KFSD
Encyclopedia
KFSD AM 1450 is an adult standards
radio station
based in North County
, San Diego, California
. It is owned and operated by Astor Broadcast Group
. From 2004 until February 1, 2007, KFSD was a classical music radio station.
KFSD stands for "FM of San Diego," dating from when it was an FM classical music station, broadcasting from the top of Mount Soledad
(between La Jolla
and Pacific Beach
). At that time, its 100 kW transmitter (on 94.1
MHz) was—and still is—the most powerful in the area. While KFSD primarily played classical music, it presented a complete range of broadcasting items: news, traffic reports, and (since classical music listeners tend to be upper class) stock market reports.
While KFSD had a good solid audience, it depended primarily upon locally-owned businesses for advertising revenues and, when many of those companies were bought out by national chains, the radio station was financially strangled.
KFSD changed ownership in 1996, and its format was changed a number of times, from classic rock, to soft oldies (unrelated to KFSD's current format). The 94.1 transmitter was renamed KXGL (now known as KMYI
), and the call letters KFSD were transferred to a much smaller FM transmitter, 92.1
MHz, near Escondido, California
, which now simulcast
s KSON
. The KFSD call letters were then transferred to a nearby AM transmitter on 1450 kHz, where it currently broadcasts today.
The call letters were previously used on KOGO AM 600, as well as Channel 10, San Diego's NBC
television affiliate (now KGTV
). In the 1950s, these three broadcasters (AM, FM, and TV) were all operated by the same company; their call letters were changed as a result of a corporate breakup.
The station began life in 1957 as KOWN, broadcasting from studios on Hale Avenue on the eastern side of Escondido. In 1964, the station moved into studios in the then-new Escondido Village Mall, and added an FM station, KOWN-FM, on 92.1 mHz. Shoppers could look through double-pane windows to see disk jockeys spinning records and the state-of-the-art (for 1964) Shafer automation system which played easy listening music on the FM station.
AM and FM transmitters stayed on Hale Avenue until 1972, when they were moved to a new location south of the city.
Both stations moved again in 1974, to studios in the Vineyard Shopping Center on Valley Parkway, just east of the Escondido Village Mall.
From February 1, 2007 until March 15, 2010 KFSD was a simulcast of sister station KSPA
featuring a nostalgia
format, with music from the 1930s through the 1960s. The current format quoting from their website is: "Our philosophy is to blend the enduring standards of timeless artists with bold new interpretations from the younger vanguard". The simulcast began again on November 26, 2010, when the Astor Broadcast Group decided to drop KSPA's talk format to bring back the previous adult standards format.
As of June 6, 2011
, KFSD has begun to broker
time to San Diego Radio Seoul, who airs Korean
programming weekday
s from 6:00 am until 12 noon
. Japanese
programming also airs weekdays from 3:00 pm until 4 pm.
Adult standards
Adult standards is a North American radio format heard primarily on AM or class A FM stations.Adult standards is aimed at "mature" adults, meaning mainly those persons over 50 years of age, but it is mostly targeted for senior citizens...
radio station
Radio station
Radio broadcasting is a one-way wireless transmission over radio waves intended to reach a wide audience. Stations can be linked in radio networks to broadcast a common radio format, either in broadcast syndication or simulcast or both...
based in North County
North San Diego County, California
North County is a region in the northern area of San Diego County, California. It is the second most populous region in the county after San Diego, with an estimated population of 826,985. North County is well known for its affluence, especially in Cardiff-by-the-Sea, Carlsbad, Del Mar, Rancho...
, San Diego, California
San Diego, California
San Diego is the eighth-largest city in the United States and second-largest city in California. The city is located on the coast of the Pacific Ocean in Southern California, immediately adjacent to the Mexican border. The birthplace of California, San Diego is known for its mild year-round...
. It is owned and operated by Astor Broadcast Group
Astor Broadcast Group
Astor Broadcast Group is an independent radio broadcaster in Southern California, with studios in Carlsbad, California, and headquarters in Anaheim, California.Astor Broadcast Group owns the following radio stations:...
. From 2004 until February 1, 2007, KFSD was a classical music radio station.
KFSD stands for "FM of San Diego," dating from when it was an FM classical music station, broadcasting from the top of Mount Soledad
Mount Soledad
Mount Soledad is a prominent landmark in the city of San Diego, California, United States. The mountaintop is the site of the Mount Soledad cross, the subject of a continuing controversy over the involvement of religion in government.- Geography :...
(between La Jolla
La Jolla, San Diego, California
La Jolla is an affluent, hilly seaside resort community, occupying of curving coastline along the Pacific Ocean in Southern California within the northern city limits of San Diego. La Jolla had the highest home prices in the nation in 2008 and 2009; the average price of a standardized...
and Pacific Beach
Pacific Beach, San Diego, California
Pacific Beach is a neighborhood of San Diego, bounded by La Jolla to the north, Mission Beach and Mission Bay to the south, Interstate 5 to the east and the Pacific Ocean to the west. While largely populated by young people, surfers, and college students, the population is becoming older, more...
). At that time, its 100 kW transmitter (on 94.1
KMYI
KMYI is a commercial radio station in San Diego, California, broadcasting on 94.1 FM and in HD Radio. KMYI airs a hot adult contemporary music format branded as "Star 94.1".-History:...
MHz) was—and still is—the most powerful in the area. While KFSD primarily played classical music, it presented a complete range of broadcasting items: news, traffic reports, and (since classical music listeners tend to be upper class) stock market reports.
While KFSD had a good solid audience, it depended primarily upon locally-owned businesses for advertising revenues and, when many of those companies were bought out by national chains, the radio station was financially strangled.
KFSD changed ownership in 1996, and its format was changed a number of times, from classic rock, to soft oldies (unrelated to KFSD's current format). The 94.1 transmitter was renamed KXGL (now known as KMYI
KMYI
KMYI is a commercial radio station in San Diego, California, broadcasting on 94.1 FM and in HD Radio. KMYI airs a hot adult contemporary music format branded as "Star 94.1".-History:...
), and the call letters KFSD were transferred to a much smaller FM transmitter, 92.1
KSOQ
KSOQ-FM, broadcasting in FM at 92.1 MHz is the simulcasting partner of San Diego country music station KSON, 97.3 MHz. The main studios are located near Mission Valley in San Diego....
MHz, near Escondido, California
Escondido, California
Escondido is a city occupying a shallow valley ringed by rocky hills, just north of the city of San Diego, California. Founded in 1888, it is one of the oldest cities in San Diego County. The city had a population of 143,911 at the 2010 census. Its municipal government set itself an operating...
, which now simulcast
Simulcast
Simulcast, shorthand for "simultaneous broadcast", refers to programs or events broadcast across more than one medium, or more than one service on the same medium, at the same time. For example, Absolute Radio is simulcast on both AM and on satellite radio, and the BBC's Prom concerts are often...
s KSON
KSON-FM
KSON is a radio station licensed to serve San Diego, California, USA. The station, founded in 1964, is owned by Lincoln Financial Media and the broadcast license is held by Lincoln Financial Media Company of California....
. The KFSD call letters were then transferred to a nearby AM transmitter on 1450 kHz, where it currently broadcasts today.
The call letters were previously used on KOGO AM 600, as well as Channel 10, San Diego's NBC
NBC
The National Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network and former radio network headquartered in the GE Building in New York City's Rockefeller Center with additional major offices near Los Angeles and in Chicago...
television affiliate (now KGTV
KGTV
KGTV, digital channel 10, is the ABC television affiliate in San Diego, California. The station can be seen on Cox Communications, Time Warner Cable, and AT&T U-verse on cable channel 10 in standard definition. Cox Communications and Time Warner Cable carry its high definition signal on cable...
). In the 1950s, these three broadcasters (AM, FM, and TV) were all operated by the same company; their call letters were changed as a result of a corporate breakup.
The station began life in 1957 as KOWN, broadcasting from studios on Hale Avenue on the eastern side of Escondido. In 1964, the station moved into studios in the then-new Escondido Village Mall, and added an FM station, KOWN-FM, on 92.1 mHz. Shoppers could look through double-pane windows to see disk jockeys spinning records and the state-of-the-art (for 1964) Shafer automation system which played easy listening music on the FM station.
AM and FM transmitters stayed on Hale Avenue until 1972, when they were moved to a new location south of the city.
Both stations moved again in 1974, to studios in the Vineyard Shopping Center on Valley Parkway, just east of the Escondido Village Mall.
From February 1, 2007 until March 15, 2010 KFSD was a simulcast of sister station KSPA
KSPA
KSPA is a commercial radio station located in Ontario, California, broadcasting to the Inland Empire area on 1510 AM. KSPA airs an adult standards format....
featuring a nostalgia
Nostalgia
The term nostalgia describes a yearning for the past, often in idealized form.The word is a learned formation of a Greek compound, consisting of , meaning "returning home", a Homeric word, and , meaning "pain, ache"...
format, with music from the 1930s through the 1960s. The current format quoting from their website is: "Our philosophy is to blend the enduring standards of timeless artists with bold new interpretations from the younger vanguard". The simulcast began again on November 26, 2010, when the Astor Broadcast Group decided to drop KSPA's talk format to bring back the previous adult standards format.
As of June 6, 2011
2011 in radio
The following events occurred in radio broadcasting in 2011.-Events:*January 1: 2 Knoxville stations change formats as WDLF and WYLV flip to K-LOVE and Air 1 , and a few Pittsburgh station change formats, as ESPN Radio moves from WEAE to WBGG, and Radio Disney moves from WWCS to the renamed WDDZ,...
, KFSD has begun to broker
Brokered programming
Brokered programming is a form of broadcast content in which the show's producer pays a radio or television station for air time, rather than exchanging programming for pay or the opportunity to play spot commercials...
time to San Diego Radio Seoul, who airs Korean
Korean language
Korean is the official language of the country Korea, in both South and North. It is also one of the two official languages in the Yanbian Korean Autonomous Prefecture in People's Republic of China. There are about 78 million Korean speakers worldwide. In the 15th century, a national writing...
programming weekday
Weekday
Weekday may either refer to only a day of the week which is part of the workweek thus not part of the weekend or to any of the days of the week.-Weekday as a day of the workweek:In most countries the days of the workweek are:# Monday# Tuesday# Wednesday...
s from 6:00 am until 12 noon
Noon
Noon is usually defined as 12 o'clock in the daytime. The word noon is also used informally to mean midday regarding the location of the sun not the middle of a persons day. Although this is a time around the middle of the day when people in many countries take a lunch break...
. Japanese
Japanese language
is a language spoken by over 130 million people in Japan and in Japanese emigrant communities. It is a member of the Japonic language family, which has a number of proposed relationships with other languages, none of which has gained wide acceptance among historical linguists .Japanese is an...
programming also airs weekdays from 3:00 pm until 4 pm.