KMVQ-FM

KMVQ-FM (99.7 MHz) is a commercial radio station licensed to San Francisco, California. It is owned by Salt Lake City–based Bonneville International, and broadcasts a contemporary hit radio format branded ''99.7 Now''. KMVQ-FM's studios are located in Daly City.

KMVQ-FM has an effective radiated power (ERP) of 40,000 watts. Its transmitter is along Radio Road on San Bruno Mountain in Brisbane. KMVQ broadcasts using HD Radio technology.

History

KNBC-FM, KNBR-FM and KNAI-FM

The 99.7 FM frequency was originally owned by NBC as the sister station to KNBR (680 AM). KNBC-FM signed on the air on October 12, 1949. At various times, it aired a middle of the road format as KNBR-FM. It was briefly an all-news station as KNAI-FM, a network affiliate of the short-lived NBC News and Information Service (NIS).

The KNBR-FM call sign returned to the market in 2019, this time on 104.5, the former KFOG.

KYUU

In 1978, NBC decided to take advantage of improving ratings for FM radio, so programmers were hired to create a new format. They came up with a sound similar to Top 40 but targeting a market they felt was underserved, adults in the 25-34 age range. Years later, this approach would be labeled as "hot adult contemporary". The station became KYUU.

Over time, the station migrated to more of a mainstream Top 40 format as "The Hit Music Station". By 1986, with KMEL dominating as the Bay Area's primary Top 40 station, 99.7 migrated back to its Hot AC direction. During much of this time, KYUU's morning host was Don Bleu.

X-100

In 1988, NBC decided to sell all its owned-and-operated radio stations and concentrate on television. KYUU was among the last to be sold when Emmis Communications acquired the radio station. Emmis made many changes, and due to heavy competition, in October 1988, decided to relaunch the station. KYUU rebranded as "X-100", and changed its call letters to KXXX.

It had a dance-leaning CHR approach, mixing Top 40 hits with dance music. Notable personalities included George McFly, Chuck Geiger, Super Snake, Rex McNeil and morning hosts Bill Kelly & Al Kline. "X-100" fared poorly, unable to compete with KMEL in the ratings. This led Emmis to sell the station to real estate developer Peter Bedford under his "Coast Broadcasting" division.

KFRC-FM

KXXX flipped to oldies as KFRC-FM on March 18, 1991. The following month, Bedford bought 610 AM from RKO General, completing the sell-off of RKO's radio division.

In January 1993, Alliance Broadcasting, a company run by former KYUU general manager John Hayes, bought KFRC. On August 12, 1993, KFRC-FM began simulcasting on 610 AM.

This was not KFRC's first attempt at FM broadcasting. For many years, KFRC owned an FM counterpart at 106.1 FM, which carried a variety of formats. In 1977, KFRC's owners sold off the money-losing FM station at 106.1 (which soon became successful AOR station KMEL). Over the next few years, as the FM band eclipsed AM in popularity, it became clear that the owners had made a mistake. This was finally remedied in 1991 under different ownership with the purchase of KXXX.

As KFRC-FM, 99.7 FM simulcast the oldies format of its well-known sister AM station. The oldies format proved successful in the Bay Area market, reaching number one with the 25-54-year-old demographic. In September 1995, Alliance was bought out by Infinity Broadcasting.

In 2005, Infinity Broadcasting (later becoming CBS Radio) traded 610 AM to Christian radio broadcaster Family Stations, the owners of KEAR, for their station at 106.9 FM. On April 29, 2005, Family Stations began simulcasting the signal of their FM station on 610 AM, and the oldies format and KFRC call letters remained at 99.7 FM.

On September 5, 2005, KFRC relaunched its oldies format, this time focusing on 1970s and 1980s music with a low-key approach. The station billed itself as "the Bay Area's Classic Hits".

MOViN' 99.7

On September 22, 2006, KFRC switched to a rhythmic adult contemporary format, relaunching this time as "The New Movin' 99.7", though the KFRC-FM call letters remained.

On May 17, 2007, CBS Radio decided to bring back the old KFRC. The company dropped the " Free FM" talk radio format on 106.9 FM and revived the old classic hits format. The KFRC call sign moved to 106.9 FM. As a result, 99.7 FM received the new call sign KMVQ.

Transition to CHR

During the late summer and early fall of 2008, KMVQ evolved to a Rhythmic-leaning Top 40 format with occasional classic rhythmic songs carried over from the previous format. It became the first mainstream top 40 station for San Francisco in six years since KZQZ flipped to country in 2002. As a result, KMVQ became musically similar to CBS Radio's other newly launched Top 40 stations in Houston, Los Angeles, New York City and Detroit. To fill the void, Clear Channel's KISQ shifted from urban AC to rhythmic AC.

In early 2009, KMVQ added many former DJ's from KYLD, including St. John and Strawberry, to its weekday lineup. Later that year, on November 12, KMVQ added "Fernando and Greg in the Morning" as the station's new morning show, replacing "Baltazar and Maria". The pair are the first openly gay duo to host a morning broadcast on American commercial radio. Before moving to KMVQ, the show was initially established on KNGY.

99.7 NOW

In mid-2010, KMVQ changed its logo to match the CBS-owned "AMP Radio" stations in Los Angeles ( KAMP-FM) and Detroit ( WDZH). The station began using the slogan "All The Hits!" On December 31, 2010, the station re-branded as "99-7 Now" to match the CBS owned WNOW-FM (''92-3 Now'') in New York City.

On February 2, 2017, CBS Radio announced that it would merge with Entercom. To comply with FCC ownership limits, it was announced that KMVQ, Entercom's KBLX, KOIT, and KUFX, and a cluster in Sacramento, would be divested. Under a local marketing agreement (LMA), Bonneville assumed operations of the stations following the completion of the merger on November 17.

On August 3, 2018, Bonneville announced that it would acquire all of the divested Entercom stations it had been operating for $141 million. The sale was completed on September 21, 2018.

In 2020, KMVQ, along with the other Bay Area Bonneville stations, moved their studios from the SoMa district in San Francisco to a newly built studio along Junipero Serra Boulevard in Daly City.

FM booster

KMVQ is rebroadcast on the following FM booster:

HD Radio

KMVQ-FM HD1 airs the same programming as the analog frequency. KMVQ-FM HD2 features a dance format, billed as "Pulse Radio". The move came about after KNGY dropped its dance format for Top 40/CHR in September 2009. The station became a full-time reporter on ''Billboard's'' Dance/Mix Show Airplay reporting panel in May 2019."Billboard Dance Chart Upstarts: Dynoro & Ina Wroldsen, Flying Lotus, Don Diablo"
from ''Billboard'' (May 9, 2019)

References

KFRC switches from oldies to music of 1970s and '80s
from the San Francisco Chronicle

The History of KFRC Radio

External links

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{{Bonneville International

1949 establishments in California
Bonneville International
Contemporary hit radio stations in the United States
Mass media in Oakland, California
NBC Radio Network affiliates
Radio stations established in 1949
MVQ-FM