KCDU
 | |
| Broadcast area | Santa Cruz Monterey Salinas, California |
|---|---|
| Frequency | 101.7 MHz |
| Branding | 101.7 The Beach |
| Programming | |
| Format | Top 40 (CHR) |
| Ownership | |
| Owner |
|
| KHIP KKHK KPIG-FM KWAV | |
| History | |
First air date | 1983 |
Former call signs | KWST (1983–1987) KXDC-FM (1987–1995) KXDC (1995–1999) KBTU (1999–2003) |
| Technical information | |
| Facility ID | 54621 |
| Class | A |
| ERP | 2,350 watts |
| HAAT | 161 meters (528 ft) |
| Links | |
| Webcast | Listen Live |
| Website | 1017thebeach.com |
KCDU is a commercial radio station in Carmel, California, broadcasting to the Santa Cruz-Monterey-Salinas, California, area on 101.7 FM. Its studios are in Monterey while its transmitter is located east of the city.
KCDU airs a Top 40 (CHR) music format branded as "The Beach".
It has been owned by Stephens Media since October 2019.
History
Early years (1983-2003)
The station received a construction permit in 1979, and signed on as KWST in 1983. The callsign would become KXDC-FM in 1987, with the KWST calls moving to a station in the Imperial Valley shortly after the call change.[1] For much of its existence prior to 1999, it was a smooth jazz station. In 1995, the callsign dropped the FM suffix. In 1999 101.7 switched to Rhythmic oldies, and changed callsigns again to KBTU. It later moved into a rhythmic contemporary format to go against KDON, 101.7 later relaunched as 101.7 The Bomb to even fully go against KDON with a new morning drive program.
101.7 The Beach (2003-present)
On February 28, 2003, the callsign was changed to KCDU, which flipped to Hot AC, and re-branded itself as "101.7 The Beach" with the slogan being "The Best Mix of the 80's, 90's and Today."
Adult hits era
In 2005, the station began an "All Kinds of Music" promotion to counter the influence of Jack-FM stations. The playlist expanded to include everything from "U Got It Bad" by Usher to "Pour Some Sugar on Me" by Def Leppard. The station also began running the syndicated James McPhee Dream Doctor and John Tesh shows.
Transition to CHR
In the Fall of 2011, KCDU began transitioning to CHR, first by adopting its current slogan, then cutting out all of the 70s, 80s, and 90s music it had broadcast for years. The Beach also moved its syndicated John Tesh Morning show to the new sister station B103.9FM (formerly Classical KBach). The lineup changed as well with the 2010 mid-day addition of the syndicated show "On-Air with Ryan Seacrest." Longtime jock Sybil DeAngelo relocated to a Washington state sister station, leaving Kiwi (2003–present, from the former rock station KMBY/X103.9fm) in afternoons. Promotions Manager Alyson joined the on-air line-up with the evening shift in early 2011, and Casey, who had held a 2-4 shift until Fall 2011, became the new morning show host with the transfer of John Tesh's Radio Program.
On October 19, 2012 KCDU officially completed the transition after removing all music from the 2000s.
Acquisition by Stephens Media
On July 1, 2019, Mapleton Communications announced its intent to sell its remaining 37 stations to Stephens Media Group, marking its entry into California.[2] Stephens began operating the station that same day. The sale was approved on October 9, 2019, [3] and was consummated on October 15, 2019. The station has continued its CHR format after the closure of the acquisition.
Sources
- ^ "Query the REC California FM database for KCDU". REC Networks. Retrieved 4 July 2019.
- ^ Venta, Lance (1 July 2019). "Stephens Media Group Acquires 37 Stations From Mapleton Communications". Radio Insight. Retrieved 4 July 2019.
- ^ "Stephens completes its Mapleton deal". Streamline Publishing. 9 October 2019. Retrieved 19 October 2019.
External links
- Official Website
- Facility details for Facility ID KCDU ({{{2}}}) in the FCC Licensing and Management System
- {{{2}}} in Nielsen Audio's FM station database
- FCC History Cards for KCDU