KEMO- Channel 20 Sa Francisco in the 1970's

[Floyd]

I have some questions regarding Channel 20 in San Francisco. I know it signed on in April 1968 as KEMO as a general interest/standard Independent( You know movies,reruns,Talk Shows,Kidvid).3 years later they went off the air. They later resurfaced with the same KEMO calls but this time with a Freeform Eclectic format ( I beleve that would be the right definition?) of Wall Street-Business news in the mornings (7:AM-10:AM), Religion middays(10:AM-2M) , Spanish Language programmingeliculas, Novelas, Noticias late Afternoon and evenings(2M-11M), Pat Robertson's 700 Club at 11M and assorted stuff all night long: Talk Shows and Old Public Domain English Language Movies of the 30's,40's and 50's (12:30AM-7:AM).Back in the 1970's, it was one of the few stations on the air 24/7 at times. In the old days, practically all TV Stations even the 24 hour ones signed off Late Sundays/Early Mondays.Not KEMO. The All night movies were hosted by Leon Heskett and later Joe Bavaresco. There was also a Creature Features type show of old grade Z movies and serials on Friday nights at 10M called "The Worst Of Hollywood" sponsored and paid for by Dan Faris of "The Cinema Shop" and hosted by "Bob Deckelman". In 1980, KEMO was sold to Jim Gabbert who changed it back to the General Interest/Independent format. My question is, I know Leon Crosby owned KEMO during the 1970's but was he the original owner during its 1968-71 run? After it signed off in April 1971, when did it returned to the air? I wonder what Mr. Crosby is doing today?

 

[rugrats1]

> My question is, I know Leon Crosby owned KEMO during the
> 1970's but was he the original owner during its 1968-71 run?

I don't think so -- Overmeyer's US Broadcasting owned KEMO its first three years, along with WATL Atlanta, WPHL Philadelphia and WDHO Toledo. WATL also had a short life; WPHL and WDHO (now WNWO) struggled but survived to this day.

> After it signed off in April 1971, when did it returned to
> the air?

Of course, did it ever sign off? They weren't listed in TVG for a couple of years, though it was mentioned at http://www.uhfnocturne.com/ that the editors at TVG hated KEMO so much, taht they refused to list the station for a time.

 

[LKellerIII]

> > > I have a great memory for useless information, but even I haven't thought about Leon Heskett ("Heskett's Carpet Coliseum," right?) or Joey Bavaresco in decades. KEMO has got to be a top competitor for the title of all-time worst independent TV station ever - much worse that the much maligned KCOP in LA. Johnny Carson used to make jokes about what was playing against the Tonight Show "over on Channel 13." When James Gabbert bought TV20, he talked about how broken down the Marin St facility was - only one camera worked, piles of garbage in the studio, etc. He brought the station into the second half of the 20th century (in the 80s, yet) using Barnaby Jones re-runs, "3D" movies, and radio style jingles.

 

[paulsecic]

The original owners of KEMO was the United States Broadcasting Company who owned five television stations. I remember they had a dance party program from their Philadelphia station from a boardwalk on Saturday. After that company sold it the station went down quickly.



> I have some questions regarding Channel 20 in San Francisco.
> I know it signed on in April 1968 as KEMO as a general
> interest/standard Independent( You know movies,reruns,Talk
> Shows,Kidvid).3 years later they went off the air. They
> later resurfaced with the same KEMO calls but this time with
> a Freeform Eclectic format ( I beleve that would be the
> right definition?) of Wall Street-Business news in the
> mornings (7:AM-10:AM), Religion middays(10:AM-2M) ,
> Spanish Language programmingeliculas, Novelas, Noticias
> late Afternoon and evenings(2M-11M), Pat Robertson's 700
> Club at 11M and assorted stuff all night long: Talk Shows
> and Old Public Domain English Language Movies of the
> 30's,40's and 50's (12:30AM-7:AM).Back in the 1970's, it was
> one of the few stations on the air 24/7 at times. In the old
> days, practically all TV Stations even the 24 hour ones
> signed off Late Sundays/Early Mondays.Not KEMO. The All
> night movies were hosted by Leon Heskett and later Joe
> Bavaresco. There was also a Creature Features type show of
> old grade Z movies and serials on Friday nights at 10M
> called "The Worst Of Hollywood" sponsored and paid for by
> Dan Faris of "The Cinema Shop" and hosted by "Bob
> Deckelman". In 1980, KEMO was sold to Jim Gabbert who
> changed it back to the General Interest/Independent format.
> My question is, I know Leon Crosby owned KEMO during the
> 1970's but was he the original owner during its 1968-71 run?
> After it signed off in April 1971, when did it returned to
> the air? I wonder what Mr. Crosby is doing today?
>

 

[ViewStu]

Re:KTZO (Was: KEMO- Channel 20 San Francisco in the 1970's

I seem to remember that there was a rather long gap (a few weeks?) between KEMO signing off and KTZO (as the station was known when Gabbert first took over) signed on. I remember TV GUIDE's S.F. repeatedly noting "KEMO is off the air" until October 1 (or 2).

 

[bpatrick]

> The original owners of KEMO was the United States
> Broadcasting Company who owned five television stations. I
> remember they had a dance party program from their
> Philadelphia station from a boardwalk on Saturday. After
> that company sold it the station went down quickly.
>
>
>That company owned WATL/36 Atlanta from 1969 to 1971,
and (IIRC) stations in Cincinnati and Pittsburgh. I
think there were high hopes for the company when it
started, but in Atlanta, at least, it had difficulty
making money. One former WATL executive recalled having
to wire Philadelphia for money to pay the phone bill lest
the station lose the feed for a basketball game. WATL
did run fourth in a five-station market, and this is in
the era when Ted Turner bought Channel 17.
>
> >> >> >

 

[MichaelRivers]

The Answer to UHF Questions in Bay Area

US communications officially signed of KEMO-TV Channel 20 in February of 1971 stating that the station was not profitable. It was announce ahead of time in the San Francisco Cronicle. Leon Crosby bought the dark station and signed it back on in 1972.

Metromedia turned of KNEW-TV Channel 32 in October of 1970 donating the station to KQED, Inc as a gift to the Bay Area. KQEC first signed on in 1971. Interesting note...KQED had a construction permit for KQEC Channel 60. I believe the channel assignments for SF were changed from (32 commercial/ 60 educational) to (32 educational/ 60 Commercial)

In 1975-6 KDTV Channel 60 signed on as a full-time spanish language TV station.
In 1978, KDTV made a deal with KCSM Channel 14 and the FCC to swap channels in exchange for donating equipment and transmitter to the College of San Mateo.

KEMO-20 protested because since most of their programming was in sapnish at the time and it would create confusion.

KDTV and KCSM switched places in 1979.

In the fall of 1980, James Gabert announced at the time he sold KIOI and KIQI that he would be buy KEMO turn it off for technical improvements and return it to a tradtional independent.

KUDO Channel 38 started in 1968 as old movie channel and cheap syndicated stuff. I beleive Jim Lange may have had a live broadcast there as well. By the time it went dark in 1970-71, all it was running was a stock market report in the morning.

A religious broadcaster revived Channel 38 as KVOF in 1974. I'm not sure if Dr. Gene Scott was the principal operator in the beginning or not.




1111> I seem to remember that there was a rather long gap (a few
> weeks?) between KEMO signing off and KTZO (as the station
> was known when Gabbert first took over) signed on. I
> remember TV GUIDE's S.F. repeatedly noting "KEMO is off the
> air" until October 1 (or 2).
> <P ID="signature">______________
Michael Rivers
Los Angeles</P>

 

[rugrats1]

> > The original owners of KEMO was the United States
> > Broadcasting Company...

> That company owned WATL/36 Atlanta from 1969 to 1971 ...
> in Atlanta, at least, it had difficulty
> making money. One former WATL executive recalled having
> to wire Philadelphia for money to pay the phone bill lest
> the station lose the feed for a basketball game. WATL
> did run fourth in a five-station market, and this is in
> the era when Ted Turner bought Channel 17.

I read somewhere that when WATL first went dark in 1971, Turner actually had a televised "victory" party on his ch.17.