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KFBK STUDIOS
- Thread starter Big D
- Start date
Big D said:
KFBK and KAER (Now KGBY) moved into the Ethan Way building in 1980 after being co-located with the Sacramento Bee at 21st and Q.
I've been there as recently as last summer. It's not a bad facility, but it is a "little lived in" around the edges. Could be cleaned up, but that would take cash, and CC doesn't like to spend on anything they don't think they need to. Actually in this day and age it's amazing that they've been in there for 31 years.
Re: KFBK STUDIOS--More like 1979
I worked in the Ethan Way facilities in 1980/81. I think you'll find that the station moved in 1979 or slightly earlier.
The Chief Engineer that built the facility—Dale Harry—would know. So would Roger Hamlyn (now at KPIX, San Francisco) Roger was a news editor at 'BK for many years in both the Ethan Way building and at the BEE building, beginning when Mike Pulsipher (now at KCBS, San Francisco) was the ND. Back then, 92.5 was KFBK-FM, playing Classical music from an old RCA transmitter in a hall closet outside the door to BK's digs.
One benefit of studios in the BEE building was the cafeteria that had good but inexpensive food
Not so good a situation in the new(er) facility. It expanded into the office pod to the north of the original facility around the time that KHYL (101. i've forgotten) was moved into the building. It was "comfortable" in terms of space at that time.
KGBY's air studio and production were in that pod. Reception and business offices were in between.
KSTE's air studio was originally a backup for the KFBK air studio, located in the east end of the original pod, where the round end of the newsroom was located pre-remodeling.
Been a while since I've been inside. I'm sure a lot's changed.
I worked in the Ethan Way facilities in 1980/81. I think you'll find that the station moved in 1979 or slightly earlier.
The Chief Engineer that built the facility—Dale Harry—would know. So would Roger Hamlyn (now at KPIX, San Francisco) Roger was a news editor at 'BK for many years in both the Ethan Way building and at the BEE building, beginning when Mike Pulsipher (now at KCBS, San Francisco) was the ND. Back then, 92.5 was KFBK-FM, playing Classical music from an old RCA transmitter in a hall closet outside the door to BK's digs.
One benefit of studios in the BEE building was the cafeteria that had good but inexpensive food
Not so good a situation in the new(er) facility. It expanded into the office pod to the north of the original facility around the time that KHYL (101. i've forgotten) was moved into the building. It was "comfortable" in terms of space at that time.
KGBY's air studio and production were in that pod. Reception and business offices were in between.
KSTE's air studio was originally a backup for the KFBK air studio, located in the east end of the original pod, where the round end of the newsroom was located pre-remodeling.
Been a while since I've been inside. I'm sure a lot's changed.
S
Stage5Clinger
Guest
when I 1st worked there in 96 me and a coupla jocks got chased around the Y92 control room by a giant RAT. ah, I remember it fondly. It was crawling across the top of the frig in the Y jock lounge, and then chased me into the studio, where it ran around in circles.
Then we chased it over to the AM side where it's ancestors continue to thrive today...
thought ya'll would enjoy that
Then we chased it over to the AM side where it's ancestors continue to thrive today...
thought ya'll would enjoy that
S
Stewie
Guest
Worked there from 2000-2003. That building was beaten up back then.
If walls could talk, boy would they have a story to tell.
If walls could talk, boy would they have a story to tell.
R
rickradio
Guest
KSTE -- 1996-1999
"Talk 650 KST," as we called it in those days, was still on Olson in Rancho when I arrived in Nov 96...we didn't move to Ethan for a year after I got there. The ST studio didn't exist before we came over. Brand new walls were put up in the BK newsroom so ST would have a studio on Ethan. We moved into it Dec. 97. Some of the old gang included morning anchor Rick Stewart (ND) and Laura Ingle afternoons. AM host Jeff Katz had just been shown the door for his free taco from Taco Bell joke for running down illegal aliens or something along those lines. Joe Serna demanded his termination, and OM Ken Kohl obliged. Paul Lyle filled mornings 'til Alan Stock wuz hired (before A & G came) from Santa Rosa. Dr. Laura 9-Noon, Spencer Hughes covered Paul's Noon-3 shift 'til then. Tom Leykis on the bird in the afternoon. BK anchors and reporters contributing to ST's newscasts; Mike Wintemute (formerly of KMJ) and my buddy Rebecca Green were among these. Stage5Clinger and I were two of our board ops (Stage5 also moonlighted as a Y92 jock). What all this has to do with KFBK studios, I'm not altogether sure, but thanks for your indulgence as I reminisce.
We now return to our regularly scheduled discussion of KFBK studios here on radio-info.com.
"Talk 650 KST," as we called it in those days, was still on Olson in Rancho when I arrived in Nov 96...we didn't move to Ethan for a year after I got there. The ST studio didn't exist before we came over. Brand new walls were put up in the BK newsroom so ST would have a studio on Ethan. We moved into it Dec. 97. Some of the old gang included morning anchor Rick Stewart (ND) and Laura Ingle afternoons. AM host Jeff Katz had just been shown the door for his free taco from Taco Bell joke for running down illegal aliens or something along those lines. Joe Serna demanded his termination, and OM Ken Kohl obliged. Paul Lyle filled mornings 'til Alan Stock wuz hired (before A & G came) from Santa Rosa. Dr. Laura 9-Noon, Spencer Hughes covered Paul's Noon-3 shift 'til then. Tom Leykis on the bird in the afternoon. BK anchors and reporters contributing to ST's newscasts; Mike Wintemute (formerly of KMJ) and my buddy Rebecca Green were among these. Stage5Clinger and I were two of our board ops (Stage5 also moonlighted as a Y92 jock). What all this has to do with KFBK studios, I'm not altogether sure, but thanks for your indulgence as I reminisce.
We now return to our regularly scheduled discussion of KFBK studios here on radio-info.com.
R
rickradio
Guest
jhimbo said:
You know your 650 history. As a matter of fact, it indeed was KMCE, a Spanish-formatted station. Then what I believe happened was Fuller-Jeffrey at some point bought the license, changed the calls to KSTE, and by the time I got there in the Fall of '96, an LMA with Chancellor was in place, with Kohl assuming OM duties of KFBK as well as that of KSTE.
Sigh. Memories of Ethan Way! We put out some great radio in the 1990s. There's a reason most of us are still in touch in 2011...it was a fantastic group and very close.
Some additions/corrections:
KSTE's "Studio C" was not a backup studio for KFBK, but you're close! The original "Studio C" at Ethan Way was a very small, closet-sized round room used for very minor news production (and occasionally, as a place to talk privately with other staffers).
And I mean MINOR, the studio had an old board with round pots and a lot of buzz. It was torn out to become today's "Studio C", no longer round, and became the current KSTE air studio.
The confusion about the "backup studio" comes from this: When KSTE was bought by Chancellor, eventually they vacated Olson Dr. For the duration of the construction of "Studio C", when 650 came to Ethan Way, it operated from the main KFBK news production studio ("Studio B"), only slightly larger than the old C (and not as round). We weren't thrilled to lose a production studio to run a station, but we were very happy to see our new colleagues.
"Studio B" can indeed be a KFBK (and KSTE now) backup studio, which it was while they were remodeling "Studio A" for a couple of months or so. But it's primarily the main news production studio. I believe that Spencer Hughes does his "Fox Across America" show from there.
Thanks, rickradio, for all those great memories! I was one of the newsies contributing to KSTE when it came over, and I showed Laura Ingle the news-field-reporting ropes when she became a KFBK afternoon reporter. We had no idea she'd be a network TV news correspondent one day, but I'm thrilled every time I see her on Fox News Channel.
Rebecca Green was one of my Legion of KFBK Weekend News co-anchors (and a field reporter during the week, like I was). She got smart(er), got out of radio and works for Intel these days in Portland. I really miss Becca, Spencer, Winte, Judy, Kitty and the gang!
And S5C...thanks for bringing us rats. Heh. If it's any consolation, I never saw them either in the 'BK newsroom or the break room, though I recall hearing they camped out there a LOT. Miss you lots, too...
From memory lane,
Mike Ward
Reporter/Anchor, NewsTalk 1530 KFBK, 1994-2001
(now same, Rubber City Radio, Akron, OH - WAKR/WONE/WQMX/AkronNewsNow.com)
Some additions/corrections:
KSTE's "Studio C" was not a backup studio for KFBK, but you're close! The original "Studio C" at Ethan Way was a very small, closet-sized round room used for very minor news production (and occasionally, as a place to talk privately with other staffers).
And I mean MINOR, the studio had an old board with round pots and a lot of buzz. It was torn out to become today's "Studio C", no longer round, and became the current KSTE air studio.
The confusion about the "backup studio" comes from this: When KSTE was bought by Chancellor, eventually they vacated Olson Dr. For the duration of the construction of "Studio C", when 650 came to Ethan Way, it operated from the main KFBK news production studio ("Studio B"), only slightly larger than the old C (and not as round). We weren't thrilled to lose a production studio to run a station, but we were very happy to see our new colleagues.
"Studio B" can indeed be a KFBK (and KSTE now) backup studio, which it was while they were remodeling "Studio A" for a couple of months or so. But it's primarily the main news production studio. I believe that Spencer Hughes does his "Fox Across America" show from there.
Thanks, rickradio, for all those great memories! I was one of the newsies contributing to KSTE when it came over, and I showed Laura Ingle the news-field-reporting ropes when she became a KFBK afternoon reporter. We had no idea she'd be a network TV news correspondent one day, but I'm thrilled every time I see her on Fox News Channel.
Rebecca Green was one of my Legion of KFBK Weekend News co-anchors (and a field reporter during the week, like I was). She got smart(er), got out of radio and works for Intel these days in Portland. I really miss Becca, Spencer, Winte, Judy, Kitty and the gang!
And S5C...thanks for bringing us rats. Heh. If it's any consolation, I never saw them either in the 'BK newsroom or the break room, though I recall hearing they camped out there a LOT. Miss you lots, too...
From memory lane,
Mike Ward
Reporter/Anchor, NewsTalk 1530 KFBK, 1994-2001
(now same, Rubber City Radio, Akron, OH - WAKR/WONE/WQMX/AkronNewsNow.com)
R
rickradio
Guest
MPWard said:
HEY MIKE!!! Good to see you here on this board! Good to see you're doing well, and thanks for filling the holes with the KFBK studio layout that my memory banks have lost. Yeah, we worked with a great bunch there on Ethan...those WERE the days. I remember you did KFBK's Noon news daily before Sullivan...gosh, the names we had in those days...Jenny O'Mara, Tracy Romine, Hosley, Cristi Landes, Randy Cox, Kitty, Susie, Jeff Bell (now on KCBS), Tim Parrish, Robb Brown, Pat Walsh, "Farmer Fred," Steph Doran, Becca, Gene Chacon, Stage5, Dave Williams, Chuck Myers, I could go on and on. A veritable "Who's Who" of Sac radio, that's for sure!
Ah, more names, more memories. Thanks again, rickradio!
I didn't actually do the weekday News at Noon on a regular basis, only filling in from time to time. (I also filled in for Jeff Bell occasionally, mostly during holiday weeks.) I did show up on both shows daily as a reporter, tho, and anchored the KFBK Saturday Morning News/Saturday News at Noon/Sunday Morning News for most of my time there.
Jenny O was another of my long-running Saturday co-anchors...let's see, that's a list also including KGO morning news anchor Jennifer Jones, Marna Davis (now in SD at KFMB/760), Laura did a couple of fill-ins, Chris Lane (now at KFI) did a month of the Saturday shows with me until taking over in weekday morning drive, and I even had one male fill-in co-anchor, reporter Mike Sicilia (now in state government).
There, the entire co-anchor history of a show only I cared about.
Oh, and S5 and I spent a lot of time in the Y92 studio on Sunday mornings, mostly because we were airing program-length infomercials at that point on KFBK. I occasionally asked her to flip on the KFBK air monitor so I knew we were still on the air.
Winte is a big shot in Texas state government these days...I believe he's a high level aide to that state's governor.
We had a *great* reporting staff, including all of the above mentioned. It may have been the best reporting staff in news radio in the 1990s.
Dave Williams is currently "on the beach" due to changes at his most recent Los Angeles station. Now, THERE is someone who needs to be picked up by a good station, and quick!
Hosley is back as ND of KCBS, and Cristi is VP/Programming for ABC News Radio in NYC, and Fox News Radio/News Talk is full of ex-'BKers. I used to keep track of this stuff on a webpage
Really, the KFBK(/KSTE) of the 1990s was not just a "Who's Who" of local radio...Ethan Way alumni are all over the business nationwide now. I was reminded of this when TRN's "America's Radio News Network" hired ex-PM drive co-anchor Jay Alan recently, and they had very nice praise of KFBK...
I didn't actually do the weekday News at Noon on a regular basis, only filling in from time to time. (I also filled in for Jeff Bell occasionally, mostly during holiday weeks.) I did show up on both shows daily as a reporter, tho, and anchored the KFBK Saturday Morning News/Saturday News at Noon/Sunday Morning News for most of my time there.
Jenny O was another of my long-running Saturday co-anchors...let's see, that's a list also including KGO morning news anchor Jennifer Jones, Marna Davis (now in SD at KFMB/760), Laura did a couple of fill-ins, Chris Lane (now at KFI) did a month of the Saturday shows with me until taking over in weekday morning drive, and I even had one male fill-in co-anchor, reporter Mike Sicilia (now in state government).
There, the entire co-anchor history of a show only I cared about.
Oh, and S5 and I spent a lot of time in the Y92 studio on Sunday mornings, mostly because we were airing program-length infomercials at that point on KFBK. I occasionally asked her to flip on the KFBK air monitor so I knew we were still on the air.
Winte is a big shot in Texas state government these days...I believe he's a high level aide to that state's governor.
We had a *great* reporting staff, including all of the above mentioned. It may have been the best reporting staff in news radio in the 1990s.
Dave Williams is currently "on the beach" due to changes at his most recent Los Angeles station. Now, THERE is someone who needs to be picked up by a good station, and quick!
Hosley is back as ND of KCBS, and Cristi is VP/Programming for ABC News Radio in NYC, and Fox News Radio/News Talk is full of ex-'BKers. I used to keep track of this stuff on a webpage
Really, the KFBK(/KSTE) of the 1990s was not just a "Who's Who" of local radio...Ethan Way alumni are all over the business nationwide now. I was reminded of this when TRN's "America's Radio News Network" hired ex-PM drive co-anchor Jay Alan recently, and they had very nice praise of KFBK...
If we're talking about Paul Hosley, unless I'm mistaken, he's actually at KGO as news director.
BossRadioDJ said:
He used to be my boss, you think I'd get that right!
Yep, KGO. He was associate news director of KCBS before going to Front Street the first time, then back there recently. I've even been in his KGO office...
So many of my ex-BK co-workers are scattered among both stations, it's hard to keep them straight, I guess...
rickradio said:
Tom Leykis last night briefly mentioned his broadcasting from Rancho Cordova. He was interviewing one of the lead persons from Sudwerk Brewery based in Davis with a riverside restaurant in Folsom, and then explained why he was familiar with the area.
I heard this on Tasting with Tom, airing Sunday nights at 9PM on KFBK.
the wonderful Miss Goldstein also graced the airwaves as KSTE
R
rickradio
Guest
coppersmom said:
Yes, Christine, I'd forgotten about Enid...she left before my arrival.
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