KPAT-FM existed for nine years, between 1963 and 1972. Before and after, it was KRE-FM.
The station operated during its existence as a virtual twin of co-owned KPAT. After initially airing a “beautiful music” format copied from co-owned WPAT (Paterson, NJ), KPAT-FM tried a few other wrinkles with limited success.
One significant change occurred in December 1963, when power was boosted from 1,000 watts to 50,000 watts. The stronger signal would make the station a valuable property in the future.
The 1970 sale of the station to Horizon Communications triggered protests led by a group called The Berkeley Citizens Committee to Free KPAT. Organizers argued that absentee ownership of radio stations ran counter to the Federal Communications Commission’s policy of local integration of ownership and management.
The protests were to no avail, and in 1972, as sister station KPAT marked the fiftieth anniversary of its founding (as KRE), Horizon Communications regained authority to use the historic call letters. Thus, in August 1972, KPAT-FM was once again KRE-FM.
RELATED EXHIBITS:
