KEAR (AM)

Infobox Radio Station
name = KEAR


area = San Francisco, California
branding = "Family Radio 610"
slogan =
airdate = September 24, 1924
frequency = 610 (kHz)
format = Christian radio
power = 5,000 watts
class = B
former_callsigns = KFRC (1924-2005)
owner = Family Stations Inc.
website = [http://www.familyradio.com/ www.familyradio.com]
callsign_meaning =

KEAR is a non-commercial traditional Christian radio station in San Francisco, California, which runs programming from Family Radio. Its transmitter is located in Berkeley, California and broadcasts on 610 kHz AM. Until 2005, KEAR was broadcasting on 106.9 MHz FM.

KEAR's programming is also broadcast on KEAR-FM in Sacramento, California, whose signal is transmitted from radio repeaters for local markets across California, such as 101.5 MHz (K268AH) in Palm Springs and 90.9 MHz (K217BJ) in Banning.

History

610 AM KFRC

The frequency of 610 kHz had been home to the original KFRC for over eight decades, from 1924 until 2005. In the 1960s and 1970s KFRC was a legendary Top 40 powerhouse in San Francisco, but by August 1986 had flipped to a Big Band format. In the early 1990s it began simulcasting its sister station KFRC-FM's Oldies format.

KEAR call letters

The call letters KEAR were originally assigned to an AM station at 1550 kHz (now KYCY) in 1952. In 1956, the KEAR call letters were moved to 97.3 MHz FM. Family Stations Inc. bought the station in 1959, and aired its first Family Radio broadcast on KEAR on February 4 of that year.

In September 1978, Family Stations Inc. sold its station at 97.3 to CBS Inc. (who still owns it today as KLLC), and acquired KMPX 106.9 FM from National Science Network, Inc. At this time, the KEAR call letters and Family Radio programming were transferred to the new frequency, where it broadcast for 27 years.

KEAR moves to 610 AM

In 2005, Family Stations acquired KFRC's AM station from Infinity Broadcasting (now CBS Radio), when parent company Viacom was in the process of acquiring KOVR, a CBS-affiliated TV station in Sacramento, California, and needed to sell the AM station, which could also be heard there, to meet FCC ownership limitations. On April 29, 2005, KFRC 610 AM began simulcasting Family Radio programming. Shortly thereafter, Family Stations sold its 106.9 FM station to Infinity Broadcasting.

The Oakland Athletics baseball team, which had a contract with KFRC to carry its games, continued to broadcast on KFRC 610 AM through the end of the team's 2005 season. After these broadcasts concluded, on October 17, 2005, the KEAR call letters were transferred to the AM station and 106.9 became Free FM talker KIFR, later to become KFRC-FM, a classic hits station. 106.9 also became the Oakland A's new home.

Coincidentally, all three of the frequencies which formerly had the KEAR call letters are now assigned to CBS Radio.

External links

* [http://www.familyradio.com/ Family Radio]