KBCO hit the airwaves in 1959 under a license held by Bay FM Broadcasters, Inc. Bay FM was headed by Saul Levine, who would go on to a lengthy and legendary career as a broadcast station owner in Southern California.
KBCO launched without a particular format in mind, asking listeners to weigh in on what they preferred to hear. When all was said and done, KBCO was among a number of Bay Area FM stations carrying “good music” (a mix of classical music, operas, and show tunes), billing its mix as “Golden Music”. With a transmitter atop Mt. Sutro and 50,000 watts of power, the 24-hour station attempted to find traction among a growing number of local FM signals.
KBCO quickly joined the parade of FM stations converting to multiplex stereo transmissions.
Portions of the day offered programming in Chinese.
Apollo Broadcasting’s acquisition in 1964 led to the change to the KBRG call letters and, initially, the continuation of the stereo classics format but an eventual shift to a variety of foreign-language content.
