KGO Radio Schedule from 1925

[DavidKaye]

Given the near-demise of KGO recently, I thought it might be fun to look back to what KGO was years ago in the years not long after the dawn of broadcasting, 87 years ago.

This schedule represents what was aired on KGO in a typical week in the years before network radio began. KGO had been on the air just a year. It was located in Oakland at 5441 East 14th Street (now International Blvd.) in Oakland in the GE transformer plant. The building still stands, but last I saw of it a year ago it was behind a fence and looked kind of lonely by itself. The KGO sign on the roof was long gone, of course. KGO Photo: http://www.sfradiomuseum.com/schneider/radio005.shtml

I assume that during the times now shown KGO was either silent (stations shared time on frequencies in those days) or there might have been recorded music to fill the time. Apparently "Dobsie" (later with KPO) was a very big guy at KGO in its early days.

From Radio Doings magazine, August 22, 1925:

K G O—Pacific Coast Station—361.2 Meters
GENERAL ELECTRIC COMPANY, OAKLAND, CALIFORNIA

DAILY EXCEPT SUNDAY—
7:15 to 7:30 a. m.—Health Training Exercise*; Hugh Barrett Dobbs.
8:15 to 8:30 a. m.—Health Training Exercises; Hugh Barrett Dobba.
8:30 a. m.—"Daily Strength"—Cheerio.
11:30 a. m. to 1:00 p. m.—Luncheon Concert, courtesy Pacific States Electric Company.

DAILY EXCEPT SATURDAY AND SUNDAY—
1:30 p. m.—N. Y. and S. F. stock reports and weather.
7:00 p. m.—Final reading, stock reports, weather, S. F. produce news, baseball scores and items.

WEEK COMMENCING SUNDAY, AUGUST 23, 1925 SUNDAY, AUGUST 23—
11:00 a. m.—Service of the First Baptist Church, Oakland; Rev. John Snape, D.D., pastor.
3:30 p. m.—Silent. KGO Little Symphony orchestra on vacation.
7:30 p. m.—Service of the First Baptist Church, Oakland; Rev. John Snape, D.D., pastor.

MONDAY, AUGUST 24—
7:15 to 7:30 a. m.—Health training exercises; Hugh Barrett Dobbs.
8:15 to 8:30 a. m.—Health training exercises; Hugh Barrett Dobbs.
8:30 a. m.—"Daily Strength"—Cheerio.
11:30 a. m. to 1:00 p. m.—Luncheon concert, courtesy Pacific States Electric Company.
1:30 p. m.—N. Y. and S. F. stock reports and weather.
3:00 to 4:00 p. m.—Program from the Wiley B. Alien Company studio, San Francisco.
5:30 to 6:00 p. m.—Aunt Betty stories and the KGO Kidlies' Klub—Ruth Thompson.
6:00 to 7:00 p. m.—Dinner concert from the Wiley B. Alien Company studio, San Francisco.
7:00 p. m.—Final reading, stock reports, weather, S. F. produce news, baseball scores, and news items.
8:00 p. m.—Educational program. Health talk, "Reviving the Apparently Drowned";
"Physical Culture for the Family," Hugh Banrett Dobbs;
Agricultural Course, "A Look into the Beehive," Professor E. R. de Ong, Assistant Entomologist, College of Agriculture, University of California;
"Symposium on the New Education," by Williams Institute, Berkeley;
Travel Talk; "Rome," Helene Phillips; "Chats About New Books," Joseph Henry Jackson;
"From a Composer's Workshop—Voice," Arthur S. Garbett;
"Inside Dope on Curing Automobile Ills," Louis P. Signer; music by Arion Trio.

TUESDAY, AUGUST 25-
7:15 to 7:30 a. m.—Health training exercises; Hugh Barrett Dobbs.
8:15 to 8:30 a. m.—Health training exercises; Hugh Barrett Dobbs.
8:30 a. m.—"Daily Strength"—Cheerio.
11:30 a. m. to 1:00 p. m.—Luncheon concert, courtesy Pacific States Electric Company.
1:30 p. m.—N. Y. and S. F. stock reports and weather.
4:00 to 5:30 p. m.—Concert orchestra, Hotel St. Francis, San Francisco.
6:00 to 7:00 p. m.—Dinner concert from the Wiley B. Alien Company studio, San Francisco.
7:00 p. m.—Final reading, stock reports, weather, S. F.~ produce news, baseball scores, and news
items.
8:00 p. m.—Program given by KGO Studio Staff and Arion Trio.
9:50 p. m.—"Radio Breezes" by K. C. B., famous newspaper columnist.

WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 26—
7:15 to 7:30 a. m.—Health training exercises; Hugh Barrett Dobbs.
8:15 to 8:30 a. m.—Health training exercises; Hugh Barrett Dobbs.
8:30 a. m.—"Daily Strength"—Cheerio.
11:30 a. m. to 1:00 p. m.—Luncheon concert, courtesy Pacific States Electric Company.
1:30 p. m.—N. Y. and S. F. stock reports and weather.
3:00 to 4:00 p. m.—Program broadcast from Civic Auditorium, San Francisco, where the Second Annual Pacific Radio Exposition and Convention, conducted by the Pacific Radio Trades Association, is being held.
4:00 to 5:30 p. m.—Concert orchestra, Hotel St. Francis, San Francisco.
5:30 p. m.—Mr. Fix-it.
6:00 to 7:00 p. m.—Dinner concert, courtesy Baldwin Piano Company.
7:00 p. m.—Final reading, stock reports, weather, S. F. produce news, baseball scores, and news items.
8:00 p. m.—Program broadcast from Civic Auditorium, San Francisco, where the Second Annual Pacific Radio Exposition and Convention, conducted by the Pacific Radio Trades Association, is being held. Organ recital by Marshall Geiselman.

THURSDAY, AUGUST 27—
7:15 to 7:30 a. m.—Health training exercises; Hugh Barrett Dobbs.
8:15 to 8:30 a. m.—Health training exercises; Hugh Barrett Dobbs.
8:30 a. m.—"Daily Strength"—Cheerio.
11:30 a. m. to 1:00 p. m.—Luncheon concert, courtesy Pacific States Electric Company.
1:30 p. m.—N. Y. and S. F. stock reports and weather.
4:00 to 5:30 p. m.—Concert orchestra. Hotel St. Francis, San Francisco.
5:30 to 6:30 p. m.—George W. Ludlow, "Friend to Boys."
7:00 p. m.—Final reading, stock reports, weather, S. F. produce news, baseball scores, and news items.
8:00 p. m.—"Sun-Up," a play in three acts, by Lula Vollmer, presented by the KGO Players under the direction of Wilda Wilson Church. Music by the Arion Trio.
10:00 p. m. to 1:00 a. m.—Dance music program by Ben Black's orchestra from Tail's Dancing Palace, San Francisco.

FRIDAY, AUGUST 28—
7:15 to 7:30 a. m.—Health training exercises; Hugh Barrett Dobbs.
8:15 to 8:30 a. m.—Health training exercises; Hugh Barrett Dobbs.
8:30 a. m.—"Daily Strength"—Cheerio.
10:50 a. m.—Common Sense Exercises for Women; Harry Maloney.
11:10 a. m.—Prudence Penny home-making talks.
11:30 a. m. to 1:00 p. m.—Luncheon concert, courtesy Pacific States Electric Company.
1:30 p. m.—N. Y. and S. F. stock reports and weather.
3:00 to 4:00 p. m.—Concert, auspices Baldwin Piano Company; Fawn Post Trowbridge, soprano; Herbert Linden, tenor; Mrs. Linden, accompanist; Jerome Damonte, accordion soloist.
4:00 to 5:30 p. m.—Concert orchestra, Hotel St. Francis, San Francisco.
5:30 to 6:00 p. m.—Girls' Half Hour, conducted by Esther Wood Schneider.
6:00 to 7:00 p. m.—Dinner concert, courtesy Baldwin Piano Company.
7:00 p. m.—Final reading, stock reports, weather, S. F. produce news, baseball scores, and news items. Silent Night.

SATURDAY, AUGUST 29-
7:15 to 7:30 a. m.—Health training exercises; Hugh Barrett Dobbs.
8:15 to 8:30 a. m.—Health training exercises; Hugh Barrett Dobbs.
8:30 a. m.—"Daily Strength"—Cheerio.
11:30 a. m. to 1:00 p. m.—Luncheon concert, courtesy Pacific States Electric Company.
12:30 noon—Final reading, stock reports anl weather.
4:00 to 5:30 p. m.—Concert orchestra, Hotel St. Francis, San Francisco.
5:00 p. m.—Weekly "Sport Review" by Al Santoro.
5:10 p. m.—Part One: Given by San Jose High School Band; George T. Matthews, director. Ted Duncan, saxophone soloist. Part Two: Olga Leeman, soprano; Gladys Steele and Norman Deans, steel guitars; Stewart Brady, boy soprano; Frank Clark, pianist; A. Bernice Tutt, contralto; Antone Tomsk, concertina soloist.

 

[1069_KIFR]

I don't see Dr. Dean Edell or Ronn Owens!
Weren't they on KGO back then?

 

[TheBigA]

One can easily see why General Electric recognized the need for a programming service, and became partners in the new NBC Network. I'd love to have heard the remote from the 2nd annual Pacific Radio Exposition. That must have been fascinating.

One of the interesting problems early radio stations had was the programming of music. I see several concert performances listed here. I wonder if the musicians got paid. On their first day on the air, NBC's general manager asked his secretary to perform a small piano recital. That led to a grievance filed by the Musicians Union. They created a lot of trouble for early radio stations, trying to prevent them from using recordings of music in place of live union musicians. You see, even in the 1920s, radio stations tried to cut costs in programming.

 

[DavidKaye]

One of the interesting problems early radio stations had was the programming of music. I see several concert performances listed here. I wonder if the musicians got paid. On their first day on the air, NBC's general manager asked his secretary to perform a small piano recital. That led to a grievance filed by the Musicians Union.

When I was a kid, KNBR presented "76 Party Time", 3 half-hour broadcasts (9-9:30, 10-10:30, and 11-11:30pm) live from 3 ballrooms in SF. One was Ernie Heckscher at the Fairmont, George Liberace (the pianist's brother) at another hotel, and someone like Ted Fiorito or someone else at another hotel. In each case, the announcer said during the beginning and end of each broadcast that the music was being presented "though the courtesy of Musicians' Local 6". I'm not sure if "courtesy" meant that the musicians didn't get any more money for the broadcast than they were otherwise pulling down, or what.

It was sponsored by Union Oil ("Union 76"), but as I recall was done without commercial interruption. I'd be curious to find out what the arrangement was.

 

[fybush]

From the Irony Department: a Google Street View check of 5441 International Blvd. shows a KKSF 910 billboard right next to the old KGO building!