KFMB (AM)

KFMB
City of license San Diego, California
Broadcast area San Diego, California
Branding 760 KFMB
Slogan "The more you listen, the more you know."
Frequency 760 kHz
First air date August 19, 1941
Format News/Talk
Power 5,000 watts day
50,000 watts night
Class B
Facility ID 42120
Transmitter coordinates 32°50′33″N 117°1′30″W / 32.84250°N 117.02500°WCoordinates: 32°50′33″N 117°1′30″W / 32.84250°N 117.02500°W
Callsign meaning For Mary and Burnham (see "History" in article)
Affiliations CBS Radio News, Dial Global
Owner Midwest Television
Sister stations KFMB-FM, KFMB-TV
Webcast Listen Live
Website 760kfmb.com
KFMB's towers are near Mission Gorge in San Diego.

KFMB (760 AM, "TalkRadio 760") is a talk radio station in San Diego, California, USA, owned by Midwest Television, Inc., along with KFMB-FM and KFMB-TV.[1] All three share studios in the Kearny Mesa district of San Diego. KFMB is one of the few stations in the U.S. that increase power at night. The daytime power is limited due to KBRT (740 AM), a religious-programming station with its transmitter in Orange County. The nighttime pattern follows the California coast. Reception has been heard in La Paz, Baja California, and Seattle, Washington.[2] KFMB's antennas are unique in that they are located on both sides of a highway.[3]

History

KFMB first greeted listeners on August 19, 1941,[4] broadcasting from the corner of Pacific Highway and Ash Street, downtown. Owned by Warren B. Worcester and the Worcester Broadcasting Corporation, the "M" in KFMB was for Worcester's daughter Mary; the "B" for his son Warren Burnham. The FCC construction permit was for 1420 kHz. By the time the station signed on all stations on 1420 kHz had moved to 1450 kHz as a result of the North American Radio Broadcasting Agreement. KFMB changed frequencies several more times, to 550 AM in 1948, 540 AM in 1954 and finally, in 1965 to its current position at 760 AM after a realignment of broadcast channels between the United States and Mexico.

Warren Worcester died on October 24, 1942, following a brief illness.[5] In November 1943 the trustees of Worcester's estate sold KFMB to its general manager, Jack O. Gross and a business partner, O.L. Taylor;[6][7] Gross purchased Taylor's 50 percent interest and became sole owner in 1945.[8] Under Gross's stewardship KFMB pioneered FM and television service in San Diego, launching KFMB-FM in April 1947 and KFMB-TV in May 1949.

In November 1950, Gross sold the KFMB stations to John A. Kennedy, a former publisher of the San Diego Daily Journal.[9] Three years later, Kennedy unloaded the trio to a partnership of television producer Jack Wrather and industry executive Helen Alvarez.[10] In 1957 Alvarez sold her shares in KFMB to Wrather,[11] who then sold his broadcast interests to Buffalo, New York-based Transcontinent Television Corporation in early 1959.[12][13] As part of Transcontinent's exit from broadcasting, KFMB-AM-FM-TV was sold in 1964 to current owner Midwest Television, then based in Champaign, Illinois.[14]

In the mid 1970s, KFMB's format was an adult-oriented Top 40, and featured such personalities as Perry Allen, the morning drive teams of Charlie and Herrigan (Jack Woods and Paul Menard) to be followed by Hudson and Bauer (Mac Hudson and Joe Bauer), Clark Anthony, and Bobby Rich.

From 1978 to 1999 the station was the broadcast home for the San Diego Padres baseball franchise. From roughly 1975-1989, KFMB was one of the top three highest rated stations in San Diego, frequently fighting its FM sister, B-100, for the top position. From 1998 to 2004 it was the broadcast home of the San Diego Chargers football team.

Programming

The station is the current San Diego home of Sean Hannity, Glenn Beck, Armstrong & Getty, and others.

Local programming includes Mike Slater from 9 a.m. to noon weekday mornings and Roger Hedgecock from 3 to 6 p.m. weekday afternoons. News Anchor Marna Davis does the news every half hour. Specialty weekend programming includes shows such as Smart Investing and The Real Estate Zone All other programs are rebroadcast via satellite. Their top reporter is long-time newsman Tom Reopelle.

According to a March 2009 LA Times article, then-KFMB host Rick Roberts was one of several conservative talk radio hosts in California to have a weekly audience of more than 100,000.[15]

In June 2005, KFMB became the San Diego broadcast home for the late Paul Harvey.

See also

References

  1. ↑ "Station Information Profile". Arbitron. Summer 2009. Retrieved 2009-08-31.
  2. ↑ "KFMB Radio Station Information". Radio-Locator.com. Retrieved 2009-08-31.
  3. ↑ http://www.fybush.com/site-030320.html
  4. ↑ "KFMB Takes the Air". Broadcasting and Broadcast Advertising (Washington, D.C.: Broadcasting Publications, Inc.) 12 (9): 49. September 1, 1941.
  5. ↑ "Warren B. Worcester." (obituary) Broadcasting - Broadcast Advertising, November 2, 1942, pg. 12.
  6. ↑ "Gross, Taylor to buy KFMB, San Diego." Broadcasting - Broadcast Advertising, July 19, 1943, pg. 60.
  7. ↑ "KFMB sale okayed." Broadcasting - Broadcast Advertising, November 1, 1943, pg. 44.
  8. ↑ "Actions of the FCC." Broadcasting - Broadcast Advertising, June 18, 1945, pg. 75.
  9. ↑ "KFMB sale; Kennedys to buy." Broadcasting - Telecasting, November 20, 1950, pg. 68.
  10. ↑ "$7 1/2 million mark passed in bumper transfer crop." Broadcasting - Telecasting, February 2, 1953, pp. 27-28.
  11. ↑ "Wrather buys out Alvarez." Broadcasting - Telecasting, May 12, 1958, pg. 9.
  12. ↑ "New station combine formed." Broadcasting - Telecasting, February 16, 1959, pg. 9.
  13. ↑ "Transcontinent tie with Marietta gets ok." Broadcasting, May 18, 1959, pp. 74, 76.
  14. ↑ "Transcontinent sale: last of its kind?." Broadcasting, February 24, 1964, pp. 27-28.
  15. ↑ Finnegan, Michael (2009-03-15). "Conservative talk radio on the wane in California". Los Angeles Times.

External links