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.

Category:

Entertainment

Tags:

• KFRC
• KROY
• KSTN
• KXOA
• KXTV
• News10
• Johnny Hyde
• Bobby Ocean
• Dr. Don Rose
• Bud Zumwalt
• Dan Adams

[paulshinn]

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.

[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.

[vinyl12s]

@RadioAirchecks KYA was just as good as KFRC, the only difference is KYA suffered from a weaker signal. Still, KYA was a TOP 40 pioneer in San Francisco and was doing the format since the late 50's and before KFRC, was in direct competition with KEWB until 1966.. Things started to slip in the second half of the 70's however.

[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

[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.

[markhelinski1]

awsome guy

[dinfg6]

@paulshinn Well The Big 610 was used to declare to rehash old Doomsday dates again by Harold Camping. I am 25 and I'm glad to go to a radio museum website and see what real radio is like.

[DangerousD6969]

the current top 40 that play rap and pop need to die

[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 !

[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.

[vinyl12s]

@paulshinn Hi Paul Shinn, I really miss 1420 KSTN and still have a couple airchecks from you in the mid 90's..I speak to John Hampton every once in a while and he's doing OK..Knox LaRue must be turning in his grave after what his sons did to KSTN..

[super321110]

I listened to Bobby Ocean for a long while. Sure was great. Really great.