Sixty years ago, in 1963, the University of San Francisco's (USF) radio station, KUSF, took to San Francisco's airways for the first time. When the USF radio station launched nobody could have predicted how important KUSF would become, both as a part of the USF student experience and as an audio time capsule for pop culture in the Bay Area.
In honor of the sixtieth anniversary of KUSF's first broadcast, the University of San Francisco Archives have curated a display of materials from the KUSF archival collection. This display captures a part of KUSF history, from its first broadcast to today.
The story of KUSF begins in 1959, when Father Fred J. Spieler transferred to the University of San Francisco from Santa Clara University. (1)
Father Spieler served as the director of the Santa Clara University radio station before transferring to USF to work as an associate professor of physics. (1) When he arrived at USF, he knew what a student-run radio station could do to help break down the "ivory tower" perception of USF by allowing students to engage directly with the San Francisco community. (2)
Before broadcasting could begin, a space needed to be provided for the radio station. Father Spieler took it upon himself to begin and oversee construction of studio space for KUSF (1). He began building a broadcasting booth on the roof of the fifth floor of Phelan Hall, as the sixth floor had yet to be built. (1) With the new broadcasting space and proposed antenna atop Phelan, KUSF would be able to broadcast as far as one mile off of the USF campus. (3) Father Spieler even obtained permission from Federal Communications Commission in 1960 to broadcast across the San Francisco Bay Area. (3)
Unfortunately, Father Fred Spieler's work at KUSF came to an unexpected halt when, on April 20, 1961, he passed away suddenly after a combined cardiac event and car accident. (1) With his passing, work on the KUSF broadcasting station atop Phelan Hall ceased and the space was incorporated into the new sixth floor dormitories. (4) USF also returned the Bay Area broadcasting license that Father Spieler had obtained for them to the Federal Communications Commission. (4)
Despite Father Spieler's unexpected passing and the hampering effect that this had on KUSF's progress, KUSF returned to their AM frequency in 1962 with students once again at the helm of the programming. (5) Although Father Spieler was gone, he would be back to help the student voices on KUSF expand to the wider Bay Area.
Pictured right: Father Fred Spieler, the day before his passing, “Ad majorem Dei gloriam.” San Francisco Foghorn, Vol. 52, No. 35, 21 April 1961, p.1.
By 1963, the KUSF radio station was under the management of the Associated Students of the University of San Francisco (6). According to the ASUSF page of the University of San Francisco's Leadership and Engagement webpage, ASUSF "is committed to amplifying student voices to inspire progress and promote positive change in the USF community," (7) and that is exactly what KUSF worked to do: amplify student voices within the USF community.
Although KUSF's debut was a huge accomplishment in terms of giving students a louder voice on campus, their voices didn't make it all the way to the airwaves at first. KUSF started a little closer to home... in the walls, in fact.
Pictured left: Newspaper clipping. O'Connell, Mike. “Phelan Hall Walls Sound as Radio Station Debuts.” The Foghorn, Vol. 56 No. 1, 15 Feb. 1963.
KUSF first aired as an AM radio station that could be accessed by plugging an AM radio into any outlet in Phelan Residence Hall (8). The AM station broadcasted from noon to midnight each day and was a music-only station (8). Music played on KUSF radio was determined by a survey that asked Phelan residents about their musical preferences. Before the survey was conducted, students were strictly warned that absolutely no rock-and-roll would be played (8).
However, by 1968 the students managing KUSF began to feel restless and began to reach for the wider Bay Area once more (3). Students began experimenting with a new antenna powered by USF's electrical system that (3) If it was strong enough, the signal could broadcast as far as Oakland and if it wasn't strong enough, the new KUSF signal could reliably reach a one-mile radius around the USF campus (3). This newfound reach made students crave even more independence in their programming and by 1969, KUSF's AM capabilities and programming started to feel "stale" (5).
In 1971, after nearly a decade of broadcasting content ranging from music to game scores on their AM station, KUSF decided to expand their broadcasting potential by switching to an FM radio signal (5). Broadcasting on an FM frequency would mean that KUSF could be accessible without a wall plug and that KUSF could expand its reach to the whole California Bay Area. Citing Father Spieler's belief in the outreach opportunities that FM radio presented for USF, university money was made available for KUSF to aid in their expansion to FM broadcasting. (2)
Serendipitously for KUSF, the following year the Simpson Bible College radio station was forced to close their doors and they were seeking buyers for their FM broadcasting equipment. (4) With funding assistance from the university, KUSF purchased Simpson Bible Colleges equipment for $1200 (5). However, having the equipment to broadcast of FM was not enough to begin broadcasting. KUSF still needed to obtain a broadcasting license from the FCC.
Steve Runyon, the general manager of KUSF in 1975, was determined to obtain an FM broadcasting license for KUSF (9). Runyon began his career with KUSF as a student employee in 1964 and stayed on the staff after he graduated (4), and he shared his predecessor, Father Spieler's, belief that a student-run radio station would be an essential tool for the USF community (9). Runyon saw that KUSF not only served the growing Mass Media Studies program at USF by providing students for future careers , but he also saw that KUSF's AM frequency already reached roughly four million listeners (9). Thankfully, Ruyon was not alone in his belief that KUSF would be a strong asset to USF. He had the support of Father Dempsey, the chairman of the Communication Arts Program, and the posthumous support of Father Spieler, who's brother donated $6,000 to USF in Father Spieler's name to aid in converting KUSF from AM to FM (9).
On February 4, 1976 the hard work of Steve Runyon and Father Spieler finally paid off when a message arrived stating:
“Commission of February 4 granted application BPED-L880 construction permit to change transmitter, studio and remote control to Room 26, Phelan Hall, University of San Francisco…” (4)
This FCC communication granted KUSF with permission to begin work building a new FM broadcasting studio and granted them temporary broadcasting permission. (5) The temporary permission remained in effect until the following year, when in 1977 the FCC granted KUSF with full permission and a license to begin broadcasting as KUSF on the 90.3 FM frequency. (5)
Pictured left: Steve Runyon talking to a student in the KUSF studio. Baker, Jim. “KUSF History.” San Francisco Foghorn, Vol 70 No 27, 12 March 1976, p.5-6.
At this point, KUSF was funded through a combination of grants from the National Science Foundation, California Council for the Humanities in Public policy, the Fr. Spieler Memorial Trust, the Rockafeller Foundation, and funding directly from USF. (5)
KUSF's FM debut created new creative opportunities for students that were previously unheard of, particularly within the continuously expanding Mass Media Studies department (10). With 6 hours of airtime to fill (11) , students could brainstorm, workshop, and produce their own on-air programs that reached beyond the University of San Francisco residence halls. At this point Runyon, who was now also the head of the Mass Media Studies program, described KUSF's programming as "unlabeled" and "extremely broad." (5) Although students still could not play rock or disco music... according to Runyon, programming was "not that broad." (5) Despite the lack of rock and disco, KUSF's FM signal offered students real-world broadcasting experience and the possibility of new awards, like the Father Spieler Award for Best Mass Media Studies Student (12).
Pictured above are Lillian Lum and Roger Lewis, two students who produced KUSF radio shows in the late 1970s (12). Lillian Lum, an ambitious Mass Media Studies student and Dean's List honoree (13), and Roger Lewis, a Theater Arts major at USF who was also a very active participant in KUSF(14). Lewis hosted a show on Tuesdays and Thursdays during his time at USF called "Roger Lewis & The Roger Lewis Experience" (15). Students and creatives of all kinds were drawn to KUSF for its opportunities in academic achievement and for the creative outlet it provided.
By the 1980s the musical pallet of the USF student body and the Bay Area began to change. While daytime KUSF shows continued to spin mellow rock, night shows began exploring other musical genres including punk, new wave, and even underground artists (16). The response to this shift was overwhelmingly positive, with existing viewers calling in to the station specifically request more of this kind of content (16). This diversification of the radio station allowed KUSF to expand their audience, not just geographically but now demographically, and reflected the changing student body (11). The new listeners also allowed KUSF to expand their 6 hour programming to 24/7 as of 1981. (11)
When the Bay Area's other major rock broadcasting station, KSAN, announced its transition to country music, KUSF effectively became the leading popular culture radio station, not just at USF but now for the entire San Francisco Bay Area (16). This newfound prestige presented KUSF and the students who ran it with yet another new opportunity. As the Bay Area's leading popular culture radio station, KUSF and the students who ran it now had the prestige to conduct high-profile celebrity interviews. KUSF interviewed such celebrities as Keanu Reeves, the B-52's, and the Ramones (6). In more recent years, KUSF has interviewed The Moldy Peaches, The Frights, and many other indie artists (6). Many of KUSF's interviews are currently available to stream on the KUSF website but some, including the 1999 interview with Keanu Reeves, are stored in the University of San Francisco Archive's KUSF collection.
Without warning, at 10am on January 18, 2011, KUSF went to dead air mid-broadcast (17). To much surprise and much uproar, this was how the University of San Francisco announced that the 90.3 radio signal had sold for 3.75 million dollars (18). The 90.3 air slot and FM license sold to KDFC, a San Francisco classical music radio station owned by the University of Southern California (18). While the University of San Francisco did retain the KUSF call sign, logo, and music library, the station was abruptly moved to an online-only format at KUSF.org. (18).
Administrators from the University of San Francisco argued that the sale would not only financially benefit the university but would also bring the KUSF station back to the student community, who only made up ten percent of the station's volunteer operators at the time of the sale (18). Regardless of who the change was intended to benefit, nearly 500 students, faculty members, and community volunteers showed up to demand answers from Father Privett, then USF President at a town-hall meeting (18).
Student body opinions about the sale of the 90.3 air slot are especially apparent in the Foghorn newspaper's headlines from the time, like one from September 15th of 2011 reading, "Community Hopes for KUSF Sale's Reversal"(19). Later articles, however, show an acceptance of the changes to KUSF's format and even some excitement for the future. An issue from September 13, 2012 encouragingly boasts "Student Involvement Still Strong After KUSF Sale," and includes the opinion of senior student Bailey Onaga who says, "'KUSF will never be 90.3, but I'm really positive for KUSF.org and am grateful for the experiences I've had'" (20).
Today KUSF is under the direction of General Manager, Miranda Morris. (6) With regard to KUSF's continued online-only format, Morris has expressed a desire to return to FM broadcasting. (21) However, as recently as 2018, student workers at KUSF observed the benefits of keeping KUSF online (21).
Cassidy Miller, a student worker and KUSF's promotions director in 2018, echoed some of Morris's concerns regarding the visibility of FM radio compared to online stations in a 2018 interview. However, she assured listeners that “ (a) lot of people who knew the old KUSF don’t know that we’re doing anything as an online station. They thought that with the sale of the station in 2011 that we just died and went to Hell, basically, but that’s not true, we are still here... Radio isn't dead if it's online. It's just different.” (21)
Sophie Kim, another student worker and KUSF's website director in 2018, stated that "since we launched our app... more people are on their phones… so I feel like we have a larger reach online. Like my sister... used to live in South Carolina and she would listen to my show. You can’t do that if you’re on FM." (21) Kim also stated in the same interview that she felt that regular FM signals are too formal, as they needed to define the genre they catered to. (21) She argued that keeping the station online actually supported the “DIY aspect” of KUSF and helps the station's freeform style stand out. (21)
Pictured right: A KUSF programming schedule, Spring 2022
More than a desire for airwaves, though, paramount in Morris's continued work at KUSF is her mission to ensure that students are in charge of KUSF. (21) Allowing students a space for creativity, professional development, and to be heard has informed Morris's career with KUSF and continues to inform the programming of the station. (21)
Today KUSF remains an online-only radio station. The station features programs by current USF students interested in radio broadcasting, media studies, and recreational listening! All programming is managed and coordinated by students, while day-to-day operations continue to be managed by Miranda Morris. Beyond DJing slots on the radio, students work to script and record podcasts, record exclusive video performances in the KUSF studio, and help manage the annual KUSF "Rock 'n Swap" (6). Students continue to have doors opened to them by KUSF, and in turn those students continue to make KUSF a space that brings a music-loving community together.
Display in Gleeson Library curated by University Archivist, Annie Reid. On display on the lower level of Gleeson Library from February 14 until August, 2023.
Virtual Exhibit curated by Special Collections & University Archives department assistant, Maura Wilson, and student assistant, Talulah Freed.
List of Sources:
- “Ad majorem Dei gloriam.” San Francisco Foghorn, Vol. 52, No. 35, 21 April 1961, p.1.
- Kelly, Frank. “The KUSF Story.” Foghorn, Vol 72 No 3, 29 April 1977, p. 1.
- Bird, Sue. “KUSF struggles toward Oakland with new system.” San Francisco Foghorn, Vol 62 No 16, 22 March 1968, p.3.
- Baker, Jim. “KUSF History.” San Francisco Foghorn, Vol 70 No 27, 12 March 1976, p.5-6.
- Kelly, Frank. “KUSF FM: Bay Area’s New Cultural Voice.” Foghorn, Vol 72 No 3, 29 April 1977, p. 8.
- KUSF College Radio. http://www.kusf.org/about.
- About ASUSF Senate. University of San Francisco, 2 May 2023, https://myusf.usfca.edu/asusf-senate/about.
- O'Connell, Mike. “Phelan Hall Walls Sound as Radio Station Debuts.” The Foghorn, 15 Feb. 1963.
- Lewis, Gwen. “Media is growing at USF.” San Francisco Foghorn, Vol 69 No 24, 7 March 1975, p.8.
- “Music, drama, debate guaranteed: International constitution OK’d.” The Foghorn, Vol. 67 No. 22, 2 March 1973.
- San Francisco Foghorn, Vol 108 Issue 14, 3 Feb 2011. P 2 - 3
- Winners of the Fr. Spieler Award for Best Mass Media Studies Student. 1977 and 1979, University of San Francisco Archives, San Francisco.
- “Fall '76 Honor Roll.” The Foghorn , Vol. 71, No.14, 18 Feb. 1977, p. 12.,
- Thompson, Michael. “USF's Black Ensemble.” The Foghorn, Vol. 71, No. 5, 8 Oct. 1976
- “Tri-News.” The Foghorn, Vol. 70, No. 3, 25 Apr. 1975.
- Yeatrakas, Lisa, "Our Humble Beginnings: From Fine Arts to Punk Rock?" The Wave Sector, June 1981.
- Kuhn, Kayla. “KUSF Radio Station.” USFTV, 11 Feb. 2022. Youtube, https://youtu.be/6oBqJkcXCE8.
- Montes, Ericka. “USF Sells KUSF SF Community and Volunteers Protest Sale, Privett Addresses Concerns.” San Francisco Foghorn, Vol. 108 Issue 14, 27 January 2011.
- Argomaniz, Roland. “Community Hopes for KUSF Sale’s Reversal.” San Francisco Foghorn, Vol. 109 Issue 2, 15 Sept. 2011.
- Magee, Danielle. “Student Involvement Still Strong After KUSF Sale,” San Francisco Foghorn, Vol. 109 Issue 3, 13 Sept. 2012.
- The Birth and Rebirth of KUSF: A Short Documentary. Produced by Julie Gentile and Michael Howard. 2018. https://vimeo.com/317098640.
Credits:
Talulah Freed, 2023