Re: 1010 AM

["Dan Strassberg" <dan.strassberg@att.net>]

Garrett: I happen to have been _in_ San Francisco (as a tourist with my
parents) on the day in August 1951 when what _had_ been KCBS 740 San Jose
(transmitting with 7500W from what I assue was a long-wire antenna in Alviso
in the south Bay) took to the air as KCBS 740 San Francisco (transmitting
with 50 kW DA-2 from four 135-degree sticks in Novato in the north Bay). So,
no, KCBS's move from 1010 to 740 preceded by several years, the change in
its COL. And like most stories about major-market station moves, this one
was more complicated. The owners of KSFO 560 (Gene Autrey's Golden West
Broadcasting, I believe), had applied for--and been granted--a move from 560
to 740 with 50 kW DA-2--presumably from the Novato site that KCBS now uses.
Had that scenario actually taken place, KSFO would now be the 50-kW station
on 740 in San Francisco. And KCBS would be on 560, licensed to San
Francisco. But KSFO lost the CP for 740 for failure to construct, and KCBS
reapplied and was granted the facilities it had sought.

Back in those days, KSFO operated with 5 kW-D/1 kW-N ND-U from a site on the
waterfront on the east side of downtown San Francisco. As far as I know, the
then KNBC (ex-KPO, now KNBR 680) along with the Class IV station on 1450,
the station on 1100 that is now KFAX, and KSFO were the only AMs licensed to
San Francisco that transmitted from the west Bay. I believe that all the
others were in the east Bay, many near the eastern end of the San
Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge. (Well, I'm not positive about KYA 1260, and I
think that when it was still 1 kW-ND-U, the then KROW 960 Oakland (now KABL)
used the best site of all--an island in the middle of the Bay.) (1550, whose
TX is currently in the west Bay south of San Francisco had not yet been
built. 1550, now KYCY, was recently granted a CP for 50 kW-D/40 kW-N DA-2
from Milpitas, which is in the east Bay just north of San Jose.)

East Bay locations are best for protecting inland stations and delivering a
good signal to Silicon Valley (which, in those days, was decades away from
being christened Silicon Valley). West Bay locations are best for covering
lots of real estate east of the Bay. Somewhere along the way, KSFO increased
its night power to 5 kW by adding a second tower and DA-N operation, but as
far as I know, its TX is still in San Francisco. I assume that, had KCBS
moved to 560, the increase in night power would have occurred sooner than it
did. Still 560 pays for its huge daytime coverage area with an inferior
signal in Silicon Valley and San Jose. Curiously, KFRC 610 one of the best
AM facilities in the market (the only ex-Class III in the market that runs 5
kW-U ND-U) diplexes from the stick owned by KVTO (ex-KRE), the Class C
station on 1400 licensed to Berkeley. KVTO's tower, which is 225 degrees at
1400, is 98 degrees at 610. This stick and the art-deco Tx building at the
base were immortalized in the 70s movie American Graffiti.

----- Original Message -----
From: Garrett Wollman <wollman@khavrinen.lcs.mit.edu>
To: Dan Strassberg <dan.strassberg@att.net>
Cc: Boston Radio Interest <boston-radio-interest@bostonradio.org>
Sent: Tuesday, September 04, 2001 1:37 PM
Subject: Re: 1010 AM


> Actually, at the time KQW moved from 1010 to 740, CBR was in Edmonton,
> not Calgary.  I believe that the move south coincided with KQW's
> frequency change, and ISTR that KQW's move to the Novato transmitter
> site and change in community of license also took place at that time.