kbay 1983 and KABL serenaded San Francisco with lush, beautiful music airchecks

Описание: radio ad new years 1983 The Napper Tandy Pub & Restaurant: ... San Francisco. San Francisco Tourism San Francisco Hotels ... Union Square Hotels; KBAY radio history

The KBAY call letters were originally assigned to a UHF television station (Channel 20), based in San Francisco, California. It ceased operation after a few years due to the scant number, in the 1950s, of Bay Area homes with UHF-capable television sets. Channel 20 returned to the air as KEMO, eventually becoming today's KOFY-TV.

Originally at 104.5 in the 1950s, KBAY 100.3 FM, became the market leader in San Jose and had a very strong listening audience in both the San Jose and San Francisco markets throughout the 1970s and 1980s. Its easy listening format gave way to light jazz instrumentals and by the early 1990s, pop music was introduced. The Snell family guided the station and its sister, KEEN Country 1370 AM through the decades as United Broadcasting.

The Snells sold their 2 properties in 1997, and KBAY became a part of the American Radio Systems group which included KKSJ (the former KEEN), KUFX, and KSJO. Shortly thereafter, a 3-way swap of frequencies landed KBAY at 94.5 FM. KBAY then became known as "The Bay" for a couple of years. American Radio Systems sold KBAY to Infinity/CBS in 1999. In the early 2000s, the KBAY identity was replaced by B-94.5 "The Bee". This was an attempt to distance the station from the perceived "stigma" of its earlier life as an "elevator music" station.
It was the merry month of May 1959 when the soothing sounds of KABL Music first echoed throughout the Bay Area. KABL, named for San Francisco's cable cars, was a bold departure from other radio stations of that era.

KABL serenaded San Francisco with lush, beautiful music, very few commercials, and rich-voiced announcers who wooed the Bay Area with poetic paeans. This gentle KABL sound soon swept the area.

Listeners responded to its elegant charm and sophisticated whimsy. In fact, the impact was so great that KABL became a hallmark of Bay Area radio.