Radio station KQAK, better known as The Quake, launched 32 years ago this week, an interesting coincidence given all the shaking that's been going on around here.
The daring radio station operated from 1982-1985 and had a profound influence on the "modern rock" (and later "alternative") ethos of KITS (aka Live 105), which followed in 1983. Indeed, Live 105 would later be home to several Quake jocks, including Rob Francis, Big Rick Stuart and Alex Bennett.
Bennett, who had left a morning show stint on KMEL (then a rock station), was the first to broadcast on The Quake, kicking off with The Who's "Won't Get Fooled Again." While the few years in between saw emergent synthpop, ska, punk and goth artists, the last song played was "Around The Dial" by The Kinks.
An 86-minute clip of Bennett's first show on The Quake is available to stream thanks to the preservation efforts of the Bay Area Radio Museum.
