KOIT (96.5 MHz FM) is an adult contemporary-formatted radio station in the San Francisco Bay Area of the United States. Its slogan is "Lite Rock, Less Talk". The station's programming was also simulcast on 1260 AM. KSFB, a station carrying Roman Catholic programming, now operates on the latter frequency.

KOIT-FM is owned by Entercom Communications which also operates San Francisco radio stations KDFC and KBWF. The station transmits from Sutro Tower in San Francisco, with a power output of 24,000 watts effective radiated power. The signal can be received throughout the Bay Area with relative ease.

Starting at the time of Thanksgiving and going all the way through Christmas, KOIT is known for supplying the Bay Area with continuous holiday music which is usually played in 30-minute sets. KOIT is known as "The Bay Area's Official Christmas Music Station." From afternoon Christmas Eve through the entire day Christmas Day, it airs the "KOIT Family Christmas," which is commercial-free holiday music, and the only interruptions are Christmas messages from station personnel and from personnel at the station's parent company.

In 2007, the station switched to the all holiday music format at exactly 3:00 PM PST on Friday, November 16 to kick off the 2007 holiday season. This was the station's sixth year of playing continuous holiday music after it was first started back in 2002.

History

• July 1947 - December 31, 1954: 96.5 frequency signs on as KRON-FM, co-owned with KRON-TV and the San Francisco Chronicle newspaper.
• 1957: KRON-FM returns to the air with evening-only programming devoted to classical music. During the 1960s, KRON-FM devotes a full hour (7 to 8 p.m.) to a complete Broadway show album. The station has no commercials, no underwriters, and no fund drives, but is operated by the Chronicle as a public service.^[1]
• 1975: Chronicle Publishing Company, parent of the Chronicle, sells KRON-FM to Bonneville International which relaunches it as KOIT.
• December 13, 1983: Bonneville Broadcasting Co. purchases KYA from KING Broadcasting, changing the call letters to KOIT with 96.5 going to KOIT-FM per FCC convention. The KYA call letters remained in service at KYA-FM (93.3, now KRZZ) and went into retirement in 1993.
• January 18, 2007: Bonneville announces station swap with Entercom Communications, with KOIT and the other Bonneville FM radio holdings in San Francisco going to Entercom in return for three of Entercom's stations in Seattle, Washington and Entercom's entire radio cluster in Cincinnati, Ohio, subject to regulatory approval. http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/business/300350_radioswap19.html This trade would mark Entercom's re-entry into the country's fourth largest radio market.
• February 26, 2007: Entercom officially takes over via LMA.
• March 14, 2008: Entercom and Bonneville officially close on the deal, with KOIT and the other San Francisco FM stations formerly owned by Bonneville becoming owned by Entercom outright.

"Fresh FM" branding

According to Radio & Records, on February 6, 2007 it was announced that KOIT has acquired the "Fresh FM" branding for the San Francisco Bay Area. KOIT plans to integrate the branding alongside their "Lite Rock, Less Talk" slogan.

References

1. ↑ Bay Area Radio Museum | History | Audio | Archives

External links

• Official Website