KDIA
Encyclopedia
KDIA is a radio station in Vallejo, California
. It is a separate entity from the station at 1310 AM that held the KDIA call letters for many years. The 1640 AM frequency was licensed as part of an extension of the AM band in 1998, and adopted the abandoned KDIA call letters then.
radio station WDIA
, and the call letters were changed to KDIA. During the 1960s through the 1980s, the station was the premier soul
and funk
station in the San Francisco Bay Area
. The station helped launch the careers of such musicians as Sly and the Family Stone. Its tagline at that time was "KDIA, Lucky 13."
For four months in 1984-85 the station was owned by Adam Clayton Powell III
, during which time it carried the call letters KFYI and broadcast an all-news format.
In the early 1990s KDIA was co-owned by then mayor of Oakland, California
, Elihu Harris
with then California Assembly Speaker Willie Brown
. In 1992, Oakland journalist Chauncey Bailey
returned to the Bay Area to work as public affairs director and newscaster on KDIA. Bailey later became the editor of the Oakland Post
who was murdered on the streets of downtown Oakland.
baseball un til the middle of the 2010 season, while sibling station KDYA
broadcasted daytime games.
The original 1640 expanded band station call sign was KXBT, put on the air by then KUIC Chief Engineer Alan McCarthy (SK). The original transmitter was a used Continental 316 Doherty layout converted by Contract Engineer Skipp May. The original antenna system was a diplex layout with sister station 1190, which was formerly KNBA Vallejo. The
antenna system was designed by Rich Green and installed by Ralph Jones (and Skipp May). The problematic 316 transmitter was upgraded to a BE sometime circa 1996. Alan McCarty left "Quick Broadcasting" for a position at 1530 KFBK Sacramento. McCarthy died from a heart attack.
KXBT moved from 1640 to 1630 for short time, then returned to the current 1640 location before being sold, moved and assigned the KDIA call sign.
Now the KXBT call letters go to a talk station in Austin Texas.
Vallejo, California
Vallejo is the largest city in Solano County, California, United States. The population was 115,942 at the 2010 census. It is located in the San Francisco Bay Area on the northeastern shore of San Pablo Bay...
. It is a separate entity from the station at 1310 AM that held the KDIA call letters for many years. The 1640 AM frequency was licensed as part of an extension of the AM band in 1998, and adopted the abandoned KDIA call letters then.
KDIA 1310 History
The 1310 AM frequency began as KLS in 1921. In 1945, it changed its call letters to KWBR and changed its format to focus on an African-American audience. In 1959, it was bought by the owners of MemphisMemphis, Tennessee
Memphis is a city in the southwestern corner of the U.S. state of Tennessee, and the county seat of Shelby County. The city is located on the 4th Chickasaw Bluff, south of the confluence of the Wolf and Mississippi rivers....
radio station WDIA
WDIA
WDIA is an AM radio station in Memphis, Tennessee, in the United States of America. Its radio frequency is 1070 kHz. In 1962 it became the first U.S. radio station programmed by African-Americans, though its ownership was white.-History:...
, and the call letters were changed to KDIA. During the 1960s through the 1980s, the station was the premier soul
Soul music
Soul music is a music genre originating in the United States combining elements of gospel music and rhythm and blues. According to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, soul is "music that arose out of the black experience in America through the transmutation of gospel and rhythm & blues into a form of...
and funk
Funk
Funk is a music genre that originated in the mid-late 1960s when African American musicians blended soul music, jazz and R&B into a rhythmic, danceable new form of music. Funk de-emphasizes melody and harmony and brings a strong rhythmic groove of electric bass and drums to the foreground...
station in the San Francisco Bay Area
San Francisco Bay Area
The San Francisco Bay Area, commonly known as the Bay Area, is a populated region that surrounds the San Francisco and San Pablo estuaries in Northern California. The region encompasses metropolitan areas of San Francisco, Oakland, and San Jose, along with smaller urban and rural areas...
. The station helped launch the careers of such musicians as Sly and the Family Stone. Its tagline at that time was "KDIA, Lucky 13."
For four months in 1984-85 the station was owned by Adam Clayton Powell III
Adam Clayton Powell III
Adam Clayton Powell III is an American journalist, media executive, and scholar who currently serves as Director of Washington Policy Initiatives for the University of Southern California and University Fellow at the USC Center on Public Diplomacy. He was USC's vice provost for globalization from...
, during which time it carried the call letters KFYI and broadcast an all-news format.
In the early 1990s KDIA was co-owned by then mayor of Oakland, California
Oakland, California
Oakland is a major West Coast port city on San Francisco Bay in the U.S. state of California. It is the eighth-largest city in the state with a 2010 population of 390,724...
, Elihu Harris
Elihu Harris
Elihu Mason Harris is a former U.S. Democratic Party politician and college administrator. He served as the 46th mayor of Oakland, California from 1991 to until 1999. He served for 12 years as a member of the California State Assembly before his election as Oakland mayor...
with then California Assembly Speaker Willie Brown
Willie Brown (politician)
Willie Lewis Brown, Jr. is an American politician of the Democratic Party. He served over 30 years in the California State Assembly, spending 15 years as its Speaker, and afterward served as the 41st mayor of San Francisco, the first African American to do so...
. In 1992, Oakland journalist Chauncey Bailey
Chauncey Bailey
Chauncey Wendell Bailey, Jr. was an American journalist, noted for his work primarily on issues of the African-American community. He served as editor-in-chief of The Oakland Post from June 2007 until he was shot dead on August 2, 2007...
returned to the Bay Area to work as public affairs director and newscaster on KDIA. Bailey later became the editor of the Oakland Post
Oakland Post (California newspaper)
The Oakland Post is the largest African-American weekly newspaper in northern California, founded in 1963 by Thomas L. Berkley and Velda M. Berkley. Headquartered in downtown Oakland, the weekly serves the San Francisco Bay Area communities of Oakland, Berkeley, Richmond and San Francisco...
who was murdered on the streets of downtown Oakland.
KDIA 1640
KDIA 1640 was put on the air in 1996 by Baybridge Communications and has been a Christian talk station since 2002. Its tag line is "The Light for San Francisco". It has since gone through two upgrades and now covers San Francisco, Oakland and the Bay Area, day and night. In 2009, it became the flagship station for Spanish language night time broadcasts of Oakland AthleticsOakland Athletics
The Oakland Athletics are a Major League Baseball team based in Oakland, California. The Athletics are a member of the Western Division of Major League Baseball's American League. From to the present, the Athletics have played in the O.co Coliseum....
baseball un til the middle of the 2010 season, while sibling station KDYA
KDYA
KDYA is a radio station licensed to Vallejo, California, but serves the San Francisco Bay Area. It broadcasts on 1190 frequency on the AM dial with an urban contemporary gospel format...
broadcasted daytime games.
The original 1640 expanded band station call sign was KXBT, put on the air by then KUIC Chief Engineer Alan McCarthy (SK). The original transmitter was a used Continental 316 Doherty layout converted by Contract Engineer Skipp May. The original antenna system was a diplex layout with sister station 1190, which was formerly KNBA Vallejo. The
antenna system was designed by Rich Green and installed by Ralph Jones (and Skipp May). The problematic 316 transmitter was upgraded to a BE sometime circa 1996. Alan McCarty left "Quick Broadcasting" for a position at 1530 KFBK Sacramento. McCarthy died from a heart attack.
KXBT moved from 1640 to 1630 for short time, then returned to the current 1640 location before being sold, moved and assigned the KDIA call sign.
Now the KXBT call letters go to a talk station in Austin Texas.
External links
- KDIA official website
- Bay Area Radio Museum, KDIA archives – audio archive of KDIA broadcasts