KYCY

Infobox Radio station


name = KYCY
airdate = 1947
frequency = 1550 kHz
area = San Francisco, California
format = Hot Talk
owner = CBS Radio
former_callsigns = KPIX (1994-1997)
KKHI (1963-1994)
KQBY (1960-1963)
KOBY (1956-1960)
KEAR (1952-1956)
KSMO (1947-1952)
sister_stations = KCBS, KFRC, KITS, KLLC, KMVQ
"also part of CBS Corp. cluster: KPIX-TV and KBCW-TV"
erp = 10,000 watts
branding = "KYOURadio"
slogan = "Open Source Radio"
class = B
webcast = [http://cbsplayer.streamtheworld.com/?CALLSIGN=KYCYAM Listen Live]
website = [http://www.kyouradio.com/ KYOURadio.com]
callsign_meaning =

KYCY (1550 AM) is a radio station in San Francisco, owned by CBS Radio. The format is primarily hot talk, with remnants of the now internet-only "all podcast" format in between shows.

KYOURadio

Launched on May 16, 2005, KYOURadio was the first radio station to have output that is 100% based on podcasts, or user-generated content. Announcing the change of format, CBS Radio chief executive Joel Hollander described the new format as something of an experiment. The first program was from podcast veteran Dave Winer.

All content is submitted by listeners, and in the two weeks before launch, the station attracted over 400 submissions, and a month after launch it was broadcasting around 1,200 podcasts a week. All material is screened to ensure it conforms with US federal guidelines on decency. The station manager, Stephen Page, claimed that after six months he had over 2,000 people offering to create content for the station. These contributors are unpaid.

Around 20% of the content is speech-based, with the rest based on music.

KYCY is the flagship station of the Oakland Athletics baseball club for the 2006 season and beyond.

History

KSMO

The 1550AM frequency has been home to many call signs and formats since it signed on in 1947. The original format was classical music as KSMO (later KEAR).

KOBY

When the station was sold in 1956, following a brief period of being off the air, it flipped to Top 40 as KOBY. The station quickly went to the top of the local ratings. They also simulcast with their new FM station at 95.7. Soon, other stations in the Bay Area switched to Top 40, and with much deeper financial resources, and the owners of KOBY decided to sell. In order to inflate station revenues, they began programming heavy amounts of commercials. This move backfired, and potential buyers were scared away from the rapidly failing stations.

In 1960, KOBY and KOBY-FM switched to beautiful music under a new owner, with new call letters KQBY. Ratings were still poor, and the owner ran out of money. The stations went dark once again until a new buyer was found.

KKHI

The new owner adopted a Middle of the road (MOR) format for the two stations, with the call letters KKHI, as well as personality-oriented disc jockeys. The next year, KKHI-FM, due to new FCC regulations concerning FM simulcasting, switched to an automated beautiful music format. Soon after, the owner ran out of money, and with a severe cutback of station staffers (including the expensive disc jockeys, flipped to classical music once again. Eventually, they simulcast once again with their FM signal. The classical format was somewhat successful, but the owner could not dig himself out of his massive debts and sold the stations in 1965. The new owners, Buckley Broadcasting were satisfied with the revenue generated by KKHI, so the format was kept. Buckley continued to own the station and program classical music until 1994.

KPIX

Group W, the owners of KPIX, purchased the two stations in 1994 and switched to all-news with the KPIX call letters. The stations did not do well in the ratings due to heavy competition with the long-established KCBS and KGO. However, KPIX was notable for its continuous coverage of the O.J. Simpson murder case. When the trial ended, KPIX resumed its all-news format, with ratings still falling.

CBS and Westinghouse merged operations in 1997, and to comply with FCC ownership regulations, KPIX-FM was sold to Bonneville. KPIX-AM dropped the news programming and began simulcasting new sister station KYCY and its then-country music format.

KYCY

The two stations simulcast for several years, until the AM station switched to a talk format, consisting of syndicated shows such as Opie and Anthony. The talk format performed poorly, and rarely appeared in the Arbitron ratings books. In May 2005, KYCY adopted its current format.

On May 17, 2007, CBS Broadcasting shut down 106.9 FreeFM (KIFR) and transferred it back to an "oldies" format with call sign KFRC-FM. They also announced the move of their current format to 1550AM San Francisco. One month later, three of KIFR's former programs debuted on KYCY [cite news |work=San Francisco Chronicle |date=2008-01-27 |title=Wake-up shake-ups |url=http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2008/01/27/PK71UGDMI.DTL&feed=rss.entertainment |quote=Adam Carolla, anointed by CBS Radio to be Howard Stern's replacement in major markets after Stern's move to Sirius satellite, is no longer heard in the Bay Area. He'd been on KIFR (Free FM at 106.9) until CBS ditched the rowdy-talk format last June for lack of ratings, replacing it with the return of KFRC. Because Carolla's contract called for him to have an affiliate in San Francisco, CBS moved him - and other talk shows - to KYCY (1550 AM). That is, until Dec. 31, when the deal expired. Carolla carries on in Los Angeles and a couple of other markets (CBS also dropped Free FM in New York and Philadelphia), but not here. "We just can't afford him," said Stephen Page, program director at KYCY. And, he added, it'll be the same story with Opie and Anthony when their contract runs out at the end of March.] , with the all-podcast format moving to Internet-only.

References

External links

* [http://www.kyouradio.com/ KYOU Radio]
* [http://www.bayarearadio.org/schneider/ksmo.shtml Full history of 1550AM in San Francisco]
* [http://sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2005/04/28/BUGETCGGLH1.DTL&type=business "KYCY-AM first station to convert to all-podcast format (San Francisco Chronicle, April 28, 2005)]
* [http://www.podcastingnews.com/archives/2005/04/san_francisco_r.html "San Francisco Radio Station Going All Podcasts" (Podcasting News, April 27, 2005)]
* [http://www.wired.com/news/digiwood/0,1412,67344,00.html "Podcasting Killed the Radio Star" (Wired.com, April 27, 2005)]
* [http://www.bizjournals.com/sanjose/stories/2005/04/25/daily33.html "San Francisco's KYCY to broadcast podcasts" (Silicon Valley/San Jose Business Journal, April 27, 2005)]
* [http://solipsisticnation.com/?p=142 Interview with Stephen Page, KYOU Radio station manager]
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