KFOG was special. All Rights Reserved. This is a carousel. In 1974, Kaiser Broadcasting received a hefty return on its original $75,510 investment in KFOG, selling it to General Electric for $1.6-million. KFOG has a long history, and this site has just a tiny fraction of the information I'd like to add. How on earth do you screw that station up? But it's somewhat standard for the radio industry, which is traditionally unceremonious when dropping DJs and programming. 192kbps Community Radio 16 votes WJFN-FM Oldies 99.7 Long Island NY RIP.https://t.co/c2dEBiDs9F, Mark Hachman (@markhachman) August 26, 2019, I know it's been a while since KFOG's heyday, but killing it off to simulcast an AM sports station? We'll send you the latest on TV and Radio playing all over the world. His previous work includes time at Yahoo! Local radio icon Dave Morey of KFOG, broadcasting from 11th floor studios in San Francisco, Calif. Nov. 21, 2008. RELATED: Rock radio station KFOG to leave Bay Area airwaves. DJs Links Annalisa at 92.5 The River Playlists Ten at Ten - August 11, 2009 - 1995 Ten at Ten - August 12, 2009 - 1976 Warriors unveil stunning new San Francisco arena BARHOF Sad.. https://t.co/0sUl7M3E0o, Nicole Sandler (@nicolesandler) August 26, 2019, Richard de Give (@RichdeGive) August 26, 2019. So I thought, well, three generations of Fogheads - that's an achievement. Cumulus Media Inc. on Monday announced that San Francisco alternative rock station KFOG (104.5-FM) will flip to a simulcast of KNBR-AM sports radio on Friday, Sept. 6. It offered fans tickets to private concerts at the station, which were compiled on Live From The Archives CDs for 22 years (with proceeds going to local food banks). KRQR was the hard rock station and KQAK was a new station with a friendly, loosely programmed, personality-driven alternative rock/new wave format. The call letters K-F-O-G, used since 1964, are being retired. The call sign switched to KFOG four years later and it became a rock station in 1982, famously snubbing mass-appeal bands in favor of psychedelic tunes and emerging artists. Copyright 2023 Streaming The Net Inc. KFOG 104.5 FM - San Francisco, Classic Rock radio. KFOG was one of the few surviving links to San Francisco's rich history of free-form radio on the commercial dial. Cumulus Media, the company that owns KFOG, announced it will soon become KNBR FM, a simulcast of KNBR AM sports radio. 1,285 were here. San Francisco, CA, USA. Check out Bay Area safety tracker, Bay Area Life; Sundays at 6:30 p.m. on ABC7, Rock radio station KFOG to leave Bay Area airwaves. So it's time to let it go, and let it be. Most of the KFOG airstaff, including morning hosts Irish Greg McQuade and Renee Richardson, midday host Annalisa, afternoon host Bill Webster, night host Dred Scott, and weekend host Rosalie Howarth, were let go from the station. Howarth, who once presided over the popular Sunday KFOG program Acoustic Sunrise, said that she has been in contact with former KFOG employees with the hopes of organizing some kind of wake, but had no firm plans in place yet. To make your reservation for the Foghead Family Reunion, please click here. And, like every storyline is an arc, this one has finally come to the end of its rainbow. Jones incorporated his new collection of stations as International Good Music, Inc., but also ran into the bane of FM broadcasters in the early 1960s: few listeners were listening, and even fewer advertisers were advertising. Entertainment | 6. Now I understand. KFOG recievedthe legendary station award by the Bay Area Radio Museum and Hall of Fameand the California Historical Radio Society inJune. Iconic alt-rock radio station KFOG 104.5 in San Francisco is signing off the air after 36 years. SAN FRANCISCO (KGO) -- It's the end of an era for Bay Area Radio. What we had was so special, she said. ", Amanda Bartlett is an SFGate editorial assistant. (Karl Mondon/Staff Archives) On air personality Rosalie Howarth is. KFOG signed off the air for the last time a few minutes past midnight Thursday, 2019. AwfulAnnouncing.com is not an official web site for any media organization, professional sports league, team, or organization.Copyright 2020 www.AwfulAnnouncing.com - All Rights Reserved - Trademarks used herein are property of their respective owners. The Fogheads made up a real community. KNBR-FM (104.5 MHz) is a commercial radio station licensed to San Francisco, California, serving the greater San Francisco Bay Area. This site is for informational and entertainment purposes only. KFOG is Forever | KFOG Forever It attracted artists like Melissa Etheridge, Collective Soul and Train. It was a great radio station before they started gutting it a few years ago. The switch was announced on the KNBR website and social media. Cumulus kills another legendary station. Never did I think this day would come. A daily briefing on what matters in the music industry. KFOG, the last commercial relic of the free-form album-oriented FM rock radio that San Francisco was once known for, has finally given up on rock altogether. For others, the news brought on a wave of nostalgia. He's still in mourning over the cancellation of "Freaks and Geeks. Listen to the podcast!". In 1963,[2] the call sign switched to KFOG in honor of the city's fog layer, and the station aired a beautiful music format, again largely instrumental music, cover versions of popular songs with some Broadway and Hollywood show tunes. They could also enjoy "Acoustic Sunrise" on Sunday mornings for more Thriving goodness. (Karl Mondon/Staff Archives), Local radio icon Dave Morey of KFOG broadcasts from their 11th floor studios in San Francisco, Calif. Nov. 21, 2008 with producer Greg McQuaid. KNBR-FM (104.5 MHz) is a commercial radio station licensed to San Francisco, California, serving the greater San Francisco Bay Area. Theres still plenty of appetite for the type of authenticity this station delivered in spades., Bay Area media blogger Rich Lieberman also took a fiery stance against Atlanta-based Cumulus, which purchased KFOG in 2005. But now that the call letters have been taken away, the dream is over.. I still miss 10 @ 10. And a little part of Bay Area culture with it. 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. Beginning September 6, the station will be They bantered while broadcasting from their 11th floor studios in San Francisco, Calif. Nov. 21, 2008. "I'm so sorry to see it go, a Bay Area classic," said Fox. KFOG Forever is a fan site created with love by Kristi Wachter. 4. Kieve On Kieve: A Radio Legend Looks Back. Sign up Log in. Then again, I thought the same about #LIVE105. In May 1960 after only about ninety days on the air Corwin abandoned the project and sold KBAY and two of his other fledgling FM stations (one in Los Angeles, the other in San Bernardino) for the princely sum of $100,000 to radio pioneer Rogan Jones, who had built some of the earliest radio and TV stations in Washington state. Their stint on KFOG was actually their second, originally airing in San Francisco on "Live 105" 105.3 KITS in 2006. Cumulus Media, owner of 104.5 FM, is switching programming to sports talk, giving KNBR a spot on the FM dial. He covers news, politics, science, sports, outdoors and Bay Area history. In March 1963, Jones accepted $75,510 for KBAY and turned over the keys to its Pacific Avenue studios to Kaiser Broadcasting of Oakland. On Monday, famed San Francisco/Bay Area rock/alternative station KFOG announced that it would be closing down as of Sept. 6, with its 104.5 FM feed switching to a simulcast of sports station. Entertainment | One Twitter user saw the stations demise as a lost connection to his late father: #KFOG was my Dad's go to station. The station evolved over the years, but KFOG aired an eclectic rock format for more than a quarter century. Most of her fellow DJs were let go in a March 2016 purge that came to be known as The March Massacre.. The extravagant fireworks display drew over 350,000 people. Mike (and trust me, he wouldn't want to be referred to as "Mr. Slavko," as obituary style dictates). All Rights Reserved. (Staff Archives). #kfog. Use of this web site constitutes acceptance of the Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. Would love your thoughts, please comment. KFOG axes DJs; station's future up in the air - SFGATE Owned by Cumulus Media, KNBR-FM features a sports radio format in a simulcast with co-owned KNBR. Their first mistake was letting (disc jockey) Dave Morey go, the final nail in the coffin was (DJ) Rosalie Howarth. Jarvis Folk (@JarvisFolk) August 27, 2019, Commenting on the Bay Area News Groups websites, Alejandro Moreno wrote, What else would you expect from corporate soulless Cumulus? That was the period that I consider fun radio. Cumulus Media Inc. on Monday announced that San Francisco alternative rock station KFOG (104.5-FM) will flip to a simulcast of KNBR-AM sports radio on Friday, Sept. 6. Ten at Ten, September 24, 2008 - Vertical Tasting, Acoustic Sunrise, May 20, 2018 - The Last Show, Dave Morey's last Morning Show, Dec 19, 2008, hour 1, Dave Morey's last Morning Show, Dec 19, 2008, hour 2, Dave Morey's last Morning Show, Dec 19, 2008, hour 3, Dave Morey's last Morning Show, Dec 19, 2008, hour 4, 90 minutes from KFOG's first night as a rock station, September 17, 1982, songs from the final episode of Acoustic Sunrise, KFOG switches from beautiful music to rock and roll, KFOG is inducted into the Bay Area Radio Museum and Hall of Fame. San Francisco's legendary alternative rock station signed off the air for the final time a little past midnight Thursday. As long as KFOG was on the air, there was some hope, she said. It was one of the last things I had that could make me feel that he was still present. On August 26, 2019, Cumulus announced that KFOG would drop its rock format on September 6 to simulcast sister station KNBR. Get Morning Report and other email newsletters, On air personality Rosalie Howarth is photographed at the KFOG radio studios on Sunday, Oct. 9, 2011 in San Francisco, Calif. Greg Papa on his 49ers and KNBR gigs, a new chapter and Raider Nation SF is home to the world's oldest webcam. The station was originally known as KBAY when it went on the air from studios on Pacific Avenue near Columbus on February 4, 1960, with 30,000 watts of power under the ownership of Sherrill Corwin. There was no mention of its significance on the air, but at 12:33 this afternoon, KFOG San Francisco played the current Triple-A hit/Alternative chart record "When Am I Gonna Lose You" by Local Natives. Website. We are excited to bring KNBR, The Sports Leader and official home of the Giants and 49ers, to a wider audience of sports listeners in the Bay Area, said Doug Harvill, Vice President/Market Manager, Cumulus San Francisco. Carefully crafted KFOG programs - especially Acoustic Sunrise and Ten at Ten - reached a level of art rarely found in commercial radio. KNBRs Bonnie-Jill Laflin Q&A: I can hang with the big boys In a media release, Cumulus said KNBR-FM will give sports fans another place to tune into KNBRs high-profile personalities and in-depth coverage of the Bay Areas favorite teams.. Have a favorite KFOG memory? In August 1995, it became "KFOG 97.7 and 104.5," when Susquehanna acquired San Jose station KHQT (97.7 FM) and turned it into KFFG, simulcasting KFOG on a full-time basis.[8][9]. Sports Canada and Black Press. They took a few moments to reminisce about KFOGs glory days that began in the early 1980s when it was a free-form station that catered to fans of album-oriented and classic rock n roll. No Name - Afternoons. After 25 years, it's being switched off. Dear Abby: We can't go out with her anymore, and we can't tell her why, Tourist filmed defacing Romes Colosseum has been identified, police say, Madonna still bedridden, vomiting uncontrollably after leaving the hospital: report, United Airlines troubles worsen at Denver airport with more than 500 cancellations, 1,000 delays over 5 days, Pornhub blocks access to Virginia users in response to new age verification law, Ex-deputy Scot Peterson found not guilty of all charges in Parkland mass shooting, Do Not Sell/Share My Personal Information. Language links are at the top of the page across from the title. Dear Abby: We can't go out with her anymore, and we can't tell her why, Tourist filmed defacing Romes Colosseum has been identified, police say, Madonna still bedridden, vomiting uncontrollably after leaving the hospital: report, United Airlines troubles worsen at Denver airport with more than 500 cancellations, 1,000 delays over 5 days, Pornhub blocks access to Virginia users in response to new age verification law, Ex-deputy Scot Peterson found not guilty of all charges in Parkland mass shooting, Do Not Sell/Share My Personal Information. Chuck Barney is the TV critic and columnist for the Bay Area News Group. Shelives in San Francisco with her rabbit, Cheeto. WTSC The Source 91.1 FM Potsdam New York Clarkson University. KFOG's last "song" was more of a dirge eight minutes of foghorns, gull squawks and crashing waves. 37 years of KFOG - that is a good run. SAN FRANCISCO (KGO) -- It's the end of an era for Bay Area Radio. The Woody Show - Mornings. [14], In the station's final hour as KFOG, they rebroadcast the audio of its 1982 flip to AAA, followed by a "10@10" broadcast of "666 - Day of Doom Devil Music" which originally aired June 6, 2006, and ended with a short set of songs, finishing with "Brokedown Palace" by the Grateful Dead. ABOVE: (left to right) Rosalie Howarth (overnights), Bob Acton (weekends), Dave Morey (middays, 10@10 host, and production director), Trish Robbins (weekends), Dave Logan (program director), Bonnie Simmons (evenings), Sky Daniels (afternoons), M. Dung (mornings, Sunday Night Idiot Show host, imaging production), Andy Rush (weekends), Scoop Nisker (news director), Bill Keffury (weekends). [1] It was owned by Kaiser Broadcasting, a company started by local industrialist Henry J. Kaiser. The HD2 feed was taken off air in 2015. She says KFOG was the station everyone could agree on. Scroll down the page and share! As part of the change, former New York City rock DJ Bryan Schock was hired as Operations Manager/Program Director for KFOG and classic rock sister station KSAN. Entertainment | San Francisco sports talk station KNBR blasted after taking over famed It also gives KNBR an FM outlet to compete with its key rival 95.7 The Game, which has long touted its audio quality as an advantage over KNBR. KNBR currently airs on 680 AM, and this will put it over on the FM dial as well. "It's an impossible task when nobody can hear the radio station. The call sign switched to KFOG four years later and in 1982 the easy-listening music was dumped for a blend of album-oriented rock and classic rock. And while this brings some extra range for KNBR, that comes at a cost. KNBR 680 and 104.5 - KNBR-FM - FM 104.5 - San Francisco, CA The station began as KBAY-FM in 1960, operated under Kaiser Broadcasting as an instrumental feel-good listening station. KFOG made an immediate impact on Bay Area listeners with its tasteful palette of music interspersed with memorable station breaks that featured the mournful moan of an actual San Francisco foghorn a signature segue that remains a constant on the station five decades after it was first heard. Home; Search; Your Library. User Rating 4.9 out of 5 stars based on 109 total reviews Recommended Channels Near San Francisco, USA Portland, OR USA, Variety. KFOG avoided commercial-sounding bands such as Loverboy and REO Speedwagon, which were widely played on more mass-appeal AOR stations at the time. One other San Francisco rock station, KSFX, switched to talk radio in May of that year. Former KNBR host Ray Woodson diagnosed with cancer KFOG had the greatest call letters ever EVERYONE had it on preset dial from grandma to grandkids foghead stickers sad to see it go another part of my childhood growing up in SF gone a classic station that deserves the love its been getting today ? You werent born a Foghead in the Bay Area; you graduated to it when and if you reached a point of musical enlightenment. And a famous and prominent music station becoming yet another simulcast for an existing sports talk station is rather depressing on a lot of levels. Another live sports event is moving to ABC from ESPN. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate. Here's what people are saying about its demise. All Access Digital offer for just 99 cents! Legendary rock station KFOG is leaving the airwaves after nearly 40 years of rock and roll. The Alameda residents won a contest which brought the popular radio station to their home. So, the Woody Show is coming to 104.5/97.7 KFOG. Longtime KFOG DJ Dave Morey at the station in 2001. https://t.co/sz2AgzmzIB, ?Andrew Michael #MaskOn (@AndrewOnTheAir) August 26, 2019, https://t.co/mbDZhYNfWAWell this is utter horse shit. Without San Jose and east bay, you cant compete. But KFOG left its mark on many, as illustrated in this piece fromPeter Hartlaub ofThe San Francisco Chronicle: KFOG was special because of the unlimited possibilities: The expertise and knowledge of its employees, the creativity of its outreach to the public, and a musical history that had been accumulated on the stations walls. Some things should be sacred, Socially distancing since 1969. Beginning Sept. 6, the station will be replaced with a simulcast of the Bay Area AM sports station KNBR. 96kbps UPR, NPR, News, Talk, Potsdam, NY USA, College. Final Listen: KFOG San Francisco. They drove this magnificent institution into the ground. Owned by Cumulus Media, KNBR-FM features a sports radio format in a simulcast with co-owned KNBR. ", The death of KFOG: Fans and critics react to, Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window), Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window), Click to email a link to a friend (Opens in new window), Click to share on Reddit (Opens in new window), The Supreme Court rules for a designer who doesnt want to make wedding websites for gay couples, The death of KFOG: Fans and critics react to iconic stations demise, Bay Area radio station KFOG pronounced dead, Greg Papa on his 49ers and KNBR gigs, a new chapter and Raider Nation, Gary Radnich: KNBR didnt screw me over, KNBRs Bonnie-Jill Laflin Q&A: I can hang with the big boys. ALSO: KFOG radio station going off the air: 'We knew this was gonna happen'. KFOG KaBoom was an annual outdoor concert held by KFOG in San Francisco and which occurred in May from 1994 to 2010. Thank you, KFOG San Francisco's FM station of - Datebook KFOG is off the air. Here are some alternative radio stations - The Desk This article is about the current KNBR-FM, For the station at 99.7 MHz that held the call sign KNBR-FM from 1962 to 1975, see, "KFOG" redirects here. Cumulus has owned the station since 2005. I think I used about 300 ft of speaker wire and my roommate thought I was crazy. Click here if you are unable to view this gallery on a mobile device. That said, we love ya! Here is what people are saying about the death of a radio station that for its Foghead faithful and even many casual listeners was synonymous with San Francisco. KFOG was a beloved and influential radio station in San Francisco. And who could forget KBOOM!, KFOG's own production with live concerts and amazing fireworks. On this episode of the Awful Announcing Podcast, host Brandon Contes interviews Anish Shroff, ESPN play-by-play commentator and With supporting LGBTQ people becoming harder, sports leagues are backing away. The KFOG DJ once brought a historical perspective to his show that was rare in rock radio. Tejano Music Station. After 100 years, Sarah Winchesters house still mystifies millions, Harrison Ford gives Indy a swashbuckling sendoff, Every Body shed light on what it means to be intersex, Review: Disneyland delivers the Marvel musical you didnt know you wanted or needed, Dear Abby: I prevailed in the dispute but it split our friend group, Dear Abby: I can't even play with cats correctly, Harriette Cole: She had no right to approach my ex without my consent, Police: Tourist who defaced Colosseum has been identified, Ask Amy: I'm unhappily single, and I'm hurt by what my co-workers say, Ask Amy: I haven't talked to my brother since this incident at his son's wedding reception, Harriette Cole: My enemy has moved to my city and I'm afraid we'll run into each other, Ask Amy: He's refusing to hand over the big gift the bride was counting on. None of Bosa, Armstead, Hurd or Dee Ford will play. Andrew Bucholtz has been covering sports media for Awful Announcing since 2012. FILE - Dave Morey shows off his antique music equipment on Sept. 19, 2002. 3.3/5 based on 3 reviews. KFOG, which had struggled in the ratings for years, switched to the alternative format in 2018; prior to that, it was a triple-A station for more thantwo decades. KFOG signed off the air for the last time a few minutes past midnight Thursday, 2019. Sad. This site is protected by reCAPTCHA Enterprise and the Google. That was truly a gift. KFOG 104.5 FM - San Francisco Live Streaming from USA KFOG radio finally gives up on rock, switches to sports talk It provides KNBR with an extra outlet to work around conflicts when the 49ers play at the same time as the Giants. In a media release, Cumulus said, Its never easy to say goodbye to a station, and we want to thank the staff, listeners, and advertisers who together made KFOG the legendary and beloved station that so many of us in San Francisco had the opportunity to enjoy.. All rights reserved. It seems unlikely that Kinlaw, Williams and Key will either, and Azeez Al-Shaair, Demetrius Flannigan-Fowles, Samson Ebukam and MyCole Pruitt will also sit out. The latest move by Cumulus follows several major changes at KNBR, which recently added Greg Papa to its lineup and parted ways with Gary Radnich and Bob Fitzgerald while revamping its midday and drive-time programming. Fox is one of those loyal listeners known as a 'FogHead,' but soon KFOG will be no more. Fogheads react as KFOG goes off air for good - SFGATE Don't forget to follow the show on . The station signed on the air on February 4, 1960, as KBAY-FM. Of the six Bay Area rock stations that were on the air in late 1982, KFOG had been the last of the heritage rock stations. Sad to hear about KFOG. Copyright 2023 | WordPress Theme by MH Themes. In 2018, Rosalie Howarth the last of the longtime KFOG DJs announced she would be leaving her show "Acoustic Sunrise" after 34 years. After a final sign-off consisting of an eight-minute-long loop of ocean wave, seagull, and foghorn sound effects that were the station's longtime audio trademark, and a minute of silence, KFOG officially flipped to the simulcast. Weve got the best listeners, [former KFOG DJ Dave] Morey told The Chronicle in 2002. Before joining the SFGate team, he worked at the San Francisco Examiner, Arizona Republic and Phoenix Gazette. Now it will be just an FM signal for @KNBR https://t.co/GnIY9Fwlxj, SovernNation (@SovernNation) August 26, 2019, KFOG is dead, for good. We have the usual Friday night Apple TV+ doubleheader and MLB Network has regional coverage tonight. American broadcasting company Cumulus Media is shuttering the San Francisco alternative radio station KFOG (104.5 FM), it was reported Monday (August 26). Final Listen: KFOG San Francisco - RadioInsight Hey #cumulus, fuck you for killing radio, and take #clearchannel aka #IHurtMedia with you. Its an impossible task when nobody can hear the radio station. We remember KFOG and all the good times we shared over the air. Some former listeners saw the death of KFOG as just a formality an inevitable development, given that the station began losing its luster years ago. KFOG became KFOG in 1982, retiring its outdated easy listening format, and creating a new path that was, by design, undefinable. #KFOG was my Dad's go to station. FILE - Guster performs at KFOG KaBoom, KFOG Radio's annual music festival on the Embarcadero Saturday afternoon. Within a few years, KFOG got competition from other beautiful music stations: KABL-AM-FM (now KNEW and KISQ) and from KOIT, as well as San Jose-based KBAY (now KBRG). Fittingly, the song before the foghorns was the Grateful Dead's "Brokedown Palace.". (@FYMYAWF) August 27, 2019. At its peak, it was once ranked seventh out of up to 40 radio stations. Contests | KFOG-FM He's still in mourning over the cancellation of "Freaks and Geeks. ABOVE: (front row) Lee Abrams (consultant), Brooke Jones (weekends), Michelle Michaels (evenings), Bill Keffury (overnights); (back row) Lee Baby Sims (mornings), Dave Logan (program director), Greg McPeak (weekends), Amir Mansbacher (afternoons and Psychedelic Psupper host), Dave Morey (middays, 10@10 host and production director). KFOG was a legendary station. CHRIS HARDY KFOG's last "song" was more of a dirge eight. But its hard to lure a whole new audience if the old audience has left the building., Another former DJ, Dred Scott, marked the end on his Facebook page, calling it theleast surprising news of the day. But he added that, As someone who put in two tours of duty (18 years apart! San Francisco, CA, USA. On Monday, Cumulus Media Inc. announced that the San Francisco alternative rock station will flip to a simulcast of KNBR (680-AM) sports radio on Friday, Sept. 6. Under the ownership of Kaiser and the management of Richard Block, KBAY became KFOG on March 1, 1963, beginning multiplex stereo broadcasts of its Good Music format with a fortified 82-kiloWatt signal thus making Dick Block the original Foghead. A Stanford grad, Mr. Block rose to president of Kaiser Broadcasting and helped spearhead the companys innovative foray into UHF television, including the launch of KBHK (Channel 44) in San Francisco.