The A's & KTRB

[tripton99]

Wasn't KABL licensed to Oakland? What about KBLX?

 

[fybush]

KABL(AM) was (and is, as KKGN) Oakland, but the FM has always been licensed to SF. KBLX is licensed to Berkeley.

 

[BossRadioDJ]

Why wouldn't the Bay Area Series be on the Giant 68? Is that not the Giant's Flagship Radio Station? What's up with that?

Please tell me that you were trying to be funny.

 

[LKellerIII]

KABL(AM) was (and is, as KKGN) Oakland, but the FM has always been licensed to SF. KBLX is licensed to Berkeley.

KABL-FM was 98.1, now Kiss-FM (KISQ).

 

[icybluelake]

These days, I assume it's still considered pretty essential for a team to have a radio flagship with a decent signal, but how important, compared to TV?
Of course money is a factor, something KTRB doesn't seem to have much of. But it still seems like the logical place for the A's to land, if only something could be worked out.
I wonder if the A's would acquire the station if there were a way of making it a successful all-sports station, which might be tough with the success of KNBR/KTCT.

 

[icybluelake]

All three of those are pretty subpar signals, KKGN is so weak here in Concord that I pick up CFAC Calgary here at night, so I can listen on 960 when the A's play the Blue Jay's

Heck, what about KYLD broadcasting the A's games?

The A's on Wild would be kinda cool. I just can't imagine it happening.

 

[MODULATIONFM]

Unfortunately KFRC 1550 AM has huge signal problems.... especially at night. Of course the Oakland A's will sound great if you live in Belmont, Ca. Either way, I'm sure CBS will make more money with the A's than they do with a night of Scott Shannon and bad voice tracked programming!

 

[DavidKaye]

Until the table of allocations was put into place in 1964, no FM channels were allotted to anywhere...stations just applied for a channel that would fit. I vaguely recall at least one of the three Oakland-licesed AMs having an FM sister early on, but many of those early FMs were handed back to the FCC. By the time the table was created, the Bay Area FM dial was already filled up, so there was no class B channel available for Oakland.

There were several FMs in the Eastbay in the late 1940s.

Alameda had KONG 104.9, owned by the Alameda Times Star newspaper. It was started in 1947.

Oakland had KWBR-FM 97.3, owned by KWBR AM's Warner Brothers in downtown Oakland, and also KLX-FM 101.3, owned by the Oakland Tribune.

Richmond had KRCC 104.5, owned by John Galvin & Partners, started in 1947.

I'm not sure if this counts, but there was KSBR 100.5, apparently licensed to San Bruno, but operating from Mount Diablo with an ERP of 250kw (!).

 

[DaveBayArea]

Unfortunately KFRC 1550 AM has huge signal problems.... especially at night.

I was working late in Santa Clara last night and definitely experienced that. Until I got close to The Bay and it's inherent ground conductivity the signal was dismal to non-existent. The last time the A's had this problem they used to simulcast on KDOW 1220. That worked OK during the day, but at night KDOW is something like 100 watts. Maybe they could pick up KLIV - or even the 1200 AM in Soquel (??is it still KYAA??) - for night games so the south-bay fans could hear them.

Dave B.