San Francisco Radio Online: Bay Area Stations, Streaming Live
Updated
You can listen to San Francisco radio online in any browser, with no download and no account: open 72FM, search for a station's name, and press play. The Bay Area punches far above its size in radio history — it gave America its first listener-supported station, and it is home to SomaFM, one of the internet's best-loved radio networks.
SomaFM
Listener-supported and commercial-free, SomaFM broadcasts dozens of channels from San Francisco, and many of them are among the most-voted stations in the whole directory:
- Groove Salad — ambient and downtempo, the flagship.
- Secret Agent — spy-film cool and lounge.
- Underground 80s — new wave and synth-pop.
- Space Station Soma, Deep Space One and Drone Zone — ambient and space music.
- Left Coast 70s, Indie Pop Rocks!, Lush, Fluid, Boot Liquor, Folk Forward, Seven Inch Soul and Heavyweight Reggae — and many more.
Public and community radio
- KQED 88.5 — the Bay Area's NPR station, with news and talk.
- KPFA — in Berkeley, the first listener-supported radio station in the United States, on air since 1949 and the founding station of the Pacifica network.
More from the Bay
- Free FM 80s San Francisco — 1980s hits at 320kbps.
- SomaFM DEF CON Radio — music for hackers, from the famous security conference's channel.
The sound of the city
San Francisco was the centre of the 1960s psychedelic scene and has long been a home for independent, listener-supported culture — which is exactly what SomaFM and KPFA are. California radio online covers the state. Ambient radio, chill radio and 80s radio cover some of the sounds SomaFM is known for.
A little history
KPFA in Berkeley, founded in 1949 by Lewis Hill, was America's first listener-supported radio station. In 1967 Tom Donahue turned KMPX into one of the first free-form FM rock stations, and KSAN followed.
Listening from elsewhere
The Bay Area keeps Pacific time — eight hours behind UTC in winter and seven in summer.
A route in
- SomaFM Groove Salad, for the Bay's best-known internet station.
- KQED, for news.
- KPFA, for the station that started listener-supported radio.
- SomaFM Secret Agent or Underground 80s, for something different.
Down the coast, Los Angeles radio online is next.
Stations with a page on 72FM
Live San Francisco stations from the open directory, most-voted first.
Frequently asked questions
How can I listen to San Francisco radio online for free?
Search for the station on 72FM — SomaFM's channels, KQED and KPFA are in the directory — no download and no account, with an hour a day free.
What is SomaFM?
A listener-supported, commercial-free internet radio network based in San Francisco, with dozens of channels such as Groove Salad and Secret Agent.
What was the first listener-supported radio station?
KPFA in Berkeley, on air since 1949.
Is KQED online?
Yes — KQED 88.5, the Bay Area's NPR station, is in the directory.