Top 40 radio Northern California

This is a news story about the top rated Top 40 radio stations in the Sacramento/Stockton, CA markets in the 60s and 70s.

[@yolandajohnson8685]

DJ's in days of old radio, were just as precious as the music they played.

[@ApartmentKing66]

Thank you for saying such a sweet thing.

[@ModelA]

Today's generation has no idea what they missed. The BIG 610 was the best radio station on earth, and I truly miss it. A piece of us dies along with that amazing radio station. Every time I think about it, I feel like Dr. Don in the video when he almost loses it. The day Dr. Don passed on, I was a wreck. A radio friend of mine got me out of my funk by telling me "Can you imagine how hard God is laughing right now with Don there? Dr. Don, you were the best, rest in peace my friend.

[@ko6jay681]

Dr Don says They'll never be another." How true that is! RIP KFRC

[@WhatTheFrenchToast]

Listened to Dr Don every morning before school and thankful our bus driver did too! KFRC is why I got into Voice Work and radio! Great video nice trip down memory lane. Radio will never be that good ever again.

[@ModelA]

I indeed WAS raised on the BIG 610. That radio station made me get into broadcasting. It was a shock to meet Don Rose and find out he was just a 'regular guy'. He ended up becoming a good friend who helped me through some rough spots when I thought radio wasn't for me anymore. Don reminded me that it could be fun, despite how hard corporate owners tried to squash the fun that used to be radio. Now, with Don gone, it is just a job. And he's not here to make it fun again.

[@biffvonwrinkle]

i wish i could go back and just listen to the old stations one more time, kfrc,kome,kara, times were simpler than for this kid

[@10TVMan]

Paulshinn, I don't know who you are, but your comments perfectly reflect the feeling of a generation raised onThe BIG 610. If you weren't there to experience it and live it, you honestly missed an historic chapter in American pop culture. What is truly sad, with the media as vast as it is today, something like KFRC will likely never be experienced again.

[@Dweller415]

I miss all the radio promotional jingles and of course listening to Dr. Don growing up.

[@louisb5563]

Just to see Dr. Don's sad expression...says more than we'll ever know.

[@briansalisbury4764]

Loved this wonderful station in the 70's I used to sneak my transistor radio into class and sit in the back. I would plug my headphones in and hide it so i can listen to it. Only on KFRC of course.

[@Eewokofrock]

@RadioAirchecks I was born in the city and listened to Don Sherwood on KSFO, mostly because my Dad was a big fan, and I listened with him. When I had a choice, I would choose to listen to KYA, and two of my favorites were Norman Davis and "Big Daddy" Tom Donahue. Those were the days. I loved it so much, in 1970, I went to work for Tom at KSAN, and worked with Norman, who I worked with again in 1990 at KBOY in Medford Oregon. I left radio last year and now work in TV and do VO's.

[@RadioAirchecks]

You're very fortunate to have been on the air in those years. That was a lot of great radio. Norman Davis is on Facebook.

[@frproducoes9988]

Amazing doc. Love It!

[@mrgreenjeans1794]

On east coast Dr Don was on WFIL for years before moving west. Started off grade school listening to Dr Don every morning and carrying a transitor radio during the Summer to listen to AM billboard top 40 hits back in early 70s. Who can forget that dial and telescopic antenna on the radio to tune your favorite channel. Great broadcasting compared to the FM DJ format that later dominated radio. AM radio's demise is almost like the fall of the Roman empire and the dark ages that followed on FM. FM has great sound but not great broadcasting.

[@mikeplott292]

AM is like an abandoned building now.

[@louisb5563]

Wow...good way to put it.

[@jmprodgod]

Nice story, Dan. I'm surprised, however, no mention of KJOY 1280. Hi, Paul!

[@paulwalker1443]

A magical era of radio that is gone forever. The art of being a good DJ is lost today, with a few exceptions. Most of the good ones are on Sirius satellite today.

[@signjoey]

To me, KFRC was Dave Diamond's DIAMOND MINE lol

[@mlzema]

Hey, that's George Zema rocking the board! Sweet! Hey Cuz! mz

[@ShaggyDawg]

At 3:54

[@RadioAirchecks]

@vinyl12s I concur... Of course in the mid-70's there was so much crappy music I started listening to talk more often. By the late 70's the music got a lot better and I did some interning at KYA (Gary Cocker let me do a mic break) but it all went down the tubes when King Broadcasting took over and ruined the format of both the AM and KYA-FM (Y-93). They should have kept simulcasting with the FM and maybe eventually have made the AM a sports or talk station.

[@The_Husband_of_Jane_Lane]

I heard of KFRC (I used to listen to it until it went defunct), but never heard of KYA.

[@HitsTownUSA]

KYA was a damn good station. The problem was they had a inferior signal compared to KFRC. Gene Nelson was the top morning man in the 60’s on KYA, but they never replaced him with a great talent like KFRC had with Don Rose in the 70’s into the 80’s. In spite of a much less powerful signal, KYA was a a competing station against KFRC from 1966-1978. From 1966-1970 the two would alternate on top ratings in the Bay Area.

[@RadioAirchecks]

KYA was the best. KFRC had the signal.

[@markhelinski1]

awsome guy

[@edwardhollingsworth4875]

So looked up to you. Chris Bailey, Modesto, CA 80's-90's. KFIV Modesto, KMGX Fresno, KQIQ Lemoore, KHOP Modesto

[@RadioAirchecks]

If you lived in the City, KYA was the better station. I did some work there and also at KFRC when I helped with a contest they were running. I have some airchecks on my channel.

[@10TVMan]

The Tears of a Clown by Smokey Robinson and the Miracles.

[@kenwillis4998]

Ah the days of radio..................

[@RadioMattM]

What happened to KJOY? They were probably bigger in Stockton than KSTN but they may not have made it to Sacramento -- especially at night. KJOY had a directional pattern to the south west at night, but were non-DA during the day. KSTN was 5kW, while KJOY was 1 kW. As Dr. Don said, KFRC was a blow torch. You could hear almost up to Redding and down to Fresno. They diplexed with KRE in Berkley. KFRC had a low dial position was almost a "clear channel" station on a regional frequency

[@ApartmentKing66]

I'm as surprised as you are that Dan didn't say ONE WORD about KJOY. KJOY had every bit the talent and image that KSTN did. The one thing KSTN had that KJOY didn't was the signal. KSTN had 5kW, whereas KJOY only had 1kW. KJOY had lower power because of its owners, who, for some reason, never sought power upgrades. KJOY went on the air as KXOB in 1947 with 1,000 watts, and neither Lincoln Dellar nor the Gambles ever sought, even during the day when the FCC would've most likely allowed it, an increase in power. Same with KWG, which remains to this day 1,000 watts, even though its license is the oldest commercial in Northern California. But technology aside, KJOY had some pretty heavy-duty talent sit in that fishbowl at El Dorado and Weber in downtown Stockton. Several people went on to much bigger, better things from that storefront studio. Among them Ken Minyard, Don Imus, Terry Nelson, John Mack Flanagan, and a host of others. Carol Bland, who went on to anchor Channel 3 Reports with Stan Atkinson, worked at KJOY evenings with Pat Kelley, as did Sharon Ito, who herself went to News 10.

[@RadioMattM]

What happened to KJOY? As Dr. Don said, KFRC was a blow torch. They diplexed with KRE in Berkley. The low dial position, and the fact that they were almost a "clear channel" station on a regional frequency gave the Big 610 a signal that you could hear almost up to Redding and down to Fresno.

[@HitsTownUSA]

I’m sure at night they could reach Portland.

[@RadioMattM]

It would not surprise me. I just remember driving from the Bay Area toLA at night and listening to KFRC most of the way down. There was a station at 600 I think up around Shasta which would have gotten in the way and Portland had KGW at 620.

[@HitsTownUSA]

@@RadioMattM I can recall here in the Bay Area in the late 80’s tuning into Q106 out of San Diego at night. It was a Top40 station that simulcasted on AM600.

[@oldschoolrr6077]

Always wondered how far their signal generally reached. That is a really large area covered. Being a 50,000 watt channel, they could really carry.

[@RadioMattM]

​@@oldschoolrr6077 Actually, they were only 5000.

[@RadioAirchecks]

@wongleebruce With every incarnation of KFRC, nobody had the obvious idea to bring back the format that made 610 so successful. Instead it was oldies this, oldies that, Beatles, Beach Boys and Supremes all day... B o r i n g !

[@HitsTownUSA]

I completely agree. Their playlist was so cookie cutter and tight and they just played the same songs by the same artists over and over. It was fresh in 1991, but by the late 90’s I was done listening to them.

[@muziklvr7776]

@@HitsTownUSA You hit it on the nose. I was sick and tired with KFRC's playlist by 1994 and switch to 98.1 KBGG, which they, too, eventually fell into the same trap. Switched from 98.1 to 960 KABL (AM) in 1997 until 2001 when I installed an MP3 player in my car and never tuned into a radio station since.

[@oldschoolrr6077]

It would never be possible. In 1966 Drake-Chanault were brought in as the program consultants for KFRC. Still known as the Drake Format is what made KFRC the reigning station in SF. That and the huge power signal of the station. (think it is a 50,000 watt station). Over the years (1966-73) Drake brought in the top DJ's at the time, so there was incredible talent 24 hours a day. No wonder it was #1 in its market for so many years.

[@Me97202]

Only _610_ was the _real_ KFRC.

[@NESherv]

Why did Dr. Don Rose say he wouldn't want to do it again?

[@gonstotwriter]

He said his career had been way too difficult & frustrating; too many professional setbacks on his way to the top. Too many medical crises during his time at the top. Also, towards the end of his career they wouldn't let him do any more shtick; he just announced the songs and played the music. He was highly ambivalent about the radio business and the people who made the decisions.

[@Me97202]

@@gonstotwriter that’s what I thought he was referring to. Interesting, coming from one of the most successful DJs _ever_ who actually worked at relatively few stations during his career.

[@wongleebruce]

Now on 1550, formerly on 106.9 before that 99.7 and of course the legendary 610.1550 should try playing today's hits to capture the format again. Why not the ARB shows no one is listening to it now.

[@Me97202]

13 years later…and only ONE person thinks that’s a good idea.