KKHI (San Francisco): Difference between revisions

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-{{Uncategorized|December 2006}}
-'''KKHI''' was a classical music station in [[San Francisco, California]] operating on both AM (at 1550 kHz) and FM (at 97.3 mHz).  It relied heavily on local announcers playing recordings, especially by [[Herbert von Karajan]] and the [[Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra]].  The station played primarily orchestral recordings and was known for avoiding chamber music.  Unlike its sister station in Los Anglees, [[KFAC]], KKHI tended to play longer selections and never excerpts from symphonies or concertos.  The various daily programs each had a specific musical introduction; one of the evening programs, for example, was introduced by the opening bars of the third movement of the second symphony of [[Sergei Rachmaninov]].
-KKHI-AM began on March 17, 1947, as [[KSMO]] in [[San Mateo, California]].  It was owned and operated by the Amphlett Printing Company, the owner and publisher of the daily [[San Mateo Times]].  The station's transmitter towers were built in [[Belmont, California]], next to the [[Bayshore Freeway]] (U.S. Highway 101).  KSMO's programming was primarily classical recordings with some coverage of [[San Mateo High School]] athletic games.  In 1952, Amphlett sold the station and it became known as [[KEAR]]. The station's call letters were changed again, in the mid-1950s, to [[KOBY]], a popular early outlet for rock music (then referred to as "Top 40").  The legendary [[Gordon McLendon]] bought the station in 1960 and changed its call letters to [[KQBY]].  Finally, in 1963, the station became KKHI and was joined with its FM counterpart; within a year switched back to classical music.
-KKHI-FM also began broadcasting in 1947 as [[KGSF]].  Warner Brothers launched the station in San Francisco.  There were several ownership changes and call letter changes: [[KXKX]] and [[KEAR-FM]].  [[Fred Krock]] joined KXKX as an announcer in 1953; he would later become a major contributor at KKHI.
-KKHI quickly arranged to broadcast many of the Friday evening concerts of the [[San Francisco Symphony Orchestra]], usually when it was conducted by music director [[Josef Krips]] (1902-1974), in stereo from the [[War Memorial Opera House]].  Since Krips refused to make recordings with the San Francisco orchestra, the KKHI broadcasts were the only mass media outlet for the concerts.  The broadcasts continued in 1970 when [[Seiji Ozawa]] (1935-) became the orchestra's music director.  In the summer of 1973, when the orchestra toured Europe, KKHI made history by broadcasting a Paris concert in stereo via satellite.  San Francisco Symphony broadcasts moved to [[KQED-FM]] in the early 1980s and were eventually nationally syndicated.
-Fred Krock became chief engineer at KKHI in 1966.  Krock was also the host for the afternoon commute programming.  He had major responsibilities for the San Francisco Symphony broadcasts.  His resonant voice became a fixture at the station.  Krock would eventually leave KKHI and become engineering supervisor at [[KQED-FM]] in 1980.
-Beginning in 1971, KKHI also broadcast Friday evening performances of the [[San Francisco Opera]].  For a number of years actor/writer [[Scott Beach]] hosted these broadcasts, which were offered in stereo with special encoding for those able to receive matrix quadraphonic signals.  Like the famed [[Metropolitan Opera]] broadcasts, also carried on KKHI, there were regular intermission features, including interviews with the conductors and singers in each opera.  These broadcasts continued until 1979.
-A regular feature on KKHI was a daily musical quiz program, "Telemusic Quiz," hosted by Bill Agee, one of KKHI's best-known and most popular announcers.  Listeners would call in answers to the questions and, if they had the right answer, they would win tickets to various concerts.  Agee hosted the San Francisco Symphony broadcasts and made regular appearances at the summer concerts held in San Francisco's [[Sigmund Stern Grove]].
-The station operated 24 hours a day and its AM signal, transmitted from [[Belmont, California]] with 10,000 watts of power, could be received over much of the western United States and Canada at night.  The FM transmitter was located on [[San Bruno Mountain]].
-Labor disputes, along with declining advertising support, eventually brought an end to the classical music programming.  The station was sold in 1994 to [[Westinghouse]] and its format was dramatically changed.  Now it was known as [[KPIX]] AM and FM. The AM/FM simulcasts ended, in 1997, when Westinghouse sold KPIX-FM to Bonneville Broadcasting, which changed the call letters to [[KZQZ]].  The AM station became known as [[KYCY]].  The FM station is now known as [[KMAX]].
-The KKHI call letters were revived in 1994 on what had been [[KTIM]] AM and FM in [[San Rafael]].  The attempt to revive KKHI's classical music programming ultimately proved unsuccessful.
-The Bay Area's main classical music outlet today is [[KDFC]] in [[San Francisco, California]], a station which broadcasts on FM only.  For many years there were daytime simulcasts on [[KIBE]] in [[Palo Alto, California]].  KDFC's programs can now be heard over the Internet at www.kdfc.com.