KCEA

For the airport serving Wichita, Kansas assigned the ICAO code KCEA, see Cessna Aircraft Field.
KCEA
Broadcast areaSan Francisco Peninsula
Frequency89.1 MHz
Programming
FormatBig band
Ownership
OwnerSequoia Union High School District
History
First air date
June 2, 1979; 45 years ago (1979-06-02)
Former call signs
KMAH (1979–1983)
KWAP (1983–1983)
Call sign meaning
play on the word "sea"[1]
Technical information[2]
Licensing authority
FCC
Facility ID41168
ClassA
Power100 Watts
HAAT39 meters (128 ft)
Transmitter coordinates
37°29′32.0″N 122°16′28.0″W / 37.492222°N 122.274444°W / 37.492222; -122.274444
Links
Public license information
WebcastKCEA Webstream
Websitewww.kcea.org

KCEA (89.1 FM) is a broadcast radio station licensed to Atherton, California, serving the San Francisco Peninsula. The station broadcasts a music format featuring big band, swing and adult standards in addition to local high school sports.[3] KCEA is owned and operated by Sequoia Union High School District.[4]

History

In 1979, Menlo-Atherton High School founded radio station KMAH, which broadcast local music and student programming. During off hours, the station broadcast a live audio feed of the Pacific Ocean from Fort Point, San Francisco.[1] KMAH became KCEA (named after "sea") in 1983 and switched to its present big band music format in order to attract a wider audience and financial support.[1]

KCEA first broadcast local high school sports on January 8, 1999, when the station broadcast a Menlo-Atherton home basketball game. The October 11, 2013 broadcast of a football game between Sequoia and Terra Nova high schools was KCEA's 500th high school sports broadcast.[5]

Frank Spinetta, a manager of the KCEA-FM and a Sequoia Union High School District employee from the 1970s through 1995, pleaded no contest in 1997 to embezzling $92,000 from the high school district, was replaced by Mike Isaacs, a College of San Mateo broadcasting instructor.[6][7]

Late in October 2018, the Sequoia Union High School District Board of Trustees discussed converting KCEA into a student run station in order to align the station closer to the district's educational mission.[8]

The NAMM Oral History Program music historian, Daniel Del Fiorentino, conducted his first interview when he worked for the KCEA radio station in 1983 to 1994. He has since then interviewed thousands of people of who have made an impact on the history of music.

References

  1. ^ a b c "About". KCEA. Retrieved August 18, 2020.
  2. ^ "Facility Technical Data for KCEA". Licensing and Management System. Federal Communications Commission.
  3. ^ "Arbitron Station Information Profiles". Nielsen Audio/Nielsen Holdings. Retrieved March 30, 2014.
  4. ^ "KCEA Facility Record". Federal Communications Commission, audio division. Retrieved March 30, 2014.
  5. ^ Mazeika, Vytas (October 10, 2013). "Prep notes: KCEA to broadcast 500th game". San Jose Mercury News. Retrieved August 18, 2020.
  6. ^ Workman, Bill (Aug 4, 1995). "Big Band Station Back on Air After Probe of Finances". sfgate.com/. Retrieved 6 August 2024.
  7. ^ Kazak, Don (26 August 2005). "Spinetta charged with sexual assault". Palo Alto Online. Retrieved 6 August 2024.
  8. ^ Walsh, Austin (October 26, 2018). "Officials favor keeping radio station operating". San Mateo Daily Journal. Retrieved August 18, 2020.