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KGO (AM)

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Coordinates: 37°31′35″N 122°06′2″W / 37.52639°N 122.10056°W / 37.52639; -122.10056
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KGO
File:KGO810.jpg
Broadcast areaSan Francisco Bay Area
Frequency810 kHz (HD Radio)
Branding"KGO News Talk 810"
Programming
FormatNews/Talk
AffiliationsABC News
KGO-TV
Ownership
Owner
KFOG, KNBR, KSAN, KSFO, KTCT
History
First air date
1924
Call sign meaning
K General Electric Oakland (KGO radio's former owner)
Technical information
Facility ID34471
ClassA (Clear Channel)
Power50,000 watts
Transmitter coordinates
37°31′35″N 122°06′2″W / 37.52639°N 122.10056°W / 37.52639; -122.10056
Links
WebcastListen Live
Websitekgoam810.com

The following content in this entry was valid until Friday, December 2, 2011, at which time KGO fired its talkshow staff (with no notice) and has begun making arrangements to convert the station into an all-news operation beginning Monday, December 5, 2011.

KGO (810 AM band) is a news/talk-format radio station radio with offices and studios in San Francisco, California. Unlike most other American news/talk stations, KGO originates nearly all of its own programming locally. Since 1978, KGO radio has received Arbitron's number-one ranking in the Bay Area. Operating with 50,000 watts of power as a clear channel station, it is accessible throughout the western United States east to the Rocky Mountains, northern Mexico, southwestern Canada and Alaska at night. It 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]

By the 1928 Band Plan, 790 kHz was allocated to Oakland, CA, and to KGO, which was then owned by General Electric, on an internationally-cleared basis. In order to obtain a cleared channel in Schenectady, NY, for what would become the present-day WGY, GE effected a break-down 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, and also was then higher than the then maximum permissible power for a regional channel station. Both stations retained omnidirectional antennas. Thereby, GE effectively removed from the West one of its eight cleared channels and added an additional cleared channel to the East thereby giving the East nine cleared channels and the West only seven. The other "regions" in the Band Plan retained their allotted eight cleared channels. In 1941, stations on 790 kHz were moved to 810 kHz and roughly simultaneously, KGO was directionalized and power was increased to 50 kW, the new minimum (and maximum) power for a U.S. cleared channel.

History

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 to this day), 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.

KGO is one of the few remaining 3-letter call signs in the United States. The switchover to four-letter calls had begun by 1922, thus KGO's 1924 licensure is historically notable.[3]

1940s-1950s

In 1943, the Federal Communications Commission forced NBC to sell one of its two networks (and that network's owned-and-operated stations). 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

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 included Les 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

For more than 27 years (as rated quarterly by Arbitron), KGO has been the number-one station in the Bay Area. According to the 2010 Arbitron ratings, however, KGO has lost its lead to KCBS, with KOIT-FM as a close second, and KGO listing at 3rd.[citation needed] 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, Seattle and San Diego, but is difficult to receive in Reno and other points east of the Sierra Nevada mountains due to its signal directionality. That said their overall reach is greater than any FM signal in the Bay Area (according to radio-locator map referenced below).

Hosts

KGO Helicopter.

Unlike many other talk radio stations in the United States, KGO, creates nearly all of its own programming, with very limited syndicated content. The majority of its programs are hosted by San Francisco Bay Area broadcasters[citation needed].

Daytime weekday hosts include Ronn Owens, Gil Gross, and Gene Burns. In addition to a daily schedule of issues-oriented local talk shows, the station carries a variety of specialty programs, particularly on weekends. John Hamilton discusses travel and leisure, Gene Burns covers fine food and dining on a separate show from his weekday program, and Joanie Greggains hosts a health-and-fitness program.

KGO airs original weekend broadcasts, including: Brian Copeland, who covers issues of the day with both serious and comedic elements; Marty Nemko with Career Advice; Karel Charles Karel Bouley has returned to the weekend evening slot with his special brand of social commentary and outrageous humor. Dr. Bill Wattenburg with science and energy topics. Brent Walters teaches "Comparative Religions" at San Jose State University and took over God Talk in early 2008. Professor Walters remains one of the most popular professors on campus.[4]

During the morning and afternoon drive-times, as well during the noon hour, KGO broadcasts news programming. The morning news (from 5am to 9am) is currently anchored by veteran San Francisco radio journalist Ed Baxter and co-anchor Jennifer Jones. The afternoon news (from 4pm to 7pm) currently features veteran reporter Chris Brecher, award-winning reporter/anchor Bret Burkhart.[5] KGO has revived its hour-long newscast at noontime in order to compete with KCBS' all-news format during the lunch hour; lawyer Len Tillem's show has since been moved from the noon timeslot to 1pm.[6]

Following declining ratings, KGO announced on December 1, 2011 that it would refocus on its news blocks, moving to an all-news format from 2 p.m. to midnight (in addition to the existing morning drive and noon hour news blocks) on December 5, resulting in several talk hosts (including Gil Gross and Gene Burns) leaving the station. Ronn Owens' late-morning show, as well as weekend programming, will remain; the station will also rebrand from "KGO News Talk 810" to "KGO 810, the Bay Area's News and Information Station."[7]

Sports

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.

Annual Cure-a-Thon

Every year, KGO hosts an annual fundraiser named the KGO Cure-a-Thon to help raise money for The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society with all of the station's regular programming being pre-empted for an entire day during the event. Listeners are encouraged to call in and donate money to help in the fight against cancer. An auction is 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 or Italy.

Solar Power

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.[8] The effort is a testbed for Pacific Gas and Electric Company and is located near the Dumbarton Bridge.[9] The solar system uses both CPV (SolFocus) and PV (Premier Power) arrays and provides about 17 Kilowatts, or 33% (one third), of the power required to operate the 50KW transmitter. United States Speaker of the House Rep. Nancy Pelosi turned the system on during an on-air ceremony.[10]

Personalities

Weekend hosts

Newscasters/reporters

[original research?]

Substitute hosts

[original research?]

Sometimes, regular hosts fill in for each other's shows, particularly Brian Copeland, John Rothmann and Bill Wattenburg.

Former notable and guest hosts

Syndicated hosts

Former syndicated hosts

See also

References

  1. ^ "Cumulus now owns Citadel Broadcasting". Atlanta Business Journal. September 16, 2011. Retrieved September 16, 2011.
  2. ^ "Open Station KGO at Oakland." Decatur IL Review, February 9, 1924, p. 23; also, "New KGO Will Open Tomorrow." Oakland Tribune, January 8, 1924, p. 15.
  3. ^ http://earlyradiohistory.us/3myst.htm
  4. ^ http://www.ratemyprofessors.com/ShowRatings.jsp?tid=81705&page=1
  5. ^ http://www.kgoam810.com/showdj.asp?DJID=3617
  6. ^ KGO Programming Retrieved 8 January 2011
  7. ^ "KGO radio going to news format - veterans leaving". San Francisco Chronicle. December 2, 2011. Retrieved December 2, 2011.
  8. ^ "Radio station goes solar". March 7, 2008. Retrieved December 27, 2008.
  9. ^ Vernon, Tom (December 17, 2008). "KGO Flips Solar Switch". Radio World. p. 1. Retrieved December 27, 2008.
  10. ^ "KGO flips the Solar Switch". December 18, 2008. Retrieved December 27, 2009.
  11. ^ Taylor, Michael (December 26, 1995). "A Master of All Worlds But His Own / Duane Garrett -- popular radio talk show host, political power broker, sports memorabilia aficionado -- seemed to have everything going for him. That's why so many friends were shocked when he took his own life instead of asking for help they gladly would have given". The San Francisco Chronicle.

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