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California Music Channel (CMC)United States Patent and Trademark Office IC 035, 038, 041 is an American
music video A music video is a video that integrates a song or an album with imagery that is produced for promotion (marketing), promotional or musical artistic purposes. Modern music videos are primarily made and used as a music marketing device intended to ...
broadcast television network based in the
San Francisco Bay Area The San Francisco Bay Area, commonly known as the Bay Area, is a List of regions of California, region of California surrounding and including San Francisco Bay, and anchored by the cities of Oakland, San Francisco, and San Jose, California, S ...
.Billboard, September 5, 1987 p. 57 It is one of the longest running local music video television stations in the world. CMC has been broadcasting music videos over the air in the Bay Area since 1982. CMC has grown from an hour-long program to two 24/7 stations with digital simulcast capabilities. The live broadcasts feature on-camera disc jockeys, audience participation, and contemporary music videos. It is owned by CMC Broadcasting Company, Inc. CMC is carried as a Digital Broadcast Network on nine Northern California television stations. CMC is also carried as a live linear channel on various
Free ad-supported streaming television Free advertising-supported streaming television (FAST) is a category of streaming television services which offer traditional linear television programming ("live TV") and studio-produced movies without a paid subscription, funded exclusively by a ...
platforms and the California Music Channel App available for download to connected TVs and mobile devices.


History


1981–1982

CMC was founded on August 31, 1981, by Rick Kurkjian, launching on March 1, 1982, as a half-hour show telecast twelve times per week on Teleprompter Cable Oakland Channel 12. The first three music videos to be shown on CMC were according to host Rick Kurkjian, "based on a theme of eyes, since this is the age of video," and included in order "Bette Davis Eyes" by Kim Carnes, "Private Eyes" by Hall and Oates, and "For Your Eyes Only" by Sheena Easton. CMC California Music Channel, Program 1, March 1, 1982 The notion of a Bay Area Interconnect was developed early on as CMC expanded by doing local original cable channels on Concord TV Cable Ch. 11, Viacom Cable of San Francisco Ch 6, Viacom of Marin and Castro Valley Cable TV. After a little more than a year on the local cable channels CMC started running a Saturday night version of the program on
KCSM-TV KPJK (channel 60) is a non-commercial independent television station licensed to San Mateo, California, United States, serving the San Francisco Bay Area. Owned by Northern California Public Media (not to be confused with Northern California P ...
Ch 60 in San Mateo. The CMC broadcast was simulcast in stereo on KCSM-TV's sister station, KCSM-FM 91.1.


1983

In 1983, KCSM-TV was one of a batch of educational-access television stations to experiment with running expanded underwriting announcements and full 30-second commercial TV spots from non-profit organizations. In addition to the
U.S. Army The United States Army (USA) is the primary land service branch of the United States Department of Defense. It is designated as the Army of the United States in the United States Constitution.Article II, section 2, clause 1 of the United Stat ...
, many of its other advertisers were coincidentally set up as non-profit organizations under auto dealer associations like the Northern California Toyota Dealer Association, and franchise organizations such as the California Milk Advisory Board and the
McDonald's McDonald's Corporation, doing business as McDonald's, is an American Multinational corporation, multinational fast food chain store, chain. As of 2024, it is the second largest by number of locations in the world, behind only the Chinese ch ...
"Golden Arches Advertising Fund". As such, CMC was able to include commercials for these organizations on the otherwise non-commercial, educational, KCSM. This revenue allowed the show to remain profitable, when other local music video shows were struggling to remain on the air or even on non commercial
Public-access television Public-access television (sometimes called community-access television) is traditionally a form of non-commercial mass media where the general public can create content television programming which is Narrowcasting, narrowcast through cable tele ...
.Rockamerica's Videofile August 1984 p.12


1984

In 1984, the demand from CMC advertisers grew beyond the scope of underwriting announcements and non profit 30s. On October 1, 1984, the California Music Channel debuted its Monday to Friday broadcast on full power independent KTSF-TV where CMC remained through February 23, 2018.


2016

In 2016 and 2018,
Nielsen Media Research Nielsen Media Research (NMR) is an American firm that measures media audiences, including television, radio, theatre, films (via the AMC Theatres MAP program), and newspapers. Headquartered in New York City, it is best known for the Nielsen rat ...
encodes, samples, and reports the San Francisco DMA transmissions of CMC as local broadcast TV station CMC-TV and CMC-USA as station CMCU-TV.Nielsen Answers


2018

In 2018, CMC Broadcasting purchased KTVJ-LD channel 6 licensed to Nampa/Boise, Idaho from OMI.Radio+Television Business Report, June 13, 2018


2019

In 2019,
Gracenote Gracenote, Inc. is a company and service that provides music, video, and sports metadata and automatic content recognition (ACR) technologies to entertainment services and companies worldwide. Formerly CDDB ("Compact Disc Data Base"), Gracenote ...
and other television listing services classified CMC and CMC-USA as Digital Broadcast Networks.zap2it TV Listings Local Over the Air Broadcast (94111) "Cruisin' with Chuy" launched on October 6. Hosted by Chuy Gomez, the program is CMC's take on the long-standing Bay Area tradition of "Sunday Night Oldies." The live broadcast features fan requests and shout outs via social media platforms, giveaways, and all the best classic hits from 6 pm to 10 pm on every Sunday night.


2021

In 2021, construction began on KTVJ-LD RF 6 Virtual 3 serving Boise-Nampa-Meridian, Idaho. KTVJ signed on the air on November 5, 2021. KTVJ carries digital broadcast networks theDove on 3.1, Newsmax 2 on 3.2, and CMC sister network, CMC-USA, on 3.3.KTVJ.net Website CMC partnered with Amagi for worldwide digital distribution, Dynamic Ad Insertion, and FAST channel applications and platforms.


Format

The California Music Channel music video format is
Hot AC Adult contemporary music (AC) is a form of radio-played popular music, ranging from 1960s vocal and 1970s soft rock music to predominantly ballad-heavy music of the 1980s to the present day, with varying degrees of easy listening, pop, soul, ...
and CHR/Rhythmic. The concept is "radio with pictures" - music video shows are broadcast live, and announcers interact directly with viewers by telephone and e-mail, including requests, contests, and birthday greetings. CMC owns and operates KTVJ-LD Boise, and programs
KKPM-CD KDSO-LD (channel 16), branded on-air as theDove TV, is a low-power religious television station in Medford, Oregon, United States. KDOV-LD (channel 18) serves as a translator of KDSO. The stations are owned by theDove Media alongside KDOV (91 ...
28.3 Chico/Sacramento and its twelve satellite stations. CMC Broadcasting also owns CMC-USA Country Music Channel which is broadcast on .3 on KTVJ as well as the
KKPM-CD KDSO-LD (channel 16), branded on-air as theDove TV, is a low-power religious television station in Medford, Oregon, United States. KDOV-LD (channel 18) serves as a translator of KDSO. The stations are owned by theDove Media alongside KDOV (91 ...
stations. Both CMC California Music Channel and CMC-USA Country Music Channel are simulcast live on CMC websites,CMCTV.com Website mobile app, and CTV
Over-the-top media services An over-the-top media service (also known as over-the-top television, or simply OTT) is a digital distribution service of video and audio delivered directly to viewers via the public Internet, rather than through an over-the-air, cable, satel ...
via Apple TV, Amazon Fire TV, and Roku. Prior to this, CMC operated three full-time video music channels for MobiTV, including "CMC California Music Channel", "CMC Beat Lounge", and "CMC-USA Country Music Channel".


Broadcast affiliates

KCSM-TV KPJK (channel 60) is a non-commercial independent television station licensed to San Mateo, California, United States, serving the San Francisco Bay Area. Owned by Northern California Public Media (not to be confused with Northern California P ...
: 1983–1984
KTSF KTSF (channel 26) is an independent television station in San Francisco, California, United States, broadcasting in a variety of languages, most notably Chinese. The station is owned by the Lincoln Broadcasting Company and maintains studios ...
: 1984–2018
KXTV KXTV (channel 10) is a television station in Sacramento, California, United States, affiliated with ABC. Owned by Tegna Inc., the station maintains studios on Broadway, just south of US 50 at the south edge of downtown Sacramento, and its tr ...
: 1986–1987
KVIQ: 1986–1987
KNSO: 1996–1997
KTNC: 1996–2001 (Country Music Channel)
KCNZ-CD KCNZ-CD (channel 28) is a low-power, Class A television station licensed to San Francisco, California, United States, serving the San Francisco Bay Area. Owned by CNZ Communications, LLC, it is sister to Merit Street affiliate KOFY-TV (channe ...
: 2015–2018
KKPM-CD KDSO-LD (channel 16), branded on-air as theDove TV, is a low-power religious television station in Medford, Oregon, United States. KDOV-LD (channel 18) serves as a translator of KDSO. The stations are owned by theDove Media alongside KDOV (91 ...
: 2017–present
KTVJ-LD: 2021


CMC DJs

1985: Big Tom Parker from KFRC simulcasting in
AM stereo AM stereo is a term given to a series of mutually incompatible techniques for radio broadcasting stereo audio in the AM band in a manner that is compatible with standard AM receivers. There are two main classes of systems: independent sideban ...
610 KFRC.
1986: Modern Rock Five at Five with Steve Masters from
KITS KITS (105.3 FM broadcasting, FM, "Live 105") is a commercial radio, commercial radio station in San Francisco, San Francisco, California. Owned by Audacy, Inc., it broadcasts an alternative rock radio format known as "Live 105". The studios ...
Live 105.
1987: Power Thursday with Renel from
KMEL KMEL (106.1 FM) is an urban contemporary radio station that is licensed to San Francisco, California, serving the San Francisco Bay Area. It is owned and operated by iHeartMedia. KMEL has studios located in the SoMa district, and broadcasts ...
.
1988-1992: Gil Ashley.
1992: Mimi Chen from KRQR.
1992: Chuy Gomez from
KYLD KYLD (94.9 FM) is a commercial radio station in San Francisco, California, serving the San Francisco Bay Area and owned by San Antonio–based iHeartMedia. The station airs a contemporary hit radio format on its analog primary signal. The s ...
formerly Wild 107.7 and then from KMEL (Chuy remained as the main personality on CMC today).
1994: Steve Jordan from KSAN at 94.9 FM (now
KYLD KYLD (94.9 FM) is a commercial radio station in San Francisco, California, serving the San Francisco Bay Area and owned by San Antonio–based iHeartMedia. The station airs a contemporary hit radio format on its analog primary signal. The s ...
) and KYCY-FM (now
KRZZ KRZZ (93.3 FM broadcasting, FM) is a commercial radio station located in San Francisco, California, broadcasting to the San Francisco Bay Area. KRZZ airs a regional Mexican radio format, music format branded as "93.3 La Raza". The station's ...
) hosting CMC's Country Music Channel.
1994: Trace & Franzen from KMEL.
1997:
Sway Calloway Jonathan Ahmad Calloway (born July 3, 1971), known as Sway, is an American radio personality, journalist and former rapper known for hosting music, news, and culture programming. He was an on-air reporter and host for MTV News and occasional non- ...
from KMEL.


Additional CMC personalities

Alex Caronfly – 1991
Susan Butler – 1991
Jay Peterson – 1992
Andy Kawanami – 1993
Lipoi Niualiku – 1994
Cynthia Roberts – 1998
Jessica Correos – 2004
Brian Moore ("B-Mo") – 2004
Heather Kant – 2007
Cheryl Zurbano – 2007
Lori Rosales – 2009
Mary Diaz – 2010
Miguel ("Thehomie") – 2010
Nessa – 2010
Mia Amor – 2013
Leslie Stoval – 2013
Arianne – 2014
Rachel Andrade – 2015
Miss Kimmie – 2015
Gabby Diaz – 2016
Angelina Narvaez – 2021


References

{{Broadcast Television Music video networks in the United States Television channels and stations established in 1982