KRVE became the third set of call letters to grace the 95.3 FM frequency in Los Gatos when it launched its new programming schedule in July 1974. Now a 24-hour station, KRVE would split the day between English and Portuguese language content.
The new owners, Ethnic Radio, Inc., had paid maverick community radio figure Lorenzo Milam $250,000 to acquire the station. Ethnic Radio had three equal owners: Joe Rosa, Batista Vieira, and Joaquin Esteves (the “RVE” of the new call letters). Of the three, Esteves was the only one with broadcasting experience. He’d spent nearly 25 years on the air in the Bay Area, appearing on KLOK, KAZA, and KEGL as well as a UHF television station in Modesto, where his program Portugal De Hoje (Portugal Today) ran for many years.
The station began to carry live broadcasts of Los Gatos Town Council meetings. Studios were moved to a new building that filled a long-vacant lot in a very visible location on the “main drag” of Los Gatos, N. Santa Cruz Avenue. Passersby could look directly into the on-air studio from the sidewalk.
In 1980, Esteves’ one-third ownership of Ethnic Radio was bought out by his partners, Rosa and Vieira. They would go on to buy a station in Los Banos, KLBS and Vieira would acquire Healdsburg FM station KHBG in 1998.
Esteves continued his Portuguese television broadcasts. He would also hold a share of ownership in Fresno radio station KGST. And then he disappeared.
A week before Christmas in 1988, Esteves’ family reported him missing. He’d failed to make his usual call home from his real estate office, where police found his ID and money. The mystery of his disappearance has never been solved.
Meanwhile, there’d been a big change at KRVE. The Portuguese programming was gone and with new call letters, “The Cat” (KATD) growled its way onto the airwaves in 1985.
I had a love for radio since being a little kid back in the ’50s. Being In my mid 20s now, I was biking with a friend threw Los Gatos when we passed by the station the of KRVE FM.They had new owners and just started broadcasting their new format. Way different from KTAO FM the station previously there. I thought, wow… would I love to get on the airwaves there!!! I talked to Greg,the (Program Director) about it. He asked me if I would like to come back at midnight and read a few minutes of news. I didn’t have to think twice about that and said “sure would”. Needless to say, I was totally nervous just driving to the station that night. Greg handed me some news from the teletype, I was in front of the microphone and away I went. Stammering away through the copy. It came off pretty good. He said if I could get my 3rd class radio license and find a sponsor, I could have time on the station. I studied the 3rd class radio book and went to San Francisco to take my exam. I passed it!!.I presented Greg my license. He said I need a sponsor to get on the air. I went to local businesses in my San Jose/Cupertino area. Waley’s Pet Shop said they would go a month with the station for advertising. That was my ticket to broadcasting. In August 1974 at KRVE I started with doing two days a week,1 hour each day from 7PM-8PM. I was in heaven. I called myself “The Jazzman”. I Played mostly current records of Adult hits. That lasted till February ’75 when I could not find another sponsor for the station, I was ‘fired’. I never was paid for my time at the station, but it really didn’t matter. My experience was my pay and I would do it again. I really didn’t want radio as a career, but just a great experience of something I really loved. I did follow up by going to Foothill Jr. College in Los Altos Hills. They did offered a Broadcasting course. I enrolled for the summer session taking Journalism 101. Lucky me, since I had on the air experience, the Program Director said he would give me 3 days a week for 3 hours each day. at their college station, KFJC FM.I lasted 2 years there doing my radio thing as ‘Jack Flash’. Those times have been some of the best times in my life.Now at 76 years old, I can go back in my memory and relive those remarkable times.
Tom, what a terrific memory! Thanks for sharing.