AM simulcast: 1961-1977 On December 21, 1961, the station first
signed on with the
call letters KAFI. It largely
simulcasted
sister station KAHI (950 AM) in Auburn. KAFI and KAHI were owned by Donnelly C. Reeves. KAFI only broadcast at 3,200 watts, with a short antenna, so it could only be heard in and around Auburn. KAFI got a signal upgrade in 1977 to target the
Sacramento metropolitan area. In addition, the call letters were changed to
KHYL.
Oldies/AC: 1977-1999 As KHYL, the station switched to an
oldies format, known as "K-HYL". It dabbled with
adult contemporary music in the mid-1980s. The studios were moved to 2435 Marconi in Sacramento and the branding became "Solid Gold 101" on June 6, 1988, and "Oldies 101" until 1991. John Parker owned the station until American Media purchased and re-branded the station as "COOL 101" in 1991. COOL 101 was imaged in the style of Drake-Chenault (
KYNO/
KHJ/
KFRC) Top 40 Radio delivery, with the use of the
Johnny Mann Boss Radio Jingles, top the hour
timpani and the booming voice of
Charlie Van Dyke. COOL 101 also added the
San Francisco 49ers football broadcasts to the station's schedule, which was not a common move for FM music stations in those days. KHYL was usually one of the top 5 stations in the 25-54 ratings
demographic during this time (per
Arbitron).
Rhythmic Oldies: 1999-2001 In 1996, Chancellor Media (later AMFM) purchased American Media, and in 1997, moved to the current location at 1440 Ethan Way in Sacramento. On May 25, 1999, AMFM changed the longtime "Cool" oldies format to
Rhythmic Oldies as "Magic 101". ==KHYL-HD2==