Unless you're a radio historian or radio super-geek you might not be aware that San Francisco was not only an important shortwave broadcasting center, but was the basis for what became the Voice of America.
At one point shortwave stations in the Bay Area were operated by General Electric, NBC, and KSFO. KSFO owned two SW stations broadcasting from the Mark Hopkins hotel with transmitters next to KSFO's AM site on Islais Creek (Cargo Way) in SF. GE's station, KGEI, was important not only as the first station commissioned to broadcast U.S. government programming, but was also important in the Cuban Missile Crisis of 1962. And finally, when the KGEI was shut down and the building sold to a church, a working phone circuit was discovered that 40 years later still connected KGEI to the Pentagon.
Here are some URLs about West Coast SW broadcasting and KGEI in particular:
http://www.theradiohistorian.org/wcsw/wcsw.htm
http://www.theradiohistorian.org/kgei.htm
At one point shortwave stations in the Bay Area were operated by General Electric, NBC, and KSFO. KSFO owned two SW stations broadcasting from the Mark Hopkins hotel with transmitters next to KSFO's AM site on Islais Creek (Cargo Way) in SF. GE's station, KGEI, was important not only as the first station commissioned to broadcast U.S. government programming, but was also important in the Cuban Missile Crisis of 1962. And finally, when the KGEI was shut down and the building sold to a church, a working phone circuit was discovered that 40 years later still connected KGEI to the Pentagon.
Here are some URLs about West Coast SW broadcasting and KGEI in particular:
http://www.theradiohistorian.org/wcsw/wcsw.htm
http://www.theradiohistorian.org/kgei.htm