LIVERMORE — For these within the Tri-Valley wanting a relaxed, impassioned or heartbreaking classical composition to take heed to on a drive via the suburbs, look no additional than 89.9 FM, the most recent addition to the Bay Space’s radio sphere.
Invoice Lueth, the president of KDFC radio station and vice chairman of the USC Radio Group, sat down with the Bay Space Information Group to debate his station’s newest enlargement into Livermore and different elements of the Bay Space. With an extended, sturdy historical past in public broadcasting, Lueth explains the attain of classical music and its worth for native communities.
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The interview has been edited for area and readability.
Q: Inform me a bit of bit about Classical California and your group. What ought to folks know?
A: We’re America’s largest media group for classical radio and something that goes together with that. It’s on-line, on good audio system, good telephones, we’ve got occasions and partnerships with the humanities group. We’ve got about 1,000,000 and a half month-to-month listeners. The indicators are up and down the coast of California, beginning all the way in which in Ukiah truly, after which we’ve got the Wine Nation in Napa, then we go right down to San Francisco out to Livermore, to Silicon Valley and Monterey. We maintain happening the Central Coast to San Luis Obispo and Santa Barbara, LA County, Orange County and out to Palm Springs. We’ve got two residence studio bases – one is in downtown San Francisco proper throughout the road from Davies Symphony Corridor and the opera home. The opposite one is in downtown Los Angeles.
We coordinate loads of issues from behind the scenes collectively in these two markets and that’s what is named Classical California. We proceed to do increasingly more to rejoice the humanities throughout the state. We’re the one FM station that does this 24 hours a day within the state. There aren’t any different full-time classical music stations on the radio. That’s one in all our commitments. We’re listener supported, we’re a nonprofit – 80% of our income comes immediately from the listeners who principally care for the radio stations and the operations itself.
Radio host Maggie Clennon Reberg in a studio at Classical California KDFC on Wednesday, April 30, 2025, in San Francisco, Calif. Classical California KDFC is the state's largest classical radio station. (Aric Crabb/Bay Space Information Group)
Q: How lengthy have you ever been round?
A: I’ve been within the Bay Space since 1989. I began as a morning present host on a classical station again then referred to as KKHI. It’s not round anymore. I used to be there for 5 years, and was additionally its program director. I anchored the OJ (Simpson) trial on the radio for KPIX radio after they had a radio station within the mid-90s. I got here to KDFC in 1997, when a brand new firm purchased it. I used to be its morning present host then and this system director. Finally they added different radio stations underneath my portfolio – nation music and a 70s/80s pop rock format. And in 2011 the station was … bought by the College of Southern California, which already owned the license for KUFC in Los Angeles, our present sister station, and I turned the president of KDFC in Northern California as a nonprofit in January of 2011.
Q: How did you develop an appreciation for classical music?
A: Nicely, I needed to be an expert trumpet participant. I performed hockey in highschool in Minnesota and a hockey stick ended that (profession) in my mouth. I used to be already a singer in some small-time rock bands and ended up getting a scholarship to be a music main on the College of Wisconsin at Eau Claire. I actually didn’t have a critical classical background, aside from enjoying trumpet as a jazz participant and highschool orchestra. But it surely actually wasn’t any overly subtle (expertise.) I actually bought the opera bug from my mentor on the time who skilled me as an opera signer. I used to be a grad assistant on the College of Nebraska within the opera division, so I bought a masters in opera. And that’s the place I actually bought into the classical world extra deeply. Frankly, it was after I lastly went into radio my final week of grad faculty, I began a bit of program and have become this system director of this little station in Lincoln, Nebraska, after I was in my mid-20s. I actually found the enjoyment of sort of creating playlists and curating classical music for a broad viewers via radio. That’s the place I reduce my enamel and realized extra in regards to the classical repertoire.
Q: What are a few of your inspirations in classical music? Do you have got any favourite symphonies or operas that you just simply adore?
A: I occur to be a music lover. I feel that’s my area on this world, that’s why I’ve overseen these totally different codecs as properly and I’m concerned in numerous sorts of music. So classical music is simply one other style of music that I get pleasure from. I used to be in it, I just like the vary of it. I feel I’m an omnivore of music. It’s onerous to choose my favourite tune, or my favourite piece, or my favourite composer or my favourite artist. I don’t often have that, usually. I’m fairly mainstream, I can let you know that. My classical music style is fairly down the center: Beethoven, Mozart, Dvořák, Bottesini, Verdi – that’s type of my wheelhouse.
An on air mild exterior a studio at Classical California KDFC on Wednesday, April 30, 2025, in San Francisco, Calif. Classical California KDFC is the state's largest classical radio station. (Aric Crabb/Bay Space Information Group)
Q: Was there not a classical radio station within the Tri-Valley earlier than?
A: We was once on the market. When KDFC was a business station, we had a much bigger sign. We had a big business sign on 102.1 FM, and that was there for a very long time till 2011. So in 2011, the business house owners switched that format to a basic rock station…and as we speak it’s a basic hip hop station. When the large radio stations have been first put in in radio land within the Bay Space, they have been primarily located across the Bay. And the Tri-Valley, again in these days within the 40s and 50s and 60s, there weren’t many individuals who lived within the Tri-Valley. It was small cities and rural, so that they didn’t create the stations for them, they created them for San Francisco and San Jose. So when the populations grew alongside 680 and ultimately 580 and past, among the stations had a booster on the market. We had a booster on Mount Diablo, which helped fill within the space fairly properly within the Tri-Valley. As a result of the general public station needed to purchase extra sign, there wasn’t a lot protection. Our 89.9 FM sign is just not a excessive powered sign, nevertheless it’s positioned excessive on a mountain in Napa. It could get right down to about Danville. It wouldn’t go any additional south, and it was very spotty in elements of Orinda and Lafayette as a result of the terrain wasn’t coated very properly. We have been in a position so as to add some sign in Livermore this yr and now we’re coordinating some technical issues to make the reference to our sign out in Napa to merge higher. Now you’ll be able to hear it in Livermore and elements of San Ramon, Pleasanton, elements of Dublin – and that’s new protection that we didn’t have earlier than.
Q: What makes it vital to get this sort of music out to Livermore?
A: That’s what we do. The group and the enjoyment of the humanities and getting classical music of their lives and what it does for folks – we predict it’s extremely beneficial. The individuals who assist us and take heed to us consider the humanities matter. It’s a part of our society, and we’re type of the humanities station, the voice of the humanities, if you’ll. We amplify all of what the group is doing. We broadcast the San Francisco Symphony, in LA we broadcast the LA Philharmonic. Whereas this music is inspiring, it’s also calming. It represents the calm within the chaos of the world. You possibly can really feel protected with this sort of music. It’s additionally very emotional and really human. And ours is totally different from algorithmic stations and the algorithm of music stations. We curate all the things. We’ve got individuals who choose our music and create a really totally different vibe, after which we’ve got announcers who’re pleasant and make the music related.
Q: Would you say there’s a void you’re filling by bringing the sign to the Tri-Valley?
A: There’s an viewers for classical music all over the place, and positively within the Bay Space we’ve got audiences that respect the humanities and go to various things – not solely within the Tri-Valley however on the California Symphony in Walnut Creek, they go to Bankhead Theater in Livermore. We all know there’s an viewers for it.
For us, you don’t should be a classical music knowledgeable. That is only for individuals who just like the sound of it, that need to study extra about it. It makes them really feel good, and that’s beneficial for anyone anyplace.
BILL LUETH PROFILE
Age: 63
Group: KDFC and USC Radio Group
Title: President of KDFC and Vice President of USC Radio Group
Residence: Danville
Training: College of Wisconsin at Eau Claire, Bachelors of Music; College of Nebraska, Masters of Music
Accolades: Bay Space Radio Corridor of Fame 2021 Inductee
5 issues about Invoice
Likes to make music playlists of all types of music, which he’s accomplished since highschool
Performed hockey
Radio anchor of OJ Simpson trial for KPIX FM earlier than it dissolved and was the voice of San Francisco Opera for stay broadcasts in 90s
Has a spouse and two sons
Enjoys wine tasting
