KREV (92.7
MHz
The hertz (symbol: Hz) is the unit of frequency in the International System of Units (SI), equivalent to one event (or cycle) per second. The hertz is an SI derived unit whose expression in terms of SI base units is s−1, meaning that one h ...
) is an
FM radio station
Radio broadcasting is transmission of audio (sound), sometimes with related metadata, by radio waves to radio receivers belonging to a public audience. In terrestrial radio broadcasting the radio waves are broadcast by a land-based radi ...
licensed
A license (or licence) is an official permission or permit to do, use, or own something (as well as the document of that permission or permit).
A license is granted by a party (licensor) to another party (licensee) as an element of an agreeme ...
to
Alameda, California
Alameda ( ; ; Spanish for " tree-lined path") is a city in Alameda County, California, located in the East Bay region of the Bay Area. The city is primarily located on Alameda Island, but also spans Bay Farm Island and Coast Guard Island, as we ...
, and serving the
San Francisco Bay Area
The San Francisco Bay Area, often referred to as simply the Bay Area, is a populous region surrounding the San Francisco, San Pablo, and Suisun Bay estuaries in Northern California. The Bay Area is defined by the Association of Bay Area Gov ...
. It is owned by Golden State Broadcasting LLC, presently a
debtor in possession
A debtor in possession or DIP in United States bankruptcy law is a person or corporation who has filed a bankruptcy petition, but remains in possession of property upon which a creditor has a lien or similar security interest. A debtor becomes th ...
. The station was put into a receivership by court order in July 2020. On March 15, 2021,
VCY America
VCY America, is a traditional, evangelical, conservative Christian ministry based in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. The VCY America Radio Network maintains a format of Christian talk and teaching, as well as traditional Christian music through its broadca ...
, which owns Christian stations across the U.S., began operating the station under a
local marketing agreement
In North American broadcasting, a local marketing agreement (LMA), or local management agreement, is a contract in which one company agrees to operate a radio or television station owned by another party. In essence, it is a sort of lease or tim ...
(LMA). On January 31, 2022, a court ordered possession and control of the station back to Golden State Broadcasting.
KREV has an
effective radiated power
Effective radiated power (ERP), synonymous with equivalent radiated power, is an IEEE standardized definition of directional radio frequency (RF) power, such as that emitted by a radio transmitter. It is the total power in watts that would ...
(ERP) of 6,000
watt
The watt (symbol: W) is the unit of power or radiant flux in the International System of Units (SI), equal to 1 joule per second or 1 kg⋅m2⋅s−3. It is used to quantify the rate of energy transfer. The watt is named after James Wa ...
s. The transmitter was formerly located atop of Bellaire Tower in the city's
Russian Hill
Russian Hill is a neighborhood of San Francisco, California. It is named after one of San Francisco's 44 hills, and one of its original "Seven Hills".
Location
Russian Hill is directly to the north (and slightly downhill) from Nob Hill, to the ...
neighborhood. It is now on a shared tower on Candlestick Hill in
Bayview Park, San Francisco
Bayview Park (sometimes Bay View Park) is a park in the Bayview-Hunters Point neighborhood of southeast San Francisco. The park's land is mainly occupied by a large hill named either Bayview Hill or Candlestick Hill, west of the former site of ...
. The station's
radio studio
A recording studio is a specialized facility for sound recording, mixing, and audio production of instrumental or vocal musical performances, spoken words, and other sounds. They range in size from a small in-home project studio large en ...
s are in the
Visitacion Valley
Visitacion Valley (; Spanish: ''Valle de la Visitación''), colloquially referred to as Viz Valley, is a neighborhood located in the southeastern quadrant of San Francisco, California.
Visitacion Valley is roughly defined by McLaren Park and Glen ...
district of
San Francisco
San Francisco (; Spanish language, Spanish for "Francis of Assisi, Saint Francis"), officially the City and County of San Francisco, is the commercial, financial, and cultural center of Northern California. The city proper is the List of Ca ...
.
History
Jazz music as KJAZ
As KJAZ from August 1, 1959, to July 31, 1994, the station aired a
jazz
Jazz is a music genre that originated in the African-American communities of New Orleans, Louisiana in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, with its roots in blues and ragtime. Since the 1920s Jazz Age, it has been recognized as a majo ...
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
In broadcasting and radio communications, a call sign (also known as a call name or call letters—and historically as a call signal—or abbreviated as a call) is a unique identifier for a transmitter station. A call sign can be formally assig ...
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 is a city in Calhoun County, Texas, United States. It is a part of the Victoria, Texas Metropolitan Statistical Area. The population was 737 at the 2010 census.
Geography
Point Comfort is located in northeastern Calhoun County at ...
owned by Fort Bend Broadcasting of Austin, Texas.
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 on July 31, KJAZ was converted to "La Z" a Spanish music station, the first of many different format changes the station would go through in the mid-late 1990s. From 1999 to 2002, it simulcast the rock format of
KSJO
KSJO (92.3 MHz) is a commercial FM radio station licensed to San Jose, California, and broadcasts to the San Francisco Bay Area. KSJO airs a Bollywood music radio format branded as Bolly 92.3. It is owned by Silicon Valley Asian Media Group. ...
in
San Jose as KXJO.
92.7 Party, and Power 92.7
On May 26, 2002, the 92.7 frequency's history as a
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. In terms of performance, the major categories are live dance music and recorded danc ...
outlet would begin as KPTI, "92.7 PARTY," which was launched under former owner
Spanish Broadcasting System
Spanish Broadcasting System, Inc. (SBS) 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 i ...
. Nearly two years later, on March 17, 2004, it was sold to new owners, who flipped the format to
mainstream urban
Mainstream may refer to:
Film
* ''Mainstream'' (film), a 2020 American film
Literature
* ''Mainstream'' (fanzine), a science fiction fanzine
* Mainstream Publishing, a Scottish publisher
* ''Mainstream'', a 1943 book by Hamilton Basso
M ...
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 Amaru Shakur ( ; born Lesane Parish Crooks, June 16, 1971 – September 13, 1996), also known as 2Pac and Makaveli, was an American rapper. He is widely considered one of the most influential rappers of all time. Shakur is among the b ...
, a rapper from Oakland. After it failed to attract an audience, along with controversy from rival
KMEL
KMEL (106.1 FM) is an urban contemporary radio station that is licensed to San Francisco, California, and serving the San Francisco Bay Area. It is owned and operated by iHeartMedia.
KMEL has studios located in the SoMa district, and broadc ...
(which made headlines in the press) and on top of that, seeing the sale falling apart, the station was put up for sale again.
Energy 92.7
KBTB was acquired by Flying Bear Media, backed by
Alta Communications
Alta Communications is an American private equity firm primarily working with media and the communication sector.
Their equity funds are invested in about 100 companies with a total market capitalization approximately $1.5 billion.
Alta Comm ...
and
Tailwind Capital
A tailwind is a wind that blows in the direction of travel of an object, while a headwind blows against the direction of travel. A tailwind increases the object's speed and reduces the time required to reach its destination, while a headwind has ...
. 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
Sutro Tower is a unique three-legged tall TV and radio lattice tower located in San Francisco, California. Rising from a hill between Twin Peaks and Mount Sutro near Clarendon Heights, it is a prominent feature of the city skyline and a landma ...
, 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
Salinas 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 is the county seat of Tuolumne County, California. Founded during the California Gold Rush by Mexican miners from Sonora (after which the city is named), the city population was 5,226 during the 2020 Census, an increase of 221 from the ...
area. Energy 92.7 was also heard on
Comcast
Comcast Corporation (formerly known as American Cable Systems and Comcast Holdings),Before the AT&T merger in 2001, the parent company was Comcast Holdings Corporation. Comcast Holdings Corporation now refers to a subsidiary of Comcast Corpora ...
Digital Cable throughout the
Bay Area
The San Francisco Bay Area, often referred to as simply the Bay Area, is a populous region surrounding the San Francisco, San Pablo, and Suisun Bay estuaries in Northern California. The Bay Area is defined by the Association of Bay Area Go ...
on digital cable channel 964 and live online through the station's website.
KNGY was a reporter in
Billboard Magazine
''Billboard'' (stylized as ''billboard'') is an American music and entertainment magazine published weekly by Penske Media Corporation. The magazine provides music charts, news, video, opinion, reviews, events, and style related to the music ...
's
Dance/Mix Show Airplay
Dance/Mix Show Airplay (formerly Hot Dance Airplay) is a monitored electronic dance music radio chart that is published weekly by '' Billboard'' magazine.
History
The chart came about as a result of the small but influential impact of electronic ...
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 is music composed specifically to facilitate or accompany dancing. It can be either a whole musical piece or part of a larger musical arrangement. In terms of performance, the major categories are live dance music and recorded danc ...
, with
Top 40
In the music industry, the Top 40 is the current, 40 most-popular songs in a particular genre. It is the best-selling or most frequently broadcast popular music. Record charts have traditionally consisted of a total of 40 songs. "Top 40" or "conte ...
,
R&B remixes
A remix (or reorchestration) is a piece of media which has been altered or contorted from its original state by adding, removing, or changing pieces of the item. A song, piece of artwork, book, video, poem, or photograph can all be remixes. The o ...
,
disco and
club
Club may refer to:
Arts, entertainment, and media
* ''Club'' (magazine)
* Club, a '' Yie Ar Kung-Fu'' character
* Clubs (suit), a suit of playing cards
* Club music
* "Club", by Kelsea Ballerini from the album '' kelsea''
Brands and enterprise ...
classics from the 1970s, 1980s, and 1990s added into the presentation. It also broadcast sophisticated and mood-enhanced tracks including
down-tempo groove
Groove or Grooves may refer to:
Music
* Groove (music)
* Groove (drumming)
* The Groove (band), an Australian rock/pop band of the 1960s
* The Groove (Sirius XM), a US radio station
* Groove 101.7FM, a former Perth, Australia, radio station
* ...
,
future jazz
The future is the time after the past and present. Its arrival is considered inevitable due to the existence of time and the laws of physics. Due to the apparent nature of reality and the unavoidability of the future, everything that currently ...
,
electronic rock
Electronic rock is a music genre that involves a combination of rock music and electronic music
Electronic music is a Music genre, genre of music that employs electronic musical instruments, digital instruments, or electronics, circuitry- ...
and
chillout
Chill-out (shortened as chill; also typeset as chillout or chill out) is a loosely defined form of popular music characterized by slow tempos and relaxed moods. The definition of "chill-out music" has evolved throughout the decades, and generally ...
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
A pride parade (also known as pride march, pride event, or pride festival) is an outdoor event celebrating lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer (LGBTQ) social and self-acceptance, achievements, legal rights, and pride. The events som ...
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
KMVQ-FM (99.7 MHz) is a radio station licensed to San Francisco, California. The station currently broadcasts a Top 40/CHR format branded as ''99.7 Now''. KMVQ's studios are at 2001 Junipero Serra Boulevard in Daly City, while its transmitter is ...
.
In December 2005, former
KLLC
KLLC (97.3 FM, Alice @ 97.3) is a commercial radio station located in San Francisco, California, broadcasting to the San Francisco Bay Area. The station is owned by Audacy, Inc. Its transmitter is off Wolfback Ridge Road on Mount Beacon in the ...
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
KRBE (104.1 FM) is a commercial radio station in Houston, Texas. It is owned by Cumulus Media and broadcasts a Top 40 (CHR) radio format. The studios are located in Suite 700 of the Chase Building at 9801 Westheimer Road in the Westchas ...
/
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
Rhythmic contemporary, also known as Rhythmic Top 40, Rhythmic CHR or rhythmic crossover, is a primarily American music-radio format that includes a mix of EDM, upbeat rhythmic pop, hip hop and upbeat R&B hits. Rhythmic contemporary never uses ...
outlet
KKFR
KKFR (98.3 FM) is a commercial radio station that is licensed to Mayer, Arizona, and serves the Phoenix metropolitan area. The station is owned and operated by Desert Valley Media Group and airs a rhythmic contemporary radio format. KKFR broadc ...
/Phoenix during its dance-intensive days in the late 1980s and mid-1990s.
On weekends, KNGY aired 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 2a.m. Sunday morning, when Trevor Simpson's world town mix airs.
In February 2009, KNGY added former
KGO talk show host
Karel
Karel may refer to:
People
* Karel (given name)
* Karel (surname)
* Charles Karel Bouley, talk radio personality known on air as Karel
* Christiaan Karel Appel, Dutch painter
Business
* Karel Electronics, a Turkish electronics manufacturer
* Gr ...
to their lineup. His program aired from 9p.m. to midnight 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.
92.7 REV FM
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
CHR-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
Wells Fargo & Company is an American multinational financial services company with corporate headquarters in San Francisco, California; operational headquarters in Manhattan; and managerial offices throughout the United States and inter ...
.
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
Kelly Brianne Clarkson (born April 24, 1982) is an American singer, songwriter, author, and television personality. She rose to fame after winning the first season of '' American Idol'' in 2002, which earned her a record deal with RCA. Her de ...
. At 9:08pm (PDT) that day, after a few false starts, KNGY's format was changed to
Top 40
In the music industry, the Top 40 is the current, 40 most-popular songs in a particular genre. It is the best-selling or most frequently broadcast popular music. Record charts have traditionally consisted of a total of 40 songs. "Top 40" or "conte ...
as "92.7 REV FM". The first song on "REV FM" was
P!nk
Alecia Beth Moore Hart (born September 8, 1979), known professionally as Pink (stylized as P!nk), is an American singer, songwriter, actress and dancer. She was originally a member of the girl group Choice. In 1995, LaFace Records saw potential ...
's "
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. It was the final show to premiere on UPN before the network shut down in September 2006 ...
." 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 was a radio broadcasting company and radio network operator owned by CBS Corporation and founded in 1928, with consolidated radio station groups owned by CBS and Westinghouse Broadcasting/Group W since the 1920s, and Infinity Broa ...
's Mainstream Top 40
KMVQ
KMVQ-FM (99.7 MHz) is a radio station licensed to San Francisco, California. The station currently broadcasts a Top 40/CHR format branded as ''99.7 Now''. KMVQ's studios are at 2001 Junipero Serra Boulevard in Daly City, while its transmitter is ...
,
iHeartMedia
iHeartMedia, Inc., formerly CC Media Holdings, Inc., is an American mass media corporation headquartered in San Antonio, Texas. It is the holding company of iHeartCommunications, Inc. (formerly Clear Channel Communications, Inc.), a company fou ...
's
Top 40
In the music industry, the Top 40 is the current, 40 most-popular songs in a particular genre. It is the best-selling or most frequently broadcast popular music. Record charts have traditionally consisted of a total of 40 songs. "Top 40" or "conte ...
powerhouse
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 top 40 format on its analog primary signal. The station has studi ...
and their
Urban CHR sister
KMEL
KMEL (106.1 FM) is an urban contemporary radio station that is licensed to San Francisco, California, and serving the San Francisco Bay Area. It is owned and operated by iHeartMedia.
KMEL has studios located in the SoMa district, and broadc ...
both of whom have more signal coverage than KREV. KREV's playlist, station imaging and web site are essentially identical to that of
KFRH in
Las Vegas
Las Vegas (; Spanish language, Spanish for "The Meadows"), often known simply as Vegas, is the List of United States cities by population, 25th-most populous city in the United States, the most populous city in the U.S. state, state of Neva ...
, which is also KREV's sister station. On October 12, 2009, the once-controversial morning show
The Dog House returned to the Bay Area airwaves on KREV.
To fill the hole left open by the flip of KNGY,
KMVQ
KMVQ-FM (99.7 MHz) is a radio station licensed to San Francisco, California. The station currently broadcasts a Top 40/CHR format branded as ''99.7 Now''. KMVQ's studios are at 2001 Junipero Serra Boulevard in Daly City, while its transmitter is ...
flipped the
HD2 sub-channel to
dance as "Pulse Radio" in 2010.
ASCAP lawsuit and attempted Receivership sale
From April 2016 to June 2018, on behalf of W.B. Music and other music companies, ASCAP successfully sued Royce International Broadcasting Corp. and its subsidiaries for copyright infringement. The result was a $330,000 judgment, increased to over $1.3 million with attorney fees and sanctions.
After Defendants were unable to pay, KREV was transferred into a court-ordered receivership controlled by broker Larry Patrick on July 6, 2020, along with two other CHR stations mentioned in the lawsuit,
KFRH in Las Vegas, and
KRCK-FM in the Coachella Valley.
The Court Order appointing the Receiver authorized Larry Patrick to take control of the 3 named FM radio stations, and to "solicit offers for the sale of Defendants’ Radio Stations’ assets." However, that appointment order did not give Mr. Patrick control of the business entities.
On December 30, 2020, it was announced that
VCY America
VCY America, is a traditional, evangelical, conservative Christian ministry based in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. The VCY America Radio Network maintains a format of Christian talk and teaching, as well as traditional Christian music through its broadca ...
will acquire the three stations.
The December 28, 2020 Asset Purchase Agreement entered into by Larry Patrick has been criticized for being a "fire sale price" of $6 million for all three FM stations, and also because the contract was signed by "W. Lawrence Patrick, solely in his capacity as court-appointed receiver for Silver State Broadcasting LLC, Golden State Broadcasting LLC, and Major Market Radio LLC," while the appointment order clearly states that Patrick is receiver over the three FM stations only.
On March 15, 2021, after Judge
Jesus Bernal
Jesus Gilberto Bernal (born November 1963) is a United States district judge of the United States District Court for the Central District of California.
Biography
Bernal received his Bachelor of Arts degree, ''cum laude'', from Yale University i ...
denied Stolz' bid to end the receivership and have the stations returned to him, VCY America began operating the three stations under aN
LMA while the sale of the stations is being finalized.
The LMA, which costs VCY America $5,000 each month to operate all 3 FM stations, has been criticized for being underpriced. A comparable LMA for a San Francisco FM radio station was $80,000 per month for one station. As with the Asset Purchase Agreement, the LMA was entered into by Larry Patrick purportedly as receiver of the business entities, while the Order of Appointment states that Patrick is receiver over the FM radio assets only.
On January 31, 2022, federal Judge August B. Landis apparently quashed the sale of the stations by ordering Patrick to turn over control of KREV (and Stolz's two other FM stations) back to Stolz's companies.
On October 28, 2022, KREV (FM) is back on air with a
Dance format, under the name "Pirate Radio 92.7".
Although Ed Stolz's Royce International Broadcasting is still considering selling KREV to fund its bankruptcy reorganization plan. The bidders will not be made public until a formal purchase officer is presented to the bankruptcy court.
References
External links
*
In the Spirit of KJAZ Energy 92.7 Weekly ChartsU.S. Dance Radio PostU.S. Dance Radio Megamix*
{{coord, 37.716111, N, 122.393889, W, type:landmark_region:US_source:FCC, display=title
REV
Dance radio stations
Radio stations established in 1959