Connoisseur Media Completes Bay Area Frequency Moves.

As expected, Connoisseur Media put its “K-Bay Country” brand on another FM frequency in San Jose – the 98.5 signal long home to the South Bay’s classic rock KUFX. “K-Fox” midday man and 35-year station vet Chris Jackson pulled the trigger at noon PT today that relegated KUFX to a pair of HD2 signals: KUFX 98.5-HD2 in San Jose and KMVQ 99.7 HD3 in San Francisco, along with the KFOX mobile app and website.

The impetus is the pending $2 million sale of KBAY (94.5) to K-Love Inc ., announced July 9. Until the FCC greenlights the deal and the new owner picks up the keys, expected in early fall, “K-Bay” will continue to air on its longtime 94.5 signal. It also continues to simulcast on 92.1.

“Expanding Bay Country to 98.5 is an investment in both our listeners and our advertising partners,” Connoisseur Media Regional Operations Manager Brian "Fig" Figula said Wednesday in a press release. “This gives KBAY the stronger signal and broader reach the brand deserves."

The 98.5 stick is a 10,000-watt Class B, licensed to San Jose. KBAY is a 44,000-watt Class B, licensed to Gilroy, CA, about 32 miles south of San Jose.

All current KBAY on-air personalities — including Danny Miller, Tony Michaels and Emily Harlan — remain in place. Additional programming leadership changes across Connoisseur's West Coast markets are expected soon.

K-Fox Goes Jockless

The HD-only version of K-Fox “will launch with all music,” Figula tells Inside Radio. “We'll explore options for talent later this year.” The current KUFX airstaff – Jackson, morning host Morris Knight (6-9am) and PM driver Ilenna (2-6pm) – “will move into new roles within the company,” Figula says. “We'll announce over the next month or so the plan.”

After almost 19 years at “K-Fox,” Tim Jeffreys took to Facebook last weekend to let listeners know Sunday (July 19) marked his final show on the station. “It has been one hell of a run — actually, 2 runs. From 2004 to 2012 and 2016 to today, almost 19 years in total,” Jeffreys wrote. “There is no way I could have accomplished this without help along the way, including Laurie Roberts giving me my first shot in 2004 and Brian Figula for bringing me back in 2016.”

The talent list that’s been part of KUFX over the years is a long one. It includes Greg Kihn, Sloppy Joe, Dan Rusanowsky, Russ Reynolds, Laura Steele, Billy Vega, Big Rick, Karen Nakamura, Nancy Newcomer, and Celeste Perry.

‘Born To Be Wild’

The final hour of “K-Fox” on 98.5 contained more than a few songs that took on special meaning: Queen’s “Another One Bites The Dust,” REM’s “It’s the End of the World as We Know It (and I Feel Fine)”, The Offspring’s “Gone Away” and the Steve Miller Band’s “Take The Money and Run.”

Jackson signed “K-Fox” off with Steppenwolf’s “Born To Be Wild. It was the first song the station played when it signed on 35 years ago.

KUFX was picked up as part of Connoisseur Media’s $10 million purchase of Bonneville’s San Francisco cluster — AC KOIT (96.5), urban AC KBLX (102.9), and CHR “99.7 Now” KMVQ, which gave the Jeff Warshaw-led company a major presence in market No. 6.

Connoisseur also owns hot AC “Mix 106.5” KEZR in San Jose, along with AC KUIC (95.3) and AC KKIQ (101.7) in the East Bay, giving it a strong foothold in Northern California.

KUFX has a decades-long rock history in the South Bay. It was originally located at 94.5 FM, then 104.9 FM, before moving to 98.5 FM in June 1998. Before that, the 98.5 frequency was the longtime home of album rock KOME.

KUFX ranked third among Nielsen-subscriber stations with a 5.3 (6+) share in the June 2026 San Jose survey, trending up (4.4-4.5-5.3). KBAY, meanwhile, trended 3.8-4.2-3.4 (Apr-May-Jun) to tie for eighth place.