The San Francisco Board To Close?

[1069_KIFR]

Now that KFRC has been taken off life support and now officailly dead. What are we going to bitch and complain about? Majority of the subjects dealt with KFRC. Will we go back to complaining about MOViN' 99.7?

What to do, what to do!?

At least Mark Neado still has a job from the KCBS Newsroom!

 

[landtuna]

This is just so sad to contemplate.

My parents moved from Tucson to S.F. in 1960. I was a 15-year old kid who had enjoyed the "new" Top-40 sounds of KTKT and KOMA (when the skip was in) for the previous five years. I got to SF just when KYA was hitting its stride as "Boss of the Bay" and KEWB/KLOK/KFRC were trying to catch up. FM was beginning to become popular and some automation was being done on the classical stations and on KGO-FM. I was in heaven.

I went away for a stint in the navy in '62 and when I returned in '66 KEWB was just shutting down their music offerings and turning to all-news. KGO and KYA were still going strong though. I moved away in '68 and the next time I returned to the Bay Area in the 80's KGO-FM was something else (my memory fails me) and KYA was a country station!

Really sad to see what has become of S.F. radio.

 

[LKellerIII]

Now that KFRC has been taken off life support and now officailly dead. What are we going to bitch and complain about? Majority of the subjects dealt with KFRC. Will we go back to complaining about MOViN' 99.7?

What to do, what to do!?

At least Mark Neado still has a job from the KCBS Newsroom!

No - they aren't going to shut the SF radio board down, but now that KFRC won't be around to complain about, there are plans to "blog-track" it. Soon, all of us people who post here will be getting emails asking us to submit three dozen postings about nothing in particular. In fact, all references to actual Bay Area radio stations, current personalities, the month, or the year should be not be included. All of our postings will be entered into a computer program that will repeat them over and over in a miscellaneous "shuffle" sequence.

By doing this, the web site hopes to save money. But how, you ask - since they don't pay us? Well - they hope to cut Moderator costs by 60%, and these savings will be possible if the Moderators don't have to actually check content more than once or twice a month.

 

[tripton99]

landtuna,

It's a minor point, but KEWB never was a news station. When Metromedia bought it in '66 it took it from a mediocre top 40 to a modest MOR station, then, a few years later it went talk, then back to music by '69, then to the god-aweful concept of oldies and for a while there was Don Chamberlain's Sex Talk before going Country in the mid '70s some time. I worked there from '66 to '71 but cannot vouch for anything there after.

 

[pard]

KNEW in the oldies format (with a few MOR-style or soft rock currents) went from about '71 until the format flip to country in '75. Don Chamberlain did "sex" talk California Girls middays for a while. They even had California Guys with someone named Dee Merritt. What a dud that was. KLOK 1170 ruled the oldies roost at that time. Also for a while KNEW re branded as "Channel 91". BTW the story goes that Metromedia had to come up with $$$ to get the "Kay-New" brand from KGNU in San Jose.

 

[djj]

No - they aren't going to shut the SF radio board down, but now that KFRC won't be around to complain about, there are plans to "blog-track" it. Soon, all of us people who post here will be getting emails asking us to submit three dozen postings about nothing in particular...

At that time, it will change names from "San Francisco Board" to "San Francisco Bored."
;D
--jay

 

[tripton99]

Pard,

The KNEW came from Spokane, WA, but the fact that there was a KGNU in San Jose forced Metromedia into some concessions like never to refer to themselves as "Kay-New."

 

[kenrayc]

Does anybody remember KKNU 102.7 from Fresno ,in the 70's it was Beautiful Music all the time.

 

[stonesmarconi]

It's back in Fresno

 

[DavidKaye]

KNEW in the oldies format (with a few MOR-style or soft rock currents) went from about '71 until the format flip to country in '75. Don Chamberlain did "sex" talk California Girls middays for a while. They even had California Guys with someone named Dee Merritt. What a dud that was. KLOK 1170 ruled the oldies roost at that time. Also for a while KNEW re branded as "Channel 91". BTW the story goes that Metromedia had to come up with $$$ to get the "Kay-New" brand from KGNU in San Jose.

Let's see...John Hawkins was the brains behind the oldies format, "The greatest hits of all time", which actually sounded pretty good. Some KNEW jingles were produced to the old KEWB tune, and he had some good DJs there. Hawkins claims that he came up with the "California Girls" name for the Chamberlain talkshow. Hawkins now runs Advisor Media, a publisher and web presence. As I recall, John Hawkins was both Op manager and PD at that time.

When KNEW flipped to country in 1975 I had just left KWUN for KMUV-TV channel 31 in Sacramento. Hawkins replaced me as PD at KWUN and KWUN found great success with the oldies format there. He took the entire format and concept and transplanted and it worked well for that little 500 watt potboiler, so much so that the owner, Bill Adler, sold it not long after for a substantial gain. He even edited the "K-N-E-W channel 91" down to "K....1" to fit KWUN. Crafty!

I remember when Metromedia changed KEWB to MOR. The first DJ was New Yorker, Jack Lacy, who to me sounded like Jack Benny. He was okay, but nothing great. KNEW didn't impress me that much, either. So these Great New York People were going to revolutionize Bay Area radio? It didn't talk long before KNEW went to talk and brought in localite Joe Dolan.

I will give props to KNEW management in bringing in all kinds of talent, especially local talent. Belva Davis was a weekend DJ. Steve Somers (before he became a NY sportscaster) had a talkshow. Van Amburg was a morning DJ, etc.

As for "K-New" and KGNU I don't recall anything about that. I do remember that KNEW was not pronounced "K-New" until long after they had abaandoned both the MOR and talk formats. I think I first heard it under the country format. This might coincide with the time when 1430 was KGNU.

 

[LKellerIII]

KNEW in the oldies format (with a few MOR-style or soft rock currents) went from about '71 until the format flip to country in '75. Don Chamberlain did "sex" talk California Girls middays for a while. They even had California Guys with someone named Dee Merritt. What a dud that was. KLOK 1170 ruled the oldies roost at that time. Also for a while KNEW re branded as "Channel 91". BTW the story goes that Metromedia had to come up with $$$ to get the "Kay-New" brand from KGNU in San Jose.

Let's see...John Hawkins was the brains behind the oldies format, "The greatest hits of all time", which actually sounded pretty good. Some KNEW jingles were produced to the old KEWB tune, and he had some good DJs there. Hawkins claims that he came up with the "California Girls" name for the Chamberlain talkshow. Hawkins now runs Advisor Media, a publisher and web presence. As I recall, John Hawkins was both Op manager and PD at that time.

When KNEW flipped to country in 1975 I had just left KWUN for KMUV-TV channel 31 in Sacramento. Hawkins replaced me as PD at KWUN and KWUN found great success with the oldies format there. He took the entire format and concept and transplanted and it worked well for that little 500 watt potboiler, so much so that the owner, Bill Adler, sold it not long after for a substantial gain. He even edited the "K-N-E-W channel 91" down to "K....1" to fit KWUN. Crafty!

I remember when Metromedia changed KEWB to MOR. The first DJ was New Yorker, Jack Lacy, who to me sounded like Jack Benny. He was okay, but nothing great. KNEW didn't impress me that much, either. So these Great New York People were going to revolutionize Bay Area radio? It didn't talk long before KNEW went to talk and brought in localite Joe Dolan.

I will give props to KNEW management in bringing in all kinds of talent, especially local talent. Belva Davis was a weekend DJ. Steve Somers (before he became a NY sportscaster) had a talkshow. Van Amburg was a morning DJ, etc.

As for "K-New" and KGNU I don't recall anything about that. I do remember that KNEW was not pronounced "K-New" until long after they had abaandoned both the MOR and talk formats. I think I first heard it under the country format. This might coincide with the time when 1430 was KGNU.

KNEW was the first Oldies station I can remember in the Bay Area...about 1974 when I first moved here. But I thought it was called "California Gold," not "the Greatest Hits of All Time." . Loved the retro "Channel 91" jingles. At the time, I didn't know KEWB had existed, but was familiar with those jingles from KFWB in LA.

Even the off-format "California Girls" (Don Chamberlin) show was familiar to me, because of Bill Ballance's Feminine Forum Show in LA, which also broke format on KGBS.

My memory is the same as David's - when 910 went Country, they had a "K-New 91" jingle for awhile, but prior to that, it was always K-N-E-W.

 

[andreajesus]

Now that KFRC has been taken off life support and now officailly dead. What are we going to bitch and complain about? Majority of the subjects dealt with KFRC. Will we go back to complaining about MOViN' 99.7?

What to do, what to do!?

Hold up, hold up, hold up - i gotta put in my two cents on this one!! TRUST me, if the SF Board is like anything else, people will ALWAYS find something to post about..i mean, i've been on other boards where if a radio station steps out and does something "a bit different", there will be posts on it within like 5 minutes, trust me (by the way, bravo to ANY radio station who steps out and does something "a bit different" - i think it's AWE-SOME!! ) but as far as what you and others are saying on this Board...

SF Board ain't EVER gonna close down, not as LONG as there is radio in San Francisco, not as LONG as there are personalities and behind-the-scenes talent who either CURRENTLY work or USED to work in San Francisco, and NOT as LONG as there are radio fans...SO TAKE IT TO THE BANK AND BOOK IT, BABY, 'COS YOU KNOW I SPEAK THE TRUTH!!

Andrea

 

[ty567]

Now that KFRC has been taken off life support and now officailly dead. What are we going to bitch and complain about?

Just a guess...but im guessing most will bitch and complain about the fact its dead and that no one is doing the classic hits format. And approximately every 2 months or so a post will pop up about a true CHR coming to the bay. Throw in a Doghouse thread or 2 and thats the SF board more or less wrapped up!

 

[davideduardo]

My parents moved from Tucson to S.F. in 1960. I was a 15-year old kid who had enjoyed the "new" Top-40 sounds of KTKT and KOMA (when the skip was in) for the previous five years. I got to SF just when KYA was hitting its stride as "Boss of the Bay" and KEWB/KLOK/KFRC were trying to catch up.

KFRC did not become top 40 until, if I recall, about 6 months after KHJ made the switch... end of '65 or early '66. It was an MOR, part of the desintegrated Don Lee Network, in 1960. Very old line.

I'm not sure when KOBY dropped Top 40, but I think it lasted into 1960.

FM was beginning to become popular and some automation was being done on the classical stations and on KGO-FM. I was in heaven.

Saying FM was "popular" when it was not for about 7 or 8 years that they made any dent in the ratings is a bit of an exaggeration, although there were some good intents, such as Pete Taylor's KFOG, prior to that time.

 

[radio dx]

As long as CBS/radio is in the bay area we will always have something to complain about.

 

[BossRadioDJ]

KNEW was the first Oldies station I can remember in the Bay Area...about 1974 when I first moved here. But I thought it was called "California Gold," not "the Greatest Hits of All Time." . Loved the retro "Channel 91" jingles. At the time, I didn't know KEWB had existed, but was familiar with those jingles from KFWB in LA.

Even the off-format "California Girls" (Don Chamberlin) show was familiar to me, because of Bill Ballance's Feminine Forum Show in LA, which also broke format on KGBS.

My memory is the same as David's - when 910 went Country, they had a "K-New 91" jingle for awhile, but prior to that, it was always K-N-E-W.

A sampling of KNEW airchecks from over the years, for your listening entertainment:

http://www.sfradiocity.com/audio/knew/

...Running everything from Joe Dolan to Tom Campbell, and Van Amburg to Frank Terry, with a taste of the great John Hawkins thrown in for good measure.

 

[RadioStarOne]

Do any of you have your copy of KNEW's San Francisco 500? The number one song was Bridge Over Troubled Water Simon and Garfunkle, song 500 was Five O'clock World by The Vogues. You'll just have to dig up your copy to fill in the rest.

 

[landtuna]

FM was beginning to become popular and some automation was being done on the classical stations and on KGO-FM. I was in heaven.

Saying FM was "popular" when it was not for about 7 or 8 years that they made any dent in the ratings is a bit of an exaggeration, although there were some good intents, such as Pete Taylor's KFOG, prior to that time.

Read carefully here: "FM was beginning to become popular..."

 

[tripton99]

BossradioDJ

Thanks for the airchecks from KNEW. I was Joe Dolan's producer at the time of his aircheck and I produced the entire 91-hour Sinatra marathon also in the set of airchecks.

 

[LKellerIII]

Working my way through the KNEW stuff. Whew! For Tom Campbell it was all about the commercials, wasn't it? Just the bare minimum of station ID and personality, then he was off and running into the stop set. I recall that he was the official spokesman for a number of retail businesses - notably Matthew's TV & Stereo, and Comfort Zone Waterbeds. But even when he was just doing a cold read, he gave it his all.

Now I really want to get on Highway 80 and hop on down to Bill Nelson Chevrolet in Richmond to get my brand new 73 Chevy.

What was KNEW's format that year (late 72)? MOR, Chicken Rock. Top 40? He played Me and Mrs Jones - which was the #1 new song that week. So obviously, the station wasn't Oldies yet.