90.5 KVHS, the longtime, student-run radio station on the campus of Clayton Valley Charter High School, will apparently change format in the next few weeks.
The station has played heavy metal and rock for several decades since it started in the late-1960s.
Station Manager and KVHS alumni Phil Moore, says their duty is to serve the community, and they promise a “diverse and exciting new programming format.”
Moore says he wants KVHS to be the “flagship of a new media center” for teachers and students in the Mount Diablo Unified School District.
He posted an audio message on KVHS.com – feel free to click on the link to listen to all he has to say, or email him with your input at info@kvhs.com.
photo: KVHS.com
I love the rock and metal, but it is limiting students who would like to learn and give it a go the opportunity.
Well, it would’ve helped to have access to newer content. They only play the same 20 metal songs repeatedly from 30 years ago. 🙄
Agreed. They could have done more with the format.
A few years back, I worked at the station as an employee of MDUSD. Several times per week the program director would come in to listen to a bottomless box of CDs. Very few of which made it to the air. Yet their music selection always seemed limited.
Why couldn’t they have a local music hour? Clinton’s Telecommunication act crippled Indie music, paving the way for monotonous monopolies like IHeart music. KVHS didn’t have the constraint of belonging to big Corp and so should have done more to support the scene.
I hope their new direction towards “diversity” isn’t really a euphemism for corporate drivel.
It’s run out of a CHARTER school, so they have NO interest in serving MDUSD teachers OR Students.
Damn It. Is everything getting canceled?!
The radio licence belongs to MDUSD. The CVCHS campus belongs to MDUSD and is leased by the charter school. I believe the point of the article is that there will be a change of format. Many former students have apeared before the MDUSD boad to ask that the radio program be revitalized. As with most issues with California education, funding is always a matter of priorities. I am glad the school boad has chosen not to sell the radio licence for short term gain and has supported the concept of hands on education. Kudos especially to the alums who have fought to keep this staion viable.
Jazzman, you are partially correct.
The studio & antenna are located on the campus of Clayton Valley Charter HS. Which, used to be part of Mt. Diablo Unified SD until it became a Charter.
That being said, Mt. Diablo SD owns the property (which is now leased by CVCHS) and more importantly, holds the FCC license for KVHS.
MDSD didn’t like CV leaving/becoming an independent from them ($$$). They kept control of the license and station (which they were/are legally entitled to).
The “instructor” (who has now retired) in the article was an employee of MDSD not CVCHS.
So, MDSD has been responsible for the automated programming since 2012/13.
NOOOO!!!! if i want something diverse, i turn on another station. I want rock and metal, i turn to 90.5
Wasn’t KVHS one of the first radio stations to play Metallica?
Sorry, but no.
Metallica was first played on 90.3 KUSF by DJ Ron Quintanna (he actually came up with the name for the band).
You are thinking of Death Angel (several are CV Alums)
I said one of the first, and I believe that to be correct. But thanks for the clarification.
Hope they don’t change to much.
No other stations along rock in the Bay Area.
No!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Don’t change the format! I love this station and have been listening to it since 1999. KVHS is the only station that plays these songs in the bay area and is the best station around!!!!!
BS. Conforming to the liberal idealism. We have enough stations playing rap and other junk. Classic Jazz would be a good change if one was necessary.
You can find plenty of Jazz on the radio and you know it. Stop being obtuse.
Besides KCSM 91.1 in San Mateo name one Jazz station in the bay area……I dare you!!!! THERE AREN’T ANY…………
They have not had the radio class for a few years. MDUSD owns the station and the school property; the charter school uses the school but has nothing to do with the radio station.
It needs to stay a rock station. Why change the genre of music after 50+ years?
Let’s see what left liberal diverse direction this goes…
This is just wrong.
While I am an old metalhead and used to listen all the time when I was younger, much younger, it’s been a long time. It was even a long time ago that I arranged for my Cub Scout Den to take a tour. You know, see how a real radio station works. It was kind of a bust. By this time, the transmission tower had stopped being used, and they just bought bandwidth or time or space or whatever on a transmitter on Mt. Diablo. Worst of all, all the programming was now canned and preformatted. It wasn’t live radio. No Dr. Donald D Rose or Wolfman Jack. No red “On Air” light. Students put their shows together ahead of time on computers. There was really nothing to see.
If it’s no longer going to be all death metal all the time, I would hope that they model the schedule after the KPFA 94.1 FM format. They have an incredibly diverse musical format which has enriched my musical life immensely for decades. They take deep dives on all manner of Americana, Blues, Funk, Gospel, Jazz, Western, Afro-Caribbean… it goes on and on… I would love to see KVHS take a similar open-ended approach. I already know what I like. The truly great radio experience is when you get turned on to something you had no idea you would be interested in.
“Diverse” = Rap. and Woke Pop.
I’ll donate $100 to the charter and the station if they prove me wrong.
I’m not holding my breath.
90.5 has been one of the favorite stations on my dial since 1998. They do a great job. Hopefully the changes are cool too and not just copycat of other stations…
Play lots of rap/hip-hop plus have authors and activists on to take deep dives on systemic racism and white supremacy…so basically the Diablo Valley version of KPFA.
Change isn’t easy. I can imagine hundreds of heads exploding. ( see the movie Scanners.) when the station announces an ‘all polka ‘ music format
I was happy to hear that KVHS is getting another chance.
If KVHS is really going to be a teaching tool then the students should get a bit of say in what gets programmed, like KSJS.
I will miss the aggressive heavy metal, but it is adapt or die.
On a programming note, I say bring back a serial with a cast.
KVHS goes woke. Oh well, no one listens to the radio anymore anyway.
I vote don’t change. It’s a great go to station for our necessary escape from reality.
Aspiring DJ’s/Radio personalities do not have time to listen to the music during their shifts. So whatever they play isn’t really paramount to them learning how to become a DJ.
One of the few stations to play different rock. Oh well. Let’s hope they don’t get too woke.
Some alumni of KVHS have did well, one went on to have a long career in casino management and set up a radio station in a casino. Another very talented individual used skills learned at KVHS to have a successful career behind the scenes editing, producing and became a respected legend in SF radio market.
KVHS has come a long way since beginning in 1964 – 1965 only able to broadcast at 100 miliwatts to only two classroom buildings on AM band using carrier current.
From using old obsolete equipment donated by radio stations in San Francisco, to designing and building their own audio control console in schools electronics shop. Remember first donated professional turn tables were size of washing machines and first control console was 2 1/2 foot tall, almost 5 foot long, used vacuum tubes and weighed 150 pounds.
An that old donated telephone company service van outfitted to broadcast sports events, as long as they were in range of the small van mounted transmitter.
Best DJ I ever heard on KVHS was back around 1990-91, think his real name was Jeff Law but he went by Cornelius Breadinski aka Cornbread…dude was hilarious, he went on to be pretty popular country DJ in the Midwest.
I joined the Marines and became an engineer mechanic, and then after the Cold War ended, a combat correspondent … ended up doing 18 years on active duty, mostly with Asia-Pacifc based units … learned a lot, and they even sent me to study at Syracuse University … haha, they said I did not have a good voice to join AFN radio. But now I am back broadcasting online on my own terms, and launching some new programs here in Saigon … thinking about doing a Good Morning Vietnam show … but need to work out copyright issues … YouTube freaks out about that these days. I did the morning show with Matt Harris and our straight-laced news guy Steve Lashbrook. Tom Wilson was our BIG BOSS … miss that guy. We had a very mixed-bag music gerne format that rotated from pop, to rock, to harder stuff after sundown. We also had weekly specialty shows, such as metalheads night, folk music night, reggae night, alt rock night and a few others. That was an awesome time to be on staff in the 1980s … before digital. I can still hear that news teletype machine in my head. Hope the program lives on for many years … I think the automation radio trends suk.
If running true to form, all that “woke” stuff will only be visible in the rear-view mirror until the next liberal fad comes along. Leave it rock and metal and it will never age.
I was program director for a couple seasons and morning show host. Those were good times for sho. The Rock-a-thons were legend. Wish I had kept more memorabilia. Now I am living in Vietnam, one of the great cities of the world working as an online culinary arts teacher. Shout out to all the old crew listeners, staff and supporters from the 1980s! Long live the “ROCK of CONTRA COSTA”
I have been listening to KVHS since the early ‘90s. I agree with others that this is by far the best station in the Bay Area. I have absolutely loved the last 9 years of a more or less loop of such great music. I feel like I knew this day was coming when they would either shut down all together or change there format. I truly hope they keep rocking the Bay Area with a lot of the same music and continue to play all the goofy station identifications and student made commercials. I am a very faithful listener as I have 90.5 the edge playing in my house almost all day long every day. I hope to continue to listen to the new format and please make these changes slowly and continue to be “the station that is always here for You” Thanks for all the great music and great memories over the last several decades and good luck continuing this legendary station. I LoVe you KVHS 90.5 The edge!!
DON’T CHANGE IT TOO MUCH!! I love it the way it is now. They play music no one else does. Radio in the Bay Area is bland & corporate. Keep KVHS unique!
NOOOOOOOOO!!! Don’t change the format!!! If you do, KVHS will be exactly like another existing radio station! Metal & Rock IS KVHS!! Standing alone, doing it’s OWN thing! We need the unique format to live on!🤘🏽🤘🏽
I can personally attest for a squad of Northgate freshman girls who will be extremely bummed at losing this station. They listen to literally every genre and its mando when piling in the truck to roll on KVHS.
You know exactly what you’re going to get.
Plus they still play my band from time to time…which is always MAJOR street cred for Dad.
Such a sad announcement. I will give it a chance. However, they have a solid place in a carved out market currently. Wish they could improve on getting more aspiring DJs airtime. Don’t become another lost program over the broadcast media. We already know which stations have their repeat set lists. If you wanna hear Crazy Train every 17 minutes, you know where to adjust that dial.
Don’t change. Stay true to the roots of what made KVHS great. There are enough rap stations already.