KFRC "Game Zone" Programming

Although I was never *lucky* enough to experience it firsthand, KFRC programmed a "Game Zone" block of programming from late April through early November 1985. The "Game Zone," from the limited information I have, ran from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. daily, with Top 40 throughout the rest of the day.

I recently received a copy of "The $61,000 Challenge," hosted by Jim Bridges, and have posted a temporary page with the audio at:

http://www.bayarearadio.org/audio/kfrc/1985/kfrc_61000-challenge_1985.shtml

If anyone has any background information to share (other than "I think it lasted from March to October 1982, and it sucked") I'd appreciate hearing from you.

Thanks,

DJ

KFRC "Game Zone" First Hand

Hi...glad you'd like some info on "The Game Zone".

I was there from the start to the finish. I wrote the first trivia questions and was the original producer of the "100,000 Challenge". I wrote in detail (back in December, I think) about the GZ. It was an noble attempt at something new which is something we still can't say about radio 20 years later.

Let's see..some interesting GZ trivia...

*The GZ was designed by RKO's consultant Walt Sabo. Nuff said.

*Computers were used to track all the games and the point totals. The people who answered the request lines (AKA "Hitliners") became game show producers. The computers would often crash..hey it was 1985!

*On the first day, no called for the first game (9AM.."Dear Dave"..where Dave played an on-the air Dear Abby. Yes..bad concept but I love Sholin!). I was the first caller. And suprise! People called in to offer advice. Dave, at first didn't like the idea, but I think he got into it later.

*RKO thought we would be getting the game show "prizes" on trade. Never happened. We spent thousands on prizes.

*The hitliners also became game show writers..writing trivia questions for all the game shows. Each show went through about 20-30 questions a day. Yeah..you do the math.

*Each GZ show had it's own t-shirt, designed by then wonderful Promotions Director Vicki Mann. They looked great. I'm glad I still have several.

*Coke came in twords the end as the sponsor of the entire GZ block. There were posters on all the Coke truck around the Bay Area and a huge sign at the old Coke plant on Van Ness and Mission. There was tv commerical that was just graphics with a voice over. It hardly ran.

OK..that's all the interesting stuff I can think of. If you have any questions, let me know!

Re: KFRC "Game Zone" First Hand

> Hi...glad you'd like some info on "The Game Zone".


Hitliner,

Thanks for the excellent info -- I really appreciate it.

If you have a spare moment, could you please contact me off-list at djackson<font color=red>#</font>bayarearadio.org (be sure to replace the <font color=red>#</font> sign with an @ sign).

Thanks!

DJ

Re: KFRC "Game Zone" ...1985?

Are you sure it was 1985? I visited the Bay Area over memorial day weekend of '86 and I recall KFRC AM still being 24/7 CHR/adult. I was thinking GZ came along around August or September '86. Am I wrong?

Re: KFRC "Game Zone" ...1985?

Randy_in_Eugene wrote:

> Am I wrong?


Yes. I've got promotional material and station documentation showing the "Game Zone" running from those dates in 1985. KFRC was Top 40 on Memorial Day 1986 as you noted, but it became "Magic 61" with pop standards on August 11, 1986, a year after "Game Zone" started.

DJ

Re: KFRC "Game Zone" ...1985?

Thank you for clarifying my foggy memory.

Re: KFRC "Game Zone" ...1985?

> Thank you for clarifying my foggy memory.

Hey DJ, now that you've helped Randy with his memory, could you help me remember what I had for breakfast this morning?

Thanks.<P ID="signature">______________


</P>

Re: KFRC "Game Zone" ...1985?

> Hey DJ, now that you've helped Randy with his memory, could
> you help me remember what I had for breakfast this morning?
>
> Thanks.


Jeez. Don't you guys know I have *important* work to do? You had two eggs over easy, bacon (crispy), a slice of toast with I Can't Believe It's Not Butter (with calcium) and strawberry preserves. You drank only half your glass of orange juice but you had two cups of coffee (cream, no sugar).

Anybody else?

DJ

(PS -- No, this probably couldn't get more off-topic than it is.)

Re: KFRC \

BossRadioDJ said:

Although I was never *lucky* enough to experience it firsthand, KFRC programmed a "Game Zone" block of programming from late April through early November 1985. The "Game Zone," from the limited information I have, ran from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. daily, with Top 40 throughout the rest of the day.

I recently received a copy of "The $61,000 Challenge," hosted by Jim Bridges, and have posted a temporary page with the audio at:

http://www.bayarearadio.org/audio/kfrc/1985/kfrc_61000-challenge_1985.shtml

If anyone has any background information to share (other than "I think it lasted from March to October 1982, and it sucked") I'd appreciate hearing from you.

Thanks,

DJ

Click to expand...

I worked there the last 6 months of the "Game Zone". It was pretty funny, they had two computers linked together, but no software was running. We, the associate producers as they were calling us wrote the questions, answered the phones & ran the shows. Sometimes when someone wouldn't call in one of us would have to go and call in. That was usually for Dear Dave. I was also helping out Vicki in promotions doing calligraphy for the certificates we'd send out to companies that competed in "Battle of the Businesses." Those were fun times, but I hung it up after that because I didn't want to follow a Program Director who failed in ratings twice. I was at K101 before KFRC. Fun times though. I still remember drooling over Vicki Liviakis every time she'd walk by and she knew it.

Eric

Re: KFRC \

As I recall the GZ shows used great announcers like Gary Owens to do the show opens, wraps & rejoiners. May have heard Johnny Olsen or some other TV Game Show announcers doing them as well. It sounded great. They did evening game shows at our sister station KFI and they didn't sound anywhere near that good.

Hey Eric, I worked with Vicki at KZAP right before whe went to KFRC. She was pretty cool.

Re: KFRC \

BossRadioDJ said:

> Hey DJ, now that you've helped Randy with his memory, could
> you help me remember what I had for breakfast this morning?
>
> Thanks.


Jeez. Don't you guys know I have *important* work to do? You had two eggs over easy, bacon (crispy), a slice of toast with I Can't Believe It's Not Butter (with calcium) and strawberry preserves. You drank only half your glass of orange juice but you had two cups of coffee (cream, no sugar).

Anybody else?

DJ

(PS -- No, this probably couldn't get more off-topic than it is.)

Click to expand...

Jeez, KM - you'd better start watching your cholesterol. And there are trans-fats in a lot of margarine products, you know.

Bryan Simmons said:

As I recall the GZ shows used great announcers like Gary Owens to do the show opens, wraps & rejoiners. May have heard Johnny Olsen or some other TV Game Show announcers doing them as well. It sounded great. They did evening game shows at our sister station KFI and they didn't sound anywhere near that good.

Hey Eric, I worked with Vicki at KZAP right before whe went to KFRC. She was pretty cool.

Click to expand...

Yes - the fact that Vicki Liviakis has not had a huge career in television news just proves to me that there's no justice in broadcasting. A couple of years ago I watched her do an hour long election special on KRON, virtually all by herself (tiny budget and all that). She was knowedgeable, poised, informative, and there wasn't a false or clumsy moment in the entire broadcast. All that, and she's...um...really, really attractive. Maybe it's of her own choice, but I'm puzzled that she got stuck on pathetic old KRON, and wasn't pursued by the other TV stations.

Sorry to stray off topic again. All I can say about the Game Zone is that I remember only being able to listen for a few minutes at a time...I seem to recall game-show style music and sound effects meant to build "excitement" ...all leading up to some guy winning a toaster oven.

Re: KFRC \

Im surprised the #1 station for news KTVU hasnt rescued her from that sinking ship.. KTVU got Jesse Gary & Mark Tamayo away from KRON,, you cant beat KTVU,, Cox Broadcasting really has it going on! All they need is Charley Van Dyke doing the 10o"clock news intros like he was in say the early 90s! I remember that!!!!!!!! Kenny in Concord

I am the aforementioned Jim Bridges who hosted the Game Zone shows, along with Dave Sholin and Chuck Browning. I'd love to hear the digitized version of 'The $61,000 Challenge' finale that was referenced, but no longer seems available via the link.

I'm also seeking an aircheck of one of my personal 'White Whales,' me tracking the KFRC all-night show as Skip Surf.

While I have several of the Game Zone shows on cassette, unbelievably I don't have any of 'Skip Surf and the All-Night Beach Bonfire.' Vicki was kind enough (or unwise enough) to do several of the ditzy beach girl liners I used. Would really love to have a copy. Thanks!

Skipsurf said:

I am the aforementioned Jim Bridges who hosted the Game Zone shows, along with Dave Sholin and Chuck Browning. I'd love to hear the digitized version of 'The $61,000 Challenge' finale that was referenced, but no longer seems available via the link.

Click to expand...

Hey Jim!

It's still there (kind of) at:

http://bayarearadio.org/audio/kfrc/1985/610 KFRC $61,000 Challenge.mp3

DJ

Is it true??? CBS is selling the KFRC calls to Entercom?? They're switching KRBQ (Q*102) to 106.9 and Q*102 will be KFRC on 102.1??? Doesn't make any sense whatsoever!!!

1069_KIFR said:

Is it true??? CBS is selling the KFRC calls to Entercom?? They're switching KRBQ (Q*102) to 106.9 and Q*102 will be KFRC on 102.1??? Doesn't make any sense whatsoever!!!

Click to expand...

No, it doesn't. And I can't find a thing anywhere to back it up. What are you hearing and from whom/where?

For what you describe (KRBQ to 106.9, KFRC to 102.1) to happen, CBS would have to not just sell the call letters to Entercom...they'd either have to sell the 106.9 frequency to Entercom, which would put a substantial hole in KCBS's audience....or do a station swap with Entercom, with CBS getting 102.1 in exchange for 106.9.

If 102.1 is a better signal than 106.9, that might make sense for CBS (but would it for Entercom?).

Why would Entercom want to switch frequencies to 106.9? It makes no sense. And they'd lose the clever rhyme of Q-102. Q-107? <Thud!> And why would CBS want to give up the FM news repeater for KCBS? That was a brilliant move, and giving it up would make even less sense than Entercom wanting 106.9.

And two days later, not a peep from 1069_KIFR.