KDBK launched on July 30, 1990 as part of an unusual maneuver by new owner Viacom. The company had purchased San Francisco’s KOFY-FM from James Gabbert, while also buying Santa Cruz station KLRS. The Santa Cruz station sat at 99.1 on the dial and its signal covered much of Santa Clara County.
The renamed KDBQ and KDBK simulcast as “Double 99”, airing a format called “Rock Adult Contemporary”. San Francisco Chronicle columnist Ben Fong-Torres described the sound this way: “Think of it as a KFOG, only softer and without any personality.” Air talent, featuring several holdovers from KOFY-FM, included Jack Kulp, Melissa McConnell, Ed Murray, Maria Lopez, C.J. Bronson, Billy Kiernan and Joe Regelski. Jim Herron came aboard as program director in mid-1991. Bonnie Simmons provided a Sunday morning show.
Despite a reported $1 million TV ad campaign, “Double 99″‘s ratings were modest. A year into the project, the combined stations were not even among the market’s top 20 stations. General manager Paul Wilensky admitted to the Chronicle, “Frankly, it’s been slower than we anticipated.”
The station’s billboards promising “Rock without the edge” prompted some media sniping. San Francisco Examiner columnist Rob Morse’s take:”That’s like sex without the fun, lunch without the food, beer without the alcohol, or a column without the kicker.”
Two years after launching and never having shown any ratings growth, KDBK pivoted. New program director Chris Miller called the new sound “personality rock, just because we can’t think of a better name for it.” Miller hired a whole new air staff and encouraged them to bring in guests and spend more time talking. Former KFOG morning man M. Dung was installed in the AM drive slot at KDBK, and Mimi Chen, late of KRQR, joined the staff.
It evolved into an attempt to bring talk radio to the FM band, and it didn’t last long. By the spring of 1993, “Double 99” was gone, replaced by “Star FM” with a “Hot Adult Contemporary” format. KDBK soon became KSRY, while Santa Cruz’s KDBQ became KSRI as the Viacom-owned simulcast continued.
