KUSF is an
online-only radio station owned by the
University of San Francisco
The University of San Francisco (USF) is a private Jesuit university in San Francisco, California. The university's main campus is located on a setting between the Golden Gate Bridge and Golden Gate Park. The main campus is nicknamed "The Hil ...
and operated by its students. From 1963 until 2011, the station was a
non-commercial radio
Public broadcasting involves radio, television and other electronic media outlets whose primary mission is public service. Public broadcasters receive funding from diverse sources including license fees, individual contributions, public financing ...
station licensed to
San Francisco, California
San Francisco (; Spanish for " Saint Francis"), officially the City and County of San Francisco, is the commercial, financial, and cultural center of Northern California. The city proper is the fourth most populous in California and 17th ...
, broadcast at 90.3 FM
MHz
The hertz (symbol: Hz) is the unit of frequency in the International System of Units (SI), equivalent to one event (or cycle) per second. The hertz is an SI derived unit whose expression in terms of SI base units is s−1, meaning that one he ...
.
KUSF history
KUSF began in 1963 as a campus-only
AM station
AM broadcasting is radio broadcasting using amplitude modulation (AM) transmissions. It was the first method developed for making audio radio transmissions, and is still used worldwide, primarily for medium wave (also known as "AM band") transm ...
managed by the Associated Students of the University of San Francisco (ASUSF). In 1973, the University of San Francisco (USF) was offered an
FM radio station by a small local Bible college that wished to discontinue its radio operations. USF accepted the offer and on April 25, 1977, KUSF became an FM station broadcasting on the 90.3 frequency.
The old AM station later became the student-managed KDNZ.
Originally broadcasting six hours a day, KUSF began broadcasting 24 hours a day in 1981. In its early days KUSF was a conventional college station, broadcasting programs of interest to the university and greater
San Francisco
San Francisco (; Spanish language, Spanish for "Francis of Assisi, Saint Francis"), officially the City and County of San Francisco, is the commercial, financial, and cultural center of Northern California. The city proper is the List of Ca ...
community. However, KUSF soon garnered attention by playing new underground music: it was one of the first radio stations to play
punk rock. Many now-famous acts also first gained exposure on KUSF, most notably
The B-52's
The B-52's, also styled as The B-52s, are an American new wave band formed in Athens, Georgia, in 1976. The original lineup consisted of Fred Schneider (vocals, percussion), Kate Pierson (vocals, keyboards, synth bass), Cindy Wilson (vocals, p ...
and
Metallica
Metallica is an American heavy metal band. The band was formed in 1981 in Los Angeles by vocalist/guitarist James Hetfield and drummer Lars Ulrich, and has been based in San Francisco for most of its career. The band's fast tempos, instrume ...
.
In addition to Metallica, the program Rampage Radio (hosted on Saturday nights on KUSF from midnight to 5AM by Ron Quintana) was responsible for helping launch the careers of
heavy metal bands, or giving them their first exposure in San Francisco, such as
Iron Maiden
Iron Maiden are an English heavy metal band formed in Leyton, East London, in 1975 by bassist and primary songwriter Steve Harris. While fluid in the early years of the band, the lineup for most of the band's history has consisted of Harri ...
,
Queensrÿche
Queensrÿche is an American heavy metal band. It formed in 1982 in Bellevue, Washington, out of the local band the Mob. The band has released 16 studio albums, one EP, and several DVDs, and continues to tour and record. The original lineup ...
,
Megadeth
Megadeth is an American thrash metal band formed in Los Angeles in 1983 by vocalist/guitarist Dave Mustaine. Known for their technically complex guitar work and musicianship, Megadeth is one of the "big four" of American thrash metal along wit ...
,
Venom
Venom or zootoxin is a type of toxin produced by an animal that is actively delivered through a wound by means of a bite, sting, or similar action. The toxin is delivered through a specially evolved ''venom apparatus'', such as fangs or a sti ...
,
Slayer,
Suicidal Tendencies
Suicidal Tendencies is an American crossover thrash band formed in 1980 in Venice in Los Angeles, California by vocalist Mike Muir. Muir is the only remaining original member of the band. Along with D.R.I., Corrosion of Conformity, and Stor ...
,
Anthrax
Anthrax is an infection caused by the bacterium ''Bacillus anthracis''. It can occur in four forms: skin, lungs, intestinal, and injection. Symptom onset occurs between one day and more than two months after the infection is contracted. The sk ...
,
Overkill,
Manowar
Manowar is an American heavy metal band from Auburn, New York. Formed in 1980, the group is known for lyrics based on fantasy (particularly sword and sorcery) and mythology (particularly Norse mythology and Greco-Roman mythology), as well as ...
,
Accept
Accept may refer to:
* Acceptance, a person's assent to the reality of a situation etc.
* Accept (band), a German heavy metal band
** ''Accept'' (Accept album), their debut album from 1979
* ''Accept'' (Chicken Shack album), 1970
* ACCEPT (or ...
,
Anvil
An anvil is a metalworking tool consisting of a large block of metal (usually forged or cast steel), with a flattened top surface, upon which another object is struck (or "worked").
Anvils are as massive as practical, because the higher th ...
and
Raven, as well as local Bay Area acts
Y&T,
Metal Church
Metal Church is an American heavy metal band. They originally formed in San Francisco, California in 1980 and then relocated to Aberdeen, Washington the following year and briefly using the name Shrapnel. Led by guitarist and songwriter Kurdt ...
,
Exodus
Exodus or the Exodus may refer to:
Religion
* Book of Exodus, second book of the Hebrew Torah and the Christian Bible
* The Exodus, the biblical story of the migration of the ancient Israelites from Egypt into Canaan
Historical events
* Ex ...
,
Possessed
Possessed may refer to:
Possession
* Possession (disambiguation), having some degree of control over something else
** Spirit possession, whereby gods, demons, animas, or other disincarnate entities may temporarily take control of a human body
*** ...
,
Testament,
Death Angel
Death Angel is an American thrash metal band from Daly City, California, initially active from 1982 to 1991 and again since 2001. Death Angel has released nine studio albums, two demo tapes, one box set and three live albums. The band has ...
,
Forbidden,
Lȧȧz Rockit
Lȧȧz Rockit was an American thrash metal band formed in San Francisco, California, in 1981. They are most notable for their association with the Bay Area thrash metal scene of the 1980s, and they are considered to be one of the scene's so cal ...
,
Vio-lence
Vio-lence is an American thrash metal band formed in 1985 in the San Francisco Bay Area. Throughout its existence, they released demo tapes, one EP and three studio albums. Vio-lence is best-known for their association with the 1980s Bay Area ...
and
Heathen.
On January 18, 2011, USF announced plans to sell the 90.3 FM frequency to the
Classical Public Radio Network, which is owned by the
University of Southern California
The University of Southern California (USC, SC, or Southern Cal) is a Private university, private research university in Los Angeles, California, United States. Founded in 1880 by Robert M. Widney, it is the oldest private research university in C ...
. In addition, USC announced that it had reached an agreement with Entercom Communications to take over the intellectual property of local classical outlet
KDFC
KDFC (90.3 FM) is a non-commercial radio station in San Francisco, California, that broadcasts classical music 24 hours daily. It is owned by the University of Southern California. KDFC is the radio home of the San Francisco Symphony and the San ...
(102.1 FM), and moved the station's programming to the 90.3 FM frequency. The KUSF
intellectual property
Intellectual property (IP) is a category of property that includes intangible creations of the human intellect. There are many types of intellectual property, and some countries recognize more than others. The best-known types are patents, cop ...
remained with USF, which launched an upgraded online-only station. The KUSF
call sign
In broadcasting and radio communications, a call sign (also known as a call name or call letters—and historically as a call signal—or abbreviated as a call) is a unique identifier for a transmitter station. A call sign can be formally assigne ...
now belongs to a radio station (91.3 FM) licensed to serve Glendale, Oregon, United States. Upon announcement of the sale, KUSF locked its doors, shut down its website temporarily and went off the air.
On February 8, 2011, the
San Francisco Board of Supervisors
The San Francisco Board of Supervisors is the legislative body within the government of the City and County of San Francisco.
Government and politics
The City and County of San Francisco is a consolidated city-county, being simultaneously a c ...
voted 8-3 to oppose the sale.
A group of former KUSF volunteers formed
KXSF San Francisco Community Radio, a
low-power FM
Low-power broadcasting is broadcasting by a broadcast station at a low transmitter power output to a smaller service area than "full power" stations within the same region. It is often distinguished from "micropower broadcasting" (more commonly " ...
station broadcasting at 102.5fm in San Francisco. KXSF began broadcasting on September 4, 2018.
Programming
The station's musical programming varies from
rock
Rock most often refers to:
* Rock (geology), a naturally occurring solid aggregate of minerals or mineraloids
* Rock music, a genre of popular music
Rock or Rocks may also refer to:
Places United Kingdom
* Rock, Caerphilly, a location in Wales ...
to
hip-hop to
world music. New music programming is broadcast Monday through Friday from midnight to 6 PM. Cultural programming takes over weekdays from 6 PM to midnight, and all day Saturday and Sunday.
Awards and recognition
KUSF was nominated for "College/Non-Commercial Radio Station Of The Year" in the 2008 PLUG Independent Music Awards. In July 2000, KUSF was named one of twenty recommended radio stations in the United States by US Airways' "ATTACHE" magazine. KUSF possesses Gold Records from groups including R.E.M., the Bangles, Red Hot Chili Peppers, Cowboy Junkies, Midnight Oil, the B-52's, and Love and Rockets. KUSF has received numerous
for the long-running community service series that is broadcast weekly. A Certificate of Merit was awarded to KUSF by the American Heart Association for outstanding service in stimulating public support in the fight against heart disease.
On June 7, 1998, San Francisco Mayor
Willie Brown held "Fighting Back Day in San Francisco" in honor of KUSF's community service series for senior and disabled citizens. The mayor also held "KUSF 90.3 FM Stereo Day In San Francisco" on April 25, 1998, KUSF's birthday.
KUSF was the recipient of the National Association of College Broadcasters' National College Radio Award for "Best Community Service Programming" in 1993-94.
KUSF was named Best Radio Station by
SF Weekly
''SF Weekly'' was a free alternative weekly newspaper founded in the 1970s in San Francisco, California. It was distributed every Thursday, and was published by the San Francisco Print Media Company. The paper has won national journalism awards, ...
in 2001, 2003,2004, 2006, and 2007.
Events
KUSF sponsors Rock-n-Swap, a large
record collectors' fair held five times a year on the USF campus. Rock-n-Swap features music-related items of all kinds, including but not limited to vinyl albums, CDs, DVDs, books, and posters. All proceeds benefit KUSF.
KUSF holds numerous concerts in the Bay Area.
Staff
KUSF is currently managed by Miranda Morris. The station staff primarily includes students at the university.
References
External links
KUSF websiteKXSF website
{{DEFAULTSORT:KUSF.org
University of San Francisco
USF
USF
Radio stations established in 1963
1963 establishments in California
Internet radio stations in the United States
Defunct radio stations in the United States
Radio stations disestablished in 2011