, because of how historic it was), had I been alive then.

I was born 40 years too late!

c

 

[chuckmcmillan]

I never understood the KSFO/KYA-FM branding. It seemed clunky, and while KYA had an image compatible with oldies, KSFO certainly didn't. But Bob Hamilton was one helluva programmer, and he made it work until KFRC's new owners decided to go after it with their own AM/FM combination---and stole Bob Hamilton to do it.

Did Hamilton own a station in Johnstown, PA?

 

[Rock 100.7]

Someone needs to bring back KRQR... Just sayin'..

 

[Radiopaw]

Seems unlikely for any flips to happen.

KITS-FM, KGO-AM, KGMZ-FM, KOSF-FM and KSOL-FM are all arguable but I wouldn’t bet on it.

Univision selling stations is possible based on recent events but major players aren’t buying.

Cumulus is financially unstable but I wouldn’t bet on them selling either - hope to see them get another FM in the future here. I’d like to see IHM/Audacy/Bonneville challenged more.

 

[landtuna]

Makes sense, though. You don't want to seat people so they're looking at the backs of the Beatles' heads.

John Denver solved part of that problem by using a rotating stage. Since he was usually a solo signer the smaller stage worked for him.

 

[landtuna]

I don't know because I wasn't there, but my understanding from what little I do know is that despite the modest turnout, it was considered relatively successful at the time?

I've never been a huge Beatles fan (sacrilege!), but it would've been a remarkable experience (good or bad doesn't matter, because of how historic it was), had I been alive then.

I was born 40 years too late!

c

The talk of the RnR music scene at that time was how the Rolling Stones were overtaking the Beatles as the premier RnR band so there might have been some media "persuasion" in coverage of that concert.

 

[davideduardo]

John Denver solved part of that problem by using a rotating stage. Since he was usually a solo signer the smaller stage worked for him.

I've seen a number of country artists who do indoor arena shows who do an open stage with no backdrops and the screens hung "double sided" and higher up.

I saw one Garth Brooks show in LA where the band was on a low riser platform in the middle, and he moved around to all the sides and even the back. The seats on the back were much cheaper, but they did get a good show for the money,

But when I saw Garth at Stagecoach, the stage was a typical outdoor flat and wide affair, and only had about 150° of visibility and the spectator area was set up that way. So I think a lot depends on both the venue and the capabilities of the company doing the stage setup as well as as the layout of the venue.

 

[davideduardo]

I've never been a huge Beatles fan (sacrilege!), but it would've been a remarkable experience (good or bad doesn't matter, because of how historic it was), had I been alive then.

I never saw the Beatles live, but have seen the Stones (in an amazing performance). I have seen all the Beatles except Lennon live as soloists. Those were all, even Ringo, quite thrilling and fun.

 

[CassChopper96]

You think Audacy flips Dave fm

 

[cc333]

The talk of the RnR music scene at that time was how the Rolling Stones were overtaking the Beatles as the premier RnR band so there might have been some media "persuasion" in coverage of that concert.

Perhaps so. I wasn't alive then, so all I can do is speculate.

I've been trying out those WebSDRs that are popping up on the Internet, and I'm noticing that SF's AM station lineup is remarkably dull compared to numerous others I've been sampling (for example, Seattle, WA has KIXI 880 AM, which plays a mix of oldies, swing-era Big Bands and classic radio shows; Lafayette, LA has KVOL 1330, which airs a "soft oldies" format (MeTV Radio); and of course Fresno, CA has KYNO 940, airing a revived Drake-era Boss radio-like oldies) format. Oh, and I just realized there's KBZZ 1270 in Sparks, NV that airs a classic rock format (KYNO and KBZZ fade in here in the east SF bay after dark, but it seems one has to be something of an expert at DXing to receive them well).

SF used to have KFRC 610 AM (oldies) and KABL 960 AM (oldies/standards) which were the main, local oldies stations for quite awhile, but since they flipped to religious (610) and business news/talk (960), there has been virtually nothing to fill the void.

I guess at least some of this is related to demographics, but how come other markets can still have AM oldies stations that are doing relatively well and SF can't?

As far as FM, the situation is somewhat better: 80s+ on 103.7 FM, but there's still almost nothing for anything older.

Oh, well. I guess I'm destined to be forever at odds with demographics.

c

 

[mikecroaro]

.............(for example, Seattle, WA has KIXI 880 AM, which plays a mix of oldies, swing-era Big Bands and classic radio shows; Lafayette, LA has KVOL 1330, which airs a "soft oldies" format (MeTV Radio); and of course Fresno, CA has KYNO 940, airing a revived Drake-era Boss radio-like oldies) format. Oh, and I just realized there's KBZZ 1270 in Sparks, NV that airs a classic rock format (KYNO and KBZZ fade in here in the east SF bay after dark..........

Don't forget about KVIN 920 AM in Modesto that playes 50's, 60's, 70's oldies.

 

[TheBigA]

I guess at least some of this is related to demographics, but how come other markets can still have AM oldies stations that are doing relatively well and SF can't?

Depends on what you mean by "relatively well." What we see is that oldies may get ratings in big markets but no money.

Owners in SF have reached the conclusion that there's no point in music on AM.

 

[CTListener]

I've seen a number of country artists who do indoor arena shows who do an open stage with no backdrops and the screens hung "double sided" and higher up.

I saw one Garth Brooks show in LA where the band was on a low riser platform in the middle, and he moved around to all the sides and even the back. The seats on the back were much cheaper, but they did get a good show for the money,

But when I saw Garth at Stagecoach, the stage was a typical outdoor flat and wide affair, and only had about 150° of visibility and the spectator area was set up that way. So I think a lot depends on both the venue and the capabilities of the company doing the stage setup as well as as the layout of the venue.

When Garth played at the old New Haven Coliseum, my complimentary press ticket was to the left of the stage, in the second level of seating, with Brooks hidden behind a stack of amps for much of the show, despite his best efforts to sing at least one song facing every single ticket holder in the place. The top smaller venue for country music was the Oakdale Theater in Wallingford, a "theater in the round" which seated about 3,000 and had a permanently installed, slowly rotating stage. I got to see the performers -- from Kathy Mattea to Travis Tritt to Willie Nelson -- for bits and pieces of songs throughout the show. Is that better than the arena setup? Not really. At a couple of shows I went to strictly as a fan rather than a writer, my very good third- or fourth-row seats got me the same occasional glimpses of the singers that the people in the back rows got, and I paid more for those seats than they did.