KLEF (98.1 FM) is a commercial radio station in Anchorage, Alaska. It is owned by Chinook Concert Broadcasters with studios on East 65th Avenue. It is one of the last classical music radio stations in the U.S. supported by advertising, not donations. It sounds out its call letters as "Clef," referring to a treble clef found on sheet music.
| Frequency | 98.1 MHz |
|---|---|
| Branding | KLEF Classical 98 |
| Programming | |
| Format | Classical music |
| Ownership | |
| Owner | Chinook Concert Broadcasters |
| History | |
First air date | September 16, 1988 |
Call sign meaning | Treble clef |
| Technical information[1] | |
Licensing authority | FCC |
| Facility ID | 10839 |
| Class | C1 |
| ERP | 25,000 watts |
| HAAT | 9 meters (30 ft) |
| Links | |
Public license information | |
| Website | klef98 |
KLEF is a Class C1 station. It has an effective radiated power (ERP) of 25,000 watts. The transmitter tower is atop the Frontier Building on A Street at 36th Avenue in Anchorage.[2]
History
editStation construction
edit
Northern Way Broadcasting wanted to build a new radio station in Anchorage. It was granted a construction permit for 98.1 MHz on December 15, 1986, after settling with two other applicants for the frequency.[3] However, before construction, Northern Way sold the permit in 1987 to Chinook Concert Broadcasters. Chinook Concert was owned by Rick Goodfellow along with seven California families and one in Sitka, Alaska. The station was consulted by Ed Davis, one of the founders and owners of one-time classical station KDFC in San Francisco. Davis, intrigued by the idea of a classical music station in Alaska, contributed technical expertise and also recruited most of the investors.
KLEF signed on the air on September 16, 1988. Beethoven's Symphony No. 9 and Variations on the Alaska Flag Song by local composer Paul Rosenthal were the first selections played.[4]
Call letters
editThe launch of a new commercial classical music station was unusual in an era when classical stations in other cities were falling by the wayside or switching to non-commercial, listener-supported operations. The KLEF call letters were illustrative of this. They had last been used at two such stations: 94.5 FM in Houston, which had been KLEF from 1964 to 1986 before being sold, and 92.1 FM in nearby Seabrook, Texas, which used the designation when it picked up the format only to decide on new call letters upon a sale a year later.[5][6]
The new Alaska station was also a success with listeners, denting the ratings of public radio station 91.1 KSKA.[7] By 1994, KLEF was tied for eighth in total audience in a 20-station market, but it was second in the affluent 35–64 demographic.[8]
1080 AM
editIn 1998, Chinook Concert Broadcasters acquired 1080 KASH, an AM station spun off as a result of commercial station consolidation. It primarily broadcast business talk shows and the BBC World Service.[9] The AM station under this format was not successful. It changed to a progressive talk format under the call sign KUDO but also failed to attract an audience. It was sold in 2005 to a local of the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers.[10] It has since changed hands again and airs conservative talk programs.
In 2008, Goodfellow attributed KLEF's success to the unavailability of satellite radio – which serves many classical music listeners in the Lower 48 but cannot be received in Alaska. Anchorage also lacks an easy listening station, making classical music attractive to those unserved listeners.[11] On KLEF's 25th anniversary in 2013, Goodfellow calculated that there were 55 commercial classical stations in the United States when the station signed on in 1988 but just three a quarter-century later: KLEF in Anchorage, WFMT in Chicago, and WRR in Dallas.[12] WRR has since switched to a non-commercial, listener-supported operation.
References
edit- ^ "Facility Technical Data for KLEF". Licensing and Management System. Federal Communications Commission.
- ^ Radio-Locator.com/KLEF
- ^ "For the Record" (PDF). Broadcasting. December 1, 1986. p. 120. Retrieved March 22, 2022.
- ^ Billington, Linda (September 25, 1988). "Californians come up with a classical music station for Alaskans". Anchorage Daily News. p. G1.
- ^ Gonzales, J. R. (2022-03-11). "Today in Houston history, March 11, 1986: KLEF goes away...for now". Houston Chronicle. Retrieved 2022-03-23.
- ^ Parks, Louis B. (September 2, 1987). "Classical station changes call letters; series focuses on Bill of Rights". Houston Chronicle. p. Houston 3.
- ^ Billington, Linda (June 22, 1989). "Budget woes bring changes to KSKA". Anchorage Daily News. p. G1.
- ^ Dunham, Mike (June 5, 1994). "Artbeat". Anchorage Daily News. p. N2.
- ^ Doogan, Mike (August 26, 2001). "Computers, and a lot of hard work, make classical station go". Anchorage Daily News. p. B1.
- ^ Schell, Sarana (June 18, 2005). "Union is set to purchase left-leaning radio station". Anchorage Daily News. p. D1.
- ^ Dunham, Mike (September 14, 2008). "KLEF marks 20 years of beautiful music". Anchorage Daily News. p. D1.
- ^ Gerjevic, Frank (September 14, 2013). "Alaska Notebook: Happy 25th to KLEF". Anchorage Daily News.
External links
edit- Official website
- Facility details for Facility ID 10839 (KLEF) in the FCC Licensing and Management System
- KLEF in Nielsen Audio's FM station database