KLLC

KLLC
City San Francisco, California
Broadcast area San Francisco/Oakland/San Jose, California
Branding Alice @ 97.3
Frequency 97.3 MHz (also on HD Radio)
97.3 HD-2: Chill With Alice
First air date 1947 (as KXKX)
Format Hot AC
ERP 82,000 watts
HAAT 309 meters
Class B
Facility ID 9624
Callsign meaning KL ALiCe
Former callsigns KXKX (1947-1956)
KEAR (1956-1978)
KCBS-FM (1978-1982)
KRQR (1982-1996)
Owner CBS Radio
(CBS Radio East Inc.)
Sister stations KCBS, KFRC-FM, KITS, KMVQ, KZDG, KZZO (Sacramento)
also part of CBS Corp. cluster: KPIX-TV and KBCW
Webcast Listen Live
Website radioalice.com

KLLC (97.3 FM, "Alice @ 97.3") is a commercial radio station located in San Francisco, California, broadcasting to the San Francisco Bay Area. KLLC airs a Hot AC music format, while 97.3 HD-2 airs a chill music format, branded as "Chill With Alice". According to the radio industry website RadioStats.Net, KLLC's site is the most visited Hot AC radio station website in America. The station transmits its signal from Mount Beacon in the Marin Headlands near Sausalito, California, while studios are located in downtown San Francisco.

History

The 97.3 MHz frequency signed on the air as KWBR-FM, dedicated September 14, 1947. The station was owned by Warner Brothers, with studios and transmitter on the side of Twin Peaks. It was a sister station of KWBR-AM (earlier known as KLS).[1]

97.3 FM was home to Family Radio's KEAR since 1956. On September 13, 1978, Family Radio purchased a much stronger frequency, which saw KEAR and their format move to 106.9, as part of a three-way deal that also saw KCBS-FM move from 98.9 MHz to 97.3 MHz. KCBS-FM, now known as "97K", programmed an adult contemporary/Top 40 format. Over the years, the station evolved in more of a classic hits direction. For a time, they aired the syndicated American Top 40.

In January 1982, KCBS-FM became KRQR, "The Bay Area Rocker", with a hard album-oriented rock (AOR) format, to compete against leading rock station KMEL. KRQR's harder approach helped start a long run as a dominant rock station. The year was a busy one for Bay Area rock stations. In May of that year, KSFX dropped rock and went to a talk format as KGO-FM. A month later, on August 23, KQAK switched to rock as "The Quake". And in September, KFOG dropped beautiful music for a more eclectic mix of rock.

Even with four AOR stations in San Francisco, in addition to two more in San Jose, KRQR still dominated amidst the stiff competition. KQAK was the first to give up, dropped AOR in April 1983 [2] and picking up modern rock. But KRQR and KFOG put lots of pressure on the tightly-formatted KMEL, which flipped to CHR in 1984.

KRQR's rock format continued throughout the 1980s and up to 1993, when they repositioned in a classic rock direction. By 1995, the hard rock format was in decline across the country, as modern rock was on the rise. To combat this, the station would evolve back to a more current direction in February 1996.[3] However, this failed to turn around ratings, and on June 5, 1996, at 3 PM, KRQR flipped to KLLC, "Alice 97.3", with a Modern AC format (one of the first and pioneering stations in the format), which gradually evolved into Hot AC in 2010.[4]

KRQR logo - mid 1980s
KRQR logo - early 1990s

Programming

The station's most popular show has been in weekday morning drive. Originally known as "The Sarah and Vinnie Show", it was hosted by Sarah Clark (a.k.a. Sarah Emily Lyman) and Vinnie Hasson, then known as Vinnie Crackhorn, until he was fired in 2002 because of his problems with alcohol.[5] After a several month search for a replacement for Vinnie, the station selected Mike Nelson, a.k.a. "The DJ with No Name", to become the co-host of the renamed "Sarah and No-Name Show". After 6 years, Nelson was let go by station management on July 17, 2008, who announced that Vinnie would re-team with Sarah starting on August 4, 2008, returning the show's name to "The Sarah and Vinnie Show."[6] Nelson later returned to his previous station, Live 105, as the host of their morning show before becoming a part of KFOG's morning show in 2015.[5]

Weekdays at noon, the station features a program called "Retro in the Metro", which plays a variety of songs that were released before 2000. The majority of the playlist is composed of music from the 1980s.

Off-air activities

The station sponsors 3 seasonal concerts each year - the free "Summerthing" show in June and the "Now and Zen Fest" in September, both in Golden Gate Park, and "Alice in Winterland" in December. Featured acts have included Alanis Morissette, Duran Duran, Five for Fighting, Smash Mouth, and Train. Up until 2009 recordings from the concerts and other live appearances on the station were collected into the annual "This is Alice Music" CD, which was sold to raise funds donated to Breast cancer research and treatment charities.

Summerthing lineups

Now and Zen Fest lineups

Alice in Winterland / Alice @97.3 Green Christmas Hosted by Sarah and Vinnie lineups

Alice's Mad Hatter Birthday Bash!

See also

References

  1. ↑ "Warner Bros.' KWBR-FM (97.3 mc) Is Dedicated" (PDF). Broadcasting. September 22, 1947. Retrieved 9 October 2014.
  2. ↑ KQAK FM 99 - The Quake - August 23, 1982
  3. ↑ http://www.americanradiohistory.com/Archive-RandR/1990s/1996/R&R-1996-02-01.pdf
  4. ↑ http://www.americanradiohistory.com/Archive-RandR/1990s/1996/R&R-1996-06-14.pdf
  5. 1 2 Get to Know No Name « Live 105
  6. ↑ Sarah & Vinnie: Back Together Again On Radio Alice - San Francisco - News - The Snitch

External links

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