KFRC (610 AM)

KFRC (610 AM) was a radio station in San Francisco, California, United States. It was first broadcast in 1924 from studios in the Hotel Whitcomb at 1231 Market Street. KFRC originally started broadcasting with 50 watts on the 270-meter wavelength (equal to about 1110kHz), moving to 660kHz in April of 1927. As part of nationwide frequency relocations, on November 11, 1928, KFRC was moved to 610kHz, where the call letters remained until 2005.

KFRC had a co-owned FM sister station, initially known as KFRC-FM. It operated on 106.1MHz in the 1970's, and later began simulcasting on 99.7MHz in 1991. Its format continued on 99.7FM for a time even after the AM station was sold. The KFRC call sign was moved to KFRC-FM 106.9 on May 17, 2007. The KFRC call letters were assigned sequentially by federal regulators when the station signed on in 1924. The call letters did not represent 'Francisco' or 'Frisco'. The station used the slogan "Known For Radio Clearness" when it began broadcasting with 50 watts. Other slogans KFRC used in its early days were "Keep Forever Radiating Cheer", "Keep Freely Radiating Cheer", and "Far Reaching Channel".

The KFRC began largely due to the efforts of its first manager, Harrison Holliway. In 1920, he operated his own amateur radio station with the call sign 6BN. For a time, Harrison was on the air every day with 6BN, broadcasting record programs "for the sheer pleasure of it". He also worked as a part-time newspaper reporter, covering high school sporting news for the San Francisco Call.

Beginning in 1920, Holliway attended Stanford University. During the summer of 1924, Holliway worked at a radio shop called the Radio Art Corporation in San Francisco. A Western Electric salesman contacted the owners, Jim Threlkeld and Thomas Catton, and sold them on the idea of starting a new radio station and transmitter. KFRC was subsequently established with Holliway as manager.^{[citation needed]}

KFRC began broadcasting on September 24, 1924. Its programming featured speeches by local dignitaries followed by a program with concert, symphony, and dance orchestras. This included the Stanislas Bem Little Orchestra, led by Eugenia Argiewicz. The broadcast, transmitted at 50 watts, was reported to have been received as far as the U.S. Atlantic Coast and New Zealand.

In the following years, Holliway interviewed such personalities as Rogers Hornsby, French-Canadian heavyweight boxer Jack Renault, and actors William S. Hart, Douglas Fairbanks, Jr., and John Barrymore. Harry "Mac" McClintock, who hosted a daily children's program, later wrote the hit song "The Big Rock Candy Mountains".

In 1926, KFRC was purchased by Don Lee, a wealthy California distributor of Cadillac automobiles. His family owned the station for 25 years. In 1927, he purchased KHJ in Los Angeles and in 1929, both stations became affiliated with William S. Paley's Columbia Broadcasting System (CBS).

Meredith Willson made his radio debut on KFRC's Blue Monday Jamboree in 1928. Jack Benny's announcer Don Wilson began his radio career at KFRC. Others included Ralph Edwards, Art Van Horn, and Mark Goodson, who later collaborated with partner Bill Todman to create numerous radio and television game and quiz shows.. Other personalities associated with KFRC during the Don Lee era were Art Linkletter, Mel Venter, Bea Benaderet, Harold Peary, Morey Amsterdam, Juanita Tennyson, Merv Griffin, and John Nesbitt.