KLLC

KLLC (97.3 MHz, Alice @ 97.3) is a commercial FM radio station located in San Francisco, California, broadcasting to the San Francisco Bay Area. The station is owned by Entercom. Its transmitter is off Wolfback Ridge Road on Mount Beacon in the Marin Headlands near Sausalito, California.[1] The studios and offices are located on Battery Street in downtown San Francisco.

KLLC
CitySan Francisco, California
Broadcast areaSan Francisco Bay Area
Frequency97.3 MHz (HD Radio)
BrandingAlice @ 97.3
SloganSan Francisco's Station for Generation Alice
Programming
FormatFM/HD1: Hot AC
HD2: LGBTQ talk/EDM (Channel Q)
Ownership
OwnerEntercom
(Entercom License, LLC)
Sister stationsKCBS, KFRC-FM, KGMZ, KGMZ-FM, KITS, KRBQ
History
First air date1947
Former call signsKXKX (1947–1956)
KEAR (1956–1978)
KCBS-FM (1978–1982)
KRQR (1982–1996)
Call sign meaningK ALLC the 2nd L represents the I in ALICE.
Technical information
Facility ID9624
ClassB
ERP82,000 watts
HAAT309 meters (1014 ft)
Transmitter coordinates37°51′3″N 122°29′51″W
Repeater(s)See § FM Booster
Links
WebcastListen Live
Listen Live (HD2)
Websiteradioalice.radio.com
wearechannelq.radio.com (HD2)

History

The 97.3 MHz frequency signed on the air as KWBR-FM, dedicated September 14, 1947. The station was owned by the Warner Brothers of Oakland (of no relation to the film studio), with studios and transmitter on the side of Twin Peaks. It was a sister station of KWBR-AM (earlier known as KLS and the current day KMKY 1310 AM.[2]

97.3 FM was home to Family Radio's KEAR starting in 1956. On September 13, 1978, Family Radio purchased a much stronger frequency, which saw KEAR and the religious format move to 106.9, as part of a three-way deal that also saw KCBS-FM move from 98.9 MHz to 97.3 MHz. KCBS-FM, known as "97K," programmed a hot adult contemporary format. Over the years, the station evolved in more of a classic hits direction. For a time, 97K aired the syndicated American Top 40, a countdown show starring Casey Kasem.

On January 25, 1982, at midnight, KCBS-FM became KRQR, "The Bay Area Rocker," with a hard-edged album-oriented rock (AOR) format, to compete against leading rock station KMEL. The first song played under the KRQR call sign was "I'm a Rocker" by Bruce Springsteen. KRQR's harder approach helped start a long run as a dominant rock station. The year was a busy one for Bay Area rock stations. In May of that year, KSFX dropped rock and went to a talk format as KGO-FM. A month later, on August 23, KQAK switched to rock as "The Quake". And in September, KFOG dropped beautiful music for a more eclectic mix of rock.

Even with four AOR stations in San Francisco, in addition to two more in San Jose, KRQR still dominated amidst the stiff competition. KQAK was the first to give up, dropped AOR in April 1983.[3] The station switched to modern rock. KRQR and KFOG competed with the tightly-formatted KMEL, which flipped to CHR in 1984.

KRQR's rock format continued throughout the 1980s and up to 1993, when it moved to more of a classic rock direction. By 1995, the hard rock format was in decline across the country, as modern rock was on the rise. To combat this, the station evolved back to a more current direction in February 1996.[4] However, this failed to turn around ratings, and on June 5, 1996, at 3 PM, KRQR flipped to KLLC, "Alice 97.3," with a Modern AC format. The flip to "Alice" made the station one of the first in the U.S. to air the format. KLLC gradually evolved into Hot AC in 2010.[5]

On February 2, 2017, CBS Radio announced it would merge with Entercom.[6] The merger was approved on November 9, 2017, and was consummated on the 17th.[7][8]

KRQR logo - mid 1980s
KRQR logo - early 1990s

Sarah and Vinnie

The station's most popular show has been in weekday morning drive. Originally known as "The Sarah and Vinnie Show", it was hosted by Sarah Clark (a.k.a. Sarah Emily Lyman) and Vinnie Hasson, then known as Vinnie Crackhorn, until he was fired in 2002 due to problems with alcohol. After a several month search for a replacement for Vinnie, the station selected Mike Nelson, a.k.a. "The DJ with No Name," to become the co-host of the renamed "Sarah and No-Name Show."[9] After 6 years, Nelson was let go by station management on July 17, 2008, who announced that Vinnie would re-team with Sarah starting on August 4, 2008, returning the show's name to "The Sarah and Vinnie Show."[10] Nelson later returned to his previous station, Live 105, as the host of the morning show before becoming a part of KFOG's morning show in 2015.[9]

Booster

KLLC is rebroadcast on the following FM Booster:

Call signFrequency
(MHz)		City of licenseFacility
ID		ERP
(W)		Height
(m (ft))		ClassFCC info
KLLC-FM297.3Pleasanton, California1784084,800 (Vert.)−55 m (−180 ft)DFCC

HD Radio

KLLC broadcasts in the HD Radio format. Its HD2 subchannel originally carried an automated chill music format, known as "Chill with Alice." According to the radio industry website RadioStats.Net, KLLC has the most-visited site of its kind in the United States.

On October 11, 2018, KLLC-HD2 switched to Radio.com's LGBTQ talk and EDM dance music format, branded as "Out Now."[11] On November 1, 2018, the station rebranded as "Channel Q".

Off-Air Activities

The station sponsors three seasonal concerts each year: the free "Summerthing" show in June and the "Now and Zen Fest" in September, both in Golden Gate Park, and "Alice in Winterland" in December. Featured acts have included Alanis Morissette, Duran Duran, Five for Fighting, Smash Mouth, and Train. Up until 2009 recordings from the concerts and other live appearances on the station were collected into the annual "This is Alice Music" CD, which was sold to raise funds donated to Breast cancer research and treatment charities.

Summerthing lineups

Now and Zen Fest lineups

Alice in Winterland / Alice @97.3 Green Christmas Hosted by Sarah and Vinnie lineups

Alice's Mad Hatter Birthday Bash!
gollark: Half of problems are Java's. Half are PHP's. 0.00000004% are JavaScript's.
gollark: *Java is installed on more than three billion devices.*
gollark: It's been getting worse version by version.
gollark: It's not exactly Java's fault Minecraft is slow.
gollark: C++ or something with Lua modding.

See also
  • KALC, Alice 105.9, Denver, Colorado
  • KLCA, Alice @ 96.5, Tahoe City, California

References
  1. Radio-Locator.com/KLLC
  2. "Warner Bros.' KWBR-FM (97.3 mc) Is Dedicated" (PDF). Broadcasting. September 22, 1947. Retrieved 9 October 2014.
  3. KQAK FM 99 - The Quake - August 23, 1982
  4. http://www.americanradiohistory.com/Archive-RandR/1990s/1996/R&R-1996-02-01.pdf
  5. http://www.americanradiohistory.com/Archive-RandR/1990s/1996/R&R-1996-06-14.pdf
  6. CBS Radio to Merge with Entercom
  7. "Entercom Receives FCC Approval for Merger with CBS Radio". Entercom. November 9, 2017. Retrieved November 17, 2017.
  8. Venta, Lance (November 17, 2017). "Entercom Completes CBS Radio Merger". Radio Insight. Retrieved November 17, 2017.
  9. "Get to Know No Name « Live 105". Archived from the original on May 28, 2010.
  10. Sarah & Vinnie: Back Together Again On Radio Alice - San Francisco - News - The Snitch
  11. Entercom Debuts Out Now LGBTQ HD Radio in Five Markets Radioinsight - October 11, 2018
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