| Frequency | 98.1MHz |
|---|---|
| Branding | KLEF Classical 98 |
| Programming | |
| Format | Classical music |
| Ownership | |
| Owner | Chinook Concert Broadcasters |
| History | |
First air date | September 16, 1988; 37 years ago (1988-09-16) |
Call sign meaning | Treble clef |
| Technical information[1] | |
Licensing authority | FCC |
| Facility ID | 10839 |
| Class | C1 |
| ERP | 25,000watts |
| HAAT | 9 meters (30 ft) |
| Links | |
Public license information | |
| Website | klef98 |
KLEF (98.1FM) is acommercialradio station inAnchorage, Alaska. It is owned by Chinook Concert Broadcasters with studios on East 65th Avenue. It is one of the lastclassical music radio stations in the U.S. supported by advertising, not donations. It sounds out itscall letters as "Clef," referring to atreble clef found onsheet music.
KLEF is aClass C1 station. It has aneffective radiated power (ERP) of 25,000watts. Thetransmittertower is atop the Frontier Building on A Street at 36th Avenue in Anchorage.[2]
Northern Way Broadcasting wanted to build a new radio station in Anchorage. It was granted aconstruction permit for 98.1MHz on December 15, 1986, after settling with two other applicants for the frequency.[3] However, before construction, Northern Way sold the permit in 1987 to Chinook Concert Broadcasters. Chinook Concert was owned by Rick Goodfellow along with seven California families and one inSitka, Alaska. The station was consulted by Ed Davis, one of the founders and owners of one-time classical stationKDFC inSan Francisco. Davis, intrigued by the idea of a classical music station in Alaska, contributed technical expertise and also recruited most of the investors.
KLEFsigned on the air on September 16, 1988; 37 years ago (September 16, 1988).Beethoven's Symphony No. 9 andVariations on the Alaska Flag Song by local composerPaul Rosenthal were the first selections played.[4]
The launch of a new commercial classical music station was unusual in an era when classical stations in other cities were falling by the wayside or switching tonon-commercial, listener-supported operations. The KLEF call letters were illustrative of this. They had last been used at two such stations:94.5 FM inHouston, which had been KLEF from 1964 to 1986 before being sold, and92.1 FM in nearbySeabrook, Texas, which used the designation when it picked up the format only to decide on new call letters upon a sale a year later.[5][6]
The new Alaska station was also a success with listeners, denting the ratings ofpublic radio station 91.1KSKA.[7] By 1994, KLEF was tied for eighth in total audience in a 20-station market, but it was second in the affluent 35–64demographic.[8]
In 1998, Chinook Concert Broadcasters acquired 1080KASH, an AM station spun off as a result of commercial station consolidation. It primarily broadcast business talk shows and theBBC World Service.[9] The AM station under this format was not successful. It changed to aprogressive talk format under the call sign KUDO but also failed to attract an audience. It was sold in 2005 to a local of theInternational Brotherhood of Electrical Workers.[10] It has since changed hands again and airsconservative talk programs.
In 2008, Goodfellow attributed KLEF's success to the unavailability ofsatellite radio – which serves many classical music listeners in theLower 48 but cannot be received in Alaska. Anchorage also lacks aneasy listening station, making classical music attractive to those unserved listeners.[11] On KLEF's 25th anniversary in 2013, Goodfellow calculated that there were 55 commercial classical stations in the United States when the station signed on in 1988 but just three a quarter-century later: KLEF in Anchorage,WFMT inChicago, andWRR inDallas.[12] WRR has since switched to a non-commercial, listener-supported operation.
61°11′17″N149°53′06″W / 61.188°N 149.885°W /61.188; -149.885
