KFOG

KFOG/KFFG
City KFOG: San Francisco, California
KFFG: Los Altos, California
Broadcast area San Francisco/Oakland/San Jose, California
Branding KFOG
Slogan Music Matters
Frequency KFOG: 104.5 MHz(also on HD Radio)
KFFG: 97.7 MHz
First air date KFOG: February 4, 1960 (as KBAY-FM)
KFFG: October 1, 1960 (as KPGM)
Format Triple-A
ERP KFOG: 7,100 watts
KFFG: 4,000 watts
HAAT KFOG: 459 meters
KFFG: 125 meters
Class KFOG: B
KFFG: A
Facility ID KFOG: 54770
KFFG: 58843
Callsign meaning KFOG: The FOG of San Francisco
KFFG: K F FoG
Former callsigns KFOG:
KBAY-FM (1960-1964)
KFFG:
KPGM (1960-1970)
KPEN (1970-1984)
KLZE (1984-1988)
KHQT (1988-1995)
Owner Cumulus Media Inc.
(Radio License Holding SRC LLC)
Sister stations KGO, KNBR, KSAN, KSFO, KTCT
Webcast Listen Live
Listen Live via iHeart
Website kfog.com

KFOG is an FM radio station in San Francisco, California, broadcasting on 104.5 MHz. KFOG's transmitter is located at Mount Sutro with studios located at 750 Battery Street.[1] It operates a full-time satellite for San Jose and the South Bay, KFFG at 97.7 FM MHz.

The station airs an adult album alternative format, an eclectic variety of blues, reggae, folk, pop, and rock music from the 1990s to the present. It is owned by Cumulus Media.

KFOG broadcasts in HD Radio.[2]

History

The station signed on on February 4, 1960 as KBAY and was owned by Kaiser Broadcasting, a company started by local industrialist Henry J. Kaiser.

The KFOG call letters have been around for decades, and were used when 104.5 played beautiful music. On September 16, 1982, they dropped the easy listening format for a blend of album-oriented rock which they called "Timeless Rock". The first song on the new format was "Rock This Town" by The Stray Cats. The station featured a wide range of music, from the psychedelic sounds of the Grateful Dead and Jefferson Airplane to newer artists such as Prince, the Eurythmics, and the Thompson Twins. They avoided more commercial bands such as Loverboy, which were widely played on many other AOR stations at the time. KFOG's specialty programming included "10 At 10", ten great songs from one great year interspersed with old newscasts, commercials and film clip, hosted by Dave Morey and more recently Annalisa. A nightly "Psychedelic Psupper" showcased music from the psychedelic era and the "Sunday Night Idiot Show" featured an eclectic collection of oldies hosted by M. Dung. KFOG was inspired by San Francisco's freeform rock radio heritage, dating back to KSAN.

A variation of KFOG's original logo
Logo, 2006-2015

When KFOG went on the air, the Bay Area was deluged with AOR stations. KMEL was the established, tightly-formatted album-oriented rock station that had been playing rock music since 1977. KRQR was the hard rock station and KQAK was a new station with a friendly, loosely programmed, personality-driven alternative rock/new wave format. There were two other rock stations in the South Bay - KSJO and KOME. One San Francisco rock station, KSFX, switched to talk radio in May of that year. Of the six Bay Area rock stations that were on the air in late 1982, KFOG is the only one that remains.

The station evolved over the years, but has ultimately aired an eclectic rock format for more than twenty-five years.

On March 31, 2016, KFOG went jockless and began promoting an "evolution" to take place on April 20. On that day, at 6 a.m., KFOG relaunched its AAA format under the new slogan "Music Matters", and shifted its playlist to focus on songs from the 1990s to the present day. The first song under the "Music Matters" branding was "Times Like These" by Foo Fighters. The move comes as Bryan Schock was hired as Operations Manager/Program Director for KFOG and KSAN. Most of the KFOG airstaff, including morning host Renee Richardson, midday host Annalisa, afternoon host Bill Webster, night host Dred Scott, and weekend host Rosalie Howarth, were let go from the station.[3] [4][5]

KFOG programming and promotions

KFOG had a reputation for being devoted to their listeners, whom they called "Fogheads." The weekday morning show from 6 to 10 Pacific Standard time often featured prize giveaways (usually concert tickets), and guests candidly fielded questions from callers and e-mails. The station gave registered Fogheads first crack at tickets to private concerts and exclusive events.

"10 @ 10" was a daily program that began at 10 a.m. and was also rebroadcast at 10 p.m. On Saturday morning at 6 a.m., the week's five shows were rebroadcast, back-to-back. Each weekday, a random year was selected, followed by “ten great songs from one great year” in addition to classic commercials, news broadcasts and clips from popular TV programs. Listeners would call in with their favorite songs, with the winner being named “Best Of Set” (B.O.S.). In later years, the “Best Of Set” votes would also be tabulated from the KFOG Facebook fan site. The show was hosted by Dave Morey, with Don Pardo serving as announcer beginning in September 1982. Don Pardo would “spin the big wheel” which would land on the year of the day. Dave Morey retired from KFOG on Friday, December 19, 2008 to his home on Lake Huron. Annalisa took over hosting duties for the program until its last broadcast on March 30, 2016.

In addition to the regular programs, there were occasional special shows, such as “Ten Turkeys” on Thanksgiving, “Hits From Hell” on any Friday the Thirteenth. During Dave Morey's tenure, he was fond of occasional all-Beatles playlists.

Following Dave Morey's retirement, on-air personality Annalisa took over the program until 2012 when Annalisa moved to KFOX radio and Renee Richardson took over 10@10. [6] Annalisa returned to KFOG in 2014 and also returned to hosting 10@10.

The station held a popular outdoor concert, KFOG KaBoom, at San Francisco's Piers 30 and 32 each May. This is followed by a nighttime fireworks show synchronized to a soundtrack. The extravagant fireworks display draws over 350,000 people. The lineup for the 2009 edition included Los Lonely Boys, Susan Tedeschi, and Chuck Prophet. In 2010 KaBoom was moved to the parking lot outside of Candlestick Park due to erosion of the support pylons at Piers 30/32. The 2010 KaBoom featured headliner Melissa Ethridge and opening act The John Butler Trio and Grace Potter and The Nocturnals and was the last KaBoom concert.

Many of the concerts KFOG sponsored were recorded for KFOG's "Live from the Archives", a massive library of live performances curated for a once a year for a limited-edition CD called KFOG Live From the Archives. No more than 35,000 copies of each volume were pressed with all of the proceeds donated to Bay Area Food Banks. Volume 16 was released in November 2009.[7]

KFOG had a tradition of playing various songs at the same time each week. On Friday afternoons at 5 p.m., the station always broadcast the song "Smoke Two Joints", playing a version by either The Toyes or Sublime. Thursdays were dubbed “New Releases Thursday” and KFOG plays music from new bands, often including indie rock groups. Sunday mornings and evenings featured “Acoustic Sunrise” 7 a.m. To 11 a.m. and Acoustic Sunset” from 7 p.m. To 9 p.m. hosted by longtime DJ Rosalie Howarth with a mellower slant to the playlist and tone to the set.

In 2002, KFOG was the first in the nation to put its music on iTunes and on HD Radio. KFOG also streams its programming live over the Internet worldwide.[8] There was a foghorn sound effect heard from time to time.

Blocks

Notable personalities and shows

HD radio

Until mid 2015, KFOG broadcast two feeds in HD Radio, the first was a simulcast of their analog feed and the second were rebroadcasts "all-10@10-all-the-time".

References

  1. ↑ http://www.sfgate.com/entertainment/radiowaves/article/Former-radio-intern-gets-a-once-in-a-Bleu-moon-6613464.php
  2. ↑ http://www.hdradio.com/station_guides/widget.php?id=3 HD Radio Guide for San Francisco
  3. ↑ https://radioinsight.com/blog/headlines/105671/bryan-schock-to-program-kfogksan/
  4. ↑ http://www.sfgate.com/education/article/KFOG-axes-DJs-future-up-in-the-air-7223598.php
  5. ↑ https://radioinsight.com/blog/headlines/105902/kfog-completes-relaunch/
  6. ↑
  7. ↑
  8. ↑ www.kfog.com
  9. ↑
  10. ↑

External links

Coordinates: 37°45′18″N 122°27′11″W / 37.755°N 122.453°W / 37.755; -122.453

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