KISQ

Content sourced from Wikipedia, licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0.

KISQ is 98.1 FM in San Francisco, broadcasting soft adult contemporary music as “98.1 The Breeze.” It’s owned by iHeartMedia, with studios in San Francisco’s SoMa district. The station uses 75,000 watts for its signal, with a transmitter on Wolfback Ridge Road in Sausalito (inside the Golden Gate National Recreation Area). It also broadcasts in HD and has booster signals in Concord and Pleasanton to extend coverage.

History (short timeline)
- 1958: Signed on as KAFE, playing classical music. Original transmitter was atop Grizzly Peak; later moved to Sausalito.
- 1965: McLendon-Pacific buys KAFE and pairs it with KABL (AM 960). KABL-FM airs beautiful music/easy listening; the call sign nods to San Francisco’s cable cars.
- Early 1990s: Soft adult contemporary evolves; 1993 becomes “B98” (mainstream AC); 1994 shifts to 1970s-based classic hits as “K-Big 98.1” and becomes KBGG in 1995.
- 1997: Sold to Chancellor Media (later AMFM, Clear Channel, now iHeartMedia). On July 24, 1997, flips to urban AC as KISQ, “98.1 Kiss FM”; first song was Let’s Groove by Earth, Wind & Fire.
- 2000s–2010s: The format shifts with the market, moving toward rhythmic oldies and later adding some 1980s new wave tracks. By 2011 it was described as a gold-based rhythmic oldies station with few current hits.
- 2015–2016: Adds Throwback branding and some classic hip-hop; in April 2016, switches back to soft AC as “98.1 The Breeze.” The first song on The Breeze was Easy by the Commodores.
Present: The Breeze core artists include Adele, Whitney Houston, Mariah Carey, Billy Joel, Madonna, Lionel Richie, Elton John, and George Michael. The Breeze brand has been launched in many other markets, and iHeartMedia offers The Breeze on HD Radio and via the iHeart app.