KFRC (defunct) - 1950s and 1960s: Bill Drake Era

1950s and 1960s: Bill Drake Era

In 1949, RKO-General acquired KFRC. Like most radio stations during the 1950s, KFRC lost ratings and share to television. In February 1966, KFRC changed to a Top 40 rock and roll music format, and quickly became the dominant station in the region with that format through the 1970s, featuring the tight, carefully programmed sound developed by RKO General's national program director, Bill Drake, formerly of cross-town rival KYA, and program directors Tom Rounds and, later, Les Turpin. It entered its second "golden era," which coincided with San Francisco’s Summer of Love, and featured legendary disc jockeys, Dr. Don Rose, Mike Phillips, Bobby Dale, Jay Stevens, Sebastian Stone, K.O. Bayley, Dave Diamond, Charlie Van Dyke, Howard Clark, Dale Dorman, Joe Conrad, Jim Carson, J.J. Johnson, and "Big Bad" Bob Foster.

During the Drake era, KFRC was responsible for two memorable concerts. The station presented several prominent acts at the “The Beach Boys Summer Spectacular” at the Cow Palace in San Francisco in June 1966. On June 10 and 11, 1967, KFRC organized and hosted the Fantasy Fair and Magic Mountain Music Festival at the summit of Mount Tamalpais in Marin County, California. Occurring one week before the more famous Monterey Pop Festival, the well-attended event is regarded as the first rock festival in history.

In the late 1960s, KFRC-FM utilized one of the first computer-operated automation systems in the country.