KSQL was originally built in 1962, as KSCO-FM, owned by the
Santa Cruz Sentinel newspaper. Due to close-spacing of 99.1 to
San Francisco's 98.9, interference between the stations had been a longtime problem. When Viacom bought 98.9 in San Francisco, they also bought KSCO-FM 99.1 and began simulcasting the stations. They also began using similar callsigns. The 98.9 MHz frequency in San Francisco is the third station to use the callsign KSOL. The first was the AM
rhythm and blues station at 1450 kHz (the current
KEST). The second was a popular
soul music station at 107.7 MHz (now known as
KSAN). The current KSOL is unrelated to the previous two stations. • See also
KSAN (FM) and
KEST The station at 99.1 MHz was, for many years, KLRS ("Colors"), airing a
New Age music format targeting Santa Cruz and
San Jose. The station was eventually purchased Viacom the two stations tweaked KOFY's
adult album alternative format and adopted the call letters KDBK (98.9 MHz) and KDBQ (99.1 MHz) – "Double 99" in July 1990. "Star FM" arrived on the two frequencies in Spring 1993, as the call letters KSRY and KSRI were picked up for the stations'
hot adult contemporary format. One year later, the station at
107.7 MHz switched their call letters to
KYLD in April 1994, but was already called "WiLD 107" since 1992, as a
rhythmic formatted station. The KSOL call letters were put on then-co-owned 98.9 MHz frequency, with the format switching to
urban adult contemporary. The south signal of 99.1 MHz became a simulcast of "WiLD 107" as KYLZ. Both KSOL and KYLZ were sold in August 1996. On August 15 of that year, KSOL switched to a
regional Mexican format, and 99.1 MHz became KZOL, again a simulcast. In April 2002, KSOL swapped call letters with
KEMR (105.7 MHz) in San Jose, and shifted toward a
Spanish-language
adult contemporary approach consisting of
Spanish Adult Hits, with 99.1 MHz becoming KZMR. When 105.7 MHz switched formats and call letters to KVVF, the KSOL call letters returned to 98.9 MHz, with 99.1 MHz becoming KSQL. The two station have simulcasted since 1990, with 98.9 MHz covering the north bay, and 99.1 MHz covering the far south bay. ==See also==