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KDFC

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For the student-run station that previously occupied the 90.3 FM frequency, see KUSF (University of San Francisco). For the current occupant of KDFC-FM's original frequency, 102.1 FM, see KRBQ. For the station in Angwin, California, known as KDFC from 2012 to 2017, see KOSC.
KDFC
Broadcast areaSan Francisco Bay Area
Frequency90.3 MHz
BrandingClassical California KDFC
Programming
Language(s)English
FormatClassical music
Affiliations
Ownership
OwnerUniversity of Southern California
KUSF College Radio
History
First air date
April 25, 1977 (1977-04-25)
Former call signs
  • KCMA (1964–73)
  • KUSF (1973–2012)
  • KOSC (2012–17)
Call sign meaning
The founders of KDFC (102.1 FM):
  • Ed Davis
  • Herbert Florence
  • Bill Crocker[1]
Technical information[2]
Licensing authority
FCC
Facility ID69143
ClassB1
ERP1,000 watts
HAAT301 meters (988 ft)
Transmitter coordinates
37°51′04″N 122°29′54″W / 37.8510°N 122.4983°W / 37.8510; -122.4983
Translator(s)
Repeater(s)
Links
Public license information
Webcast
Websitewww.kdfc.com

KDFC (90.3 FM; "Classical California KDFC") is a non-commercial radio station in San Francisco, California, that broadcasts classical music 24 hours daily. It is owned by the University of Southern California. KDFC is the radio home of the San Francisco Symphony and the San Francisco Opera. The station's live stream is available on the Internet and through the station's mobile app.

History

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KUSF

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Not to be confused with KUSF (University of San Francisco).

From 1963 until 2011, KUSF was a student-run broadcast station owned by the University of San Francisco.[3] The station was located in the basement of Phelan Hall on the University of San Francisco campus, and was funded by the University of San Francisco, local and merchant underwriting, individual donations, and foundation grants.

KUSF began in 1963 as a campus-only AM station managed by the Associated Students of the University of San Francisco (ASUSF). In 1973, USF was offered KCMA, the FM radio station of Simpson Bible College, a small local Bible college that wished to discontinue its radio operations; KCMA had signed on in 1964.[4] USF accepted the offer and on April 25, 1977, KUSF became an FM station broadcasting on the 90.3 frequency; the call letters had been changed over shortly after the university became the licensee, on August 20, 1973.[3] The old AM station later became the student-managed KDNZ.

Originally broadcasting six hours a day, KUSF began broadcasting 24 hours a day in 1981. In its early days KUSF was a conventional college station, broadcasting programs of interest to the university and greater San Francisco community. However, KUSF soon garnered attention by playing new underground music: it was one of the first radio stations to play punk rock. Many now-famous acts also first gained exposure on KUSF, most notably The B-52s and Metallica.

KDFC

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See also: KRBQ
Classical California KDFC

KDFC was founded in 1948.[5] Bill Crocker founded the station and was its first general manager. Sales were handled by Ed Davis, who later became the station's long-running general manager. Engineering was handled by Herbert Florance. The initials of their last names gave the radio station its call sign.[1] It has programmed classical music for most of its history, though at one point during the 1950s, it featured a beautiful music format. [citation needed]

For many years the programming, which was largely automated after 1976, was simulcast on KIBE 1220 AM, a 5 kW AM station in Palo Alto, California that began broadcasting in 1949 from a transmitter near the western approach to the Dumbarton Bridge.[citation needed]

Ed Davis's company Sundial Broadcasting sold the AM and FM to Brown Broadcasting in 1993 for US$15.5 million. In 1996, Brown Broadcasting sold the FM station and AM simulcast sister station (KDFC 1220 AM) to Evergreen Media, who in turn sold the FM to Bonneville Broadcasting and the AM to Douglas Broadcasting in 1997. New station management transitioned KDFC's programming to a more mass-appeal approach, which boosted ratings significantly, though was occasionally criticized for their new "top 40 of classical music" approach.

Bill Lueth, who had done mornings on rival classical station KKHI, moved to mornings at KDFC in 1997 and also contributed to the station's rise and shift from automation to live hosts.[citation needed] In 2003 KDFC became the first station in the Bay Area to broadcast using HD Radio.[citation needed]

On January 18, 2007, Bonneville signed an agreement with Entercom Communications Corporation to trade three San Francisco stations — KOIT, KMAX-FM, and KDFC — for three Entercom stations in Seattle, Washington and four in Cincinnati, Ohio. Entercom officially took ownership of KDFC in March 2008.[citation needed]

On January 18, 2011, the University of Southern California announced the purchase of KUSF (90.3 MHz) from the University of San Francisco (USF) and KNDL (89.9 MHz) in Angwin, California. It also announced the purchase of the intellectual property and call letters of KDFC from Entercom, moving its programming to those two stations and making it a listener-supported non-commercial outlet with Lueth as its President. KUSF was renamed KOSC, and KNDL was renamed KDFC. In turn, Entercom flipped the 102.1 MHz frequency to a simulcast of San Jose station KUFX, which Entercom had acquired earlier in the month, on January 24.[6][7] KUSF turned into an online-only radio station.[3] The Federal Communications Commission officially transferred the 90.3 MHz license to the University of Southern California on June 7, 2012.[citation needed]

On May 1, 2017, the KDFC call sign moved to 90.3 FM in San Francisco, swapping call signs with 89.9 FM in Angwin, which became KOSC.[8][9]

Programming

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KDFC broadcasts classical music 24 hours a day. Programming features include: Mozart In the Morning, the Island of Sanity, and San Francisco Symphony broadcasts. KDFC also airs recordings of San Francisco Opera productions. On-air personalities include Rik Malone, Dianne Nicolini, Robin Pressman, Hoyt Smith, Rich Capparela, Lara Downes and Jennifer Miller.

In addition to FM and SHOUTcast MP3 streaming, KDFC was the first radio station in the country to broadcast in digital HD Radio, offering a secondary HD Radio channel, KDFC-2, featuring longer classical pieces and vocal works, without commercials on their former 102.1 FM frequency.

A multiple winner of the award for public service, KDFC is an active partner to arts groups and an active advocate for music education. Proceeds from the station's annual CD sampler, and the annual 'Music Educator of the Year' support and celebrate public school music programs.

Satellites and translators

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KDFC also extends its signal via full-power satellites KOSC/Angwin (89.9 FM), KDFG/Seaside (103.9 FM) and KXSC/Sunnyvale (104.9 FM), as well as a low-power translator K223AJ/Lakeport (92.5 FM). Another low-power translator, K212AA/Los Gatos (90.3 FM), is offline as of July 2024.[10][11]

Rebroadcasters of KDFC
Call sign Frequency (MHz) City of license Facility ID ERP W Height m (ft) Class Transmitter coordinates FCC info
KOSC 89.9 Angwin, California 27946 800 933 m (3,061 ft) B 38°40′09″N 122°37′53″W / 38.66917°N 122.63139°W / 38.66917; -122.63139 FCC
KDFG 103.9 Seaside, California 15936 1,500 199 m (653 ft) A 36°35′09″N 121°55′23″W / 36.58583°N 121.92306°W / 36.58583; -121.92306 FCC
KXSC 104.9 Sunnyvale, California 54478 6,000 −47 m (−154 ft) A 37°19′22″N 121°45′19″W / 37.32278°N 121.75528°W / 37.32278; -121.75528 FCC
Broadcast translators for KDFC
Call sign Frequency City of license FID ERP (W) HAAT Class Transmitter coordinates FCC info
K212AA 90.3 FM Los Gatos, California 51716 16.5 267.2 m (877 ft) D 37°12′17″N 121°57′00″W / 37.20472°N 121.95000°W / 37.20472; -121.95000 LMS
K223AJ 92.5 FM Lakeport, California 27945 10 561 m (1,841 ft) D 39°07′49″N 123°04′35″W / 39.13028°N 123.07639°W / 39.13028; -123.07639 LMS

References

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  1. ^ a b "The Story of Classical KDFC". KDFC. Retrieved July 28, 2017.
  2. ^ "Facility Technical Data for KDFC". Licensing and Management System. Federal Communications Commission.
  3. ^ a b c "About". KUSF College Radio. Retrieved July 28, 2017.
  4. ^ FCC History Cards for KDFC (as KCMA, KUSF)
  5. ^ "New Sausalito FM Station KDFC On Air". Sausalito News. September 2, 1948. Retrieved July 28, 2017.
  6. ^ Hartlaub, Peter (January 19, 2011). "KDFC moves up the dial as a nonprofit, KUSF dies". San Francisco Chronicle. Retrieved July 28, 2017.
  7. ^ "Entercom Brings KFOX Into S.F., USC Takes On KDFC". Radio Ink. January 18, 2011. Archived from the original on November 12, 2011. Retrieved July 28, 2017.
  8. ^ "KOSC (FM)". FCCInfo.com. Cavell, Mertz & Associates, Inc. Retrieved July 28, 2017.
  9. ^ "KDFC (FM)". FCCInfo.com. Cavell, Mertz & Associates, Inc. Retrieved July 28, 2017.
  10. ^ "KDFC Coverage Maps". KDFC. Retrieved September 9, 2016.
  11. ^ "K211AA Station Information". Radio-Locator.com. Retrieved July 23, 2024.
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Translators
Repeaters
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