KUFX
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Broadcast area | San Jose/Oakland/San Francisco, California |
---|---|
Frequency | 98.5MHz(HD Radio) |
Branding | 98.5 KFox |
Programming | |
Language(s) | English |
Format | Classic rock |
Subchannels | HD2:BilingualSoft AC"Magic" |
Ownership | |
Owner |
|
History | |
First air date | July 1, 1959 | (as KRPM)
Former call signs | KRPM (1959–1971) KOME (1971–1998) |
Call signmeaning | K UFoX |
Technical information[1] | |
Licensing authority | FCC |
Facility ID | 65415 |
Class | B |
ERP | 10,000watts |
HAAT | 268 meters (879 ft) |
Transmitter coordinates | 37°12′18″N121°57′00″W/ 37.205°N 121.950°W |
Repeater(s) | See§ Boosters |
Links | |
Public license information | |
Webcast | Listen live Listen live(viaAudacy) HD2:Listen live |
Website | www |
KUFX(98.5FM) is aclassic rockradio stationlicensed toSan Jose, California.Its studios are located alongJunipero Serra BoulevardinDaly City,and the transmitter is located on Blackberry Hill aboveLos Gatos.
KUFX is owned bySalt Lake City-basedBonneville International.It was previously operated byEntercom;as part of its merger withCBS Radio,the company was required to divest four of its radio stations in San Francisco in order stay within ownership caps. KUFX was placed in a trust and its operations taken over by Bonneville under alocal marketing agreement;the company acquired the station in 2018.
On January 24, 2011, KUFX began simulcasting on KUZX 102.1 MHz inSan Francisco.This simulcast switched to 102.1-HD2 on August 1, 2014; 102.1 now broadcasts asKRBQ.[2]
History
[edit]KUFXwas originally located at 94.5 FM, then 104.9 FM, and moved to 98.5 FM on June 19, 1998.[3]Before this, the 98.5 frequency was the longtime home toKOME,which is best remembered as a major Bay AreaAORstation throughout the 1970s and into the 1990s. Several of the KUFX staff were employed by KOME. KUFX refers to itself as "98.5 KFOX".
KUFX is the official radio station for theSan Jose Sharksof theNational Hockey League.In a 2006 column, a writer for theSan Jose Mercury Newsnoted that he could only listen to a broadcast of aStanley Cupplayoff game on KUFX since his cable company did not carry OLN (laterVersus,now NBC Sports Network), which had exclusive television rights to the game. That situation, he noted, provided an ironic twist to him living in the technology-richSilicon Valley.[citation needed]
The morning show was hosted byGreg Kihn,a musician who had a fewTop 40hit songs in the 1980s, until September 14, 2012.[4]
KFOX also holds a Last Band Standing competition every year, between bands that play classic rock cover songs. The three categories of competition include Cover Bands, Tribute Bands, and Under 18 Bands. The past overall winners are Aja Vu in 2004 (ASteely Dantribute band and two-time winner of its category), The Strobe in 2005 (An Under 18 band from Leigh High School who specializes withPeter Framptonsongs), and last years winner, Sage (a cover band).
In June 1997, KUFX,KBAY,andKBRGwere involved in a three-way frequency swap, which saw KUFX moving from 94.5 to 104.9, and later to 98.5 FM. KBAY moved to 94.5, and KBRG got the coveted 100.3 signal and studios. 104.9 eventually becameKCNL.
OwnerClear Channel Communicationsplaced the station's assets, along with those ofKSJOandKCNL,into an entity called theAloha Station Truston August 4, 2008 in order to seek a buyer for the station. This was due to Clear Channel being above theFederal Communications Commission(FCC) ownership limits. These limits were imposed when Clear Channel was officially taken private byBain CapitalandThomas H. Lee Partnerson July 30, 2008.
![](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/d/d4/KFOXlogo.jpg/200px-KFOXlogo.jpg)
On January 11, 2011,Entercom Communicationsagreed to purchase KUFX, and on January 18, Entercom announced an agreement for the call sign and intellectual property of the company'sKDFC-FMin San Francisco and theirclassical musicprogramming (but not the frequency) to be acquired by theUniversity of Southern California'sClassical Public Radio Network.That move allowed them to simulcast KUFX's programming on the 102.1 MHz frequency, as KUFX's main signal on 98.5 only provides grade B coverage of San Francisco. This simulcast switched to 102.1-HD2 on August 1, 2014, when KUZX flipped toRhythmic ACasKRBQ.
On February 2, 2017,CBS Radioannounced that it would merge with Entercom. To comply with FCC ownership limits, it was announced that KUFX, along with sister stations KBLX and KOIT, CBS-owned KMVQ, and a cluster in Sacramento, would be divested.[5]Under a local marketing agreement, Bonneville assumed operations of the stations following the completion of the merger on November 17.[6]On August 3, 2018, Bonneville announced that it would acquire all of the divested Entercom stations it had been operating for $141 million;[7][8]the sale was completed on September 21, 2018.[9]
In 2020, KUFX, along with the otherBonnevillestations, moved their studios from theSoMadistrict in San Francisco into a newly-built studio alongJunipero Serra BoulevardinDaly City.[10]
Boosters
[edit]KUFX is rebroadcast on the following FM Boosters:
Call sign | Frequency | City of license | FID | ERP(W) | HAAT | Class | FCC info |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
KUFX-FM2 | 98.5 FM | Morgan Hill, California | 65413 | 40 (Vert.) | −52m(−171ft) | D | LMS |
KUFX-FM3 | 98.5 FM | Pleasanton, California | 136624 | 150 (Horiz.) | 302 m (991 ft) | D | LMS |
HD Radio
[edit]On December 28, 2018, KUFX launched a 1970s hits format on its HD2 subchannel.[11]In early September 2020, the subchannel flipped to a rock format, branded as "Highway 1".
On May 10, 2024 KUFX-HD2 changed their format from rock to bilingual soft adult contemporary, branded as "Bay Area Magic".[12]
See also
[edit]References
[edit]- ^"Facility Technical Data for KUFX".Licensing and Management System.Federal Communications Commission.
- ^"HD Radio station guide for Nashville, TN".Archived fromthe originalon 2014-10-06.Retrieved2014-05-18.HD Radio Guide for San Jose
- ^http://www.americanradiohistory.com/Archive-RandR/1990s/1998/RR-1998-06-26.pdf[bare URL PDF]
- ^Harrington, Jim (September 15, 2012)."Greg Kihn parts ways with KFOX".San Jose Mercury News.Retrieved2012-09-28.
- ^Venta, Lance (October 10, 2017)."Entercom Narrows Down 16 Stations To Be Divested To Complete CBS Radio Merger".RadioInsight.RetrievedOctober 11,2017.
- ^Venta, Lance (November 17, 2017)."Entercom Completes CBS Radio Merger".Radio Insight.RetrievedNovember 17,2017.
- ^"Bonneville Turns San Francisco and Sacramento LMAs Into Purchase - RadioInsight".RadioInsight.3 August 2018.Retrieved9 August2018.
- ^"LMA Becomes Sale As Entercom Officially Sells Eight SF, Sacramento Stations To Bonneville For $141 Million".All Access.Retrieved9 August2018.
- ^"Consummation Notice".CDBS Public Access.Federal Communications Commission.September 24, 2018.RetrievedNovember 9,2018.
- ^"They Built New Studios During COVID".4 September 2020.
- ^Bonneville Luanches AAA on HD2 in San FranciscoRadioinsight - December 28, 2018
- ^Bonneville Brings Bilingual Magic to HD in the Bay AreaRadioinsight - May 10, 2024
External links
[edit]- Official website
- Facility details for Facility ID 65415 (KUFX)in theFCCLicensing and Management System
- KUFXinNielsen Audio's FM station database