The Bay Area radio world is undergoing massive changes this week, as one of the most beloved local rock stations — 98.5 KFOX — disappears from the regular radio dial and heads over to the more-niche HD digital format.
In its place comes Bay Country — which had been previously heard at 94.5 FM — a station that is arguably set to benefit from the huge rise in popularity that the country music genre has been experiencing in recent years.
In other words, radio listeners visiting 98.5 FM will be hearing a lot more of Morgan Wallen, Lainey Wilson and Chris Stapleton instead of the old playlist of Lynyrd Skynyrd, Pink Floyd, Fleetwood Mac and other classic rockers.
But fans who still need their Skynyrd can tune into KFOX at 98.5 KUFX-HD2 (99.7 KMVQ-HD3 San Francisco). It also can heard at the station’s website, kfox.com.
The move reportedly went into effect at 12 noon on Wednesday (July 22).
Both stations are owned by Connoisseur Media, a Connecticut-based organization that operates 200-plus radio stations in more than 40 radio markets.
The reshuffling of assets in the Bay Area stems from a $2 million sale of the license of 94.5 FM KBAY Gilroy/San Jose to Christian music powerhouse K-LOVE, according Barrett Media and multiple news sources. K-LOVE got its start in Northern California but moved its headquarters to the Nashville area (where so much of Christian music is produced) a few years back.