View source for KUFX

{{Use American English|date=February 2025}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=January 2025}}
{{Infobox radio station
| name                = KUFX
| logo                = KFOX 98.5K-FOX logo.png
| city                = [[San Jose, California]]
| country             = US
| area                = [[San Jose, California|San Jose]]/[[Oakland]]/[[San Francisco, California]]
| branding            = 98.5 KFox
| frequency           = {{frequency|98.5|[[Hertz#SI multiples|MHz]]}} {{HD Radio}}
| repeater            = See {{section link||Boosters}}
| airdate             = {{start date|1959|7|1}} (as KRPM)
| language            = English
| format              = [[Classic rock]]
| subchannels         = HD2: [[Bilingual]] [[Soft adult contemporary|Soft AC]] "Magic"
| erp                 = {{val|10000|u=watts|fmt=commas}}
| haat                = {{convert|268|m|ft|sp=us}}
| class               = B
| facility_id         = 65415
| licensing_authority = [[Federal Communications Commission|FCC]]
| coordinates         = {{coord|37.205|N|121.950|W|type:landmark_region:US-CA_source:FCC}}
| callsign_meaning    = "Fox"
| former_callsigns    = {{ubl|KRPM (1959–1971)|KOME (1971–1998)}}
| owner               = [[Bonneville International]]
| licensee            = Bonneville International Corporation
| sister_stations     = {{hlist|[[KBLX-FM]]|[[KMVQ-FM]]|[[KOIT]]}}
| webcast             = {{ubl|{{listenlive|https://tuner.bonneville.com/live/KUFX-FM}}|{{Audacy.com|kfox}}|HD2: {{listenlive|https://tuner.bonneville.com/live/KUFX-HD2}}}}
| website             = {{URL|https://www.kfox.com}}
}}

'''KUFX''' (98.5 [[FM broadcasting|FM]]) is a [[classic rock]] radio station licensed to [[San Jose, California]]. Its studios are located along [[Junipero Serra Boulevard]] in [[Daly City, California|Daly City]], and the transmitter is located on Blackberry Hill above [[Los Gatos, California|Los Gatos]].

KUFX is owned by [[Salt Lake City]]-based [[Bonneville International]]. It was previously operated by [[Audacy, Inc.|Entercom]]; as part of its merger with [[CBS Radio]], the company was required to divest four of its radio stations in San Francisco in order stay within ownership caps. KUFX was placed in a trust and its operations taken over by Bonneville under a [[local marketing agreement]]; the company acquired the station in 2018.

On January 24, 2011, KUFX began simulcasting on KUZX 102.1&nbsp;MHz in [[San Francisco]]. This simulcast switched to 102.1-HD2 on August 1, 2014; 102.1 now broadcasts as [[KRBQ]].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://hdradio.com/station_guides/widget.php?id=33 |title=HD Radio station guide for Nashville, TN |access-date=2014-05-18 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141006102853/http://hdradio.com/station_guides/widget.php?id=33 |archive-date=2014-10-06 }} HD Radio Guide for San Jose</ref>

==History==
{{for|the history of the 98.5 FM frequency in San Jose prior to 1998|KOME}}
KUFX was originally located at [[KBAY|94.5 FM]], then [[KXSC (FM)|104.9 FM]], and moved to 98.5 FM on June 19, 1998.<ref>http://www.americanradiohistory.com/Archive-RandR/1990s/1998/RR-1998-06-26.pdf {{Bare URL PDF|date=March 2022}}</ref> Before this, the 98.5 frequency was the longtime home to [[KOME]], which is best remembered as a major Bay Area [[Album-oriented Rock|AOR]] station throughout the 1970s and into the 1990s. Several of the KUFX staff were employed by KOME. KUFX refers to itself as "98.5 KFOX".

KUFX is the official radio station for the [[San Jose Sharks]] of the [[National Hockey League]]. In a 2006 column, a writer for the ''[[San Jose Mercury News]]'' noted that he could only listen to a broadcast of a [[Stanley Cup]] playoff game on KUFX since his cable company did not carry OLN (later [[Versus (TV channel)|Versus]], now NBC Sports Network), which had exclusive television rights to the game. That situation, he noted, provided an ironic twist to him living in the technology-rich [[Silicon Valley]].{{Citation needed|date=May 2011}}

The morning show was hosted by [[Greg Kihn]], a musician who had a few [[Top 40]] hit songs in the 1980s, until September 14, 2012.<ref name="harrington">{{cite news|last=Harrington|first=Jim|title=Greg Kihn parts ways with KFOX|work=[[San Jose Mercury News]]|date=September 15, 2012|url=http://www.mercurynews.com/music/ci_21545966/greg-kihn-parts-ways-kfox|access-date=2012-09-28}}</ref>

KFOX also holds a Last Band Standing competition every year, between bands that play classic rock cover songs. The three categories of competition include Cover Bands, Tribute Bands, and Under 18 Bands. The past overall winners are Aja Vu in 2004 (A [[Steely Dan]] tribute band and two-time winner of its category), The Strobe in 2005 (An Under 18 band from Leigh High School who specializes with [[Peter Frampton]] songs), and last years winner, Sage (a cover band).

In June 1997, KUFX, [[KBAY]], and [[KBRG]] were involved in a three-way frequency swap, which saw KUFX moving from 94.5 to 104.9, and later to 98.5 FM. KBAY moved to 94.5, and KBRG got the coveted 100.3 signal and studios. 104.9 eventually became [[KXSC (FM)|KCNL]].

Owner [[iHeartMedia|Clear Channel Communications]] placed the station's assets, along with those of [[KSJO]] and [[KXSC (FM)|KCNL]], into an entity called the [[Aloha Station Trust]] on August 4, 2008 in order to seek a buyer for the station. This was due to Clear Channel being above the [[Federal Communications Commission]] (FCC) ownership limits. These limits were imposed when Clear Channel was officially taken private by [[Bain Capital]] and [[Thomas H. Lee Partners]] on July 30, 2008.

On January 11, 2011, [[Entercom Communications]] agreed to purchase KUFX, and on January 18, Entercom announced an agreement for the call sign and intellectual property of the company's [[KDFC|KDFC-FM]] in San Francisco and their [[classical music]] programming (but not the frequency) to be acquired by the [[University of Southern California]]'s [[Classical Public Radio Network]]. That move allowed them to simulcast KUFX's programming on the 102.1&nbsp;MHz frequency, as KUFX's main signal on 98.5 only provides grade B coverage of San Francisco. This simulcast switched to 102.1-HD2 on August 1, 2014, when KUZX flipped to [[rhythmic AC]] as [[KRBQ]].

On February 2, 2017, [[CBS Radio]] announced that it would merge with Entercom. To comply with FCC ownership limits, it was announced that KUFX, along with sister stations KBLX and KOIT, CBS-owned KMVQ, and a cluster in Sacramento, would be divested.<ref name="ri-cbsentercomdivestitures">{{cite news|last1=Venta|first1=Lance|title=Entercom Narrows Down 16 Stations To Be Divested To Complete CBS Radio Merger|url=https://radioinsight.com/headlines/120286/entercom-narrows-16-stations-divested-complete-cbs-radio-merger/|access-date=October 11, 2017|work=RadioInsight|date=October 10, 2017}}</ref> Under a local marketing agreement, Bonneville assumed operations of the stations following the completion of the merger on November 17.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://radioinsight.com/headlines/121072/entercom-completes-cbs-radio-merger/|title=Entercom Completes CBS Radio Merger|last=Venta|first=Lance|work=Radio Insight|date=November 17, 2017|access-date=November 17, 2017}}</ref> On August 3, 2018, Bonneville announced that it would acquire all of the divested Entercom stations it had been operating for $141 million;<ref>{{cite news |title=Bonneville Turns San Francisco and Sacramento LMAs Into Purchase - RadioInsight |url=https://radioinsight.com/headlines/169812/bonneville-turns-san-francisco-and-sacramento-lmas-into-purchase/ |access-date=9 August 2018 |work=RadioInsight |date=3 August 2018}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |title=LMA Becomes Sale As Entercom Officially Sells Eight SF, Sacramento Stations To Bonneville For $141 Million |url=https://www.allaccess.com/net-news/archive/story/178812/lma-becomes-sale-as-entercom-officially-sells-eigh |access-date=9 August 2018 |work=All Access |language=en}}</ref> the sale was completed on September 21, 2018.<ref name="fcc-saletobonnevillecomplete">{{cite web |title=Consummation Notice |url=http://licensing.fcc.gov/cgi-bin/ws.exe/prod/cdbs/forms/prod/prefill_and_display.pl?Application_id=1792765&Form_id=905&Facility_id=6380 |website=CDBS Public Access |publisher=[[Federal Communications Commission]] |access-date=November 9, 2018 |date=September 24, 2018}}</ref>

In 2020, KUFX, along with the other [[Bonneville International|Bonneville]] stations, moved their studios from the [[South of Market, San Francisco|SoMa]] district in San Francisco into a newly-built studio along [[Junipero Serra Boulevard]] in [[Daly City, California|Daly City]].<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.radioworld.com/tech-and-gear/they-built-new-studios-during-covid|title = They Built New Studios During COVID|date = 4 September 2020}}</ref>

==Boosters==
KUFX is rebroadcast on the following FM Boosters:

{{RadioTranslators
| call1   = KUFX-FM2
| freq1   = 98.5
| fid1    = 65413
| watts1  = 40 (Vert.)
| haat1   = -52
| class1  = D
| city1   = Morgan Hill, California
| call2   = KUFX-FM3
| freq2   = 98.5
| fid2    = 136624
| watts2  = 150 (Horiz.)
| haat2   = 302
| class2  = D
| city2   = Pleasanton, California
}}

==HD Radio==
On December 28, 2018, KUFX launched a 1970s hits format on its HD2 subchannel.<ref>[https://radioinsight.com/headlines/173214/bonneville-launches-aaa-on-hd2-in-san-francisco/ Bonneville Luanches AAA on HD2 in San Francisco] Radioinsight - December 28, 2018</ref> In early September 2020, the subchannel flipped to a rock format, branded as "Highway 1".

On May 10, 2024 KUFX-HD2 changed their format from rock to bilingual soft adult contemporary, branded as "Bay Area Magic".<ref>[https://radioinsight.com/headlines/268483/bonneville-brings-bilingual-magic-to-hd-in-the-bay-area/ Bonneville Brings Bilingual Magic to HD in the Bay Area] Radioinsight - May 10, 2024</ref>

==See also==
*[[KOME]] (former occupant of the 98.5&nbsp;MHz frequency)
*[[KRBQ]] (former simulcast)

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
*{{Official website|https://www.kfox.com}}
*{{FM station data|65415|KUFX}}

{{San Jose Radio}}
{{Classic Rock Radio Stations in California}}
{{Bonneville International}}
{{San Jose Sharks}}

[[Category:Radio stations in the San Francisco Bay Area|UFX]]
[[Category:Classic rock radio stations in the United States]]
[[Category:Radio stations established in 1959]]
[[Category:1959 establishments in California]]
[[Category:Mass media in San Jose, California]]
[[Category:Bonneville International]]