KPRI
Encyclopedia
KPRI is an AAA
Station in San Diego, California
, that plays blues
, reggae
, folk
, pop
, and rock music
from the mid-1960s through the present.
KPRI-FM is the only independently owned and operated commercial station in the San Diego market, and is owned by the Compass Radio Group, Inc. The station was formed on April 1, 1996 by two partners, Robert "Bob" Hughes and Jonathan Schwartz. Both had backgrounds in the corporate side of radio and had always hoped to create a station that was commercially viable while at the same time critically successful.
102.1 was originally licensed by the FCC with antenna and tower in San Marcos, California
. The station was—and still is—licensed to Encinitas, California
. KPRI's transmission emitted a city-grade signal that covered most of San Diego County, but due to the topography of the county, there were certain areas the station served better than others. San Diego's affluent North County Coastal areas received the signal without interruption, while areas in main San Diego such as Pacific Beach or La Jolla had degraded "in home" reception due to interference caused by Mount Soledad
. Previous ownership had set up repeaters (low-power transmitters) scattered across San Diego
to improve transmission of the radio station, but because those created as many problems as they solved, KPRI stopped using some of them in 1997.
On February 13, 2008
, KPRI moved their transmitter to Mount Soledad
in order to improve their signal and to increase their audience.
Despite the station's call sign, KPRI has no affiliation with Public Radio International
, which is also known by its initials, PRI.
KPRI continued with its MOR format, supplemented by a progressive rock show hosted by pioneering underground disc jockey OB Jetty. Finally, in May 1968, KPRI switched full time to Progressive Rock. The lineup included Gabriel Wisdom, Fred Nurk, Dana Jones, and Joe Chandler. Later additions to the air staff included Jerry Lubin, Adrian Bolt, The Kapusta Kid, and Barrance Q. Zacker. Jim Lanter (air name "Jim LaFawn") was the Program Director from 1971 to 1973. In the early 1970s, Gerry Gazlay was the station's News Director. Gazlay left KPRI to work as a newscaster at competitor KGB AM & FM in 1973. Larry Shushan owned the station until 1971, when it was sold to Southwestern Broadcasting.
This era is portrayed in the motion picture "Almost Famous," with Cameron Crowe's visit to KPRI's studios at the corner of 7th and Ash in downtown San Diego.
In 1973 KPRI hired Michael Harrison as PD. He installed a more mainstream AOR format which influenced many other stations around the country. KGB FM and KPRI battled for rating supremacy for all of the 70's and into the 80's. Eventually, KPRI could not compete with the ratings success of KGB FM.
On January 9, 1984, KPRI changed its call letters and format. The last song that the station played on its last evening as "KPRI" was "The End," by The Doors. 106.5 FM has been through several identity changes since and is now KLNV
.
According to David Tanny, operator of San Diego Radio News: "The KPRI that is back is basically the station that used to be KCBQ-FM ten years ago on 105.3
until it shifted radio transmitter locations from San Diego to Oceanside's 102.1 in a complex deal swap. In 2002, 102.1 picked up the KPRI calls when that became available. It was KXST from 1996-2002 between those times".
While operating as KXST, the station called itself "Sets-102" and its programming featured sets of two or more songs by the same artist. That format was dropped with the switch to the KPRI call letters in 2002.
Adult album alternative
Adult album alternative is a radio format. A spinoff from the album-oriented rock format, its roots trace to the 1960s and 1970s from the earlier freeform and progressive formats....
Station in San Diego, California
San Diego, California
San Diego is the eighth-largest city in the United States and second-largest city in California. The city is located on the coast of the Pacific Ocean in Southern California, immediately adjacent to the Mexican border. The birthplace of California, San Diego is known for its mild year-round...
, that plays blues
Blues
Blues is the name given to both a musical form and a music genre that originated in African-American communities of primarily the "Deep South" of the United States at the end of the 19th century from spirituals, work songs, field hollers, shouts and chants, and rhymed simple narrative ballads...
, reggae
Reggae
Reggae is a music genre first developed in Jamaica in the late 1960s. While sometimes used in a broader sense to refer to most types of Jamaican music, the term reggae more properly denotes a particular music style that originated following on the development of ska and rocksteady.Reggae is based...
, folk
Folk music
Folk music is an English term encompassing both traditional folk music and contemporary folk music. The term originated in the 19th century. Traditional folk music has been defined in several ways: as music transmitted by mouth, as music of the lower classes, and as music with unknown composers....
, pop
Pop music
Pop music is usually understood to be commercially recorded music, often oriented toward a youth market, usually consisting of relatively short, simple songs utilizing technological innovations to produce new variations on existing themes.- Definitions :David Hatch and Stephen Millward define pop...
, and rock music
Rock music
Rock music is a genre of popular music that developed during and after the 1960s, particularly in the United Kingdom and the United States. It has its roots in 1940s and 1950s rock and roll, itself heavily influenced by rhythm and blues and country music...
from the mid-1960s through the present.
KPRI-FM is the only independently owned and operated commercial station in the San Diego market, and is owned by the Compass Radio Group, Inc. The station was formed on April 1, 1996 by two partners, Robert "Bob" Hughes and Jonathan Schwartz. Both had backgrounds in the corporate side of radio and had always hoped to create a station that was commercially viable while at the same time critically successful.
102.1 was originally licensed by the FCC with antenna and tower in San Marcos, California
San Marcos, California
San Marcos is a suburb of San Diego in the North County section of San Diego County, California. As of the 2010 census, the city had a total population of 83,781. Outside the San Diego region, it is best known as the home of California State University, San Marcos...
. The station was—and still is—licensed to Encinitas, California
Encinitas, California
Encinitas is a coastal beach city in San Diego County, California. Located within Southern California, it is approximately north of San Diego in North County and about south of Los Angeles. As of the 2010 census, the city had a population of 59,518, up from 58,014 at the 2000 census. Encinitas is...
. KPRI's transmission emitted a city-grade signal that covered most of San Diego County, but due to the topography of the county, there were certain areas the station served better than others. San Diego's affluent North County Coastal areas received the signal without interruption, while areas in main San Diego such as Pacific Beach or La Jolla had degraded "in home" reception due to interference caused by Mount Soledad
Mount Soledad
Mount Soledad is a prominent landmark in the city of San Diego, California, United States. The mountaintop is the site of the Mount Soledad cross, the subject of a continuing controversy over the involvement of religion in government.- Geography :...
. Previous ownership had set up repeaters (low-power transmitters) scattered across San Diego
San Diego, California
San Diego is the eighth-largest city in the United States and second-largest city in California. The city is located on the coast of the Pacific Ocean in Southern California, immediately adjacent to the Mexican border. The birthplace of California, San Diego is known for its mild year-round...
to improve transmission of the radio station, but because those created as many problems as they solved, KPRI stopped using some of them in 1997.
On February 13, 2008
2008 in radio
Several events occurred in radio in 2008.- Events :* January 2: WWFT finished Christmas music stunting, rolling out the red carpet for Adult contemporary music branded as "Warm."...
, KPRI moved their transmitter to Mount Soledad
Mount Soledad
Mount Soledad is a prominent landmark in the city of San Diego, California, United States. The mountaintop is the site of the Mount Soledad cross, the subject of a continuing controversy over the involvement of religion in government.- Geography :...
in order to improve their signal and to increase their audience.
Despite the station's call sign, KPRI has no affiliation with Public Radio International
Public Radio International
Public Radio International is a Minneapolis-based American public radio organization, with locations in Boston, New York, London and Beijing. PRI's tagline is "Hear a different voice." PRI is a major public media content creator and also distributes programs from many sources...
, which is also known by its initials, PRI.
The Original Station
When it first went on the air in the 1950s at 106.5 FM, the station billed itself as "KPRI - Capri-by-the Sea," a middle-of the-road and jazz station with studios on 5th Avenue in San Diego. This early version of KPRI featured popular DJ's like Rod Page and George Manning.KPRI continued with its MOR format, supplemented by a progressive rock show hosted by pioneering underground disc jockey OB Jetty. Finally, in May 1968, KPRI switched full time to Progressive Rock. The lineup included Gabriel Wisdom, Fred Nurk, Dana Jones, and Joe Chandler. Later additions to the air staff included Jerry Lubin, Adrian Bolt, The Kapusta Kid, and Barrance Q. Zacker. Jim Lanter (air name "Jim LaFawn") was the Program Director from 1971 to 1973. In the early 1970s, Gerry Gazlay was the station's News Director. Gazlay left KPRI to work as a newscaster at competitor KGB AM & FM in 1973. Larry Shushan owned the station until 1971, when it was sold to Southwestern Broadcasting.
This era is portrayed in the motion picture "Almost Famous," with Cameron Crowe's visit to KPRI's studios at the corner of 7th and Ash in downtown San Diego.
In 1973 KPRI hired Michael Harrison as PD. He installed a more mainstream AOR format which influenced many other stations around the country. KGB FM and KPRI battled for rating supremacy for all of the 70's and into the 80's. Eventually, KPRI could not compete with the ratings success of KGB FM.
On January 9, 1984, KPRI changed its call letters and format. The last song that the station played on its last evening as "KPRI" was "The End," by The Doors. 106.5 FM has been through several identity changes since and is now KLNV
KLNV
KLNV is a Spanish language radio station. It is owned, along with KLQV, by Univision. Its antenna is located at the same site of KSON and KOGO.-History:...
.
According to David Tanny, operator of San Diego Radio News: "The KPRI that is back is basically the station that used to be KCBQ-FM ten years ago on 105.3
KIOZ
KIOZ, also known as Rock 105.3, is a Rock station in San Diego, California. It is licensed in San Diego, California, and is owned by Clear Channel Communications.- History :...
until it shifted radio transmitter locations from San Diego to Oceanside's 102.1 in a complex deal swap. In 2002, 102.1 picked up the KPRI calls when that became available. It was KXST from 1996-2002 between those times".
While operating as KXST, the station called itself "Sets-102" and its programming featured sets of two or more songs by the same artist. That format was dropped with the switch to the KPRI call letters in 2002.
KPRI current programming
- The House of Blues Radio Hour
- The KPRI Morning Show with Madison
- Jodina in the Midday
- Saturday Morning UnpluggedAcoustic musicAcoustic music comprises music that solely or primarily uses instruments which produce sound through entirely acoustic means, as opposed to electric or electronic means...
- Sunday Morning Unplugged
- Cantore in the Afternoon
- Evening with Robert
- Homegrown Hour
- E-Town
- San Diego Live
Contacts at KPRI
- Robert S. Burch - Station Manager
- Patrick Osburn - VP/General Sales Manager
- Magi Aguilar - Promotions Director
- Clark Newton - Local Sales Manager
- Bob Jeffrey - Traffic Manager
- Mary Warfield - Accounting Manager/Controller
- Jack Rabell - Chief Engineer