KNGY
Encyclopedia
KREV is a Top 40 (CHR)
music formatted radio station
that serves the greater San Francisco Bay Area
. Its city of license is Alameda, California
, and it is owned by Royce International.
format. Founded by Pat Henry, KJAZ prided itself on broadcasting only jazz music, and a 1965 station brochure proclaimed KJAZ "northern California's first and only fulltime jazz station".
In 1994, KJAZ was sold after owner Ron Cowan, in a financial crisis, deemed the station unprofitable. Since the demise of the jazz format, some KJAZ programmers and announcers have made their way to KCSM.
Since then, the KJAZ call sign
has been used by various FM radio stations around the country, and is currently the call sign for a silent station in Point Comfort, Texas
owned by Fort Bend Broadcasting of Austin, Texas.
in San Jose
as KXJO.
outlet would begin as KPTI, "92.7 PARTY," which was launched under former owner Spanish Broadcasting System
. Nearly two years later, on March 17, 2004, it was sold to new owners, who flipped the format to mainstream urban
as KBTB, "Power 92.7, The Beat of the Bay." Power 92.7 debuted on April 15, 2004 with 48 straight hours of songs by Tupac Shakur
, a rapper from Oakland. After it failed to attract an audience, along with controversy from rival KMEL
(which made headlines in the press) and on top of that, seeing the sale falling apart, the station was put up for sale again.
KBTB was acquired by Flying Bear Media, backed by Alta Communications
and Tailwind Capital. CEO Joe Bayliss flipped the station back to dance music on October 2, 2004 as Energy 92.7. The station kept the KBTB call letters for several months before changing to KNGY, and kept the slogan The Beat of the Bay for over a year, but changed it to Pure Dance in 2006.
On July 17, 2005, KNGY moved its signal from its old tower on Russian Hill to the Sutro Tower, improving coverage in the South Bay, but later changed back to their old site due to signal issues. The effect was clear to South Bay listeners, who received a split signal between KNGY and KTOM, a country-format station from the Santa Cruz
area. In areas around the North Bay where line-of-site propagation is weak, listeners received a split signal between KNGY and KZSQ, a hot AC station from the Sonora, California
area. Energy 92.7 was also heard on Comcast
Digital Cable throughout the Bay Area on digital cable channel 964 and live online through the station's website.
KNGY was a reporter in Billboard Magazine's Dance/Mix Show Airplay panel and was the most-listened-to dance/electronic radio station on the West Coast. KNGY as "Energy 92.7" offered a current-based mix of dance music
, with Top 40, R&B remixes
, disco
and club
classics from the 1970s, 1980s, and 1990s added into the presentation. It also broadcasted sophisticated and mood-enhanced tracks including down-tempo groove, future jazz, electronic rock and chillout beats.
Under Bayliss, KNGY quickly built a reputation as "The Gay Station" -- San Francisco's first commercial radio station that appealed openly to the Bay Area's large and highly influential gay community, with a number of on-air DJs—and even a sportscaster—who were openly gay. The station also became heavily involved in numerous gay-community events, including San Francisco's annual Gay Pride Parade
in June. In fact, after Energy's demise in 2009, the station's morning show "Fernando and Greg in the Morning
", which was widely popular with fans, was moved over to KMVQ
.
In December 2005 KLLC
(Alice@97.3) San Francisco program director John Peake was hired as Energy's new program director, filling the vacancy left by Chris Shebel. Prior to coming to San Francisco pre-KLLC, Peake was the PD of influential Top 40 KRBE/Houston, Texas
, a station that was also known for adding Dance cuts
into their traditional playlist. In July 2008 Peake resigned from the PD job, which would be quickly filled by Don Parker, who, like Peake, also has credentials in programming Dance-leaning stations as he was the PD of Rhythmic contemporary
outlet KKFR
/Phoenix during its Dance-intensive days in the late 1980s and mid 1990s.
On weekends, KNGY turned their broadcasts to a show called "Ghetto House Radio" which aired every Saturday at midnight. The program featured a house/dance music mix with a mix of rap and "ghetto" music until 2 a.m. Sunday morning, when Trevor Simpson's world town mix comes into play.
In February 2009, KNGY added former KGO-AM talk show host Karel
to their lineup. His program aired from 9PM to 12Mid Monday through Thursdays and it was the only time that the station did not play any music. However, after five months, Karel's program was dropped from the lineup in June 2009 due to low ratings and financial issues.
-format station with the new callsign KREV. According to a published report, Flying Bear was forced to sell the station after it was unable to renegotiate the terms of a $6 million loan held by a subsidiary of Wells Fargo Bank.
In September 2009, KNGY's on-air and production staff were given notice that they were being laid off, and PD Don Parker gave a short farewell to listeners on the afternoon of September 10. Energy's final song was "Walk Away
" by Kelly Clarkson
. At 9:08pm (PDT), 2009, after a few false starts, KNGY's format was changed to Top 40 as "92.7 REV FM". Rev's first song was P!nk
's "Get This Party Started
." The flip to Top 40 marks KREV's entry into an already interesting CHR race in the San Francisco Bay Area, where it will have to compete for listeners with CBS Radio
's Mainstream Top 40 KMVQ, Clear Channel Communications
Top 40 powerhouse KYLD Clear Channel Communications
and Urban CHR
sister KMEL
, and Citadel Broadcasting
KWIN
in Stockton
both of whom have more signal coverage than KREV. KREV's playlist, station imaging and web site is essentially identical to that of KFRH "104.3 Now FM" in Las Vegas
, which is also KREV's sister station.
On Monday morning, Oct. 12, 2009, KREV switched from the continuous music feed to include commercials and a morning show - returning The Dog House to the Bay Area airwaves.
To fill the hole left open by the flip of KNGY, KMVQ flipped 99.7 FM's HD
2 signal to dance
as "Pulse Radio" in 2010.
Contemporary hit radio
Contemporary hit radio is a radio format that is common in the United States, United Kingdom, Canada and Australia that focuses on playing current and recurrent popular music as determined by the Top 40 music charts...
music formatted radio station
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...
that serves the greater 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...
. Its city of license is Alameda, California
Alameda, California
Alameda is a city in Alameda County, California, United States. It is located on Alameda Island and Bay Farm Island, and is adjacent to Oakland in the San Francisco Bay. The Bay Farm Island portion of the city is adjacent to the Oakland International Airport. At the 2010 census, the city had a...
, and it is owned by Royce International.
Jazz music as KJAZ
As KJAZ from August 1, 1959, to July 31, 1994, the station aired a jazzJazz
Jazz is a musical style that originated at the beginning of the 20th century in African American communities in the Southern United States. It was born out of a mix of African and European music traditions. From its early development until the present, jazz has incorporated music from 19th and 20th...
format. Founded by Pat Henry, KJAZ prided itself on broadcasting only jazz music, and a 1965 station brochure proclaimed KJAZ "northern California's first and only fulltime jazz station".
In 1994, KJAZ was sold after owner Ron Cowan, in a financial crisis, deemed the station unprofitable. Since the demise of the jazz format, some KJAZ programmers and announcers have made their way to KCSM.
Since then, the KJAZ call sign
Call sign
In broadcasting and radio communications, a call sign is a unique designation for a transmitting station. In North America they are used as names for broadcasting stations...
has been used by various FM radio stations around the country, and is currently the call sign for a silent station in Point Comfort, Texas
Point Comfort, Texas
Point Comfort is a city in Calhoun County, Texas, United States. It is a part of the Victoria, Texas Metropolitan Statistical Area. The population was 781 at the 2000 census.-Geography:Point Comfort is located at...
owned by Fort Bend Broadcasting of Austin, Texas.
- See also KJAZKJAZKJAZ is a radio station licensed to Point Comfort, Texas, USA. The license is currently held by Henderson Broadcasting, which acquired the license in March 2008 from Fort Bend Broadcasting Company, Inc.....
Rock music as KXJO
Though listeners mounted a fundraising effort to keep KJAZ on the air (by some reports raising $1.5 million), the station was sold in 1994 and KJAZ was converted to a different format. For a time, they simulcast the rock format of KSJOKSJO
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:...
in San Jose
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...
as KXJO.
Dance and urban music as KPTI/KBTB/KNGY
On May 26, 2002, the 92.7 frequency's history as a dance musicDance music
Dance music is music composed specifically to facilitate or accompany dancing. It can be either a whole musical piece or part of a larger musical arrangement...
outlet would begin as KPTI, "92.7 PARTY," which was launched under former owner Spanish Broadcasting System
Spanish Broadcasting System
Spanish Broadcasting System, Inc. is one of the largest owners and operators of radio stations in the United States. SBS is also invested in television and internet properties, deriving the majority of its income from advertising through its media products.SBS owns the internet portal LaMusica.com...
. Nearly two years later, on March 17, 2004, it was sold to new owners, who flipped the format to mainstream urban
Mainstream Urban
Mainstream Urban is a term used to describe a radio format similar to an Urban Contemporary format. The format differentiates itself due to two factors: playlist composition and target demographic...
as KBTB, "Power 92.7, The Beat of the Bay." Power 92.7 debuted on April 15, 2004 with 48 straight hours of songs by Tupac Shakur
Tupac Shakur
Tupac Amaru Shakur , known by his stage names 2Pac and Makaveli, was an American rapper and actor. Shakur has sold over 75 million albums worldwide as of 2007, making him one of the best-selling music artists in the world...
, a rapper from Oakland. After it failed to attract an audience, along with controversy from rival KMEL
KMEL
KMEL is an Urban Contemporary-formatted radio station located in San Francisco, California, and owned by Clear Channel Communications....
(which made headlines in the press) and on top of that, seeing the sale falling apart, the station was put up for sale again.
KBTB was acquired by Flying Bear Media, backed by Alta Communications
Alta Communications
Alta Communications is a Boston-based private equity firm specializing in equity investments in media and telecommunications companies.Their equity funds are invested in about 100 companies with total market capitalization approximately $1.5 billion....
and Tailwind Capital. CEO Joe Bayliss flipped the station back to dance music on October 2, 2004 as Energy 92.7. The station kept the KBTB call letters for several months before changing to KNGY, and kept the slogan The Beat of the Bay for over a year, but changed it to Pure Dance in 2006.
On July 17, 2005, KNGY moved its signal from its old tower on Russian Hill to the Sutro Tower, improving coverage in the South Bay, but later changed back to their old site due to signal issues. The effect was clear to South Bay listeners, who received a split signal between KNGY and KTOM, a country-format station from the Santa Cruz
Santa Cruz, California
Santa Cruz is the county seat and largest city of Santa Cruz County, California in the US. As of the 2010 U.S. Census, Santa Cruz had a total population of 59,946...
area. In areas around the North Bay where line-of-site propagation is weak, listeners received a split signal between KNGY and KZSQ, a hot AC station from the Sonora, California
Sonora, California
Sonora is the county seat of Tuolumne County, California. As of the 2010 census, the city population was 4,903, up from 4,423 at the 2000 census. Sonora is the only incorporated community in Tuolumne County.-Geography:...
area. Energy 92.7 was also heard on Comcast
Comcast
Comcast Corporation is the largest cable operator, home Internet service provider, and fourth largest home telephone service provider in the United States, providing cable television, broadband Internet, and telephone service to both residential and commercial customers in 39 states and the...
Digital Cable throughout the Bay Area on digital cable channel 964 and live online through the station's website.
KNGY was a reporter in Billboard Magazine's Dance/Mix Show Airplay panel and was the most-listened-to dance/electronic radio station on the West Coast. KNGY as "Energy 92.7" offered a current-based mix of dance music
Dance music
Dance music is music composed specifically to facilitate or accompany dancing. It can be either a whole musical piece or part of a larger musical arrangement...
, with Top 40, R&B remixes
RemixeS
RemixeS is a compilation of French singer Mylène Farmer's singles by various famous DJ's, including JXL, Felix Da Housecat and Paul Oakenfold.-Brackground, writing and release:...
, disco
Disco
Disco is a genre of dance music. Disco acts charted high during the mid-1970s, and the genre's popularity peaked during the late 1970s. It had its roots in clubs that catered to African American, gay, psychedelic, and other communities in New York City and Philadelphia during the late 1960s and...
and club
Club
A club is an association of two or more people united by a common interest or goal. A service club, for example, exists for voluntary or charitable activities; there are clubs devoted to hobbies and sports, social activities clubs, political and religious clubs, and so forth.- History...
classics from the 1970s, 1980s, and 1990s added into the presentation. It also broadcasted sophisticated and mood-enhanced tracks including down-tempo groove, future jazz, electronic rock and chillout beats.
Under Bayliss, KNGY quickly built a reputation as "The Gay Station" -- San Francisco's first commercial radio station that appealed openly to the Bay Area's large and highly influential gay community, with a number of on-air DJs—and even a sportscaster—who were openly gay. The station also became heavily involved in numerous gay-community events, including San Francisco's annual Gay Pride Parade
Gay pride parade
Pride parades for the LGBT community are events celebrating lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender culture. The events also at times serve as demonstrations for legal rights such as same-sex marriage...
in June. In fact, after Energy's demise in 2009, the station's morning show "Fernando and Greg in the Morning
Fernando and Greg in the Morning
Fernando and Greg in the Morning is a San Francisco-based morning radio program on KMVQ-FM / Movin 99.7 featuring the first openly gay duo to host a morning broadcast on American commercial radio...
", which was widely popular with fans, was moved over to KMVQ
KMVQ-FM
KMVQ-FM is a broadcast radio station in San Francisco, California in the United States. The station, known as "99-7 Now", broadcasts a Top 40 format with a Rhythmic lean....
.
In December 2005 KLLC
KLLC
KLLC is a commercial radio station located in San Francisco, California, broadcasting to the San Francisco Bay Area. KLLC airs an Adult Top 40 music format same as KZZO in Sacramento and on 97.3 HD-2 is Chill With Alice, a Chill format channel...
(Alice@97.3) San Francisco program director John Peake was hired as Energy's new program director, filling the vacancy left by Chris Shebel. Prior to coming to San Francisco pre-KLLC, Peake was the PD of influential Top 40 KRBE/Houston, Texas
Houston, Texas
Houston is the fourth-largest city in the United States, and the largest city in the state of Texas. According to the 2010 U.S. Census, the city had a population of 2.1 million people within an area of . Houston is the seat of Harris County and the economic center of , which is the ...
, a station that was also known for adding Dance cuts
Cut (music)
In African American music, a cut "overtly insists on the repetitive nature of the music, by abruptly skipping it back to another beginning which we have already heard...
into their traditional playlist. In July 2008 Peake resigned from the PD job, which would be quickly filled by Don Parker, who, like Peake, also has credentials in programming Dance-leaning stations as he was the PD of Rhythmic contemporary
Rhythmic Contemporary
Rhythmic contemporary, also known as rhythmic top 40, rhythmic contemporary hit radio or rhythmic crossover, is a music radio format that includes a mix of EDM, upbeat rhythmic pop, hip-hop and R&B hits. Rhythmic contemporary rarely uses rock music or country music in its airplay, but it may...
outlet KKFR
KKFR
KKFR "Power 98.3" is a Rhythmic Contemporary Hit Radio outlet in the Phoenix, Arizona, radio market. The station broadcasts at 98.3 MHz on the FM dial with an effective radiated power of 41 kW. Its COL was Mayer, Arizona. The station is owned and operated by Riviera Broadcast Group...
/Phoenix during its Dance-intensive days in the late 1980s and mid 1990s.
On weekends, KNGY turned their broadcasts to a show called "Ghetto House Radio" which aired every Saturday at midnight. The program featured a house/dance music mix with a mix of rap and "ghetto" music until 2 a.m. Sunday morning, when Trevor Simpson's world town mix comes into play.
In February 2009, KNGY added former KGO-AM talk show host Karel
Charles Karel Bouley
Charles Karel Bouley, known on-the-air as Karel, is an American talk radio host and author. Bouley is best known for his highly rated work on KGO in San Francisco, California. Prior to working for KGO the first time, Bouley and his late partner, Andrew Howard, were the first openly Gay radio talk...
to their lineup. His program aired from 9PM to 12Mid Monday through Thursdays and it was the only time that the station did not play any music. However, after five months, Karel's program was dropped from the lineup in June 2009 due to low ratings and financial issues.
Top 40 as KREV
In July 2009, Flying Bear announced that KNGY was sold to Ed Stolz's Royce International Broadcasting for $6.5 million. AllAccess reported that the station will become a CHRContemporary hit radio
Contemporary hit radio is a radio format that is common in the United States, United Kingdom, Canada and Australia that focuses on playing current and recurrent popular music as determined by the Top 40 music charts...
-format station with the new callsign KREV. According to a published report, Flying Bear was forced to sell the station after it was unable to renegotiate the terms of a $6 million loan held by a subsidiary of Wells Fargo Bank.
In September 2009, KNGY's on-air and production staff were given notice that they were being laid off, and PD Don Parker gave a short farewell to listeners on the afternoon of September 10. Energy's final song was "Walk Away
Walk Away (Kelly Clarkson song)
"Walk Away" is a song by American singer Kelly Clarkson on her second album, Breakaway, and was the album's fifth and final single.In March 2006, the single was certified gold by RIAA and has sold over 500,000 copies in all formats in the United States...
" by Kelly Clarkson
Kelly Clarkson
Kelly Brianne Clarkson is an American pop rock singer-songwriter and actress. Clarkson came into prominence after becoming the winner of the inaugural season of the television series American Idol in 2002 and would later become the runner-up in the television special World Idol in 2003.In 2003,...
. At 9:08pm (PDT), 2009, after a few false starts, KNGY's format was changed to Top 40 as "92.7 REV FM". Rev's first song was P!nk
P!nk
Alecia Beth Moore , better known by her stage name Pink , is an American singer-songwriter, musician and actress....
's "Get This Party Started
Get This Party Started
Get This Party Started is an American reality television series hosted by Ethan Erickson and Kristin Cavallari in early February 2006, which aired on UPN.-Synopsis:...
." The flip to Top 40 marks KREV's entry into an already interesting CHR race in the San Francisco Bay Area, where it will have to compete for listeners with 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...
's Mainstream Top 40 KMVQ, 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...
Top 40 powerhouse KYLD 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...
and Urban CHR
Urban contemporary
Urban contemporary is a music radio format. The term was coined by the late New York DJ Frankie Crocker in the mid 1970s. Urban contemporary radio stations feature a playlist made up entirely of hip hop/rap, contemporary R&B, pop, electronica such as dubstep and drum and bass and Caribbean music...
sister KMEL
KMEL
KMEL is an Urban Contemporary-formatted radio station located in San Francisco, California, and owned by Clear Channel Communications....
, and Citadel Broadcasting
Citadel Broadcasting
Citadel Broadcasting Corporation was a Las Vegas, Nevada-based broadcast holding company. Citadel owned 243 radio stations across the United States and was the third-largest radio station owner in the country...
KWIN
KWIN
KWIN is an American commercial radio station located in Stockton, California, broadcasting to the Stockton, Lodi, Tracy, Modesto, and Turlock, California, area on 97.7 FM. They simulcast an urban contemporary format with sister station KWNN, which is located in Turlock, California, at 98.3 FM....
in Stockton
Stockton, California
Stockton, California, the seat of San Joaquin County, is the fourth-largest city in the Central Valley of the U.S. state of California. With a population of 291,707 at the 2010 census, Stockton ranks as this state's 13th largest city...
both of whom have more signal coverage than KREV. KREV's playlist, station imaging and web site is essentially identical to that of KFRH "104.3 Now FM" in Las Vegas
Las Vegas, Nevada
Las Vegas is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Nevada and is also the county seat of Clark County, Nevada. Las Vegas is an internationally renowned major resort city for gambling, shopping, and fine dining. The city bills itself as The Entertainment Capital of the World, and is famous...
, which is also KREV's sister station.
On Monday morning, Oct. 12, 2009, KREV switched from the continuous music feed to include commercials and a morning show - returning The Dog House to the Bay Area airwaves.
To fill the hole left open by the flip of KNGY, KMVQ flipped 99.7 FM's HD
HD Radio
HD Radio, which originally stood for "Hybrid Digital", is the trademark for iBiquity's in-band on-channel digital radio technology used by AM and FM radio stations to transmit audio and data via a digital signal in conjunction with their analog signals...
2 signal to dance
Dance music
Dance music is music composed specifically to facilitate or accompany dancing. It can be either a whole musical piece or part of a larger musical arrangement...
as "Pulse Radio" in 2010.