KGO (AM)
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| City | San Francisco, California |
|---|---|
| Broadcast area | San Francisco Bay Area |
| Branding | KGO 810 News, Talk & Traffic |
| Slogan | The Bay Area's News and Information Station |
| Frequency | 810 kHz |
| First air date | 1924 |
| Format | news/talk |
| Power | 50,000 watts |
| Class | A (Clear channel) |
| Facility ID | 34471 |
| Transmitter coordinates | 37°31′35″N 122°06′2″WCoordinates: 37°31′35″N 122°06′2″W |
| Callsign meaning | K General Electric Oakland (KGO radio's former owner) |
| Affiliations | |
| Owner | Cumulus Media (Radio License Holdings LLC) |
| Sister stations | KFOG, KNBR, KSJO, KSAN,KSFO, KTCT |
| Webcast | Listen Live |
| Website | KGO Radio |
KGO is accessible throughout the western United States east to the Rocky Mountains, and in northern Mexico, southwestern Canada, and Alaska at night. KGO operated as the West Coast flagship radio station of the American Broadcasting Company (ABC) until the radio group was purchased by Citadel Broadcasting in 2007. The station is now owned by Cumulus Media, following its 2011 merger with Citadel.[1]
KGO has its current studios located in the SoMa portion of San Francisco's Financial District; before Cumulus took over the station, it was previously based in the same building as its former television partner KGO-TV at the ABC Broadcast Center. Its transmitter site is based in Newark near the Dumbarton Bridge. Two of KGO's three towers partially collapsed during the Loma Prieta earthquake on October 17, 1989. All three were replaced.
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History[edit]
After several late-night test broadcasts, using the experimental call letter 6XG, radio station KGO signed on the air on January 8, 1924, from General Electric's Oakland, electrical facility (the original two-story brick building, constructed specifically for the station on East 14th Street, still exists on the site), as part of a planned three-station network comprising WGY in Schenectady, New York, and KOA in Denver, Colorado. KGO was first known as the "Sunset Station"; at that time it operated with a then-impressive 1000 watts.[2] As was the custom with early radio stations, the programming consisted of performances by local talent, including the KGO Orchestra which provided some of the music; and a dramatic group known as the KGO Players, which performed weekly plays and short skits, often under the direction of Bay-area drama instructor Wilda Wilson Church. The station's music, which was also performed by other local orchestras and vocalists, would include classical selections as well as popular dance music the next night. Due to GE's involvement in RCA and RCA's launch of the NBC radio network, KGO was soon operated by NBC management as part of the NBC network. See the KNBR entry for a fuller discussion of NBC's San Francisco radio operations.
By the 1928 Band Plan, 790 kHz was allocated to Oakland, California, and to KGO, which was then owned by General Electric, on an internationally cleared basis. In order to obtain a clear channel in Schenectady, New York, for what would become the present-day WGY, GE effected a breakdown of 790 kHz, whereby WGY (q.v.) would assume the maximum permissible power, and KGO would be lowered in power to 7.5 kW, which was then lower than the minimum permissible power for a clear channel station (10 kW), but higher than the then maximum permissible power for a regional channel station (5 kW). Both stations retained omnidirectional antennas. Therefore, GE effectively removed from the West one of its eight clear channels and added an additional clear channel to the East thereby giving the East nine clear channels and the West only seven. The other "regions" in the Band Plan all retained their allotted eight clear channels. In 1941, stations on 790 kHz were moved to 810 kHz. On December 1, 1947, KGO was directionalized, and power was increased to 50 kW, the new minimum (and maximum) power for a U.S. clear channel. An article in Broadcasting magazine noted that the increase "retired the nation's oldest regularly operating transmitter -- a 7,500-watter ... in use since Jan. 8, 1924."[3]
1940s–1950s[edit]
When the Federal Communications Commission forced NBC to sell one of its two networks (and that network's owned-and-operated stations), KGO's license switched from Radio Corporation of America to the Blue Network, Inc., effective January 23, 1942.[4] The NBC Blue Network simply dropped "NBC" from its name to become the "Blue Network," then in June 1945 re-branded itself the American Broadcasting Company. KGO would become a founding station of the nascent ABC Radio Network as a result.
In the postwar period, KGO produced many live music programs, including that of Western Swing bandleader Bob Wills, whose music was a staple of the time period. KGO was instrumental in bringing the first exercise show to broadcasting, hosted by Jack LaLanne, a fitness instructor and gym operator in nearby Oakland. LaLanne conducted his radio fitness show for many years on KGO, moving in the late 1950s to KGO-TV and a successful TV syndication career.
By the late 1950s, KGO had suffered poor ratings. In 1962, ABC management brought in new management including program director Jim Dunbar, who revamped the station into one of the country's first news/talk stations. While the new format was initially unsuccessful, Dunbar stressed the "live and local" aspect of the programming by running the talk shows every day from locations such as Johnny Kan's Chinese restaurant, Señor Pico's Restaurant, and the legendary hungry i nightclub. This higher profile caused KGO's ratings to begin a steady climb. Among KGO's personalities during this period was future Radio Hall of Fame member J.P. McCarthy, the station's morning host in the early 1960s.
1960s–1980s[edit]
After trying various formats, KGO eventually shifted to news and talk programming, relying heavily on the ABC radio network for its news programs. KGO started carrying Paul Harvey's twice-daily programs but also began to develop a strong local news staff that produced extended morning and afternoon newscasts. The local talk show hosts includedLes Crane, Owen Spann and Jim Eason, who often interviewed visiting celebrities in the KGO studios. Owen Spann also originated special broadcasts from Europe and Africa, interviewing government officials from those countries. Local director-actor Jack Brooks hosted a Saturday-morning entertainment program until his sudden death in June 1984, after directing a production of Kismet for the Capuchino Community Theatre that featured Jim Eason as the poet Omar Khayyám. Dr. Dean Edell began his regular medical programs at KGO,[citation needed] leading to nationally syndicated broadcasts.
Ratings and signal strength[edit]
For more than 27 years (as rated quarterly by Arbitron), KGO was the number-one station in the Bay Area. According to the 2010 Arbitron ratings, however, KGO had lost its lead to KCBS, with KOIT-FM as a close second, and KGO listing at third.[citation needed] When KGO switched to all-news in December 2011, it fell further behind in the local ratings. As of Spring 2013, KGO placed 16th in the market, with approximately half of their listenership when they were number one.[5]
The KGO signal also registers with Arbitron as a station listened to in surrounding metropolitan areas. Due to the nature of its signal and antenna placement, KGO broadcasts on a north-to-south axis, keeping itself free from interference originating from WGY during the night-time and overnight hours when the station broadcasts at 50,000 watts. KGO's signal is received essentially free of static at night in locations such as Vancouver, Washington, Seattle, Washington, and San Diego, but is difficult to receive in Reno, Nevada, and other points east of the Sierra Nevada mountains due to its signal directionality. That said, its overall reach is greater than any FM signal in the Bay Area (according to radio-locator.com map referenced below).
Hosts[edit]
Until December 5, 2011, KGO created nearly all of its own local programming, with very limited syndicated content. The majority of its programs were hosted by San Francisco Bay Area broadcasters[citation needed]. The daily schedule included many issues-oriented talk shows, with weekday hosts that included Gene Burns, Gil Gross, Ronn Owens, John Rothmann, and lawyer Len Tillem. The station also carried a variety of specialty programs, particularly on weekends, with John Hamilton discussing travel and leisure, Gene Burnscovering fine food and dining (on a show separate from his weekday program), Joanie Greggains hosting a health-and-fitness program, and Brent Walters, who teaches "Comparative Religions" at San Jose State University, hosting the early Sunday morning show, God Talk. In 2014, KGO brought in John Batchelor at midnight. News/talk weekend hosts now include Brian Copeland, "Karel"Charles Karel Bouley, and Pat Thurston.
The weekday morning news (from 5 a.m. to 9 a.m.) is currently co-anchored by Jon Bristow and Jennifer Jones-Lee.[6] The afternoon news (from 2 p.m. to 7 p.m.) currently features veteran reporter Chris Brecher and award-winning reporter/anchor Bret Burkhart.[7]
On December 2, 2011, new owner Cumulus Media announced that KGO was rebranding itself as "news and information," moving to an all-news format from 2 p.m. to 7 p.m. (in addition to the existing morning-drive, noon-hour, and afternoon-drive news blocks) on December 5. This had resulted in the abrupt termination, on December 1, of most of the talk hosts (including Gene Burns, Gil Gross, John Rothmann, Ray Taliaferro, Len Tillem, and Dr. Bill Wattenburg). Ronn Owens's morning show as well as weekend talk programming remains, although some of the weekend hosts (including Joanie Greggains, and Len Tillem) were also terminated on December 1, 2011. Bob Brinker's syndicated "Moneytalk" has been moved to KSFO, a politically conservative talk radio sister station which arguably better reflects Brinker's conservative politico-economic views ("Moneytalk" is a brand which is owned by ABC and its successor, not by Brinker; Brinker's own brand is "Marketimer", although Brinker has not and does not espouse market timing, as commonly understood, per se in any of his broadcasts or newsletters). Leo Laporte's weekend syndicated tech talk program was also a casualty of the format change and is no longer being broadcast on KGO.[8] Gil Gross, Len Tillem, and Leo Laporte are being broadcast by KKSF 910 AM.
The format change and termination of many popular talk show hosts has sparked outrage among long-time listeners, many of whom are now campaigning for sponsors to drop their advertising on the station.[9] Ratings declined substantially following the change, with competitors KCBS and KQED-FM continuing to lead the market, and in December 2014 KGO reintroduced talk programming on weekdays. In December 2014, KGO added Chip Franklin to the noon to 3 pm lineup.[10] In January 2015, KGO announced they had hired Chicago/San Antonio radio personality Kevin "DreX" Buchar, best known for his successful morning show on Chicago's WKSC-FM, which ran for more than a decade, from 7PM to 10PM.[11] John Batchelor's syndicated show air overnights, returning KGO to the same level of news programming as before 2011.[12]
Sports[edit]
KGO was the radio broadcast home for the San Francisco 49ers football team from 1987 to 2005. It has broadcast the college football games of the University of California, Berkeley, Golden Bears since 1974. Since 2013, it also broadcasts men's basketball games that start after 7 pm or are on weekends. Games that start before 7 pm on weekdays air on KSFO.[13]
San Francisco 49ers on KGO–AM 810
| Season | Flagship station | Play-by-play | Color commentator | Sideline reporter | Studio host |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1988 | KGO–AM 810 | Lon Simmons (Pre Season, Regular Season Weeks 1–5 and 8–16, Playoffs and Super Bowl XXIII) Joe Starkey (Regular Season Weeks 6–7) | Wayne Walker (Pre Season Weeks 1–2, Regular Season, Playoffs and Super Bowl XXIII) Joe Starkey (Pre Season Weeks 3–5) | Joe Starkey (Pre Season Weeks 1–2, Regular Season Weeks 1–5 and 8–16, Playoffs and Super Bowl XXIII) | Joe Starkey |
Annual Cure-a-Thon[edit]
Until the sudden format change in December 2011, KGO hosted an annual fundraiser called the KGO Cure-a-Thon to help raise money for The Leukemia & Lymphoma Societywith all of the station's regular programming pre-empted for an entire day during the event. Listeners were encouraged to call in and donate money to help in the fight against these kinds of cancer. An auction was also held to help raise money. Notable items up for auction have included a trip with Gene Burns on a private jet to various destinations, such as Las Vegas and Italy, for a gourmet dinner. Cumulus Media has announced that it will not be continuing the KGO Cure-a-Thon charity event despite the fact it has raised millions of dollars for charity in the past.
Today[edit]
Due to poor ratings as an all-news station, KGO reintroduced talk in its lineup in 2014. KGO also includes brokered programming on weekends, when listenersip is deemed low.[13]
Both KGO and Dallas-based sister station KLIF 570 AM share similar visual News/Information identities after KLIF's parent Cumulus acquired Citadel.
Solar power[edit]
In March 2008, solar panels were installed at KGO's transmitter site in Newark, California, to offset some of the power consumption during daytime hours.[14] The effort is a testbed for Pacific Gas and Electric Company and is located near the Dumbarton Bridge.[15] The solar system uses both CPV (SolFocus) and PV (Premier Power) arrays and provides about 17 Kilowatts, or 33% (one third), of the radio frequency (RF) power output from the 50KW transmitter (or about 1/10th of the total power consumption of their transmitter site over a 24-hour period). United States Speaker of the House Rep. Nancy Pelosi turned the system on during an on-air ceremony.[16]
Cumulus Media acquisition[edit]
KGO found itself under the ownership of Cumulus Media as a part of a merger involving their former owner, Citadel Broadcasting. On the morning of December 2, 2011, after speculation that Cumulus Media would fire several of the KGO personalities, listeners logged into the Facebook Page and saw this message:
In a matter of days, the announcement was met with a negative reception from the listeners—both for the format change and for the disrespectful treatment of many on-air personalities who were escorted out of the building on December 1 and not given an opportunity to say goodbye to their listeners. Included in the list of those let go is Ray Taliaferro, who had been with the station for 34 years. On Facebook, Twitter, and the KGO website (as well as on-air for the few calls that have been allowed), thousands of loyal KGO listeners have expressed their shock and anger over the situation, and especially their feelings of betrayal by Cumulus/KGO. Several online campaigns are currently being waged for the return of old hosts and to boycott the advertisers who remain as KGO sponsors.
Personalities[edit]
Note: For decades, KGO was a News/Talk station which featured notable personalities. The station's current format is primarily news oriented, however the personalities section is retained here due to KGO's prior dominance in San Francisco radio. To meet Wikipedia standards, this list should only include Wikipedia-notable entries.
Current personalities[edit]
Weekend personalities[edit]
- Brian Copeland[19]
- Ethan Bearman[20]
- Michael Finney — Consumer Talk '[18]
- John Hamilton — John Hamilton On-The-Go[18]
- Pat Thurston — Progressive News Talk[18]
- Brent Walters — God Talk[19]'[18]
- Maureen Langann — Entertainment/News Talk, Hangin' with Langan[18][19]
Former personalities[edit]
- Gene Burns (program terminated by owner, Cumulus Media 12/1/2011); died May 25, 2013[21]
- Gil Gross (program terminated by owner, Cumulus Media 12/1/2011; now at KKSF (AM))
- John Rothmann (program terminated by owner, Cumulus Media 12/1/2011)
- Ray Taliaferro (program terminated by owner, Cumulus Media 12/1/2011)
- Len Tillem (program terminated by owner, Cumulus Media 12/1/2011; now podcasting)
- Bernie Ward (program terminated due to federal investigation 12/31/2007)
- Monty Stickles (sports announcer, writer, and sports-talk host from 1973-1985)
- Jack Webb (announcer, producer, director, writer, and performer in the 1940s)[22]
Former weekend personalities[edit]
- David Lazarus — News Talk (left in 2007).[23]
- Gene Burns — Dining Around, with Gene Burns (program terminated by owner, Cumulus Media 12/1/2011)
- Joanie Greggains — Health Talk (program terminated by owner, Cumulus Media 12/1/2011)
- Bill Wattenburg — Open Line to the West Coast (program terminated 12/1/2011)
Former notable and guest hosts[edit]
- Ken Bastida
- Ira Blue
- Barbra Boxer
- Joy Browne
- Chris Clarke
- Peter B. Collins
- Russ Coughlan[24]
- Les Crane — evening host (moved to New York)
- Jim Dunbar (served as program director, newscaster, talk show host)
- Jim Eason
- Art Finley
- Christine Craft[19]
- James Gabbert[19]
- Duane Garrett - died July 26, 1995; suicide; jumped from Golden Gate Bridge[25]
- Greg Jarrett
- Michael Krasny
- J. P. McCarthy
- Larry Mendte
- Marty Nemko
- Lee Rodgers-went to KSFO-AM; died January 25, 2012 due to complications from heart surgery
- Michael Savage
- Barbara Simpson
- Joe Starkey (sports)
- Bernie Ward
- Jim Wieder - fill-in talk show host
- Pete Wilson; died at age 62 after suffering heart attack while having hip-replacement surgery
Former syndicated hosts[edit]
- Bob Brinker (Moneytalk; moved to KSFO after 12/5/11)
- Leo Laporte ("Tech Guy")
- Dr. Dean Edell, MD, hosted syndicated radio medical talk show; aired live 1979-December 10, 2010
- Paul Harvey, national news and commentary; died 2009
Newscasters/reporters[edit]
- Jon Bristow - morning anchor
- Bret Burkhart - anchor/reporter
- Nikki Medoro - anchor
- Mark Curtis (broadcaster)- political and presidential campaign analyst
- Michael Finney[7]
- Peter Finch - Anchor/Reporter
- Lynn Jimenez - business reporter (on extended leave)
- Kristin Haynes - reporter
- Beth Houston - Reporter
- Jennifer Jones-Lee - morning anchor
- Katy Leaver - reporter
- Scott Leteri -reporter
- Kevin "DreX" Buchar - evening reporter
- Kim McCallister - morning reporter/fill in anchor [26]
- Mark Nieto - morning traffic anchor
- Kevin "The Rat" Radich (sports)[7]
- Dennis Willis
- Rich Walcoff - sports reporter
Former newscasters/reporters[edit]
- James Abbe - newscaster and host of James Abbe Observes (1946–47)[27]
- Robert J. Ackerly - newscaster (1938–39)[27]
- Rosie Allen - former afternoon anchor
- Ed Baxter - former morning and afternoon anchor
- Ken Beck - former reporter and news director
- Jan Black - former news anchor
- Stan Burford - former traffic anchor, reporter
- Jim Dunbar - former morning anchor
- Lin Durling - former airborne traffic reporter
- Greg Edmonds - East Bay Bureau Chief, reporter
- Mary Ellen Geist - former reporter, anchor
- Ken Hunt - former reporter, anchor
- Lou Hurley - former airborne traffic reporter
- Dick Leonard - news director/reporter
- Michaelyn Meyers - former airborne traffic reporter
- Melanie Morgan - former anchor/reporter
- R.J. Peruman - former reporter
- Bob Trebor - reporter
- Lloyd Lindsay Young - weather, terminated 12/1/2011
- Joe Vincent - former traffic anchor
- Jon Wailin: Super Commuter[7]
- Gretchen Wells - former reporter
- Ted Wygant - former morning anchor
- Bob Thorne - former traffic reporter