Airchexx.com

Going way back to the early days of Top 40 radio, a young Bobby Mitchell is heard here on San Francisco’s earliest hit station. This is where Bill Drake (yep, THE Bill Drake who pioneered the Boss format) honed his skills. Strangely enough, Drake would cross over and consult crosstown 610 KFRC later that year and blow KYA out of the water!

Starts out with a full newscast, then Mitchell plays the hits for the Bay area.

Its December 1987 and we’re in the holiday season for this AM/FM simulcast with a capable Jeff Young at the helm. They don’t call it “Oldies” although its clearly that. Recorded from the FM side, here’s a scoped look at a different San Francisco outlet entertaining shoppers the best it knows how…

I know nothing about this station other than a search turns up that it was in San Francisco, and there is a KOFY Television station there today. This recording features a very good Denny St. John and a well produced oldies station gearing up for Christmas in December of ’87.

Courtesy of Matt over at Big Apple Airchecks, we have a… well, mysterious aircheck of good quality. Kim Diamond starts out saying she got up in a strange kinda mood so its gonna be one of those kinda shows… she’s pretty talented, but we can dig up virtually NOTHING on KKWV “The Wave” as the only website that those call letters bring up is something on 88.1 in Aransas Pass, Texas in the Corpus Christi market. So, the station’s gone, replaced by… something.

This Infinity (now CBS) owned station had a good mix of music, pretty wide variety and some personality, but like so many stations that have come and gone, really had nothing special to offer, at least from our perspective. Nonetheless, its a good scope of a station that apparently no longer exists.

After the demise of KFRC two years earlier, CHR was left only to the FM band, and this station, KYUU. Here’s a long aircheck of Blue in the Morning, with all the essential elements of modern morning shows… news, traffic, weather, entertainment reports and the like. It’s mostly information for the first one third of this scope, then the hits really start rolling (we’re assuming in the 9am hour).

We know nothing about Mr. Blue other than this sounds like a pretty run of the mill morning show you’d hear in any other city in the late 80s…. we’ll give the programmer this: there ARE a few dead segues and some decent imaging, but other than that, no jingles and after the informational portion of the morning show, it’s pretty dead apart from the hits from 1988. Still, its one of the few rare non KFRC San Francisco airchecks, and we’re sure someone out there remembers this station.

Audio is a bit grainy, this is a second generation recording that someone encoded at a lower bitrate, but it’s pretty good beyond that.

..Tomorrow, Jack Armstrong will be Broadcasting in Stereo, so he’ll have a headache in BOTH ears!

Really now, what more could one ask for in a KFRC aircheck? Dr. Don Rose, Jayne Dornacker playing in traffic, laugh tracks to corny jokes and a stack of teeny-bopper records!!! Not to mention Mark McKay, Bobby Ocean and Jack Armstrong each with a stellar performance on this, the mother of all low-powered AM Top 40 stations! It’s V-J Day in San Francisco and Dr. Don tries to make the most of it!

To be sure, this is radio-heaven, with paradise filled with the sounds of mid-1983 hit music. KFRC surely was the dance-track of San Francisco. Restoring this piece of audio ear-candy sure was a joy. Now, from our servers to your ears, a 45 minute scoped dose of monoized AM Stereo with some of the best AM processing ever to grace a Harris transmitter. KFRC was IT!

In OUR opinion, this one aircheck, representing 1983 CHR on a station which in any other city woulda been on FM, shows the tremendous talent and reach of KFRC. It’s probably the very best this station ever sounded, even better than the Boss years of the late 60s. Just how many of our listeners agree, will depend on how many comments this aircheck receives.

Courtesy of Hot Hits(tm) collector Steve McVie, here’s a short, 5 minute composite of KITS. I’m struck by how these jocks are featured on so many different stations. Its likely that in this era (1978-1983), Mike Josephs had these guys go and launch the Hot Hits format in another market, and they’d move on to another HH station later. Todd Parker, for instance, was on WCAU-FM and WFBL, among others.

This format with these TM Century jingles can also be heard here on Airchexx at WFBL Syracuse and WTIC-FM Hartford.

While the date is unknown, I’m gonna chance a guess here at sometime around 1990 or so. One of our listeners will know for sure.

Here’s Howard Hoffman. Known as a pretty wacky personality on the east coast (look for him here at airchexx.com from WPRO-FM, WPIX-FM & WABC), he’s a *bit* more subdued here at KMEL. Hoffman is himself but listeners will notice the latter day liner-card reader mentality showing up on this station. Most jocks it fits, but it does NOT sound like Howard Hoffman when he’s obviously reading verbatim. We know better. Hoffman is an incredible talent!

Overall, this is a good aircheck. The station sounds hot and Hoffman sure is having fun like usual. But 90s radio isn’t 70s radio, and it shows. Today, KMEL lives on as a Hip-Hop station.

Sure, the Big 610 is long gone now, and so is the FM, but we can sure think back to happier times! Here’s the Doctor himself, just months ahead of the format change which took KFRC to nostalgia. The theme for this show is the 80th anniversary of the great 1906 San Francisco earthquake, and Rose gets serious about warning for preparations, then jokes it off with a parody by “The Six-Tens”… you knew there was a punch line, always is with Don Rose.

Dr. Don Rose, 610 and 99.7 KFRC is all just a memory now, but you can enjoy this latest slice of 5,000 watt fun from northern California, courtesy of our really good friend Robyn Watts!

Here is a unique, narrated look at late 80s morning drive in San Francisco. Two great FM stations are featured here, courtesy of Robyn Watts and Hecht Enterprises, an apparent aircheck service at the time.

This starts with the “Morning Zoo” on KMEL, then moves on to the X-100 morning show. X-100 of course morphed into Oldies KFRC-FM in the 90s, and you can hear a great aircheck from site friend and contributor Rex McNeil on X-100 elsewhere here on airchexx.com

Here’s a generous dose of quick-witted, fast talking Jack Armstrong… on our favorite station KFRC! Notables for this aircheck include tons of 80s era jingles, a real CHR approach and while it wasn’t labelled this way on the tape, our contributor apparently had an AM stereo receiver because this ‘check is in extremely HI-FI Stereo!

So, why, again, are we wasting our time with noisy IBOC? Listen to this and be convinced that AM Stereo really WAS better than FM Stereo! And probably lots better than HD Radio with it’s digital artifacts. You be the judge.

Back to this aircheck, Armstrong is hot and KFRC is getting ready to ring in the new year 1983 tomorrow night in a big way. Check out what ‘the last work day of the year’ sounded like on KFRC!

This is a very unique aircheck. First off, it’s not a music station, but there is music, in portions of this aircheck (strangely enough, as one song ends, there’s a long pause before the next one begins… almost like if you play a CD or a record without interruption). The music presented is, of course, scoped. There are also a couple of interviews with local officials. If I didn’t know better, I’d say this was affiliated in some way with NPR… but it’s not.

This is called KXLR “Trendformation Radio”. Very different.

There’s no further information on this station and if anyone has a clue, we’d appreciate your comments as to what became of it, and what format the station had over the years.

Part 3 of this incredibly great sounding composite features more Harry Nelson and Mark McKay. Some of the very best audio quality can be heard on this aircheck, with only a hint of static toward the end of this tape.

For only 5,000 watts on AM, this had to be one of the greatest AM stations of all time! So good in fact, my friend Rich Brother Robin told me he’d go on the air there in a minute! Course, that was before KFRC was sold to Salem and went the way of most religious stations. Here you are, 610 fans… last in a series of composites from what was still the glory years at 610 KFRC!

Awhile back, we posted a large composite of KFRC from May 1982 including a nice segment with Broadway Bill Lee (he didn’t use ‘Broadway’ in San Fran of course). Here’s part 2 of that composite, which features morning funny man Dr. Don Rose (and some very interesting news segments partly included), and Harry Nelson.

This is crisp, CLEAN AM audio! KFRC had probably the best audio chain of any AM station in the nation, and done without the reverb that many of the ABC O&O stations like WLS & WABC had. It was always simply a thing of beauty to the ears.

There will be a part 3 posting shortly!

It’s been a long time since we took a look at the HUGE 610 – and back in ’82 KFRC was simply ENORMOUS! Check out the (scoped) hits, from artists like Charlene, Stevie Wonder, Springsteen, Donnie Iris, Journey and more!

KFRC was imaged, of course, by Harry Nelson. Some of the very best promos ever produced for any radio station ran on KFRC and this aircheck demonstrates that once again.

On this composite, KFRC is promoting the premier of “Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan” and giving away tickets to the event. Considering two of the main characters of that movie and the original series are no longer with us (James Doohan & DeForest Kelley)… it really WAS a long time ago! Also, note on this aircheck that there are pauses between the jock segments, so when you hear the audio fade down, don’t panic, it’ll resume in 2 seconds. This was on the tape that way and I left it in for this presentation.

Here’s an hour and a half of KFRC, split into two 45 minute segments:

* Part 1: Bill Lee 7-11PM 5/18
* Part 2: Shannon 11PM-1AM 5/19, Sue Hall – 1-3 AM, Donn Sainte John 3-6 AM, Shannon – time unknown

Well gang, its about time we brought some of the old airchecks from before our 2004 relaunch back to life.

We were pleasantly surprised with an email from T-Rex a couple of weeks ago. He says he’s doing fine and holding down morning drive out in California. Of course we wish him the best. Now lets go back about 14 years ago, when McNeill was doing his thing on KFRC – then AM & FM. This is apparently not too long after 99.7 flipped to Oldies – and now, of course, there is no KFRC-AM at all.

Click HERE to Listen!

In many ways, radio mimics life. In a stroke of irony, as we post this airchecks, KFRC as we all know it is gone. More accurately, it belongs to God now. But for many people, 610 KFRC as a legend ended on this day in August 1986.

Frankly, this aircheck is anti-climactic, and quite depressing. What you hear is the final rock music played on 610, a short jingle montage, one last song, then the start of Magic 61 with Dr. Don Rose – who’s also gone now.

As a bonus, this aircheck is in Stereo. KFRC was broadcasting in Khan/Hazeltine AM Stereo at the time of this recording and someone had the foresight to hit the record button.

We at airchexx.com would like to thank the folks at The Am Stereo Radio Page for giving us permission some time ago to post a few of their AM Stereo selections.

Click HERE to Listen!

Well, isn’t this aircheck reminiscent of a similar crisis we’re experiencing today? It opens up with a ‘special’ bulliten where KYA tells listeners that they will suspend normal public service messages in order to tell Bay area residents where they can purchase gas. After that, this is a really great, tightly scoped aircheck.

Notice the one shotgun jingle and the Drake approach – at least it SOUNDS very Drake. After the KFRC airchecks we’ve posted, listening to this tells our listeners that San Francisco really WAS a hotbed of radio talent!

Oh, who is Stevie?

Click HERE to Listen!

We’ve narrowed down the date of this aircheck. Memorial Day, 1977. Here’s a *very* funny man! Dr. Don commanded morning radio in San Francisco through most of the 70s and 80s, and listening to these clips of a typical morning in the Bay Area, it’s little wonder why KFRC was solidly the top station in the city!

Dr. Don meant so much to many of us who aspired to entertain in this wonderful business we call radio. Frankly, however, there are few words that I can write in tribute that can sum up his effect on all of us – the best tribute we can do for him, is to do what we do best here at Airchexx.com – post a sample of his very best work.

In memory of Dr. Don Rose – Listen below!

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Dr. Don Rose on 610 KFRC San Francisco | Memorial Day, 1977 Part 1

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Dr. Don Rose on 610 KFRC San Francisco | Memorial Day, 1977 Part 2

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Dr. Don Rose on 610 KFRC San Francisco | Memorial Day, 1977 Part 3

We’ve posted a couple of ‘checks from KFRC in San Francisco, now lets feature something from the ‘other’ major Top 40 station.

From 1961 here’s another aircheck that showed signs of wear over the years. It’s over 40 years old! I’ve restored it as best I can, and I believe this is a very enjoyable aircheck to listen to. Listen to the commercials, the way the songs are introduced and the formatics. It’s old but it’s good.

Click HERE to Listen!

An all-too-short aircheck from Bill Lee, and our favorite West Coast Top 40 station, KFRC! This one’s from 1981, and Lee is at his rhymin’ best.

Welcome into the airchexx.com talkup university! Very few jocks have ever been able to talk up the intro of a record and hit the post every time – and there’s never been anyone who could make up a rhyme to just about anything and do it shotgun style over music like this guy. You rappers, you only wish you could be this good!

Click HERE to Listen!

Okay, the graphic isn’t exactly what KSOL likely looked like on a bumper sticker, but it’ll suffice. I’m sure KSOL in 1967 was on AM. Someone out there has the station’s history.

This is the same Sly Stone of Sly & The Family Stone soul group fame. He was a disc jockey before hitting it in the music business. Perhaps I should correct that – he had his band at this time, just no national hits to claim at yet.

KSOL uses the same jingles throughout the aircheck, and the formatics are very 60s-top 40, but the music is all Soul and Sly is a capable, if not good jock.
KSOL would NEVER beat KFRC or KYA, but it sure has a different sound to it. This aircheck proves that there was good radio out there besides Top 40!

Click HERE to Listen!

So, you’re a KFRC fan? RKO fan? If you haven’t heard this composite, you ain’t heard nothin’ yet!

This came as part of a cassette I got from Earle Augustus from the late WJZN Memphis (and now at U-92 Jazz). No wonder it won the competition!

Program Director Gerry Cagle must have had no time for a life – spending his days tweaking the sound that was San Francisco. I’ve read where KFRC was still the number one station in the city – partly due to the fabulous programming, and partly due to topography. In 1980, manufacturers still hadn’t figured out how to make car FM receivers which were less sensitive to the picketfencing effects of high power signals bouncing off the mountains & hills surrounding the city by the bay.. so KFRC reigned supreme as an AM top 40 powerhouse long after AM’s in other cities had given up.

Enough technical stuff. Who is on this aircheck? Well, a generous helping of Dr. Don Rose. Rick Shaw. Mike Novack. Mark McKay. Bill Lee (if you only advance to this part of the composite you’ll be rewarded!!) and Candi Chamberlain.

Do yourself a favor take 9 minutes and 48 seconds out of your busy day to hear how this station sounded in 1980 and see if it isn’t head and shoulders better than ANY radio station in America today.

Click HERE to Listen!

This one definitely qualifies as a QuickCheck – About three minutes of classic audio from KFRC and Mike Phillips (elswhere on this site: KFRC, WXLO). No wonder KFRC blew away the competition – even in the 60s, the Big 610 was a major rocker!

Click HERE to Listen!

This aircheck is much too short!!! In superb quality, this ‘check was recorded the day after New Years’ ’78. Not looking at the calendar just now, I figure this was probably a Saturday or Sunday. It’s all music, and Marvelous Marc is counting ‘em down.

This picks up in the middle of the countdown and runs through about #45 for the year. I sure wish we had the entire scope!

Click HERE to Listen!

Here’s the first in a series of 1960′s airchecks. By 1965, 610 KFRC was really the top station in the market. There are, however, many people who have fond memories of the ‘other’ top 40 station, KYA.

I don’t really know much about this station other than it was there. Now, we have audio to prove it!

Click HERE to Listen!

This aircheck is so good, I don’t know where to begin!

This is arguably one of the very best airchecks I’ve ever heard. If WABC New York is considered the greatest Top 40 station of all time, then 610 KFRC has to be the west coast’s answer to MusicRadio 77.

Actually, west coast Top 40 was significantly different than it’s east coast counterpart, so in this regard there’s really no comparison – and no equal. KFRC was, in it’s own way, really THE very best Top 40 in America. There was no echo, but they didn’t need it. The station engineers must have been geniouses – KFRC’s processing was so good that the music literally lept out of the speakers, but WITH NO DISTORTION!

Probably the best part of the KFRC sound was the jocks and incredible production. When you listen to this aircheck, remember, all this was done manually with no fancy computer toys. All the imaging was done with a reel of tape and a razor blade. These guys were the best in their trade – and it showed as KFRC was rewarded with the consistantly highest ratings in San Francisco… a feat accomplished by an AM station running only FIVE THOUSAND WATTS!!!

Enough of the technical stuff. The quality of this aircheck was so good that I didn’t do any processing at all. What you hear is what came off the tape – and folks, I’d argue that what comes out of your computer’s speakers sounds better than ANY AM station today

Now… enough talk. Just listen!

Click HERE to Listen!