KYA (defunct)

KYA Radio originated as KYA in 1926, and is noted as having had the most owners of any radio station in the history of California, USA radio. Many owners had the station for less than a year in its early days, but even at its height, a three-year ownership was typical before changing hands once again. KYA 1260 was owned by everyone from Hearst Corporation to AVCO Broadcasting of California, a subsidiary of the jet and aerospace contractor.

Having moved to various locations around the radio dial during the chaotic early days of broadcasting, KYA was assigned permanently to 1260 kilocycles (now kiloHertz) by the Federal Communications Commission in 1941.

KYA was always tuned into the local community. In the mid-1950s, KYA made its mark as a rock and roll station. KYA was, in fact, the leading Top 40 music radio station in the Bay Area, until cross-town KFRC (with a superior signal) switched to top 40 music in 1966. From time to time, up through 1970, KYA would again beat KFRC in the Arbitron ratings, but KYA's dominance was truly over in the late 1970's when King Broadcasting took over on November 1, 1977, and changed format to Adult Contemporary.

Ironically, former KYA morning man and legendary radio programmer Bill Drake went on to consult KFRC to its ratings success; in fact, it was at KYA that Drake first made his mark as program director. KYA was also instrumental in the careers of future sportscaster Johnny Holliday, audio and electronics store pitchman Tom Campbell, Hall of Fame disc jockey and underground radio pioneer Tom Donahue (a/k/a "Big Daddy"), and Tommy Saunders, who retired from KYA's descendant, KOIT, in 2006.

Other notable disc jockeys that plied their trade on KYA's airwaves in the 1960s included Casey Kasem, Jim Stagg, Bobby Mitchell, Norman Davis, "Emperor" Gene Nelson, Peter Tripp, Tony Bigg, [http://www.russthemoose.com Russ "The Moose" Syracuse] , Chris Edwards, Bill Holley (a cousin of Buddy Holly) and Bwana Johnny. The station also boasted a first-rate news team, which included Larry Brownell (air name of Larry Buller), Tony Tremayne (air name of Mel Fritze) and Brad Messer, who would later be inducted in the [http://www.texasradiohalloffame.com Texas Radio Hall of Fame] .

KYA, which became KOIT-AM at midnight on December 13, 1983, under the new ownership of Bonneville International Corp., still transmits from the station's classic Julia Morgan-designed transmitter building on [http://www.parks.ca.gov/default.asp?page_id=519 Candlestick Hill] in San Francisco. Julia Morgan was on retainer for Hearst, and the building has the trademark Hearst eagle above the front door.

In 2007, KOIT-AM, the former 1260/KYA, became KSFB, a Catholic-oriented station owned by Immaculate Heart Radio. Ironically, KYA's chief Top 40 rival in the 1960s and 1970s, KFRC (610 AM), is now the Christian-oriented KEAR.

In 2004, the [http://www.bayarearadio.org/audio/kya Bay Area Radio Museum] obtained many of the assets of the former KYA, including the "KYA Radio" registered trademark, and launched an online tribute to the station at [http://www.kyaradio.com www.kyaradio.com] . The webradio station, which features classic imaging from the original "Boss of the Bay," is currently hosted by [http://www.garymora.com Gary Mora] , a former 1260/KYA disc jockey who also hosted live "KYA Oldies Road Show" events in the Bay Area for nearly twenty years.

External links

* [http://home.att.net/~musicmann/kya.htm Radio station KYA technical/owner history]
* [http://www.sfradiomuseum.com//schneider/kya.shtml The History of KYA from "Voices Out Of The Fog"]
* [http://www.kyaradio.com Archival KYA broadcast recordings from the Bay Area Radio Museum]