KABL
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
KABL was an AM radio station in San Francisco Bay Area, which broadcast at 960 kHz. For many years it broadcast a "beautiful music" format, but later switched to a traditional pop music format.
Known for many years as KROW, and known for launching of the career of comedian Phyllis Diller and for helping the career of "the world's greatest disc jockey" -- Don Sherwood, this station had had a format of news, music, and sports when it was purchased by legendary broadcaster Gordon McLendon in 1959 and renamed KABL.
As KABL, the station was one of the first "beautiful music" stations, combining a mixture of easy listening string and orchestra music with light classics and an occasional latin cocktail hour tune. KABL was known for presenting poetic vignettes about San Francisco life, a harp interlude between songs, and a cable car bell to announce the news.
KABL, licensed to Oakland, was also noted in radio history for its failure to properly identify its city of license. KABL in its attempt to identify with San Francisco rather than Oakland used slogans such as "KABL Oakland, serving San Francisco on your San Francisco radio dial, in the air, everywhere over San Francisco". This raised the ire of the FCC, resulting in a fine and an admonishment to all broadcasters that they were licensed to serve a particular community, not surrounding ones.
In 1997, the station switched to a traditional pop and big band format. In 2000, they briefly switched to a 1960s-1970s soft rock format, but went back to older music after complaints from their regular audience. In 2004, KQKE took over the 960 kHz spot, and KABL reemerged at 92.1 FM in Walnut Creek, California. The station had a very limited signal beyond its immediate broadcast area however, and in July 2005, went off of the air entirely. However, KABL then began broadcasting as an internet radio station. On the evening of Janurary 31st 2007 Clear Channel Conmmunications discontinued the stream of kabl's music. And then put a link to http://www.kablradio.com/pages/goodbye.html on kablradio.com.
- KABL Radio - official website.
- "Big Band Fans Turned Off After KABL is Tuned Out", Contra Costa Times, August 14, 2005.
- Bay Area Radio Museum, KABL archive – audio archive of KABL broadcasts.
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