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Question: What was the flagship radio station for the 1962 San Fran Giants
- Thread starter wabc860
- Start date
560/KSFO with Russ Hodges, Lon Simmons and Bill King at the mikes on the Golden West Radio Network.
I should have noted that the radio museum has a retrospective recording of the 1962 Giants' season, featuring Russ Hodges and Lon Simmons:
http://bayarearadio.org/sports/#giants
I have the LP that it came on (right next to me, as a matter of fact), on Berkeley's Fantasy Records -- best known as a jazz label, and later the home of Creedence Clearwater Revival -- with a beautiful full-color team photo on the front cover and liner notes on the backside by Examiner baseball reporter Charles Einstein, best remembered today as the father of comedians Albert Brooks (nee Albert Einstein) and Super Dave Osbourne (nee Bob Einstein).
There's also a listing of all 17 stations on the Golden West Radio Network, stretching all the way from KOOL in Phoenix to KGU in Honolulu.
About 30 minutes in, listen for Bill King's call of Ed Bailey's home run in the pennant-clinching game. King sat in for Simmons on Sundays when Lon had 49ers broadcast duties.
DJ
http://bayarearadio.org/sports/#giants
I have the LP that it came on (right next to me, as a matter of fact), on Berkeley's Fantasy Records -- best known as a jazz label, and later the home of Creedence Clearwater Revival -- with a beautiful full-color team photo on the front cover and liner notes on the backside by Examiner baseball reporter Charles Einstein, best remembered today as the father of comedians Albert Brooks (nee Albert Einstein) and Super Dave Osbourne (nee Bob Einstein).
There's also a listing of all 17 stations on the Golden West Radio Network, stretching all the way from KOOL in Phoenix to KGU in Honolulu.
About 30 minutes in, listen for Bill King's call of Ed Bailey's home run in the pennant-clinching game. King sat in for Simmons on Sundays when Lon had 49ers broadcast duties.
DJ
Damon Bruce was playing some old jingles from knbr and ksfo among others from http://www.baseballrelated.com/music.html last night, it was some good radio, haha
R
rickradio
Guest
KNBR didn't exist in 1962. Not 'til November. It was still KNBC.
R
rickradio
Guest
KNBR has been a sports station for probably 15-20 years now, although I don't believe the change was sudden. But before the sports, KNBR was a music station, I believe what you would nowadays call a rather low-key "Adult Contemporary," not really "Top 40" like KFRC and KYA, but not really KSFOesque Geritol, either. Diana Ross' "Upside Down" was about as rambunctious as the playlist got. Doug Pledger was the morning guy until Frank Dill was hired in '64 or '65.
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rickradio
Guest
To fill some holes for you, semoochie:
KPO radio first signed on in April 1922 with studio and transmitter atop the Hale Brothers department store at 5th and Market, downtown San Francisco. KPO upgraded to its current power of 50,000 watts in 1933. In November 1947, NBC changed KPO's call letters to KNBC, presumably to reflect ownership of the station (NBC didn't own KFI in LA, car dealer Earle C. Anthony did, or I'm sure KFI would've become KNBC). At any rate, KNBC-FM signed on in 1949 at 99.7 mHz. In November 1962, 15 years to the month KPO became KNBC, NBC wanted to move the KNBC call letters to its LA TV station (it signed on in January 1949 as KNBH, channel 4), so KNBC was again changed to KNBR...following suit, KNBC-FM became KNBR-FM, becoming KYUU sometime in the 70s, I believe. Hope that helps...
KNBR began as KPO on April 17, 1922, at the Hale Bros. Department Store, on the corner of Fifth and Market in San Francisco. The San Francisco Chronicle purchased a 50% interest in the station in 1926.
The station was moved from 710 kc. to 680 kc. -- its current dial position -- in November 1928.
KPO became affiliated with NBC's Red Network in 1931, and was sold to General Electric in July 1932. General Electric, in turn, leased the station to NBC. On April 5, 1933, KPO's transmitter was moved to Belmont, where it remains to this day. In 1938, full ownership was transferred to NBC.
In April 1942, KPO and co-owned KGO moved to NBC Radio City at 420 Taylor Street. On November 23, 1947, KPO became KNBC. The commemorative broadcast can be heard on the Bay Area Radio Museum's website at:
http://www.bayarearadio.org/audio/kpo/kpo-knbc_nov-23-1947.shtml
In November 1962, KNBC became KNBR, after the FCC denied NBC's request to reinstate the original KPO call letters. The station broadcast a Full Service middle-of-the-road music and entertainment format through most of the 1960s, including an abortive attempt at some light rock in 1965 when Al Hart -- previously program director at KABL -- programmed KNBR; he moved over to KCBS a few years later, where he became a San Francisco radio legend.
In April 1967, KNBR moved from 420 Taylor Street to Fox Plaza -- where KTRB recently to up quarters.
The Giants moved over to KNBR in 1979 after twenty years on KSFO. KNBR began emphasizing more sports programming in the 1980s, and was sold by NBC to Susquehanna in May 1989.
As always, more info, photos and recordings at http://www.BayAreaRadio.org
The station was moved from 710 kc. to 680 kc. -- its current dial position -- in November 1928.
KPO became affiliated with NBC's Red Network in 1931, and was sold to General Electric in July 1932. General Electric, in turn, leased the station to NBC. On April 5, 1933, KPO's transmitter was moved to Belmont, where it remains to this day. In 1938, full ownership was transferred to NBC.
In April 1942, KPO and co-owned KGO moved to NBC Radio City at 420 Taylor Street. On November 23, 1947, KPO became KNBC. The commemorative broadcast can be heard on the Bay Area Radio Museum's website at:
http://www.bayarearadio.org/audio/kpo/kpo-knbc_nov-23-1947.shtml
In November 1962, KNBC became KNBR, after the FCC denied NBC's request to reinstate the original KPO call letters. The station broadcast a Full Service middle-of-the-road music and entertainment format through most of the 1960s, including an abortive attempt at some light rock in 1965 when Al Hart -- previously program director at KABL -- programmed KNBR; he moved over to KCBS a few years later, where he became a San Francisco radio legend.
In April 1967, KNBR moved from 420 Taylor Street to Fox Plaza -- where KTRB recently to up quarters.
The Giants moved over to KNBR in 1979 after twenty years on KSFO. KNBR began emphasizing more sports programming in the 1980s, and was sold by NBC to Susquehanna in May 1989.
As always, more info, photos and recordings at http://www.BayAreaRadio.org
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rickradio
Guest
Thanks, David, for coming behind me and providing that much more detail!! I bow to your authority.
If NBC had owned KFI, KPO might have stayed KPO, like KGO stayed KGO. KNBH-TV was (and still is, as KNBC) NBC's only LA broadcast property.
If NBC had owned KFI, KPO might have stayed KPO, like KGO stayed KGO. KNBH-TV was (and still is, as KNBC) NBC's only LA broadcast property.
rickradio said:
[EDIT]
Actually, I think we were both typing in basically the same info at the same time. If I had seen your post, I wouldn't have spent the twenty minutes it takes for me to hunt-and-peck this stuff out...
DJ
[EDIT-offensive content]
Damn, I missed the good stuff.
I was the PD at KNBR from '71-"75. Sure wish I coulda had the Giants. We did have the Raiders with Bill King and Scotty Stirling.
Prior to my involvement, the station policy was to play one instrumental every 20 minutes. \
We had 18 minutes of commercials from 6a-7p. We also had five minutes of NBC network news at the top of the hour and almost always a dreadful network feature program on the half hour as well as some local news from the likes of Gene DeCardo, Bob Lazich, Jim Jones etc.
My air staff included Frank Dill in morning drive, Mike Cleary middays, Carter B. Smith in the afternoons, and Dave Niles and Les Williams nights.
Music Director was LaVerne Drake. Sales Mgr was Bill Dwyer and GM was Heber Smith. The legendary Isabel Lemon was hired in 1974 to handle promotions and my dearest friend and programming secretary/admin was Rosie Lee Allen while the news secretary was Cheryl Jennings.
If anyone has access to the ratings of that time; Pulse and Arbitrons, you'll that despite a lot of crap, we still had about a 90% increase in listeners over that 4 year period.
For the good times
Ron Fell
Sydney, Australia
I was the PD at KNBR from '71-"75. Sure wish I coulda had the Giants. We did have the Raiders with Bill King and Scotty Stirling.
Prior to my involvement, the station policy was to play one instrumental every 20 minutes. \
We had 18 minutes of commercials from 6a-7p. We also had five minutes of NBC network news at the top of the hour and almost always a dreadful network feature program on the half hour as well as some local news from the likes of Gene DeCardo, Bob Lazich, Jim Jones etc.
My air staff included Frank Dill in morning drive, Mike Cleary middays, Carter B. Smith in the afternoons, and Dave Niles and Les Williams nights.
Music Director was LaVerne Drake. Sales Mgr was Bill Dwyer and GM was Heber Smith. The legendary Isabel Lemon was hired in 1974 to handle promotions and my dearest friend and programming secretary/admin was Rosie Lee Allen while the news secretary was Cheryl Jennings.
If anyone has access to the ratings of that time; Pulse and Arbitrons, you'll that despite a lot of crap, we still had about a 90% increase in listeners over that 4 year period.
For the good times
Ron Fell
Sydney, Australia
R
rickradio
Guest
However, David, I'm glad you did because like I said in my last post, you provided a lot of information that I didn't know...for example, I didn't know that NBC had requested to reinstate the KPO call letters in 1962 and was denied by the FCC, the Chronicle buying into the enterprise in '26, etc. That's why I said, "I bow to your authority."
You're more than welcome, semoochie. ;D
Rick
Marv-L.A. said:
I will say it was around 1989 when KNBR began to migrate to the sports format, roughly coinciding with Sesquhanah Broadcasting's purchase of the station from NBC. The transition was engineered primarily by former long time PD Bob Agnew. The conversion to "THE Sports Leader" was indeed gradual, with the first changes occuring with an all-sports talk format after 5 p.m. KNBR maintained it's "Frank and MIke in the Morning," along with mid-day and afternoon drive formats in the talk/magazine format for quite some time after the emphasis became sports.
BossRadioDJ said: "In November 1962, KNBC became KNBR, after the FCC denied NBC's request to reinstate the original KPO call letters."
I don't think it was stated by anyone above, but I think the change in call letters was precipitated by NBC's desire to take "KNBC" for their O&O TV station in Los Angeles, which had been KRCA prior to 1962 (the RCA corporation then owned NBC). Perhaps the FCC would not then allow the same call letters to be used simulataneously in different cities, or perhaps it was just not NBC's preference. NBC did not then have an O&O radio station in LA - the radio affiliate there (KFI) was privately owned.
More recently (late 80s, maybe), when CBS decided to use the "KCBS" call letters for both their O&O LA TV station (formerly KNXT) and an LA FM station, they were able to keep the same call letters for AM 740 in San Francisco.
I don't think it was stated by anyone above, but I think the change in call letters was precipitated by NBC's desire to take "KNBC" for their O&O TV station in Los Angeles, which had been KRCA prior to 1962 (the RCA corporation then owned NBC). Perhaps the FCC would not then allow the same call letters to be used simulataneously in different cities, or perhaps it was just not NBC's preference. NBC did not then have an O&O radio station in LA - the radio affiliate there (KFI) was privately owned.
More recently (late 80s, maybe), when CBS decided to use the "KCBS" call letters for both their O&O LA TV station (formerly KNXT) and an LA FM station, they were able to keep the same call letters for AM 740 in San Francisco.
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rickradio
Guest
Now, when the changes took place (KNBH/KRCA), and what to what, I don't know.
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