KSAN (radio station)

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Infobox radio tower icon
KSAN
Radio station
Program type Mainstream rock
reception analog FM 107.7 MHz
terrestrial & web radio
HD channel 1: Mainstream Rock
HD channel 2: Country (Nash FM)
Reception area San Francisco , California, USA
Start of transmission April 1, 1963
Broadcaster Cumulus Media
List of radio stations
Website

KSAN ("107.7 The Bone") an American radio broadcaster from San Francisco , California . Founded in 1963, the FM station is now owned by Cumulus Media and broadcasts a mainstream rock format for the San Francisco metropolitan area.

history

The VHF station began operating on the 107.7 MHz frequency under the callsign KUFY. The KSAN call sign was first used for the 94.9 MHz frequency from May 21, 1968, on which a special- interest program was initially broadcast with a focus on airplay for LP-oriented rock music. The idea for this came from the then well-known radio DJ "Big Daddy" Tom Donahue , who had started at KSAN on that date. Donahue was an outspoken opponent of the usual "Top40 radio format", which played the Billboard hit parade , as he explained to the music magazine Rolling Stone in November 1967. For him, “Top40 Radio” had turned rock & roll into a rising industry and stuffed the radio stations with jingles .

With his own program format, Donahue turned KSAN into a style-setting rock music broadcaster that influenced the program formats of American and worldwide radio stations. A famous interview with Frank Zappa on October 11, 1968 also shaped the station's image. Donahue's notoriety grew and he made KSAN the leading broadcaster in this part of California. His critical news comments about the Vietnam War or the Nixon administration increased his level of awareness and thus that of KSAN. From April 1969, Willis Duff was the new General Manager, according to which KSAN received about 60 LPs a week, of which only 10-15 were taken into the station archive. Duff had to replace his predecessor Varner Paulsen at short notice. The Donahue interview with John Lennon on September 21, 1974 when he was under the pseudonym “Dr. Winston O'Boogie ”presented his album Walls and Bridges . Donahue died a few months later on April 28, 1975. Under his successor, DJ Abe "Voco" Kesh, KSAN became a " hippie music station".

Influencing buying behavior

An example illustrates how, particularly in the USA, radio stations can influence the purchasing behavior of sound carriers . In February 1969, KSAN received an LP from the Edwin Hawkins Singers from neighboring Oakland with the title Let Us Go Into the House of the Lord (Pavilion PBS 10001) with only 8 tracks, which was created for donation purposes with a limited edition of 1,000 . In particular Oh Happy Day received an intensive airplay at KSAN by DJ Abe “Voco” Kesh , so that record companies became aware. After its release in April 1969, the gospel song became a million seller with over a million singles sold within just 2 weeks of its release and over 7 million copies worldwide and received a Grammy Award in 1970 .

Further development

On October 19, 1969, Billboard reported that KSAN had risen to become the leader in progressive rock alongside WNEW NY . In October 1972 the radio DJ Tom Donahue, who has now become famous beyond San Francisco, was appointed head of the station (in Germany: Intendant ) of KSAN, but died on April 28, 1975 of a heart attack. During the kidnapping of Patty Hearst on April 3, 1974, KSAN was used to broadcast music tapes by the kidnappers. The station made a name for itself as an underground radio.

Between 1966 and 1982 the station belonged to the Metromedia group, which owned some radio stations across the US. It is now owned by Susquehanna Radio Corporation , Atlanta . On November 15, 1980, the station swapped its rock format for a country music format and maintained its leadership in radio ratings. On July 2, 1997 at midnight, KSAN received its current frequency of 107.7 MHz and has been playing classic rock ever since . Mainstream rock has been on the station's playlists since 2004 . The broadcaster KSAN with the brand name "The Bone" cooperates with the San Francisco 49ers , whose games are broadcast.

Not to be confused with the medium-wave radio station KSAN (AM), which has now been discontinued, played rhythm & blues and where Sylvester Stewart (artist name: Sly Stone ) had started as a DJ.

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Donahue had been since April 7 in 1967 KPMX San Francisco with album-rock and underground music started
  2. ↑ Christopher H. Sterling (Ed.), The Biographical Encyclopedia of American Radio , 2011, p. 106
  3. ↑ Christopher H. Sterling, Encyclopedia of Radio , Volume 1, 2003, p. 772
  4. ↑ Ben Fong-Torres, The Hits Keep on Coming , 2001, p. 208
  5. ↑ Billboard Magazine, October 26, 1968, Rock Pulsates AM-FM Bands , p. 60
  6. ↑ Billboard Magazine, March 13, 1971, Store Hypes Worry KHJ , p. 32
  7. ^ John Bassett McCleary, Hippie Dictionary , 2013, no page number
  8. ^ Joseph Murrells, Million Selling Records , 1985, pp. 284 f.
  9. ^ Edwin Hawkins homepage
  10. ↑ SLA Tape Delivered to KSAN ( Memento from July 1, 2004 in the Internet Archive )
  11. ↑ License data of the FCC