
KFRC is an Amplitude modulation and frequency modulation broadcast radio station in San Francisco, California, California in the United States. For over 80 years, the station has served the community. It broadcasts on 610 kHz AM and since 1991, on 99.7 MHz FM. Originally the callsign letters stood for "Known For Radio Clearness," because when the station signed on in 1924 with 50 watts of power, broadcasts were heard over a much larger area than had been anticipated. ==Early history== The beginning of KFRC was largely due to the efforts of its first manager, Harrison Holliway. As a child, he was a ham radio buff, and by 1920, he was operating his own amateur station, 6BN. For a time, Harrison was on the air every day with 6BN, broadcasting record programs "for the sheer pleasure of it". He also worked as a part-time newspaper reporter, covering high school sporting news for the ''San Francisco Call''. Beginning in 1920, Holliway attended Stanford University. During the summer of 1924, Holliway was working at a radio shop called the Radio Art Corporation in San Francisco. A Western Electric salesman called on the owners, Jim Threlkeld and Thomas Catton, and sold them on the idea of starting a new radio station (and of course, buying a Western Electric transmitter). And so, KFRC was born, and Holliway became the manager. KFRC went on the air on September 24, 1924 with speeches by local dignitaries, followed by a program with concert, symphony and dance orchestras. Although the signal was only 50 watts, reception proved exceptionally good. It was heard on the U.S. Atlantic Ocean, and across the Pacific Ocean as far away as New Zealand. In the following years, Holliway interviewed such personalities as baseball great Rogers Hornsby, French-Canadian heavyweight boxing Jack Renault, and actors William S. Hart, Douglas Fairbanks, Jr., and John Barrymore. Harry McClintock who hosted a daily children's program, later wrote the hit song "''Big Rock Candy Mountain''". == Don Lee networks== In 1926, KFRC was purchased by Don Lee, who was the wealthy California distributor for Cadillac automobiles. He is said to have had "a personal habit of doing everything in grand style." His family owned the station for 25 years. In 1927, he purchased KHJ (AM) in Los Angeles, and in 1929, both stations became affiliated with William S. Paley's Columbia Broadcasting System (CBS). Jack Benny's announcer Don Wilson began his radio career at KFRC. Others included Ralph Edwards, Art Van Horn, and Mark Goodson, who later went on with partner Bill Todman to create many radio and television game and quiz shows. Other personalties associated with KFRC during the Don Lee era were Art Linkletter, Mel Venter, Bea Benaderet, Harold Peary, Morey Amsterdam, Juanita Tennyson, Merv Griffin, and John Nesbitt. Don Lee died in 1934 and his son took over management. KFRC (and sister KHJ in Los Angeles) switched to the new Mutual Broadcasting System on December 29, 1936. ==1950s and 1960s: Bill Drake era== In 1949, RKO-General acquired KFRC. Like most radio stations during the 1950s, KFRC lost ratings and share to television. In the mid-1960s, KFRC changed to a Top 40 rock and roll music format, and quickly became the dominant station in the region with that format through the 1970s, featuring the tight, carefully programmed sound developed programmer, Bill Drake. It entered its second "golden era," which coincided with San Francisco’s Summer of Love. ==1970s and 1980s: Dr. Don Rose, Magic 61== From 1973 until 1986, Dr. Don Rose (July 5, 1934–March 30, 2005) was a memorable disc jockey on KFRC. With earlier experience at WQXI (AM) in Atlanta, Georgia, and WFIL in Philadelphia, he was known for his corny One-liner joke, wacky sound effects, and good heart. With Dr. Don as anchor, KFRC was voted "Station of the Year" four times by ''Billboard Magazine''. He was considered by many to be the king of radio in the Bay Area during the last decade of AM's musical dominance. With the decline of the Top 40 format by the mid 1980s, KFRC's programming was changed to feature a 1940s big band format, and was known as "Magic 61". ==1990s: adding FM == In the 1990s, KFRC changed to a nostalgia format by playing the rock hits of the 1960s and 70s, recreating the successful Bill Drake years. KFRC-FM began in 1991. The frequency for many years had been KNBC, and later KYUU and KXXX. Under KFRC, the FM signal at 99.7 was simulcast (which means broadcast together) with the popular AM station at 610. The oldies format proved very successful in the Bay market. ==Current events, heritage== In 2005, the owners, Infinity Broadcasting, announced the sale of the AM station, which was anticipated to receive new call letters. The sale price was reported to be $35 million. The oldies format of KFRC AM and FM was scheduled to continue on the FM frequency. Gerry Cagle, who programmed KFRC in the early eighties, and now writes for MusicBiz.com, commented in 2005: :''"KFRC wasn't a position on the dial. It was a place in the hearts of the many professionals who worked there to build and continue a legacy unmatched in radio. It was also a place in the hearts of the listeners who made it important in their lives. 610 means nothing. 'KFRC San Francisco with the Best Music!' will live forever in that magical place we all go when we think about the good things of the past."'' [http://www.tangentsunset.com/sfradiohistory2.htm] ==External links== *[http://www.kfrc.com/ KFRC official website] *[http://users.adams.net/~jfs/kfrc1.htm The History of KFRC San Francisco and the Don Lee Networks] *[http://www.sfmuseum.org/hist3/kfrc.html Virtual Museum of the City of San Francisco, KFRC webpage] *[http://www.doctordonrose.com/index1.html Dr. Don Rose fan website] *[http://www.tangentsunset.com/sfradiohistory.htm Tangent Sun San Francisco Bay Area Radio History] Radio stations in California Radio stations in the San Francisco Bay Area
KFRC ==Blurb for DYK== Blurb for Did You Know feature of Wikipedia: Did You Know ...the callsign of KFRC in San Francisco, California in the U.S. stood for "Known For Radio Clearness"? However, when the Amplitude modulation radio station signed on with 50 watts in 1924, it was heard as far away as New Zealand, far exceeding anyone's expectations. == KFRC == If it stands for "Known for Radio Clearness" then why is it so surprising the channel had such a wide reach? Using "however" seems a bit wrong in this context. User:MacGyverMagic|User talk:MacGyverMagic 09:56, Apr 15, 2005 (UTC) == 50 watts? == :Along those lines, there seems to be something funny about the 50 Watts reaching New Zealand claim. 50 Watts would be barely enough to serve the city. Early powerful AM stations often had 50,000 or even 100,000 Watt outputs - and if atmospheric conditions were right I suppose these could reach New Zealand. But not 50 Watts. I'd check to see if maybe the number isn't off by 3 orders of magnitude (''i.e.'', somebody dropped a "k" somewhere). User:Fawcett5 13:24, 15 Apr 2005 (UTC) Regarding 50 watts, I had the same reaction when I was writing the story. However, the mysteriously low number came from 2 sources, and was actually explained. The early signal was on 1230 AM, and is not the one they went into long-term use with on 610 AM. They also had a favorable location for the antenna. A big problem with AM is other signals, which may not have been as much of a problem back then. Source 1: San Francisco "Bulletin", Tuesday, September 23, 1924: Section 2 Page 1: "BULLETIN RADIO STATION OPENS TOMORROW; GLOBE FLIERS' CHIEF WILL DEDICATE KFRC." (excerpt) ''"The station itself is a new departure in broadcasting units. It is not a high powered station. It is rated as a 50 watt station, but of the Western Electric type, which guarantees a high degree of efficiency. Radio engineers and the Radioart Studios personnel determined on the low power, perfectly tuned unit as preferable to the high powered sets which cause interference. The Government at Washington is watching the work of KFRC with considerable interest in view of the coming conference as it is believed that such units will form a solution of the present broadcasting congestion."'' [http://www.oldradio.com/archives/stations/sf/kfrc2.htm] Source 2: THE HISTORY OF KFRC SAN FRANCISCO AND THE DON LEE NETWORKS Copyright John F. Schneider, 1997 Seattle, Washington (excerpt) ''"The transmitter itself was a fifty watt unit, the latest Western Electric design. The only other one like it was in St. Louis, where it was said to "pound into New York like a local. The relatively low-powered transmitter was said to be preferred by the station engineers because it would cause less interference and yet deliver almost equal signal strength because of its superior circuit design."'' [http://users.adams.net/~jfs/kfrc1.htm] I am posting all this to the article's TALK page, and will do some more research as well. Maybe we can learn more. Thanks. User:Vaoverland 16:18, Apr 15, 2005 (UTC) A few thoughts. The frequency used at the time isn't too different from the 1.8Mhz amateur band, where global communications can and do take place, albeit that very good antenna systems are required. San Fransisco to New Zealand is mostly a sea path, so multi-hop ionospheric propagation, even at those frequencies, would probably stand a better chance than over a land path. Each time you double the power of a radio transmitter the received signal will increase by 3 decibels. That isn't a lot, and even a 10 times increase only gives round a 10 dB increase at the receiver. In practical terms that means that if a 50,000 watt transmitter was a good strong signal over a given path, a 50 watt transmitter might well be audible - signal to noise ratio is what matters with weak signal reception and in 1924 there were relatively few broadcasting stations and the general level of background noise from electrical appliances and industrial sources would be much lower than it is now. I've personally had amateur contacts between the UK and Australia on higher shortwave frequencies with a 5 watt transmitter - not comparing like with like, but an indication that a little power can go a long way. Overall it sounds quite likely that KFRC was heard in New Zealand.User:Thomsk 19:10, 15 Apr 2005 (UTC)
See other meanings of words starting from letter:
Words begining with KFRC:
KFRC
KFRC
KFRC
KFRC is an Amplitude modulation and frequency modulation broadcast radio station in San Francisco, California, California in the United States. For over 80 years, the station has served the community. It broadcasts on 610 kHz AM and since 1991, on 99.7 MHz FM. Originally the callsign letters stood for "Known For Radio Clearness," because when the station signed on in 1924 with 50 watts of power, broadcasts were heard over a much larger area than had been anticipated. ==Early history== The beginning of KFRC was largely due to the efforts of its first manager, Harrison Holliway. As a child, he was a ham radio buff, and by 1920, he was operating his own amateur station, 6BN. For a time, Harrison was on the air every day with 6BN, broadcasting record programs "for the sheer pleasure of it". He also worked as a part-time newspaper reporter, covering high school sporting news for the ''San Francisco Call''. Beginning in 1920, Holliway attended Stanford University. During the summer of 1924, Holliway was working at a radio shop called the Radio Art Corporation in San Francisco. A Western Electric salesman called on the owners, Jim Threlkeld and Thomas Catton, and sold them on the idea of starting a new radio station (and of course, buying a Western Electric transmitter). And so, KFRC was born, and Holliway became the manager. KFRC went on the air on September 24, 1924 with speeches by local dignitaries, followed by a program with concert, symphony and dance orchestras. Although the signal was only 50 watts, reception proved exceptionally good. It was heard on the U.S. Atlantic Ocean, and across the Pacific Ocean as far away as New Zealand. In the following years, Holliway interviewed such personalities as baseball great Rogers Hornsby, French-Canadian heavyweight boxing Jack Renault, and actors William S. Hart, Douglas Fairbanks, Jr., and John Barrymore. Harry McClintock who hosted a daily children's program, later wrote the hit song "''Big Rock Candy Mountain''". == Don Lee networks== In 1926, KFRC was purchased by Don Lee, who was the wealthy California distributor for Cadillac automobiles. He is said to have had "a personal habit of doing everything in grand style." His family owned the station for 25 years. In 1927, he purchased KHJ (AM) in Los Angeles, and in 1929, both stations became affiliated with William S. Paley's Columbia Broadcasting System (CBS). Jack Benny's announcer Don Wilson began his radio career at KFRC. Others included Ralph Edwards, Art Van Horn, and Mark Goodson, who later went on with partner Bill Todman to create many radio and television game and quiz shows. Other personalties associated with KFRC during the Don Lee era were Art Linkletter, Mel Venter, Bea Benaderet, Harold Peary, Morey Amsterdam, Juanita Tennyson, Merv Griffin, and John Nesbitt. Don Lee died in 1934 and his son took over management. KFRC (and sister KHJ in Los Angeles) switched to the new Mutual Broadcasting System on December 29, 1936. ==1950s and 1960s: Bill Drake era== In 1949, RKO-General acquired KFRC. Like most radio stations during the 1950s, KFRC lost ratings and share to television. In the mid-1960s, KFRC changed to a Top 40 rock and roll music format, and quickly became the dominant station in the region with that format through the 1970s, featuring the tight, carefully programmed sound developed programmer, Bill Drake. It entered its second "golden era," which coincided with San Francisco’s Summer of Love. ==1970s and 1980s: Dr. Don Rose, Magic 61== From 1973 until 1986, Dr. Don Rose (July 5, 1934–March 30, 2005) was a memorable disc jockey on KFRC. With earlier experience at WQXI (AM) in Atlanta, Georgia, and WFIL in Philadelphia, he was known for his corny One-liner joke, wacky sound effects, and good heart. With Dr. Don as anchor, KFRC was voted "Station of the Year" four times by ''Billboard Magazine''. He was considered by many to be the king of radio in the Bay Area during the last decade of AM's musical dominance. With the decline of the Top 40 format by the mid 1980s, KFRC's programming was changed to feature a 1940s big band format, and was known as "Magic 61". ==1990s: adding FM == In the 1990s, KFRC changed to a nostalgia format by playing the rock hits of the 1960s and 70s, recreating the successful Bill Drake years. KFRC-FM began in 1991. The frequency for many years had been KNBC, and later KYUU and KXXX. Under KFRC, the FM signal at 99.7 was simulcast (which means broadcast together) with the popular AM station at 610. The oldies format proved very successful in the Bay market. ==Current events, heritage== In 2005, the owners, Infinity Broadcasting, announced the sale of the AM station, which was anticipated to receive new call letters. The sale price was reported to be $35 million. The oldies format of KFRC AM and FM was scheduled to continue on the FM frequency. Gerry Cagle, who programmed KFRC in the early eighties, and now writes for MusicBiz.com, commented in 2005: :''"KFRC wasn't a position on the dial. It was a place in the hearts of the many professionals who worked there to build and continue a legacy unmatched in radio. It was also a place in the hearts of the listeners who made it important in their lives. 610 means nothing. 'KFRC San Francisco with the Best Music!' will live forever in that magical place we all go when we think about the good things of the past."'' [http://www.tangentsunset.com/sfradiohistory2.htm] ==External links== *[http://www.kfrc.com/ KFRC official website] *[http://users.adams.net/~jfs/kfrc1.htm The History of KFRC San Francisco and the Don Lee Networks] *[http://www.sfmuseum.org/hist3/kfrc.html Virtual Museum of the City of San Francisco, KFRC webpage] *[http://www.doctordonrose.com/index1.html Dr. Don Rose fan website] *[http://www.tangentsunset.com/sfradiohistory.htm Tangent Sun San Francisco Bay Area Radio History] Radio stations in California Radio stations in the San Francisco Bay Area
KFRC
KFRC ==Blurb for DYK== Blurb for Did You Know feature of Wikipedia: Did You Know ...the callsign of KFRC in San Francisco, California in the U.S. stood for "Known For Radio Clearness"? However, when the Amplitude modulation radio station signed on with 50 watts in 1924, it was heard as far away as New Zealand, far exceeding anyone's expectations. == KFRC == If it stands for "Known for Radio Clearness" then why is it so surprising the channel had such a wide reach? Using "however" seems a bit wrong in this context. User:MacGyverMagic|User talk:MacGyverMagic 09:56, Apr 15, 2005 (UTC) == 50 watts? == :Along those lines, there seems to be something funny about the 50 Watts reaching New Zealand claim. 50 Watts would be barely enough to serve the city. Early powerful AM stations often had 50,000 or even 100,000 Watt outputs - and if atmospheric conditions were right I suppose these could reach New Zealand. But not 50 Watts. I'd check to see if maybe the number isn't off by 3 orders of magnitude (''i.e.'', somebody dropped a "k" somewhere). User:Fawcett5 13:24, 15 Apr 2005 (UTC) Regarding 50 watts, I had the same reaction when I was writing the story. However, the mysteriously low number came from 2 sources, and was actually explained. The early signal was on 1230 AM, and is not the one they went into long-term use with on 610 AM. They also had a favorable location for the antenna. A big problem with AM is other signals, which may not have been as much of a problem back then. Source 1: San Francisco "Bulletin", Tuesday, September 23, 1924: Section 2 Page 1: "BULLETIN RADIO STATION OPENS TOMORROW; GLOBE FLIERS' CHIEF WILL DEDICATE KFRC." (excerpt) ''"The station itself is a new departure in broadcasting units. It is not a high powered station. It is rated as a 50 watt station, but of the Western Electric type, which guarantees a high degree of efficiency. Radio engineers and the Radioart Studios personnel determined on the low power, perfectly tuned unit as preferable to the high powered sets which cause interference. The Government at Washington is watching the work of KFRC with considerable interest in view of the coming conference as it is believed that such units will form a solution of the present broadcasting congestion."'' [http://www.oldradio.com/archives/stations/sf/kfrc2.htm] Source 2: THE HISTORY OF KFRC SAN FRANCISCO AND THE DON LEE NETWORKS Copyright John F. Schneider, 1997 Seattle, Washington (excerpt) ''"The transmitter itself was a fifty watt unit, the latest Western Electric design. The only other one like it was in St. Louis, where it was said to "pound into New York like a local. The relatively low-powered transmitter was said to be preferred by the station engineers because it would cause less interference and yet deliver almost equal signal strength because of its superior circuit design."'' [http://users.adams.net/~jfs/kfrc1.htm] I am posting all this to the article's TALK page, and will do some more research as well. Maybe we can learn more. Thanks. User:Vaoverland 16:18, Apr 15, 2005 (UTC) A few thoughts. The frequency used at the time isn't too different from the 1.8Mhz amateur band, where global communications can and do take place, albeit that very good antenna systems are required. San Fransisco to New Zealand is mostly a sea path, so multi-hop ionospheric propagation, even at those frequencies, would probably stand a better chance than over a land path. Each time you double the power of a radio transmitter the received signal will increase by 3 decibels. That isn't a lot, and even a 10 times increase only gives round a 10 dB increase at the receiver. In practical terms that means that if a 50,000 watt transmitter was a good strong signal over a given path, a 50 watt transmitter might well be audible - signal to noise ratio is what matters with weak signal reception and in 1924 there were relatively few broadcasting stations and the general level of background noise from electrical appliances and industrial sources would be much lower than it is now. I've personally had amateur contacts between the UK and Australia on higher shortwave frequencies with a 5 watt transmitter - not comparing like with like, but an indication that a little power can go a long way. Overall it sounds quite likely that KFRC was heard in New Zealand.User:Thomsk 19:10, 15 Apr 2005 (UTC)
See other meanings of words starting from letter:
K
KA | KB | KC | KD | KE | KF | KG | KH | KI | KJ | KL | KM | KN | KO | KP | KR | KS | KT | KU | KW | KX | KY | KZ |Words begining with KFRC:
KFRC
KFRC
These materials are based on Wikipedia and licensed under the GNU FDL
YouTube.com videos better site than Turbo Tax 2007
