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| Broadcast area | San Francisco Bay Area |
| Frequency | 101.3MHz (HD Radio) |
| Branding | Star 101.3 |
| Programming | |
| Language | English |
| Format | Hot adult contemporary |
| Subchannels | HD2:Pride Radio (LGBTQ-orientedDance hits) |
| Affiliations | Premiere Networks |
| Ownership | |
| Owner |
|
| History | |
First air date | October 27, 1957 (68 years ago) (1957-10-27) |
Former call signs | KPEN (1957–1968) |
Call sign meaning | KIOI (frequency is around "101" on an analog tuner) |
| Technical information | |
| Facility ID | 34930 |
| Class | B |
| ERP | 125,000 watts |
| HAAT | 354 meters (1,161 ft) |
| Repeater | See § FM Boosters |
| Links | |
| Webcast | Listen live (viaiHeartRadio) |
| Website | 1013 |
KIOI (101.3FM, "Star 101.3") is a commercialhot adult contemporary-formatted American radio station licensed toSan Francisco, California, United States, and owned byiHeartMedia.[1] The radio studios and offices are in theSoMa district ofSan Francisco.
KIOI has aneffective radiated power (ERP) of 125,000 watts. It is considered a "superpower station" due to this unusually high wattage that isgrandfathered into KIOI's license.[2] It is one of two stations in San Francisco broadcasting with more than 100,000 watts, the other beingKQED-FM, with 110,000 watts. KIOI'stransmitter is on Radio Road inDaly City, amid the radio towers for other San Francisco-area FM and TV stations.[3] It also has booster stations on 101.3 MHz inWalnut Creek andPleasanton.
KIOI was first licensed in September 1957, as KPEN, licensed to theSan Francisco Peninsula community ofAtherton, California byJames Gabbert, a Stanford University engineering major; fellow student Gary M. Gielow; and realtor John S. Wickett, doing business as Peninsula FM.[4] The station was assigned to 101.3 MHz, a frequency which had been vacated two years earlier with the deletion of theOakland Tribune newspaper's KLX-FM,[5] which had begun broadcasting May 3, 1948, simulcasting sister stationKLX's programming 17 of the 18 hours it was on daily.[6] KLX-FM was deleted on October 10, 1955.[7]
KPEN debuted on October 27, 1957, with 1,500 watts from a transmitter located on Kings Mountain in theSanta Cruz Mountains.[8] Unusual for the era, KPEN was not affiliated with any stations on the AM band, which meant it had to have 100% original programming. The station put an emphasis on high audio quality, in contrast to other FM stations that did not take advantage of FM broadcasting capabilities. During the day, KPEN played mostly orchestral pop music, switched to a lighter blend of background "dinner music" in the early evening, and then classical music after 8. Eventually, Gabbert and Gielow hosted an evening program calledExcursions in Sound, which showcased high fidelity recordings and took advantage of the high-quality broadcast signal.
Two years after KPEN's successful debut, the transmitter was moved toSan Bruno Mountain and power increased to 35,000 watts. Then, on August 14, 1964, power was further increased to 125,000 watts, making it the most powerful signal west of theMississippi River (it was grandfathered in at that power level by theFederal Communications Commission (FCC), which capped stations in that part of the country at 50,000 watts).
KPEN became the first station west of the Mississippi to broadcast inFM stereo, officially beginning August 10, 1961, after a series of field tests.[9] KPEN's technological achievements were recognized by the Electronic Industry Association, the FCC, and PresidentJohn F. Kennedy. "Excursions in Sound" was renamed "Excursions in Stereo"; hosted by James Gabbert, the show focused on recordings that made good use of stereo. Gabbert also had a Sunday afternoon showAnything Goes that played music, sound effects, and almost anything that dramatically demonstrated the stereo effect.
In the 1960s, the station moved studios from Atherton to San Francisco, first in aSoMa location, then toNob Hill in a luxurious penthouse atop 1001 California Street at the corner of Mason Street. With this move, the "PEN" in KPEN changed from representing "PENinsula" to representing "PENthouse".
By the mid-1960s, KPEN played primarily orchestral and light vocal performances of pop songs and standards, in competition with similar FM stationKFOG (owned by Kaiser Broadcasting).
On December 1, 1968, KPEN changed its callsign to KIOI ("K-101"), considered an innovative matching of call letters to a dial position. Eventually, the station added pop and rock music to itsMOR playlist, to compete with upstartfreeform rock stationsKMPX andKSAN. Gabbert aggressively began promoting the station via outdoor advertising, which was a first for the market. "K-101" is likely the first station in the country to develop what is now called theadult contemporary format. Even though KIOI's programming was mainly focused on music, it also featured many popular on-air personalities over the years including Don Kelly, Bill Keffury, Hoyt Smith and Jeff Serr.
By 1970, K-101 advertised itself as being at 101 on the FM dial and had the address of 1001 California Street, with zip code 94101.
During the 1970s, Gabbert developed another lasting technological achievement as KIOI became the first station in the country to developcircular polarization, which was a key element to FM reception in automobiles, which used to be difficult. Gabbert also experimented withquadraphonic sound (in association withRKO General'sKFMS). By the mid-1970s, Gabbert purchased KSAY, changing its call sign toKIQI. Originally programmed as an oldies station, by the end of the decade, it was flipped to a Spanish language format.
In September 1980, Gabbert sold KIOI toCharter Company for $12.5 million, then the highest price paid for an FM station. He then purchasedKEMO-TV (Channel 20) in San Francisco, changing the callsign to KTZO ("TV 20"). Gabbert later returned to local radio when he purchasedKHIT-FM,KOFY (1050 AM) andKDIA (1310 AM). KIOI was profitable, however, various management tweaked the format to compete with market leaderKOIT at various times, leaning softer-AC or towards hot AC, which they retained throughout the 80s. On February 8, 1996, sister stationWYNY in New York City simulcast KIOI for a day as part of a week-long stunt of simulcasting sister stations nationwide before flipping formats torhythmic adult contemporary as WKTU.
During the late 1990s, KIOI was flanked by soft AC KOIT and the emerging CHRKZQZ, and suffered in the ratings. The re-emergence of the CHR format by core artists such asBackstreet Boys,NSYNC,Britney Spears, andChristina Aguilera forced KIOI to ahot AC format and re-branded itself as "The New K-101". The station remained competitive; however, the station suffered an identity crisis as the ratings did not improve with the hot AC approach. On November 16, 2000, the station rebranded itself as "Star 101.3" and debuted an exclusive "all-80s hits" format that had been successful in other markets, especially in San Jose on sister stationKCNL, as well asPortland andSeattle. The first song on "Star" was "Don't You (Forget About Me)" bySimple Minds.[10] "Star" was programmed by KCNL Program Director Gary Schoenwetter, who brought San Francisco legend and former KITS-FM jock Steve Masters for Afternoon Drive. In 2001, KIOI was theflagship station forMartha Quinn's Rewind, a program hosted by formerMTV veejayMartha Quinn and carried on at least four other Clear Channel stations in the United States.[11] Though the station performed well for a while with its 1980s format, management decided to take the station back to the hot AC format and abandoned the 1980s format (which was picked up 14 years later by sister stationKOSF) by January 2002, while letting go Schoenwetter, Masters, and other on-air talent.[12]
Throughout the changes, local morning hostDon Bleu has remained consistent and more importantly, a ratings success through various co-hosts Renee Brinkley (1998–2002), Uzette Salazar (2002–2006), April Sommers (2006–2010) and Trish Jentz (2010–present). Bleu is a Minnesota native, who was also well-known atKYUU in San Francisco andKDWB in Minneapolis. Popular show segments during Bleu's morning show included Bleuper calls (prank calls to unsuspecting listeners), The Daily Dish (entertainment gossip), and the Bleu Room, an in-studio lounge session that featured acts includingDido,Natasha Bedingfield,Matchbox Twenty and others performing acoustic versions of their hits.
Since June 30, 2008, afternoon drive has been hosted by the nationally syndicatedOn Air with Ryan Seacrest program with cut-aways to local traffic by Dina Lawrence. Also in the line-up is the hot adult contemporary version ofAmerican Top 40 withRyan Seacrest, which airs on Sunday mornings.
In January 2012, Bleu moved over to mornings at sister station KOSF. In June, Frosty Stillwell, formerly ofKLSX in Los Angeles, and Sandy Stec, formerly ofKEZR in San Jose, were announced as KIOI's new morning hosts. (Frosty would later leave the station and be replaced by Marcus D. Najera, formerly ofKLLC).
| Call sign | Frequency | City of license | FID | ERP (W) | HAAT | Class | Transmitter coordinates | FCC info | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| KIOI-FM1 | 101.3 FM | Walnut Creek, California | 4085 | 150 (Vert.) | 300 m (984 ft) | D | 37°55′58.80″N122°7′19.20″W / 37.9330000°N 122.1220000°W /37.9330000; -122.1220000 (KIOI-FM1) | LMS | NoHD Radio |
| KIOI-FM2 | 101.3 FM | Pleasanton, California | 90740 | 900 (Vert.) | 358 m (1,175 ft) | D | 37°39′32.40″N121°55′55.20″W / 37.6590000°N 121.9320000°W /37.6590000; -121.9320000 (KIOI-FM2) | LMS | HD Radio |
On January 19, 2006, Star 101.3 began broadcasting on anHD Radiodigital subchannels. It originally had an All '80s music format, reflecting the time when the station aired 1980s hits upon rebranding itself as Star 101.3 from K-101. The music featured the best songs from the 1980s fromThe Police,Prince,Michael Jackson,Madonna,Cyndi Lauper, and more.
The format was later replaced with adance hits format, carrying iHeartRadio's "Pride Radio" service, targeting theLGBTQ community.[13]
37°41′24″N122°26′13″W / 37.69000°N 122.43694°W /37.69000; -122.43694