Got all those later flips on tape and archived.
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10 yrs later, another set of firings at KGO
- Thread starter Hole in your radio
- Start date
The reason I remember it so clearly is that in April '66 I returned to SF from two years in Japan/Vietnam and had brought with me a brand new Sansui stereo - my first FM radio. Because KGO-FM was all music then it quickly became my fav. I moved away from SF in '68.
The 49ers and Golden State Warriors have been winning?
Unfortunately things come and go. The KGO Glory Years are gone: Live news from 5AM to 9AM hosted by Jim Dunbar and Co. Talk from 9AM to 4PM with Ronn Owens, Paul Harvey, Dr Dean O'Dell, Jim Eason. Live News from 4PM to 7PM with Van Amburg, Rosie Allen and Co. Talk from 7PM to 5AM with Lee Rodgers, Dr Michael Krasny, Ray Taliaferro. This might have been the most politically balanced and finest talk radio line up ever assembled. This was a truly great radio station. And at the time owned by ABC and featured ABC News on the Hour as well.
Signal Geek said "simulcast". The KGO-FM music years weren't a simulcast of KGO.
The basic history is that 103.7 was a simulcast of 810 AM from 1947until 1967, when they launched the all-music automated jukebox you remember, landtuna. The late Mike Schweizer recorded almost two hours of it on October 16, 1967:
KGO-FM San Francisco (October 16, 1967) : Mike Schweizer : Free Download, Borrow, and Streaming : Internet Archive
Aircheck recording of KGO-FM San Francisco (October 16, 1967). Recorded off the air by Mike Schweizer, these airchecks include commercials, songs, and DJ...
archive.org
In 1969, KGO-FM and the other ABC-FMs switched to a light version of progressive rock called "LOVE". In 1971, it changed calls to KSFX and aired the "Rock N' Stereo" format of many of its ABC-FM sister stations, including KLOS, Los Angeles. Up against KSAN, and briefly, KMPX, it failed and went to a Top 40 based on the formatics of WABC, New York in 1973. That failed, too, as KFRC was beginning its peak. Another Schweizer aircheck, this one speed-challenged:
KSFX San Francisco (August 19, 1973) : Mike Schweizer : Free Download, Borrow, and Streaming : Internet Archive
Aircheck recording of KSFX San Francisco (August 19, 1973). Recorded off the air by Mike Schweizer, these airchecks include commercials, songs, and DJ...
archive.org
In 1974, KSFX went dance music, which evolved into disco. When disco crashed in 1980, KSAN was weak and on the verge of going country, so KSFX went back to album rock.
That ended on May 3, 1982, when the simulcast of KGO-AM Signal Geek is referring to began. Schweizer recorded this one, too. Select the second aircheck and cue to 2:29:00 to hear the end of KSFX and the beginning of KGO and KGO-FM:
KSFX San Francisco (May 03, 1982) : Mike Schweizer : Free Download, Borrow, and Streaming : Internet Archive
Aircheck recording of KSFX San Francisco (May 03, 1982). Recorded off the air by Mike Schweizer, these airchecks include commercials, songs, and DJ interludes....
archive.org
The simulcast lasted just over a year and a half and in January of 1984, KGO-FM was sold to Bill Weaver and became KLOK-FM. There hasn't been a KGO-FM since.
I don't remember saying they were. I never heard any call but KGO on 103.7 during that time.
No, he didn't. That was my recording. I have asked them to change it many times but nothing has happened. I still have the original reel-to-reel tape. The reason it is so noisy is it was recorded using old ATC tower tapes that Hamilton AFB had tossed.
Wow! Well, first---thank you. I wonder how Schweizer got it. I've had my copy (downloaded from what was labelled as Schweizer's recording) since 2005.
And KLOK-FM brought "Yes/No Radio" to San Francisco, allowing listeners to vote playlist additions up or down. I believe that was also a simulcast (of Weaver's 50kw KLOK AM 1170 in San Jose). It also didn't last long.
I should also add that after you got your news fix on KGO in the morning, all you had to do was tune down the dial and listen to Jim Lange on KSFO. Like the late great Stan Freberg once said: this is when radio WAS !
For a very short period of time back in the 70's the morning drive show on KLOK Radio was simulcast here in SoCal on KWIZ Santa Ana. Both stations covered a similar type geographic area. 1170 covered the greater Silicon Valley/San Jose area with only a fair to poor signal in SF proper. And 1480 covered greater Orange County with only a fair to poor signal in LA.
Back then, for around 5 years OC was actually a separate rated radio market, whereas San Jose was and still is a separate market for radio. Back when AM was King, in the OC KEZY 1190 and KWIZ 1480 were the top rated stations listened to in the OC. However, by the time FM reached parity with AM in the late seventies "local OC radio" died as everybody was now listening to LA's Mt Wilson FM stations.
KFBK and KGO are very different radio stations.
‘BK has a four-hour newscast in morning drive (5-9 am), hosted by two popular former local TV news anchors, six hours of syndicated conservative talk (Travis/Sexton and Tom Sullivan—who, before syndication, was a local KFBK host and has been on KFBK’s schedule for 33 years), an hour of local conservative talk hosted by a popular former sheriff of Sacramento County who’s been in the slot more than ten years, a three-hour newscast in afternoon drive (4-7 pm) hosted by Kitty O’Neal, who’s been there for 36 years and is a local treasure and an evening talk show (7-10 pm) hosted by a popular former sports anchor who‘s been with the station for more than 20 years and, until the past couple of years, avoided politics like the plague.
The only real turnover on-air at ‘BK has been in morning drive anchors (the new team has been there since 2019, but again, they’re well known former local TV people), Limbaugh’s death and Kitty’s co-anchors (an honor I was blessed to have for four years). Not counting Travis/Sexton, the “new show” on the air is Pat Walsh in the evening, and he just celebrated eight years last month. And again, he’s been on the station more than 20.
KSTE is fairly close to KSFO in concept.
That said, the markets are also very different. Sacramento, the city, is fairly liberal. 521,000 people live in Sac proper. The metro is 2.1 million. The suburbs, especially in Placer and El Dorado counties, tend to be conservative. And the exurbs and rural areas even more.
So conservative talk does very well. So does Country and so does Classic Rock—-neither of which perform as well in the Bay Area.
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I wonder why Chip Franklin was sacrificed. He sure has flip flopped on his political beliefs. He was a conservative right winger during his time on KOGO, and a left leaning liberal on KGO. I know we can change our beliefs over time, but am wondering if he did it "to get the job".
There are many talk hosts who either espouse positions they don't believe in the name of "entertainment" or are told by the Program Director what it takes to super-serve a station's audience. What it takes to win in San Diego (California's most conservative major metro area) and the Bay Area are two different things. You can't be both. I honestly don't know what motivated Chip.
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As they say over in the sports world: "Salary cap." That's my guess.
Remember also that there are many who are social liberals and economic conservatives, so they may seem to oppose both parties!
Keep in mind that Tucker Carlson once worked at MSNBC.
I read an interview with Rush Limbaugh several years ago where he stated that his show was first and foremost about entertainment, and politics second I don't doubt that he was a conservative, but it makes you wonder just how much a talk show host believes in what they're saying on air
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