KCNL
Encyclopedia
KCNL is a radio station
in San Jose, California
and serves the San Francisco Bay Area
. It is owned by The Principle Broadcasting Network San Jose, LLC and airs a Mexican Oldies format.
On September 18, 2009, KCNL swapped formats (but not calls) with KSJO
92.3 FM
, and become "La Preciosa 104.9". http://bayarea.lapreciosa.com
, as KFMR, a 3,000 watt station operating out of a house on Mowry Avenue in Fremont.
Among the alumni of those early days at KFMR was a gawky 18-year-old kid named Bill Stairs who went on to a stellar career as a DJ, program director and broadcast consultant in markets from Spokane, Sacramento and San Diego in the west to Boston and Chicago in the east.
Another early DJ at KFMR was writer Timothy Perrin, winner of the 2007 Angie Award for best screenplay.
By the early 1980s, under new ownership, KFMR was airing a religious format.
In 1983, it changed formats and call letters becoming Spanish-language KDOS.
In December 1983, the station adopted the KBRG call letters that had been abandoned by another station when it changed formats earlier in the year. The "new" KBRG adopted the "old" KBRG's Spanish-language music and variety format, as well as the Oakland Athletics
baseball games in Spanish called by Amaury Pi-Gonzales. The station was still licensed to Fremont, California
.
On December 31, 1997, in a three-station frequency swap, KBRG moved to 100.3
, KBAY
moved to 94.5, and KUFX
ended up occupying 104.9.
This was not the end of the moves. In August 1998, Jacor
, KUFX's owner, purchased KOME
98.5 from CBS Radio
. Jacor moved KUFX to 98.5, and essentially launched a new station on 104.9 with a modern AC format and the call letters KLDZ. Six months later, the format was tweaked to alternative rock classics
as KCNL Channel 104.9. KCNL switched to full-fledged alternative rock
on January 15, 2001.
KCNL's call letters were briefly changed to KMJO on October 14, 2005, and changed back to KCNL ten days later, though there was no format change involved. It was likely that Clear Channel, the owners at the time, wanted to park the KMJO call letters temporarily.
On January 1, 2006, KCNL dropped alternative rock and flipped to Spanish. It was named "La Romántica" for a couple of months, but was later renamed "Enamorada 104.9".
Fourteen months later, on February 27, 2007, KCNL switched back to an alternative rock format, claiming that 60% of all comments they received were from people who wanted their old station back. The fact that the ratings had dropped from a 3.4 share to a 1.3 share in the year Enamorada was playing may have had been a factor as well. The final song played by KCNL as "Enamorada 104.9" was "Te Veo Venir Soledad
" by Franco de Vita
on 3:48 PM, February 26. Right after the song, the return of the alternative rock format was unofficially launched with "For Those About to Rock (We Salute You)
" by AC/DC
. The station immediately switched to a countdown audio, playing a few songs far apart in the daytime of February 27, until officially relaunching 5:00 PM that day, briefly sampling the songs "Smells Like Teen Spirit
" by Nirvana
and "Give it Away" by Red Hot Chili Peppers
before playing fully "Beautiful Day
" by U2
as the first song in the resurrected Channel 104.9 format.
After 11 months without airstaff, on January 22, 2008, "Joe" was heard in the afternoon announcing songs once again.
On September 18, 2009, KCNL's Channel 104.9 modern rock format moved to 92.3 KSJO as "Channel 92.3". KCNL picked up the "La Preciosa" Spanish adult hits format from KSJO.
On March 2, 2010, the sale of KCNL was closed, as the station had officially changed hands from Clear Channel Communications
to the Principle Broadcasting Network San Jose, LLC for the sum of $5 million. KCNL changed to their current "iFM" Spanish variety format.
On Saturday and Sunday nights from 8 p.m. to midnight, KCNL broadcasts an alternative format known as "Save Alternative," which also airs 24 hours a day on the HD2 channel and online at savealternative.com.
Radio station
Radio broadcasting is a one-way wireless transmission over radio waves intended to reach a wide audience. Stations can be linked in radio networks to broadcast a common radio format, either in broadcast syndication or simulcast or both...
in San Jose, California
San Jose, California
San Jose is the third-largest city in California, the tenth-largest in the U.S., and the county seat of Santa Clara County which is located at the southern end of San Francisco Bay...
and serves the San Francisco Bay Area
San Francisco Bay Area
The San Francisco Bay Area, commonly known as the Bay Area, is a populated region that surrounds the San Francisco and San Pablo estuaries in Northern California. The region encompasses metropolitan areas of San Francisco, Oakland, and San Jose, along with smaller urban and rural areas...
. It is owned by The Principle Broadcasting Network San Jose, LLC and airs a Mexican Oldies format.
On September 18, 2009, KCNL swapped formats (but not calls) with KSJO
KSJO
KSJO is a commercial radio station in San Jose, California, and broadcasts to the San Francisco Bay Area on 92.3 FM. KSJO currently airs a Chinese format branded as "92.3 KSJO".-History:...
92.3 FM
FM broadcasting
FM broadcasting is a broadcasting technology pioneered by Edwin Howard Armstrong which uses frequency modulation to provide high-fidelity sound over broadcast radio. The term "FM band" describes the "frequency band in which FM is used for broadcasting"...
, and become "La Preciosa 104.9". http://bayarea.lapreciosa.com
History
The station that is today known as KCNL 104.9 started life in the early 1970s in Fremont, CaliforniaFremont, California
Fremont is a city in Alameda County, California. It was incorporated on January 23, 1956, from the merger of five smaller communities: Centerville, Niles, Irvington, Mission San Jose, and Warm Springs...
, as KFMR, a 3,000 watt station operating out of a house on Mowry Avenue in Fremont.
Among the alumni of those early days at KFMR was a gawky 18-year-old kid named Bill Stairs who went on to a stellar career as a DJ, program director and broadcast consultant in markets from Spokane, Sacramento and San Diego in the west to Boston and Chicago in the east.
Another early DJ at KFMR was writer Timothy Perrin, winner of the 2007 Angie Award for best screenplay.
By the early 1980s, under new ownership, KFMR was airing a religious format.
In 1983, it changed formats and call letters becoming Spanish-language KDOS.
In December 1983, the station adopted the KBRG call letters that had been abandoned by another station when it changed formats earlier in the year. The "new" KBRG adopted the "old" KBRG's Spanish-language music and variety format, as well as the Oakland Athletics
Oakland Athletics
The Oakland Athletics are a Major League Baseball team based in Oakland, California. The Athletics are a member of the Western Division of Major League Baseball's American League. From to the present, the Athletics have played in the O.co Coliseum....
baseball games in Spanish called by Amaury Pi-Gonzales. The station was still licensed to Fremont, California
Fremont, California
Fremont is a city in Alameda County, California. It was incorporated on January 23, 1956, from the merger of five smaller communities: Centerville, Niles, Irvington, Mission San Jose, and Warm Springs...
.
On December 31, 1997, in a three-station frequency swap, KBRG moved to 100.3
KBRG
KBRG is a Spanish-language station in San Jose, California. It is the oldest surviving Spanish music station in the San Francisco Bay Area, having first appeared in the 1960s or earlier as 105.3 . It moved to 104.9 in December 1983, and then to 100.3 in a three-station swap on December 31, 1997...
, KBAY
KBAY
KBAY is a radio station licensed to Gilroy, California, and serving the San Francisco Bay Area. Its current format is Soft Rock It is owned by NextMedia Group along with sister station, "Mix-106.5" KEZR-FM...
moved to 94.5, and KUFX
KUFX
KUFX is a classic rock-formatted radio station in San Jose, California. It is owned by Entercom Communications. The station is referred to on-air as K-FOX.On January 24, 2011, KUFX began simulcasting on KUZX 102.1 MHz in San Francisco....
ended up occupying 104.9.
This was not the end of the moves. In August 1998, Jacor
Jacor
Jacor Communications was a media corporation which owned a large number of radio stations in the United States. Inside the radio industry, Jacor was seen as one of the most competitive broadcast companies in history. Jacor's re-image in 1996 created the slogan "The Noise You Can't Ignore".Jacor was...
, KUFX's owner, purchased KOME
KOME
KOME was a radio station in San Jose, California, heard at 98.5 FM from 1971 thru 1998. Currently, the 98.5 FM frequency is home to KUFX .-Beginnings:...
98.5 from CBS Radio
CBS Radio
CBS Radio, Inc., formerly known as Infinity Broadcasting Corporation, is one of the largest owners and operators of radio stations in the United States, third behind main rival Clear Channel Communications and Cumulus Media. CBS Radio owns around 130 radio stations across the country...
. Jacor moved KUFX to 98.5, and essentially launched a new station on 104.9 with a modern AC format and the call letters KLDZ. Six months later, the format was tweaked to alternative rock classics
New Wave music
New Wave is a subgenre of :rock music that emerged in the mid to late 1970s alongside punk rock. The term at first generally was synonymous with punk rock before being considered a genre in its own right that incorporated aspects of electronic and experimental music, mod subculture, disco and 1960s...
as KCNL Channel 104.9. KCNL switched to full-fledged alternative rock
Alternative rock
Alternative rock is a genre of rock music and a term used to describe a diverse musical movement that emerged from the independent music underground of the 1980s and became widely popular by the 1990s...
on January 15, 2001.
KCNL's call letters were briefly changed to KMJO on October 14, 2005, and changed back to KCNL ten days later, though there was no format change involved. It was likely that Clear Channel, the owners at the time, wanted to park the KMJO call letters temporarily.
On January 1, 2006, KCNL dropped alternative rock and flipped to Spanish. It was named "La Romántica" for a couple of months, but was later renamed "Enamorada 104.9".
Fourteen months later, on February 27, 2007, KCNL switched back to an alternative rock format, claiming that 60% of all comments they received were from people who wanted their old station back. The fact that the ratings had dropped from a 3.4 share to a 1.3 share in the year Enamorada was playing may have had been a factor as well. The final song played by KCNL as "Enamorada 104.9" was "Te Veo Venir Soledad
Nada es igual (Franco De Vita album)
Nada Es Igual is a 1999 album by Franco De Vita released on the Sony label. The CD produced "Traigo Una Pena," a Top 5 hit on the Billboard Latin music charts. Other hits from the disc include "Si Tú No Estás" and "Te Veo Venir, Soledad."-Track listing:...
" by Franco de Vita
Franco De Vita
Franco De Vita is a singer-songwriter of Latin music. His first disc as a solo artist garnered three Spanish-language hits in Venezuela. He signed with the Sony label in 1988, and in 1990, his album Extranjero had a song that reached No. 1 on the U.S. Latin charts and won an MTV Video Music Award...
on 3:48 PM, February 26. Right after the song, the return of the alternative rock format was unofficially launched with "For Those About to Rock (We Salute You)
For Those About to Rock (We Salute You)
"For Those About to Rock " is a song by the Australian hard rock band AC/DC. The song was first released on AC/DC's eighth studio album For Those About to Rock We Salute You in 1981, and later as a single in 1982. The single's B-side contains an edited live version of "Let There Be Rock", recorded...
" by AC/DC
AC/DC
AC/DC are an Australian rock band, formed in 1973 by brothers Malcolm and Angus Young. Commonly classified as hard rock, they are considered pioneers of heavy metal, though they themselves have always classified their music as simply "rock and roll"...
. The station immediately switched to a countdown audio, playing a few songs far apart in the daytime of February 27, until officially relaunching 5:00 PM that day, briefly sampling the songs "Smells Like Teen Spirit
Smells Like Teen Spirit
"Smells Like Teen Spirit" is a song by the American grunge band Nirvana. It is the opening track and lead single from the band's second album, Nevermind , released on DGC Records...
" by Nirvana
Nirvana (band)
Nirvana was an American rock band that was formed by singer/guitarist Kurt Cobain and bassist Krist Novoselic in Aberdeen, Washington in 1987...
and "Give it Away" by Red Hot Chili Peppers
Red Hot Chili Peppers
Red Hot Chili Peppers is an American rock band, formed in Los Angeles in 1983. The group's musical style primarily consists of rock with an emphasis on funk, as well as elements from other genres such as punk, hip hop and psychedelic rock...
before playing fully "Beautiful Day
Beautiful Day
"Beautiful Day" is a song by the rock band U2. It is the first track from their 2000 album, All That You Can't Leave Behind, and it was released as the album's lead single. It was a commercial success, helping launch the album to multi-platinum status, and is one of U2's biggest hits to date...
" by U2
U2
U2 are an Irish rock band from Dublin. Formed in 1976, the group consists of Bono , The Edge , Adam Clayton , and Larry Mullen, Jr. . U2's early sound was rooted in post-punk but eventually grew to incorporate influences from many genres of popular music...
as the first song in the resurrected Channel 104.9 format.
After 11 months without airstaff, on January 22, 2008, "Joe" was heard in the afternoon announcing songs once again.
On September 18, 2009, KCNL's Channel 104.9 modern rock format moved to 92.3 KSJO as "Channel 92.3". KCNL picked up the "La Preciosa" Spanish adult hits format from KSJO.
On March 2, 2010, the sale of KCNL was closed, as the station had officially changed hands from Clear Channel Communications
Clear Channel Communications
Clear Channel Communications, Inc. is an American media conglomerate company headquartered in San Antonio, Texas. It was founded in 1972 by Lowry Mays and Red McCombs, and was taken private by Bain Capital LLC and Thomas H. Lee Partners LP in a leveraged buyout in 2008...
to the Principle Broadcasting Network San Jose, LLC for the sum of $5 million. KCNL changed to their current "iFM" Spanish variety format.
On Saturday and Sunday nights from 8 p.m. to midnight, KCNL broadcasts an alternative format known as "Save Alternative," which also airs 24 hours a day on the HD2 channel and online at savealternative.com.
External links
- The Enamorada KCNL Home Page, as of April 2, 2006 from Internet ArchiveInternet ArchiveThe Internet Archive is a non-profit digital library with the stated mission of "universal access to all knowledge". It offers permanent storage and access to collections of digitized materials, including websites, music, moving images, and nearly 3 million public domain books. The Internet Archive...
- FormatChange.com page describing the circumstances of KCNL's birth