KQED-FM
radio station
KQED-FM (88.5 MHz) is a noncommercial educational radio station licensed to San Francisco, California, United States, that is the primary National Public Radio (NPR) member station for the San Francisco Bay Area. It is simulcast on KQEI-FM (89.3 FM), licensed to North Highlands, California, United States, and serving the Sacramento metropolitan area. Owned by KQED Inc. alongside KQED (channel 9), the station's studios are located on Mariposa Street in San Francisco's Mission District. KQED-FM's transmitter is sited along Radio Road, atop San Bruno Mountain, in Brisbane; KQEI-FM's transmitter is located on Sorento Road in Elverta.
KQED-FM is one of the most-listened-to public radio stations in the United States, and often ranks first in the Nielsen ratings for the San Francisco radio market. KQED's local programming includes Forum with Mina Kim and Alexis Madrigal, The California Report and Tech Nation. In addition to standard analog transmission, KQED-FM is carried on Comcast digital cable channel 960, broadcasts in HD Radio, and is available online, including via iHeartRadio, TuneIn, and Apple Music.
History
Prior KXKX-FM 97.3 MHz (1952–1956) is unrelated.
KXKX
The San Francisco Theological Seminary, a Presbyterian group, began broadcasting with station KXKX in April 1963.
The public source identifies “KQED-FM” as radio station. This brief keeps that definition visible, then builds a research path around KQED-FM, radio and station.
Why this record matters
A short description can identify a subject without explaining its stakes. For “KQED-FM”, the useful work is to connect “radio station” to the records capable of establishing context and consequence.
Maps, plans, fabric surveys and administrative records can establish how the site’s name, extent and function changed over time. The source revision retrieved here is dated Jun 18, 2026. The linked authority identifier is Q765372. VIAF identifies the subject as 150530013. The Library of Congress control number is nr00039111. Authority coordinates are 37.690, -122.437. 3 of 5 selected statements include explicit references; 1 carry qualifiers and 0 use preferred rank. The first chronological checks are 1952, 1956 and 1963.
A single description cannot reconcile every naming convention, rebuilding phase or administrative transfer associated with a place. The lead is largely declarative, so disagreement and counter-evidence require a deliberate search beyond the opening account. Authority statements aid reconciliation but still require their own references, qualifiers and ranks to be checked.
How to read it
Treat names, boundaries and functions as historically changeable. Maps, plans, inventories and administrative records can clarify what the place meant at different dates.
- Historic place names
- Jurisdictional context
- Routes into maps and plans
Contemporary maps, plans, listed-building records, estate papers and the responsible local or national archive.
Three-step research path
- Establish the record: confirm the title “KQED-FM”, its source revision and the description used here.
- Expand the search: follow KQED-FM primary sources, KQED-FM archive and KQED-FM research across catalogues and specialist indexes.
- Test the account: compare the strongest cited source with the responsible institution’s current record and note any disagreement.
Questions for further research
- Which source most directly establishes the central claim about “KQED-FM”?
- Which earlier names or jurisdictions may reveal additional records?
- What physical evidence or contemporary plan supports the description?
Search terms from this dossier
This entry incorporates text from “KQED-FM” on English Wikipedia. Contributors are listed in the page history. Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Selected authority identifiers and statements are retrieved from Wikidata under CC0; their references and qualifiers remain part of the verification path.