San Francisco
Bay Area Radio History
by Alex Cosper
San Francisco Bay Area Radio Dial
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The radio industry was one of the most exciting forms of entertainment throughout the 20th century,
especially in the San Francisco Bay Area, where the story literally began. Many people may not realize
that the very first broadcast of a human voice was in the Bay on the station that eventually became
KCBS. This report on San Francisco radio history covers the entire span of radio beginning in the
early 1900s. Some of the most legendary call letters in history have come from the Bay including
KFRC, KGO and KFOG.
This report covers a wide variety of stations up and down the dial from inception through the new
century. It's a flashback of some of the great moments that entertained and informed residents all over Northern
California. KFRC's signal was so big is could be heard in Sacramento and as far as Lake Tahoe.
A lot of music from Northern California helped shape modern music, thanks partly to adventurous
radio stations.
One of the most legendary stories about San Francisco radio was the rise of freeform radio in the
late sixties. During the late sixties through the mid-seventies Tom Donahue was a leading radio program director
who shaped the freeform sound of KSAN for many years until his death. It was a very influential station
for launching the careers of several Bay Area musicians. KSAN continued to play rock through the
early wighties until is switched to country. Eventually it came back as a classic rock station called
The Bone.
Some of the most innovative Bay Area radio has come from Live 105, especially during the eighties
and nineties. The station, under the direction of Richard Sands and music experts like Steve Masters,
Roland West and Aaron Axelson, broke many creative artists of the alternative rock format. The station
has featured many memorable concert festivals and has brought many new sounds to the Bay.
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