Radio KKSF-FM (103.7 the Band)

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KKSF, known as "103.7 The Band", is a classic rock radio station in San Francisco, California. The station is owned and operated by Clear Channel Communications. KKSF's previous format from 1987 to May 18, 2009 was Smooth jazz. Smooth Jazz continues to play on www.kksf.com as well as on sister station KISQ 98.1 HD-2 HD Radio.

The former ABC Radio-owned station started as KGO-FM. In earlier days, it simulcast its AM sister station of the same name, occasionally airing a stereo version of the Lawrence Welk show. By the late 1960s, as FM st... See more

San Francisco FM|103.7
415-975-5555
433 E. LAS COLINAS BLVD, #1130, Irving, TX75039
KKSF, known as "103.7 The Band", is a classic rock radio station in San Francisco, California. The station is owned and operated by Clear Channel Communications. KKSF's previous format from 1987 to May 18, 2009 was Smooth jazz. Smooth Jazz continues to play on www.kksf.com as well as on sister station KISQ 98.1 HD-2 HD Radio.

The former ABC Radio-owned station started as KGO-FM. In earlier days, it simulcast its AM sister station of the same name, occasionally airing a stereo version of the Lawrence Welk show. By the late 1960s, as FM stations were required to offer separate programming from that of their AM sisters, KGO-FM, like other ABC-owned FM stations, was an outlet for ABC Love, an automated progressive rock format.

KGO-FM became KSFX in early 1971, and continued in a Progressive Rock format until May 1973. Then, KSFX ran a Top 40 "Musicradio" approach (ala WABC New York). By late 1974 the station veered towards a Dance/Soul-flavored format. During the late 1970s, KSFX had a brief run with a disco music format.

In late 1980, KSFX veered towards an album-oriented rock format modeled after sister station KLOS in Los Angeles. This lasted until May 1982, when stiff competition forced them to drop AOR for talk, featuring the ABC-syndicated 'Talkradio' network, again as KGO-FM.

ABC sold the station January 1, 1984 to Weaver, Davis, Fowler (WDF) and it became KLOK-FM as WDF already owned KLOK (AM) in San Jose. KLOK-FM had an interactive Adult Contemporary music format called "Yes/No Radio" in which listeners would phone in their votes on whether songs should remain on the playlist.

In 1987 the station was sold to Brown Broadcasting Corporation, the call sign was changed to KKSF and the format was switched to New Adult Contemporary (NAC), a predecessor to the Smooth Jazz genre. KKSF debuted July 31, 1987 at midnight; the first song played was by Steve Winwood. The General Manager from 1987 to 1997 was David A. Kendrick. Liner notes of the first KKSF Sampler for AIDS Relief list the members of the group responsible for the development of the KKSF concept as Willet Brown, Mike Brown, Steve Feinstein, Dave Kendrick, and Phil Melrose.

Steve Feinstein, who had previously been a format editor at trade magazine Radio and Records, was KKSF's first Program Director. Until his death in 1996, Feinstein guided KKSF to be one of the leading stations in the NAC format. He was known for being open and responsive to listener comments and suggestions, and constantly searched for new and interesting music that fit the KKSF sound, often gravitating to lesser-known imports and hard-to-find, out-of-print selections.

In 1988 the station teamed with the San Francisco AIDS Foundation to produce their first KKSF Sampler for AIDS Relief. Songs were donated by their artists so that KKSF could give all the net proceeds from the sale of the Sampler albums to the San Francisco AIDS Foundation. Often the Sampler CDs were the only way to find certain KKSF listener favorites that had otherwise gone out of print. There were seven KKSF Samplers produced by Dave Kendrick and Steve Feinstein, with Sampler 7 being dedicated to Feinstein's memory, as he died in September 1996, during the album's creation.

KKSF was also the first commercial radio station to have a web presence, putting up a web site in October 1993 as kksf.tbo.com and eventually www.kksf.com.

In 1993, Brown Broadcasting purchased classical station KDFC 102.1. The two stations were co-located at 455 Market Street until 1997, when both were sold to Evergreen Media. Evergreen sold KDFC to Bonneville that same year, and kept KKSF as that company evolved into AM/FM, Chancellor, and eventually Clear Channel Communications during a short period of rapid ownership changes in the late 1990s. Studios were moved to their present location at 340 Townsend Street in 1998.

The sound of KKSF changed with new ownership. The Smooth Jazz consultancy Broadcast Architecture became more involved with the station at this time. Gradually the station became more like other stations in the U.S. using the "Smooth Jazz" handle, dropping some of its more eclectic music along the way in favor of mass appeal R&B songs.

The 2000s brought many changes to KKSF. During 2001 many announcers left, a number of them going to what had been KKSF's sister station, KDFC. Through the next eight years the number of live announcers on staff gradually decreased, as KKSF began airing syndicated shows in morning drive, like the national "Wake Up with Whoopi" show hosted by Whoopi Goldberg, and later The Ramsey Lewis Morning Show, featuring pianist Ramsey Lewis. In 2008 KKSF added the syndicated Dave Koz show to afternoons. By the end of the Smooth Jazz version of KKSF, only midday personality Miranda Wilson was truly live in her time slot.

On May 18, 2009, at 3 p.m., KKSF began its present Classic Rock format. Owner Clear Channel cited economic considerations and the results of "exhaustive market research" as they announced the change to "103.7 The Band." The first song played under the Classic Rock format was "Everybody's Everything" by Santana.

Smooth Jazz in San Francisco can now be heard on the HD2 channel of KKSF's sister station KISQ 98.1.

In its first few months as 103.7 The Band, KKSF has gained listeners aged 25–54, considered a more desirable group by advertisers than KKSF's previous audience which skewed considerably older. The station features mostly out-of-market personalities who voice track their shows, and has a very small local staff.

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