KGO-TV

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KGO-TV
San Francisco, California
Branding	ABC 7
Slogan	Discover ABC 7
Channels	Analog: 7 (VHF) Digital: 24 (UHF)
Subchannels	7.1 HD 7.2 ABC News 7.3 ABC7 AccuWeather NOW
Affiliations	ABC
Owner	Disney/ABC (KGO Television, Inc.)
First air date	May 5, 1949
Call letters’ meaning	General Electric Oakland (KGO radio's former owner)
Transmitter Power	316 kW (analog) 561 kW (digital)
Height	509 m (analog) 437 m (digital)
Facility ID	34470
Transmitter Coordinates	37°45′18.8″N, 122°27′10.4″W
Website	www.abc7news.com

KGO-TV ("ABC7"), based in San Francisco, California, is an owned-and-operated (O&O) television station of The Walt Disney Company subsidiary ABC. Its studios are located in the ABC Broadcast Center on Front and Vallejo streets in downtown San Francisco, while its transmitter is atop the iconic Sutro Tower, located between Mount Sutro and the Twin Peaks in central San Francisco, along with the Bay Area's other major television stations.

The station's signal is currently carried by a cable television-only ABC affiliate in the Salinas/Santa Cruz/Monterey Bay area.

[edit] History

The station signed on the air for the first time on May 5, 1949, as Northern California's second-oldest TV station, behind Associated Broadcasters' KPIX-TV (later sold to Westinghouse, now CBS-owned). In fact, KPIX had a hand in getting KGO-TV on the air, as the CBS channel 5 station produced informational programming on how to receive and view ABC's channel 7. KGO's original studios were located in the renovated Sutro Mansion atop Twin Peaks in San Francisco.

KGO is ABC's oldest original O&O station on the West Coast, as its sister station KECA-TV (now KABC-TV), also operating on channel 7, did not sign on the air until September 1949. In addition, it is the only ABC station to keep its original call letters which were inherited from KGO radio (AM 810 and FM 103.7, now KKSF). KGO was the fourth original ABC O&O (after WABC-TV, WLS-TV and WXYZ-TV) to begin broadcasting.

Channel 7 had a limited broadcasting schedule during its first year on the air. It wasn't until September 1950 that the station announced, in the San Francisco Chronicle, that it would finally broadcast seven days a week.^[1] For much of the 1950s, the station signed on late in the morning, especially on the weekends. Saturday programming began with King Norman's Kingdom of Toys, a popular children's program hosted by the owner of a San Francisco toy store, Norman Rosenberg.^[2]

In 1954, KGO-TV moved to one of the most modern broadcasting facilities on the West Coast (at the time), on Golden Gate Avenue.

As an ABC O&O station, KGO-TV originated some daytime network shows, including programs hosted by fitness advocate Jack La Lanne, singer Tennessee Ernie Ford, and entertainer Gypsy Rose Lee. Syndicated game shows Oh My Word and The Anniversary Game were also produced at KGO-TV for Circle Seven Productions. In the mid-1950s, KGO-TV telecast live week night variety shows hosted by KSFO disc jockey Don Sherwood, until Sherwood was fired for making a political commentary in defiance of a warning from the station's management. Today, KGO-TV broadcasts from studios at 900 Front Street, which it has occupied since 1985. It shares the facility with KGO radio (AM 810), KSFO and KMKY, although the former two are now owned by Citadel Broadcasting. ^[3]

In 1962, KGO began carrying ABC's first color program, the animated series The Flintstones, followed by The Jetsons. In the mid 1960s KGO became the first Bay Area station to transmit local programs in compatible color, including its newscasts.

For many years, KGO-TV was the only network-owned-and-operated station in the Bay Area, even throughout the time when ABC was going through ownership changes when Capital Cities Communications bought out ABC and merged with the network in 1985 before being sold to Disney in 1996. As such, the station did not heavily pre-empt network programming unlike its local competitors or its sister stations -- such as Philadelphia's WPVI-TV, Houston's KTRK-TV and Fresno's KFSN-TV -- which were known for doing so in those days. The distinction ended in 1995 when several other stations over the next ten years became network-owned stations--notably KBHK (today's KBCW), KPIX and KNTV in that order. (As of 2007, some exceptions to this policy may be made when breaking news events or selected ABC Sports programs warrant exclusive coverage, in which case Granite Broadcasting Corporation's independent station, KBWB, may pick up the pre-empted ABC programming scheduled for the time period.)

KGO-TV was the first station to transmit images of the 1989 Loma Prieta Earthquake through ABC News and ABC Sports. At the time, ABC was televising the third game of the 1989 World Series, which was interrupted by the quake. Subsequent coverage of the earthquake won the station that year's Peabody Award.

In 1999, KGO-TV reached an agreement with Granite Broadcasting Corporation, the owner of San Jose's then-ABC affiliate, KNTV. KGO-TV agreed to pay Granite in exchange for dropping ABC programming from KNTV, and as a result KGO-TV became the exclusive ABC outlet in the Bay Area. The agreement, however, also saw the Salinas/Santa Cruz/Monterey Bay area lose over-the-air reception of ABC programming, as KNTV (before the 1999 agreement) had also served those communities. In response, a cable-only ABC affiliate was set up for the Salinas/Santa Cruz/Monterey Bay area; the station simulcasts the signal from KGO-TV (including ABC programming and KGO-TV's newscasts) for part of the day, and opts out of KGO's signal during programming which KGO-TV is only allowed to show within the San Francisco Bay Area (under syndication exclusivity). The ABC affiliate is carried on channel 7 on area cable systems, and also identifies as "ABC 7". According to the website of satellite carrier DirecTV, KGO-TV is available in the Monterey/Salinas television market. KGO-TV is part of the local channel's package on DirecTV in that market area, while DISH Network does not have KGO-TV available (nor any other local ABC channel) since a court order in 2006 forced them to cease offering distant network stations "a la carte."

[edit] Logos

KGO-TV was one of the earliest ABC stations to use the original Circle 7 logo (along with sister station WLS-TV in Chicago). When it was rebranded from Channel 7 to ABC7 (temporarily branded Channel 7 ABC 1996-1997), the ABC logo was just simply attached to the Circle 7 on this station, its sister stations and others across the country.

[edit] Digital television

The station's digital channel is multiplexed:

Digital channels

[edit] Analog-to-digital conversion

After the analog television shutdown and digital conversion, which is tentatively scheduled to take place on February 17, 2009 ^[4], KGO-TV will move its digital broadcasts back to its present analog channel number, 7. ^[5]

[edit] Programming

The station carries a high profile lineup of daytime programming with shows such as Live with Regis and Kelly (produced by sister station WABC-TV in New York), Who Wants to Be a Millionaire, The Oprah Winfrey Show, Jeopardy! and Wheel of Fortune. The station also airs the pre-show of the Academy Awards (produced by sister station KABC-TV in Los Angeles). The station sometimes aired the Bay to Breakers race in the 1980's and the KGO Cure-a-thon with its radio partner, KGO-AM 810.

KGO-TV was the first station to produce earthquake documentaries of the 1906 San Francisco earthquake and the 1989 Loma Prieta earthquake on April 8, 2006.

In the 1980s, KGO-TV produced weekday talk/variety shows in the 9:00 to 10:00 a.m. timeslot. A.M. San Francisco was the name until late 1987 or early 1988, when it was replaced with Good Morning, Bay Area, hosted by Susan Sikora. Hosts of A.M. San Francisco included the husband-and-wife team of Fred LaCrosse and Terry Lowry. (Other ABC owned-and-operated stations produced their own A.M. programs in the 1980s. For example, A.M. Chicago at WLS-TV evolved into the Oprah Winfrey Show. For a week or two in the summer of 1988, A.M. Los Angeles was simulcast on KGO-TV, with a few KGO-TV produced segments.)

On June 26, 2006, KGO-TV began a new locally-produced weekday variety show called The View From The Bay, hosted by Spencer Christian and Janelle Wang. This hour long show focuses on hot spots as well as interests in the Bay Area. The show airs Mondays-Fridays at 3 PM, and is available to watch online while the show is on the air. [1] The View From the Bay also airs nightly on weekdays in Los Angeles on KABC-TV DT 7.2 at 10 pm and at various times on ABC O&O's digital subchannels.

As of early 2007, KGO was among the few commercial television stations in California that broadcast an alternative set of programs on a digital channel. Channel 7.2 simulcasts most KGO-TV-produced programs, but also re-runs them throughout the day. Channel 7.2 also re-runs ABC News programming at non-traditional times, such as World News at 7 pm on weeknights and Nightline at 9 am and 7:30 pm on many weekdays. Some programs on channel 7.2, such as Commonwealth Club Speaker's Luncheon and the western Guns of Will Sonnett, are not shown on Channel 7.

[edit] News operations

KGO-TV had followed the lead of its sister station in New York City, WABC-TV, and adopted the Eyewitness News format for its newscasts in the late 1960s. However, the Eyewitness News name was already used on KPIX-TV, which inherited the version of it from its then-sister station KYW-TV in Philadelphia. As a result, KGO-TV instead called its newscasts Channel 7 News Scene throughout the 1970s, and Channel 7 News during the 1980s and much of the 1990s before switching to ABC 7 News. The station did, however, follow other aspects of news branding at the other ABC O&Os, eg. using the theme from Cool Hand Luke by Lalo Schifrin (and later the News Series 2000 theme by Frank Gari). And as of 2006, like its sisters, KGO has begun using the Eyewitness News Music Package also by Gari. It, along with KABC-TV, became the last ABC O&O station to retire Cool Hand Luke in January 1992 though it returned in 1988, after a five year absence during which it was only used in news opens. At the time News Series 2000 remained the principle theme. The station currently utilizes the market's first helicopter equipped to shoot and transmit high definition (HD) video. The helicopter branded Sky 7HD made its on-air debut in February 2006. Due to current logistical and equipment limitations, video from Sky 7HD at times is only available in standard definition television (SD) 4:3 aspect ratio. When this occurs, the helicopter is branded as Sky 7. Also following the leads of its sister stations, KGO began broadcasting ABC7 News in High Definition on Saturday, February 17, 2007, becoming the 2nd news operation in the Bay Area to make this transition following KTVU. It should be noted that the KGO-TV affiliate in the Monterey/Salinas area does not transmit a high definition signal. KGO-TV also produces a 9pm newscast for independent station KBWB; the only other ABC O&O to do this is WTVD in North Carolina.

[edit] Death of Pete Wilson

On July 20, 2007 long-time main news anchor and KGO radio talk show host Pete Wilson died following a massive heart attack suffered during a hip replacement procedure at Stanford Medical Center in Palo Alto, California. He was 62 years old. The station aired extensive tributes to Wilson when his death was publicly announced the following day. His final newscast and radio show were on Wednesday July 18, 2007.

[edit] Failed single-anchor experiment

Buoyed by a sluggish economy and conversion to the "Ignite" automated control room system, KGO-TV briefly operated under what was -- by all accounts -- a failed experiment in having one person anchor an entire primary or "main" newscast. During this ill-fated experiment, Cheryl Jennings anchored the 5:00 p.m. weekday news by herself, and Dan Ashley anchored the 11:00 p.m. news solo. Research and ratings later proved both shows had suffered dramatically during the experiment, though Ashley still anchors an additional KGO-TV newscast produced for a small independent station in San Francisco.

[edit] Current personalities

Anchors

• Dan Ashley - 5:00, 6:00 and 11:00 p.m. on KGO-TV, 9 p.m. on KBWB, weeknights^[6]
• Cheryl Jennings - 11 a.m. and 5 p.m. weekdays (6:00 p.m. anchor Fridays only)
• Carolyn Johnson - 6:00 p.m. and 11:00 p.m. (Sun-Thurs)
• Kristen Sze - weekday mornings and 11 a.m.
• Eric Thomas - weekday mornings
• Alan Wang - Saturday Mornings and Evenings
• Carolyn Tyler - Sunday Mornings

Weather

• Lisa Argen - weekend mornings
• Spencer Christian - 6 p.m. weeknights (also co-host of View from the Bay)
• Leigh Glaser - weekend evenings (also environmental reporter and "Perfect Pet" feature on Fridays)
• Kristine Hanson - fill-in weather anchor
• Mike Nicco - weekday mornings and 11 a.m. (AMS Certified)
• Sandhya Patel - 5, 9, and 11 p.m. weeknights (NWA/AMS)

Sports

• Larry Beil - weekdays
• Mike Shumann - weekends

Reporters

• Lisa Amin
• Laura Anthony
• Leslie Brinkley
• Frances Dinglasan - traffic anchor and fill-in weather anchor
• Michael Finney - consumer reporter
• Wayne Freedman
• Teresa Garcia
• Katie Hammer (freelance)
• Amy Hollyfield
• Heather Ishimaru
• Lilian Kim
• Vic Lee
• David Louie - financial
• Audrey Mansfield - "The View From The Bay"
• Janelle Marie - Freelance Weather and Traffic anchor and fill-in Host "The View from the Bay"
• Terry McSweeney
• Mark Matthews - politics
• Lyanne Melendez
• Nannette Miranda - Sacramento Bureau chief
• Dan Noyes - investigative
• Karina Rusk - South Bay Bureau
• Don Sanchez - arts and entertainment
• Blanche Shaheen - "View From The Bay"
• Janelle Wang - View from the Bay co-host

[edit] Notable alumni

• Jessica Aguirre - Anchor (July 1998- April 2007, now 5/11pm anchor KNTV/NBC11)
• Van Amburg - longtime anchor (1969-1986)
• Ed Arnow - reporter (1965-1970)
• Joel Bartlett - weather anchor (1990-2007)
• Marcia Brandwynne - anchor/reporter (1976-1980)
• Richard Brown - anchor (1990-1996)
• John Buren - sports anchor (1984-1985)
• Jan Carson - anchor/reporter (1979-1983), later worked at KPRC
• Jim Celania - sports anchor
• Rigo Chacon - South Bay Bureau chief (1974-2003, now operating Rigo Chacon Associates at RigoChacon.com)
• Anna Chavez - anchor/reporter (1984-1991)
• Valerie Coleman - anchor/reporter (1970s), later worked at KCBS-TV and CNN
• Russ Coughlan - editorial reporter, former general manager of KGO-TV
• Arthur Lawrence Cribbs - East Bay Bureau chief (1977-1982)
• Steve Davis - reporter (1971-1992)
• Jim Dunbar - reporter (1965-1979)
• Dr. Dean Edell - medical reporter (retired from television in 2007)
• Mark Gibson - sports anchor (1971-1991, deceased)
• Pete Giddings - weather anchor (1969-1998)
• Marty Gonzalez - East Bay Bureau chief (1988-1995, now weekend morning anchor/reporter KRON-TV)
• Susan Gregory - reporter
• Roger Grimsby - anchor (1961-1968, deceased) later was moved to WABC in 1968
• Greg Gurule - reporter (1995-2002, then reporter NBC11, now at KRQE-TV)
• Brian Hackney - weather anchor (1990-1995, weather anchor/news anchor at KRON, now host of "Eye on the Bay" at KPIX-TV)
• Barbara Harrison - reporter (1980-1981, now at WRC-TV)
• Jack Hanson - anchor/reporter/A.M. San Francisco host (1970s-1990s)
• Stacey Hendler - reporter (1995-2005, now working for the homeless)
• Tony Hernandez - sports anchor/reporter (1976-1977)
• Carol Ivy - reporter (1972-1990, now in public relations)
• Tom Janis - sports reporter/anchor
• Paul Jeschke - reporter (1980s)
• Jerry Jensen - longtime anchor (1969-1984, deceased)
• Terilyn Joe - anchor (1991-1999), then anchor at NBC11 2000-2002
• Beverly Johnson - weather weekend/morning anchor (deceased)
• John Reed King - anchor (1970-1971)
• Sydnie Kohara - reporter (1987-1989, now weekday morning anchor KPIX-TV)
• Frank Kracher - anchor/reporter (1980s, now at WTVH-TV in Syracuse)
• Fred LaCosse - A.M. San Francisco co-host (1982-1987 [2])
• Ed Leslie - political reporter (1970s)
• Pia Lindstrom - entertainment reporter (1968-1973)
• Vicki Liviakis - reporter (1985-1986, now anchor/reporter KRON-TV)
• Dan Lovett - sports anchor/reporter (1988-1993)
• Terry Lowry - A.M. San Francisco co-host (1982-1987)
• Jeanne Lynch - anchor/reporter (1984-1989), reporter/anchor KRON/BAY-TV
• Laura Marquez - anchor/reporter (1989-2004, now reporter ABC News)
• Ken Matz - anchor/reporter (early 1980s)
• Willie Monroe - Oakland Bureau chief (1982-2007)
• Larry Moore - anchor (1979-1981, now at KMBC-TV)
• Melanie Morgan (KGO radio) - reporter (1981-1984, now at KSFO radio)
• Valerie Morris - reporter (1982-1985, now at CNN)
• Jennifer Moss - reporter/anchor (1995-2002, now at WOOD-TV)
• Steven Newman Weekend/Morning Meteorologist (1985-1989). Now writer for Earthweek
• Kent Ninomiya - weekday morning anchor (1999 - 2001)
• Lucy Noland - freelance reporter (1995-1996, now at KHOU-TV)
• M.G. Perez - reporter/anchor (1992-1995)
• Maury Povich - anchor/A.M. San Francisco co-host (1978-1980, now host of Maury)
• Wanda Ramey - reporter (1968-1970)
• Gary Rebstock - anchor (1982-1988)
• Suzanne Saunders-Shaw - anchor (1977-1988), then anchor at KRON
• Jeffrey Schaub - traffic reporter (1985-1990, now at KPIX-TV)
• Sam Shane - anchor/reporter (1997-2000, now at KOVR-TV)
• Don Sherwood - variety show host (1955-1957, deceased)
• Karna Small - anchor/reporter (1972-1976, now Karna Bodman and an author [3])
• Karl Sonkin - reporter (1975-1979), then to KRON 1979-2006, now spokesman for Kaiser
• Lisa Stark - anchor/reporter (1984-1993, now at ABC News)
• Ray Tannehill - anchor (1957-1970)
• Jim Wieder - reporter
• Pete Wilson - anchor (1983-1990, then anchor at KRON 1990-2002, back to ABC7 News 2002-2007, deceased)
• Steve Wilson - reporter, now at WXYZ-TV
• Martin Wyatt - sports director (1980-2007)
• Paul Wynn - reporter
• Janet Yee - technology reporter
• Linda Yee - reporter (1977-1978), then lead reporter at KRON 1978-2007
• Lloyd Lindsey Young - weather anchor (1981-1983, now working for both KGO-AM and KERO-TV)
• Caroline Yu - reporter
• Linda Yu - reporter/anchor (1976-1979, now at WLS-TV)

[edit] See also

• Circle 7 logo
• KGO (AM)
• WABC-TV

[edit] References

• Station Information (2005). ABC7news.com.
• Van Amburg's Bio

[edit] External links

• KGO-TV ABC 7 Web Site
• Modern TV: Happy News and Van Amburg
• Legendary KGO kids show host Marshal J Fan Page
• Query the FCC's TV station database for KGO
• BIAfn's Media Web Database -- Information on KGO-TV