KNEW (AM)
Encyclopedia
KNEW is a radio station in San Francisco
, Oakland
, and San Jose
, CA
, USA. The station is owned by Clear Channel
. Prior to the format change, the station operated as CNET
Radio, offering business and technology news 24 hours a day. Under that format, the station simulcasted nationally on XM Satellite Radio
channel 130.
The KNEW callsign is a legacy of former owner Metropolitan Radio (Metromedia
) which already owned station WNEW
in New York and modeled KNEW after it as a personality-driven news and music station.
When the New York-styled format failed, KNEW switched to a "Greatest Hits" format of adult contemporary plus heavy oldies with strong personalities, led by program director John L. Hawkins.
In the 1980s - 90s the station played country music.
The 20,000 watt transmitter and twin towers are located on Point Isabel in Richmond, California
, on San Francisco Bay
..
, owner and publisher of the Oakland Tribune
. From 1923 the KLX studios were in the Oakland Tribune Tower at Thirteenth and Franklin streets, and the transmitter was on the roof. In 1952 the transmitter was moved to the San Francisco Bay shoreline and increased to 5,000 watts. In late 1956, KLX moved to the Bermuda Building on Franklin Street.
In 1959 (in part to pay off campaign debts related to U.S. Senator William Knowland's unsuccessful 1958 campaign for California governor), the Knowland family sold KLX to the former publisher of Collier's magazine (which had ceased publication in December 1956).
magazine) from 1959 to 1966.
KEWB 910AM debuted as a pop music station, pitting it against existing San Francisco Top 40 stations KYA 1260AM and KOBY 1550AM. KYA outlasted KEWB. KOBY couldn't keep up and eventually changed to KKHI "The HIGH spot on your radio dial" playing MOR music; it later thrived by playing classical music.
Guided by programmer Chuck Blore, KEWB "Color Radio - Channel 91" adopted the same on-air approach Blore implemented at Los Angeles
sister station KFWB: current pop/rock hits, amusing format elements, and energetic, funny air personalities. Chris Borden's weekend show was a "pool party" complete with sound effects. Casey Kasem dropped in wild tracks. Gary Owens was a stream of one-liners. Bobby Dale was frantic. Ron Lyons was acerbic. Everyone was funny.
KEWB is considered the launching pad for the radio careers of Casey Kasem
, Gary Owens
, "The Real" Don Steele
, and Robert W. Morgan
.
Gary Owens did a humorous morning show at KEWB. He eventually moved it to KFWB Los Angeles, and in the 1960s was featured as the "announcer" on TV's "Rowan & Martin's Laugh In".
Casey Kasem did the evening show using the moniker "Casey at the Mike," after the famous baseball
poem Casey at the Bat
. He had been doing celebrity impersonations and cartoon character voices between records, but the program director told him to stop. Left without a schtick
, he looked around the station for inspiration. Finding a bunch of Billboard magazines in a waste basket, he conceived of relating music trivia to the audience between the songs, which led to the development of the successful "American Top 40" show format upon which he built his later career. A decade later, KNEW was the show's Bay Area affiliate, so Casey was again heard on "Channel 91".
Morgan went by his last name while working the morning drive at KEWB. Steele worked afternoon drive. Both had short stays, being swayed a few months later to join Bill Drake's new "Boss Radio" at KHJ, Los Angeles. Drake's conversion of San Francisco's KFRC to the same format would bring an end to KEWB's Top 40 era and call letters.
Other notable KEWB personalities included Don McKinnon, Buck Herring, "Honest" John Trotter, Art Nelson, Bobby Dale, Perry Roberts, Chris Borden, Jim Wayne, Michael Jackson, and Ken Knox. KEWB DJs Ron Lyons and Ron Reynolds returned during the KNEW years.
, which changed the call letters to KNEW (purchased from a Spokane station for $75,000) to match its New York station WNEW. Starting with an all-night talk show hosted by Joe Dolan, Metromedia dumped the Top 40 music format and switched to controversy-focused talk radio, based in elaborate new waterfront studios at 66 Jack London Square in the Port of Oakland building. The studio featured extensive space for and tours of some of Metromedia owner John Kluge's art collection (also displayed at KTTV Channel 11 in Los Angeles). However, KNEW found it couldn't compete against ABC's long-established news-talk station KGO, and in 1969 switched to chatty DJs playing music "standards". But this change put it up against market powerhouse KSFO 560AM so the station continued to struggle.
In 1971 general manager Ken Gaines transferred to KNEW from Metromedia station WHK in Cleveland. Gaines and new program director John L. Hawkins quickly evolved KNEW to a fast-paced format of adult contemporary + classic hits ("oldies") music hosted by humorous DJs. Hawkins restored the nickname "Channel 91" and on-air elements echoing its earlier days as Top 40 rocker KEWB. KNEW recorded new station jingles using the original KEWB melody (also used by KFWB, KDWB, and as a hit instrumental, "Image" by Hank Levine).
The KNEW staff featured several KEWB veterans including air personalities Ron Lyons and Ron Reynolds, board operator Carl "The Caterpillar" Dahlstrom (a nickname given him by Gary Owens), and Casey Kasem's former operator Jim Tharp. Newcomers to the air team included Bill Collins from WHK, and "Tall" Tom Campbell from KYA and KLOK. Program director John Hawkins did shows on weekends. (Other KNEW air personalities during this period include Hal Pickens, Bob Raleigh, Harry Stephens (Osibin), and Eddie Alexander.)
In 1972, KNEW general manager Ken Gaines and program director John Hawkins devised a "relationships" talk show that candidly focused on issues important to, and only accepted calls from, women. Hawkins named the show "California Girls" and created a special edit of the Beach Boys song as the theme. They launched the idea as a variation on a Sunday morning public affairs show already hosted by Don Chamberlain, a part-time/weekend KNEW newscaster. Word spread rapidly that KNEW had "sex talk" on the radio, and the show was soon moved to weekdays 9AM - Noon where it became a phenomenon. San Francisco Chronicle columnist Herb Caen wrote that he walked the entire length of Market Street listening to California Girls, and he didn't miss a word -— yet he didn't have a radio. Later KNEW added evening show "California Guys" just for men, hosted by Dee Merritt. Hawkins extended the branding to the "greatest hits" music format, calling it "California Gold".
During the years 1966-1977, KNEW was considered the Bay Area's top news station, known for its aggressive field reporting. Led by News Director Gil Haar (Eugene Gelhaar), the veteran news team included Knowles Robertson, Ron Baker, Barney Lee (continuing from the KEWB days), and award-winning Mike Forrest (who left in 1977 for a TV job in Philadelphia).
The unique mix of California Gold music format, entertaining personalities, superior news, and California Girls and California Guys talk, made KNEW Channel 91 very popular. But the early 1970s recession and oil crisis made it difficult to get sufficient advertising to support the large operation. Eventually Metromedia decided it could make more money by adopting the simpler, less-competitive country music niche that was working for sister station KLAC in Los Angeles.
In July 1974, KNEW's format changed to "California Country" music, led by new general manager Bill Ward, who was also GM of KLAC Los Angeles. Gaines, Hawkins, Lyons, Reynolds, Campbell, and others left the station. Bill Collins remained with KNEW and learned how to be a country music DJ. In the 1990s, the format became classic country. In September 1997, the station changed from local DJ's to Real Country
using a national satellite feed. In August 1998, the station dropped country for simulcast with KIOI
, an adult contemporary station. In 1999, the station began a satellite feed with CNET Radio.
, Coast to Coast AM
and The Sean Hannity Show
are held by Citadel
-owned KSFO. KNEW tried to gain the rights to Limbaugh several years ago, and in fact the entire talk format on KNEW was designed to lure him, but Limbaugh decided to stay on KSFO. Until September 10, 2009, KNEW was the 'flagship station' for Michael Savage
's The Savage Nation
.
As of July 2010, KNEW rarely mentions its call letters and primarily is known as "910am". It presents mostly syndicated programs under the banner "More Stimulating Talk" (essentially the same slogan as Los Angeles
sister station KFI-AM). Shows heard on KNEW include Armstrong & Getty
, Rob Black, Glenn Beck Program
(the only show in the standard Clear Channel lineup), a simulcast of KFI Los Angeles show John and Ken
, a delayed broadcast of KOGO San Diego show Roger Hedgecock
(because it is live at the same time as John and Ken), The Schnitt Show and Doug Stephan
. Black is the only local host, Armstrong & Getty, John and Ken and Hedgecock's syndicated programs are all based in Southern California
.
San Francisco, California
San Francisco , officially the City and County of San Francisco, is the financial, cultural, and transportation center of the San Francisco Bay Area, a region of 7.15 million people which includes San Jose and Oakland...
, Oakland
Oakland, California
Oakland is a major West Coast port city on San Francisco Bay in the U.S. state of California. It is the eighth-largest city in the state with a 2010 population of 390,724...
, and San Jose
San Jose, California
San Jose is the third-largest city in California, the tenth-largest in the U.S., and the county seat of Santa Clara County which is located at the southern end of San Francisco Bay...
, CA
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
, USA. The station is owned by Clear Channel
Clear channel
A clear-channel station is an AM band Radio station in North America that has the highest protection from interference from other stations, particularly concerning night-time skywave propagation. Usually known as class A stations since 1982, they are occasionally still referred to by their former...
. Prior to the format change, the station operated as CNET
CNET
CNET is a tech media website that publishes news articles, blogs, and podcasts on technology and consumer electronics. Originally founded in 1994 by Halsey Minor and Shelby Bonnie, it was the flagship brand of CNET Networks and became a brand of CBS Interactive through CNET Networks' acquisition...
Radio, offering business and technology news 24 hours a day. Under that format, the station simulcasted nationally on XM Satellite Radio
XM Satellite Radio
XM Satellite Radio is one of two satellite radio services in the United States and Canada, operated by Sirius XM Radio. It provides pay-for-service radio, analogous to cable television. Its service includes 73 different music channels, 39 news, sports, talk and entertainment channels, 21 regional...
channel 130.
The KNEW callsign is a legacy of former owner Metropolitan Radio (Metromedia
Metromedia
Metromedia was a media company that owned radio and television stations in the United States from 1956 to 1986 and owned Orion Pictures from 1986-1997.- Overview :...
) which already owned station WNEW
WNEW
WNEW may refer to:*WNEW , a radio station licensed to Jupiter, Florida, United States*WBBR, a radio station licensed to New York, New York, United States, which used the call sign WNEW until December 1992...
in New York and modeled KNEW after it as a personality-driven news and music station.
When the New York-styled format failed, KNEW switched to a "Greatest Hits" format of adult contemporary plus heavy oldies with strong personalities, led by program director John L. Hawkins.
In the 1980s - 90s the station played country music.
The 20,000 watt transmitter and twin towers are located on Point Isabel in Richmond, California
Richmond, California
Richmond is a city in western Contra Costa County, California, United States. The city was incorporated on August 7, 1905. It is located in the East Bay, part of the San Francisco Bay Area. It is a residential inner suburb of San Francisco, as well as the site of heavy industry, which has been...
, on San Francisco Bay
San Francisco Bay
San Francisco Bay is a shallow, productive estuary through which water draining from approximately forty percent of California, flowing in the Sacramento and San Joaquin rivers from the Sierra Nevada mountains, enters the Pacific Ocean...
..
KLX
The Oakland station debuted as KLX on May 3, 1922 (or July 25, 1922, some say), with 5 watts of power, increased over the years. KLX was owned for 3 decades by Joseph R. KnowlandJoseph R. Knowland
Joseph Russell Knowland was an American politician and newspaper publisher. He served as a member of the United States House of Representatives from California and was owner, editor and publisher of the Oakland Tribune. He was the father of United States Senator William F...
, owner and publisher of the Oakland Tribune
The Oakland Tribune
The Oakland Tribune is a daily newspaper published in Oakland, California, by the Bay Area News Group , a subsidiary of MediaNews Group...
. From 1923 the KLX studios were in the Oakland Tribune Tower at Thirteenth and Franklin streets, and the transmitter was on the roof. In 1952 the transmitter was moved to the San Francisco Bay shoreline and increased to 5,000 watts. In late 1956, KLX moved to the Bermuda Building on Franklin Street.
In 1959 (in part to pay off campaign debts related to U.S. Senator William Knowland's unsuccessful 1958 campaign for California governor), the Knowland family sold KLX to the former publisher of Collier's magazine (which had ceased publication in December 1956).
KEWB
KLX became KEWB on June 7, 1959. KEWB was owned by Crowell Collier Broadcasting (former publisher of Collier's WeeklyCollier's Weekly
Collier's Weekly was an American magazine founded by Peter Fenelon Collier and published from 1888 to 1957. With the passage of decades, the title was shortened to Collier's....
magazine) from 1959 to 1966.
KEWB 910AM debuted as a pop music station, pitting it against existing San Francisco Top 40 stations KYA 1260AM and KOBY 1550AM. KYA outlasted KEWB. KOBY couldn't keep up and eventually changed to KKHI "The HIGH spot on your radio dial" playing MOR music; it later thrived by playing classical music.
Guided by programmer Chuck Blore, KEWB "Color Radio - Channel 91" adopted the same on-air approach Blore implemented at Los Angeles
Los Ángeles
Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...
sister station KFWB: current pop/rock hits, amusing format elements, and energetic, funny air personalities. Chris Borden's weekend show was a "pool party" complete with sound effects. Casey Kasem dropped in wild tracks. Gary Owens was a stream of one-liners. Bobby Dale was frantic. Ron Lyons was acerbic. Everyone was funny.
KEWB is considered the launching pad for the radio careers of Casey Kasem
Casey Kasem
Kemal Amin "Casey" Kasem is an American radio personality and voice actor who is best known for being the host of the nationally syndicated Top 40 countdown show American Top 40, and for voicing Shaggy in the popular Saturday morning cartoon franchise Scooby-Doo.Kasem, along with Don Bustany and...
, Gary Owens
Gary Owens
Gary Owens is an American disc jockey and voice actor. His polished baritone speaking voice generally offers deadpan recitations of total nonsense, which he frequently demonstrated as the announcer on Rowan and Martin's Laugh-In. Owens is equally proficient in straight or silly assignments and is...
, "The Real" Don Steele
Don Steele
Don Steele, born Donald Steele Revert , was one of the most popular disc jockeys in the United States, from the middle of the 1960s until his retirement in May 1997...
, and Robert W. Morgan
Robert W. Morgan
Robert Wilbur Morgan was an award-winning morning radio personality best known for his work at several stations in Los Angeles, California, in particular KHJ-AM....
.
Gary Owens did a humorous morning show at KEWB. He eventually moved it to KFWB Los Angeles, and in the 1960s was featured as the "announcer" on TV's "Rowan & Martin's Laugh In".
Casey Kasem did the evening show using the moniker "Casey at the Mike," after the famous baseball
Baseball
Baseball is a bat-and-ball sport played between two teams of nine players each. The aim is to score runs by hitting a thrown ball with a bat and touching a series of four bases arranged at the corners of a ninety-foot diamond...
poem Casey at the Bat
Casey at the Bat
"Casey at the Bat: A Ballad of the Republic Sung in the Year 1888" is a baseball poem written in 1888 by Ernest Thayer. First published in The San Francisco Examiner on June 3, 1888, it was later popularized by DeWolf Hopper in many vaudeville performances.The poem was originally published...
. He had been doing celebrity impersonations and cartoon character voices between records, but the program director told him to stop. Left without a schtick
Schtick
A shtick is a comic theme or gimmick. "Shtick" is derived from the Yiddish word shtik , meaning "piece"; the closely related German word Stück has the same meaning. The English word "piece" itself is also sometimes used in a similar context...
, he looked around the station for inspiration. Finding a bunch of Billboard magazines in a waste basket, he conceived of relating music trivia to the audience between the songs, which led to the development of the successful "American Top 40" show format upon which he built his later career. A decade later, KNEW was the show's Bay Area affiliate, so Casey was again heard on "Channel 91".
Morgan went by his last name while working the morning drive at KEWB. Steele worked afternoon drive. Both had short stays, being swayed a few months later to join Bill Drake's new "Boss Radio" at KHJ, Los Angeles. Drake's conversion of San Francisco's KFRC to the same format would bring an end to KEWB's Top 40 era and call letters.
Other notable KEWB personalities included Don McKinnon, Buck Herring, "Honest" John Trotter, Art Nelson, Bobby Dale, Perry Roberts, Chris Borden, Jim Wayne, Michael Jackson, and Ken Knox. KEWB DJs Ron Lyons and Ron Reynolds returned during the KNEW years.
KNEW
In 1966, the station was purchased by Metromedia BroadcastingMetromedia
Metromedia was a media company that owned radio and television stations in the United States from 1956 to 1986 and owned Orion Pictures from 1986-1997.- Overview :...
, which changed the call letters to KNEW (purchased from a Spokane station for $75,000) to match its New York station WNEW. Starting with an all-night talk show hosted by Joe Dolan, Metromedia dumped the Top 40 music format and switched to controversy-focused talk radio, based in elaborate new waterfront studios at 66 Jack London Square in the Port of Oakland building. The studio featured extensive space for and tours of some of Metromedia owner John Kluge's art collection (also displayed at KTTV Channel 11 in Los Angeles). However, KNEW found it couldn't compete against ABC's long-established news-talk station KGO, and in 1969 switched to chatty DJs playing music "standards". But this change put it up against market powerhouse KSFO 560AM so the station continued to struggle.
In 1971 general manager Ken Gaines transferred to KNEW from Metromedia station WHK in Cleveland. Gaines and new program director John L. Hawkins quickly evolved KNEW to a fast-paced format of adult contemporary + classic hits ("oldies") music hosted by humorous DJs. Hawkins restored the nickname "Channel 91" and on-air elements echoing its earlier days as Top 40 rocker KEWB. KNEW recorded new station jingles using the original KEWB melody (also used by KFWB, KDWB, and as a hit instrumental, "Image" by Hank Levine).
The KNEW staff featured several KEWB veterans including air personalities Ron Lyons and Ron Reynolds, board operator Carl "The Caterpillar" Dahlstrom (a nickname given him by Gary Owens), and Casey Kasem's former operator Jim Tharp. Newcomers to the air team included Bill Collins from WHK, and "Tall" Tom Campbell from KYA and KLOK. Program director John Hawkins did shows on weekends. (Other KNEW air personalities during this period include Hal Pickens, Bob Raleigh, Harry Stephens (Osibin), and Eddie Alexander.)
In 1972, KNEW general manager Ken Gaines and program director John Hawkins devised a "relationships" talk show that candidly focused on issues important to, and only accepted calls from, women. Hawkins named the show "California Girls" and created a special edit of the Beach Boys song as the theme. They launched the idea as a variation on a Sunday morning public affairs show already hosted by Don Chamberlain, a part-time/weekend KNEW newscaster. Word spread rapidly that KNEW had "sex talk" on the radio, and the show was soon moved to weekdays 9AM - Noon where it became a phenomenon. San Francisco Chronicle columnist Herb Caen wrote that he walked the entire length of Market Street listening to California Girls, and he didn't miss a word -— yet he didn't have a radio. Later KNEW added evening show "California Guys" just for men, hosted by Dee Merritt. Hawkins extended the branding to the "greatest hits" music format, calling it "California Gold".
During the years 1966-1977, KNEW was considered the Bay Area's top news station, known for its aggressive field reporting. Led by News Director Gil Haar (Eugene Gelhaar), the veteran news team included Knowles Robertson, Ron Baker, Barney Lee (continuing from the KEWB days), and award-winning Mike Forrest (who left in 1977 for a TV job in Philadelphia).
The unique mix of California Gold music format, entertaining personalities, superior news, and California Girls and California Guys talk, made KNEW Channel 91 very popular. But the early 1970s recession and oil crisis made it difficult to get sufficient advertising to support the large operation. Eventually Metromedia decided it could make more money by adopting the simpler, less-competitive country music niche that was working for sister station KLAC in Los Angeles.
In July 1974, KNEW's format changed to "California Country" music, led by new general manager Bill Ward, who was also GM of KLAC Los Angeles. Gaines, Hawkins, Lyons, Reynolds, Campbell, and others left the station. Bill Collins remained with KNEW and learned how to be a country music DJ. In the 1990s, the format became classic country. In September 1997, the station changed from local DJ's to Real Country
Real country
Real Country is a 24-hour radio format produced by Cumulus Media Networks. Real Country, originally one of the Satellite Music Network stations, is marketed at the 18 to 54 demographic in rural areas of the United States...
using a national satellite feed. In August 1998, the station dropped country for simulcast with KIOI
KIOI
KIOI FM is a radio station licensed to San Francisco, California. The Clear Channel Communications-owned station programs a Hot Adult Contemporary format.- KPEN :...
, an adult contemporary station. In 1999, the station began a satellite feed with CNET Radio.
Current Programming
KNEW's programming is much different from the standard Clear Channel lineup, because Bay Area rights to shows such as The Rush Limbaugh ShowThe Rush Limbaugh Show
The Rush Limbaugh Show is an American talk radio show hosted by Rush Limbaugh on Premiere Radio Networks...
, Coast to Coast AM
Coast to Coast AM
Coast to Coast AM is a North American late-night syndicated radio talk show that deals with a variety of topics, but most frequently ones that relate to either the paranormal or conspiracy theories. It was created by Art Bell and is distributed by Premiere Radio Networks. The program currently...
and The Sean Hannity Show
The Sean Hannity Show
The Sean Hannity Show is a talk radio show hosted by Sean Hannity on Citadel Media and Premiere Radio Networks. The program is broadcast live every weekday, 3 p.m. to 6 p.m...
are held by Citadel
Citadel Broadcasting
Citadel Broadcasting Corporation was a Las Vegas, Nevada-based broadcast holding company. Citadel owned 243 radio stations across the United States and was the third-largest radio station owner in the country...
-owned KSFO. KNEW tried to gain the rights to Limbaugh several years ago, and in fact the entire talk format on KNEW was designed to lure him, but Limbaugh decided to stay on KSFO. Until September 10, 2009, KNEW was the 'flagship station' for Michael Savage
Michael Savage (commentator)
Michael Savage is a conservative American radio host, author, and political commentator. He is the host of The Savage Nation, a nationally syndicated talk show that airs throughout the United States on Talk Radio Network...
's The Savage Nation
The Savage Nation
The Savage Nation is an American radio show hosted by conservative commentator Michael Savage on Talk Radio Network. His show is heard by 8-10 million listeners a week and syndicated across the U.S. in over 300 markets, making it the 3rd most listened to radio show in the country...
.
As of July 2010, KNEW rarely mentions its call letters and primarily is known as "910am". It presents mostly syndicated programs under the banner "More Stimulating Talk" (essentially the same slogan as Los Angeles
Los Angeles, California
Los Angeles , with a population at the 2010 United States Census of 3,792,621, is the most populous city in California, USA and the second most populous in the United States, after New York City. It has an area of , and is located in Southern California...
sister station KFI-AM). Shows heard on KNEW include Armstrong & Getty
Armstrong & Getty
Armstrong & Getty is a 4-time Best of Sacramento award-winning morning drive radio show and television show airing in Northern California on several Clear Channel radio stations and a Newport Television station...
, Rob Black, Glenn Beck Program
Glenn Beck Program
The Glenn Beck Program is an American talk radio show hosted by commentator Glenn Beck on Premiere Radio Networks. Since its inception as a nationally syndicated show in 2002, the program has become one of the highest rated radio programs...
(the only show in the standard Clear Channel lineup), a simulcast of KFI Los Angeles show John and Ken
John and Ken
John Chester Kobylt and Kenneth Robertson Chiampou, known professionally as John and Ken are American talk radio hosts of a four-hour weekday radio show, The John and Ken Show, on KFI AM 640 in Southern California. The John and Ken Show airs from 3 p.m. to 7 p.m....
, a delayed broadcast of KOGO San Diego show Roger Hedgecock
Roger Hedgecock
Roger Allan Hedgecock is a conservative talk radio host and former mayor of San Diego, California. His show is syndicated by Radio America. Hedgecock still resides in San Diego...
(because it is live at the same time as John and Ken), The Schnitt Show and Doug Stephan
Doug Stephan
Doug Stephan is an American radio talk show personality and hosts the nationally syndicated Doug Stephan's Good Day.-Radio Programs:Doug Stephan's Good Day is a "call-in" and interview show airing live Monday through Saturday featuring a fast paced format covering variety of topics...
. Black is the only local host, Armstrong & Getty, John and Ken and Hedgecock's syndicated programs are all based in Southern California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
.