Where was 'Radio Waves'?

[JEREMIAH]

THE MORE I THINK ABUT THE OLD KSFO THE MORE I REMEMBER.

AS MAXWELL SMART WOULD SAY "WOULD YOU BELIEVE"..THAT DURING THE GOLDEN WEST KSFO HEYDAY...OUR NIGHT TIME POWER WAS ONLY 1 KILOWATT.
AND EVEN WITH THAT YOU COULD HEAR US IN SACRAMENTO 90 MILES AWAY.

I THINK THE FACT OF THE LOW 560 FREQUENCY AND THE THAT THE STICK WAS ON THE BAY ENABLED US TO COMPETE AGAINST THE 50 KW GIANTS.

WE DID GO A FULL 5 KW IN '79 OR '80 WITH 2 STICKS AT NIGHT.


JERRY GORDON KNUU LAS VEGAS

 

[DavidKaye]

WHEN I GOT THERE, JIM LANGE WAS THE MORNING MAN PULLING A SIX SHARE. NOT BAD. WELL THE STUPID GM'S SON LIKED GENE NELSON, WHO WAS DOING PM DRIVE...SO THEY TOOK LANGE OFF AND GAVE NELSON MORNINGS. OF COURSE NELSON WAS LOBBYING FOR THE JOB. SOME FOLKS SAID HE KNIFED LANGE IN THE BACK. LANGE WAS A SWEETHEART OF A GUY BTW. HE WAS ALSO DOING "DATING GAME" DURING THIS TIME.

There was a time when Gene Nelson was hot, back in the KYA years circa 1968. He was bold, irreverent, not at all the milquetoast he became at KSFO. Listening to some old airchecks from KYA during that period confirms this. I could see where someone might think that Gene Nelson would/could bring back the morning man magic he enjoyed at KYA, so I guess I can't fault the GM's son for thinking Gene Nelson was a good choice.

On the other hand, Jim Lange about this time was a smoothie, fine for the old KSFO, but maybe not quite the fit they wanted if KSFO were to stay on top. It's really hard to guess when someone has begun a decline and when someone else might be better, especially if that someone else had a track record elsewhere in the past.

Just another side of the story...

 

[DavidKaye]

AS MAXWELL SMART WOULD SAY "WOULD YOU BELIEVE"..THAT DURING THE GOLDEN WEST KSFO HEYDAY...OUR NIGHT TIME POWER WAS ONLY 1 KILOWATT.
AND EVEN WITH THAT YOU COULD HEAR US IN SACRAMENTO 90 MILES AWAY.
[....]
WE DID GO A FULL 5 KW IN '79 OR '80 WITH 2 STICKS AT NIGHT.

Hmmm...I don't know when KSFO went to 5kw night, but I do remember in the 1960s my Great Uncle Domingo cussing up a streak when the Giants played a night game because he couldn't hear KSFO well in Union City (near Fremont) at night. That seems strange, given that his home was a straight shot from the Butchertown home of KSFO.

I'm also at a loss about the 2 towers at KSFO. To me they both look original. Was the second tower one left over from the shortwave KWID/KWIX days? Does anybody here know?

 

[Menlo Bill]

Now, we pause for this word about the original post...

It's amazing that a we still have a column devoted to our wonderful biz. I suppose it will migrate to the Internet with the rest of newspaper's editorial content in the near future. We now return to the geezer's lament of radio daze gone by...

From a Menlo Park mid-sixties perspective I remember tuning into KYA for the Supremes and Beatles...KEWB for the Stones...and, after sunset, KLIV for the Beach Boys. As a 15 year old sophomore I even listened to Jack Carney on KSFO for some peaceful background music while napping between classes. Unfortunately it put me into such a deep sleep that I ended up missing classes and consequently flunked out. With little formal schooling I segued into the biz at a ten watt, educational FM in Gunnison, Colorado.

KSFO and KYA of the 60's and early 70's always define localism best for me. There are other great examples on the West Coast but they were the best in my opinion. Both stations were totally unique and had deep, deep roots in the community.

Looking to the future I firmly believe that a serious return to a focus on one community will offer up a viable position for some operator willing to make a commitment to being truly LOCAL! And that commitment may include allowing half gallons of wine in the studio!

 

[JEREMIAH]

DAVID KAYE:

THE GM'S SON COULDN'T HAVE REMEMBERED NELSON ON KYA....THE GM WAS RECENTLY IMPORTED FROM SEATTLE.

 

[BossRadioDJ]

THE MORE I THINK ABUT THE OLD KSFO THE MORE I REMEMBER.

AS MAXWELL SMART WOULD SAY "WOULD YOU BELIEVE"..THAT DURING THE GOLDEN WEST KSFO HEYDAY...OUR NIGHT TIME POWER WAS ONLY 1 KILOWATT.
AND EVEN WITH THAT YOU COULD HEAR US IN SACRAMENTO 90 MILES AWAY.

I THINK THE FACT OF THE LOW 560 FREQUENCY AND THE THAT THE STICK WAS ON THE BAY ENABLED US TO COMPETE AGAINST THE 50 KW GIANTS.

WE DID GO A FULL 5 KW IN '79 OR '80 WITH 2 STICKS AT NIGHT.

Night power was increased from 1 kW to 5 kW at KSFO late in 1981, according to the FCC files.

A recent photo, taken by yours truly, of the magnificent KSFO transmitter plant (hard by the impossibly fragrant Royal Tallow plant -- the easiest way to find the KSFO facility, should you happen to be blindfolded):

http://www.sfradiomuseum.com/ksfo/photos/ksfo_xmtr-2008_2-towers.jpg

The view is basically facing northeast. The building appears to be ready to tumble in the next brisk breeze.

Mickey Luckoff had talked a few months ago about KSFO moving to Collinsville ("Gateway To The Delta") and pumping the station's power up to 50 kW. The FCC database doesn't show a CP or app on file for KSFO's licensee. Anybody (Production Boy?) know what's up?

And now, your Wednesday Morning KSFO Trivia Question: without Gooooogling it or searching the FCC database, who is the licensee of KSFO (and, for that matter, KGO)?

DJ

 

[JEREMIAH]

BOSS RADIO DJ:


1981 EH! WELL I WAS ONLY OFF BY A YEAR. IN MY SIX YEARS WITH THE STATION THE CLOSEST I EVER GOT TO THE TRANSMITTER WAS FROM A FRIEND'S SAILBOAT.

THE ENGINEERS TOLD ME IT HAD A STUDIO INSIDE FOR EMERGENCIES BUT WAS KIND OF CREEPY.


JERRY GORDON KNUU LAS VEGAS

 

[BossRadioDJ]

Jerry,

I was there in broad daylight, and "kind of creepy" is a bit like saying Hitler was kind of nuts.

I could not imagine doing an all-night shift in that building. Every noise would make my skin crawl.

...Hmmm. Maybe there's an idea for a slasher movie in there somewhere.

And now, your Wednesday Morning KSFO Trivia Question: without Gooooogling it or searching the FCC database, who is the licensee of KSFO (and, for that matter, KGO)?

ANSWER: Radio License Holding VIII, LLC. Not exactly a "top of the hour"-type corporate name. ("This is KGO, San Francisco, proud to be part of Radio License Holding VIII, LLC!")

Congratulations to all our winners. Your guided tour of the KSFO transmitter plant, led by Art Lebermann, will begin at 11 p.m. on Halloween night. Bring your flashlights. Bwah-ah-ah!

 

[DavidKaye]

KSFO Collinsville Xmtr

Mickey Luckoff had talked a few months ago about KSFO moving to Collinsville ("Gateway To The Delta") and pumping the station's power up to 50 kW. The FCC database doesn't show a CP or app on file for KSFO's licensee. Anybody (Production Boy?) know what's up?

I was present a few years ago when Joe Talbot (CE of KGO/KSFO) was showing James Gabbert the specs for a move to Collinsville. I looked at the map, but didn't say much at the time, given the presence of two kings of radio engineering in my midst. But it doesn't seem like KSFO would serve SF much due to the fact that the pesky Berkeley Hills are in the way. The path from Collinsville to SF is about twice as far as the path from Sunol (KTRB) to SF, and you know how bad that signal is in SF. But it's the same problem: mountains in the way. Collinsville has the advantage of being on/near water and better ground conductivity, but if KSFO is going to serve SF as its COL it probably won't work.

Let's see if I can cobble together a URL that shows a map that speaks to what I'm saying...

Okay, here it is:
http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&hl=...37.926868,-122.0224&spn=0.968403,2.801514&z=9

See what I mean?

 

[JEREMIAH]

DAVID KAYE:

BOSS DJ ONCE SAID THAT YOU HAVE QUITE A BACKGROUND IN RADIO.
I WOULD LOVE TO KNOW WHAT IT IS. IF YOU DON'T WANT TO PRINT IT HERE YOU CAN E-MAIL ME [email protected].

THANKS,


JG

 

[DougKUCI]

And Dr. Don Rose, a warm and wonderful a man in real life, was not much more than a streaming joke service.

This is like saying that the Tonight Show monologues are the same. Dr. Don was unique in his voice, timing, inflection and the ability to make silly jokes funny and part of the flow of the station. Were he just a joke reader, then anyone with a few bucks could get all the services and be #1 in Market #4. ...

Hear, hear! The talented often make what they do look very easy.

Sometime in the mid-70s, I was privileged to hear Dr. Don Rose give a talk at my junior high-school. He seemed just as nice in person as he did on the air, and he told us a bit about the radio business then, and patiently entertained our questions. And I imagine he did this for a lot of other schools too.

 

[JEREMIAH]

I THOUGHT DR. DON WAS GREAT ON THE AIR!

I HAD THE PLEASURE OF MEETING HIM AT JIM GABBERT'S TV 20..HE HAD AN ALL DJ PARTY AT HIS "SLEAZY ARMS" HOTEL (AN ALL NIGHT MOVIE SHOW)

I MET DR. DON THERE...A REALLY GREAT GUY, VERY WARM & PERSONABLE.


JERRY GORDON KNUU LAS VEGAS

 

[DavidKaye]

THE ENGINEERS TOLD ME IT HAD A STUDIO INSIDE FOR EMERGENCIES BUT WAS KIND OF CREEPY.

After the quake of 1989, KALW, which studio had been wrecked by the quake, temporarily located to the KSFO transmitter. At that time the neighborhood still smelled of decaying meat due to the meat rendering plant next door to KSFO (used I assume for soap making, etc). It was rough trying to go out there and not get sick to your stomach on some days.

Anyhow, KSFO has/had a studio at the transmitter. What's more, it also had the transmitter plant for two shortwave stations there as well, KWIX and KWID, which later were absorbed into the Voice of America in the 1950s. I don't know what remodeling has been done there in the past 18 or so years, but the location of the KWIX/D facility was still evident.