the worlds greatest radio station - and then some

[onairb]

great recollections about this wonderful radio station. was listening to a tape of gene nelsons final week back in may of 1982. does anyone have some insight as to why gene left KSFO to return to KYA? I thought it had something to do with their decision to tweak the format from mor to big band/ nostalgia. when gene first came to KSFO in 1968 does anyone recall who he replaced on the all night show? Didnt sherwood leave for the first time shortly after gene came aboard, but the morning slot went to terry mcgovern or jim lange rather than gene?

I'm a little young to remember KSFO's heyday, but I've read a lot of the historical info already mentioned at the Bay Area Radio Museum site, and Ben Fong-Torres' columns. None of this really addresses Nelson's status in 1982, but I can fill in some details on other DJs.

Sherwood had left KSFO brefly in the mid-60s(for a job in Chicago), perhaps while Nelson was still at KYA.
When Sherwood left KSFO 'for good' in 1969, Terry McGovern was hired away from Pittsburgh to do mornings. I don't know if Nelson was considered for the morning show at the time, but he eventually moved to middays, perhaps when Carter B. Smith departed for KNBR, around 1970.
That lasted until McGovern went to KSAN in the mid-70s. He was replaced at KSFO by...Sherwood, who was making a 'triumphant return' to radio. Sherwood was named the station's program director, and returned to the morning show after Jim Lange's departure.
Back then, Lange was still commuting between SF and L.A. for various TV commitments, and he had a clause in his contract that he couldn't do the 6-to-9 AM show. With McGovern's departure, Sherwood insisted that Lange take the morning slot. Not sure if Lange quit or was fired, but he went back to KMPC for a while(and would come and go from both stations over the next few years).
From what I've read, Sherwood was the one who first pushed KSFO away from the MOR music in '74, supposedly saying that 'any song with a guitar' would no longer be heard on the station. After about 6 months, Sherwood left KSFO for good. The station eventually restored at least a little bit of '70s hipness' to its playlist, but always had a predominantly big-band flavor. I vaguely remember KGO-TV doing a story on Nelson's last KSFO show in 1982, but I was only 8 at the time, and didn't listen to KSFO regularly til a few years later. I assume that it may have been a financial dispute. I think it was around this time that Lange returned to KSFO (again, after having left KMPC), in the 9 to noon slot. The morning slot was taken over by Joe Angel and Bonnie Chastain.

Lange was on KMPC from 1969 to 1971. He didn't go back until the early 80s, replacing Robert W. Morgan in morning drive when RWM went to Magic 106. Jim moved to afternoon drive when KMPC re-hired Morgan in '86...I know Lange was there as late as spring 1989...but I don't think he stayed much beyond that.

Going by the Bay Area Radio Museum airchecks of KSFO on 12/12/83, Lange's program is not posted(someone send it in, please!), but Larry Ickes acknowledged that Lange would be back on the air in L.A. the very next day(presumably at KMPC).
Lange started at KFRC/'Magic 61' in October of '90, so I'm assuming he was at KMPC for the first part of that year.

 

[michael hagerty]

Lange was on KMPC from 1969 to 1971. He didn't go back until the early 80s, replacing Robert W. Morgan in morning drive when RWM went to Magic 106. Jim moved to afternoon drive when KMPC re-hired Morgan in '86...I know Lange was there as late as spring 1989...but I don't think he stayed much beyond that.

Going by the Bay Area Radio Museum airchecks of KSFO on 12/12/83, Lange's program is not posted(someone send it in, please!), but Larry Ickes acknowledged that Lange would be back on the air in L.A. the very next day(presumably at KMPC).
Lange started at KFRC/'Magic 61' in October of '90, so I'm assuming he was at KMPC for the first part of that year.

And an aircheck exists of Morgan a couple of days before Christmas 1983 at KMPC...so Jim must have gone to L.A. for another shift...and Morgan crossed the street to KMGG sometime in '84. So Lange had maybe two years, give or take a few months, in mornings at KMPC before being moved to afternoons when Morgan returned in the summer of 1986.

 

[onairb]

Lange did the late-morning-early afternoon (9 to noon/1, depending on the station and the year) for many of his stints at KSFO, as well as Magic 61, and, at least part of the time, at KMPC.
For years, it was spelled out in his contract that he would not do either of the 'drive-time' shifts at KSFO, due to his daily travels between the Bay Area.

 

[krth101]

didnt lange do mornings for a short time after terry mcgovern left and sherwood returned ? - im guessing mid 70s. i dont recall nelson getting a shot at the morning show until 77-78. wasnt buddy hatton brought in about the same time ? and i recall tommy saunders there for a little while after their ill fated attempt at talk. seem to recall dr. bonnie ring and eric tracy as 2 of the names the station tried to build around.

 

[JEREMIAH]

krth101 tweaked my mind.

During my six years at KSFO there were many changes. When I got there in '78 Nelson was doing afternoon drive, Lange was mornings.
Nelson lobbied hard for the morning slot and eventually got it.
All the other folks that krth mentioned came and went while I was there.

You can make your own conclusion about the management. There were changes there as well. FUBR. (I couldn't hold back)

Jerry Gordon KNUU Las Vegas

 

[onairb]

didnt lange do mornings for a short time after terry mcgovern left and sherwood returned ? - im guessing mid 70s. i dont recall nelson getting a shot at the morning show until 77-78. wasnt buddy hatton brought in about the same time ? and i recall tommy saunders there for a little while after their ill fated attempt at talk. seem to recall dr. bonnie ring and eric tracy as 2 of the names the station tried to build around.

I've read Ben-Fong Torres mention this 'era' of talk shows('80 or '81?) on KSFO in passing-VERY briefly. Did they really dump music at that point? I do recall the later version of the station dropping oldies for talk in the '90s.
Also, roughly how high were KSFO's overall ratings in the early '80s? Was it at least still a Top 10 station?

 

[radioguy39nj]

Radio guy:

Right on! Equating KSFO with WNEW.

When you thought of WNEW, you thought of Sinatra, Nat Cole, Perry Como and other crooners as well as the big band sounds.

Like KSFO, sports was part of WNEW's formula. WNEW broadcast Giants' football for 32 seasons (1961-92) until the station was sold to Bloomberg. From the mid-70s through the mid-80s WNEW broadcast the Mets, Knicks and Rangers.

KSFO and WNEW-AM were two of America's greatest radio stations!

 

[michael hagerty]

Also, roughly how high were KSFO's overall ratings in the early '80s? Was it at least still a Top 10 station?

Only just. The summer, 1982 Arbitron shows them at #10 (numbers in parentheses are summer '81 numbers for year-to-year comparison purposes).

1. KGO 7.2 (9.0)
2. KFRC 5.0 (5.4)
3. KCBS 4.6 (5.5)
4. KNBR 4.2 (3.0)
4. KSOL 4.2 (6.5)
6. KRQR 3.7 (1.4)
7. KYUU 3.4 (2.6)
8. KMEL 3.3 (4.2)
9. KDIA 3.2 (2.2)
10.KSFO 2.9 (3.2)


The best I can come up with for a long-range comparison (it's a miracle we have any of these...thank you Google Books for digitizing Billboard) is Fall, 1970. VERY different story:

1. KGO: 10.0
2. KSFO: 9.4
3. KABL: 8.6
4. KCBS: 8.4
5. KFRC: 8.0
6. KYA: 7.9
7. KFOG 6.1
8. KNBR: 3.1
9. KSAN: 3.0
10.KIOI: 2.9

As for KSFO going talk...looks like they did some.. Billboard, September 13, 1980 issue talks about KSFO being a talk station and how it put KNBR in the driver's seat for adult music on AM. But a couple of months later, Golden West national PD Michael O'Shea (who engineered a gradual shift to talk at KMPC around the same time), says "music is still a major part" of KSFO.

The August 1, 1981 issue refers to KSFO as having returned to music...and improved its ratings. Talk was a disaster for KMPC, too...which went back to music in the spring of 1982.

 

[JEREMIAH]

THE O'shea period was confusing..but I do remember some music in the morning and noon to 3. I believe Bonnie Ring was 9-noon. Tracy in the PM drive did not play music. As you can surmise from these postings Golden West was a ball of confusion during this period. We did go back to music after the talk. I don't remember how long the talk thing lasted.

I was lucky with my nightime format of old time radio, comedy and Gordon's Graffiti, also an hour of the regular music from 7-8.
Our night ratings put us at third in the market 12 plus.

Oh yeah, during the talk period we had Lon Simmons San Francisco 7-8 for a short period of time.

I hope this fills in some gaps.

Jerry Gordon KNUU Las Vegas

 

[LKellerIII]

THE O'shea period was confusing..but I do remember some music in the morning and noon to 3. I believe Bonnie Ring was 9-noon. Tracy in the PM drive did not play music. As you can surmise from these postings Golden West was a ball of confusion during this period. We did go back to music after the talk. I don't remember how long the talk thing lasted.

I was lucky with my nightime format of old time radio, comedy and Gordon's Graffiti, also an hour of the regular music from 7-8.
Our night ratings put us at third in the market 12 plus.

Oh yeah, during the talk period we had Lon Simmons San Francisco 7-8 for a short period of time.

I hope this fills in some gaps.

Jerry Gordon KNUU Las Vegas

Hey, Jerry - was it you that took over the evening shift when John Gilliland left?

 

[onairb]

THE O'shea period was confusing..but I do remember some music in the morning and noon to 3. I believe Bonnie Ring was 9-noon. Tracy in the PM drive did not play music. As you can surmise from these postings Golden West was a ball of confusion during this period. We did go back to music after the talk. I don't remember how long the talk thing lasted.

I was lucky with my nightime format of old time radio, comedy and Gordon's Graffiti, also an hour of the regular music from 7-8.
Our night ratings put us at third in the market 12 plus.

Oh yeah, during the talk period we had Lon Simmons San Francisco 7-8 for a short period of time.

I hope this fills in some gaps.

Jerry Gordon KNUU Las Vegas

Thanks, Jerry...'The Shadow still knows..'(Whoops, same guy, wrong station.;-) )
Lon Simmons doing an hour-long talk show...based on the title, it sounds like the emphasis wasn't just on sports?
Did Lon remain the KSFO sports director until the end of the Golden West era?

 

[JEREMIAH]

Keller & on air:

Yeah, Keller it was me. JG was with me on my first nite. The only time I met him He quit to take care of his ailing parents in Texas. After he quit he said "Oh my god what have I done."

on air: Lon's show wasn't sports. He interviewed various people on different topics.

No, Joe Angel was sports director at the time.

Jerry

 

[LKellerIII]

It was a great show, Jerry. I remember that the show was still great after Gilliland left, but had forgotten that it was you that took over.

 

[onairb]

Thanks, Jerry, for the 'impromptu Q & A'.

 

[JEREMIAH]

Keller:

Thanks for the kind words, they mean a lot.


onair: Anytime.

The last year of the Golden West (Autry) ownership was rough because we knew almost a year in advance that he was selling to comply with something in his late wife's will concerning the proceeds of a sale going to charity. Morale during that last year was lower than whale droppings.

Still, I'm very grateful for being lucky enough to have worked there.

Jerry

 

[onairb]

How did Golden West determine that the station's 'last day' would be on a Monday?

 

[SCV_Ears]

Keller & on air:

Yeah, Keller it was me. JG was with me on my first nite. The only time I met him He quit to take care of his ailing parents in Texas. After he quit he said "Oh my god what have I done."

on air: Lon's show wasn't sports. He interviewed various people on different topics.

No, Joe Angel was sports director at the time.

Jerry

Seems like Lon's show was in between baseball teams on the station. Shortly after the Hasses bought the A's from Charles O. Finley (1981?), KSFO got the games and paired Simmons with Bill King. But, quick, not counting KGO, KCBS and any ethnic, religious or classical broacasters, which AM station have not carried the A's at one time or another?

 

[michael hagerty]

Keller:



The last year of the Golden West (Autry) ownership was rough because we knew almost a year in advance that he was selling to comply with something in his late wife's will concerning the proceeds of a sale going to charity.

Jerry

My God...really? I'd never heard that. I'd always heard that it was Jackie Autry (wife #2), a banker, doing the estate planning by liquidating the broadcast assets in advance of Gene's death.

 

[onairb]

Keller & on air:

Yeah, Keller it was me. JG was with me on my first nite. The only time I met him He quit to take care of his ailing parents in Texas. After he quit he said "Oh my god what have I done."

on air: Lon's show wasn't sports. He interviewed various people on different topics.

No, Joe Angel was sports director at the time.

Jerry

Seems like Lon's show was in between baseball teams on the station. Shortly after the Hasses bought the A's from Charles O. Finley (1981?), KSFO got the games and paired Simmons with Bill King. But, quick, not counting KGO, KCBS and any ethnic, religious or classical broacasters, which AM station have not carried the A's at one time or another?

For a few weeks in 2005, after KFRC-AM was taken over by KEAR and switched to that station's calls and religious format, they had to honor the contract KFRC had made with the A's for the rest of the season. The station had to identify itself as 'KFRC' during game-related programming, even though it was KEAR for all practical purposes for approximately 20-21 hours a day.

 

[JEREMIAH]

onair:

I have no idea why the last day was on a monday...I never thought about it before. What a memory you have.


Hagerty: I don't know what Jackie Autry had to do with the deal but I do know that he had to sell because of his late wife Ina's will requiring a sale
of the station with the proceeds going to charity.

Jerry Gordon KNUU Las Vegas