 | |
| Broadcast area | San Diego–Tijuana |
|---|---|
| Frequency | 760kHz |
| Branding | San Diego Sports 760 |
| Programming | |
| Format | Sports radio |
| Affiliations | |
| Ownership | |
| Owner |
|
| KGB-FM,KHTS-FM,KIOZ,KLSD,KMYI,KOGO,KSSX | |
| History | |
First air date | August 19, 1941; 83 years ago (1941-08-19) |
Former call signs | KFMB (1941–2020) |
Former frequencies |
|
Call sign meaning | George Bowles (stationmanager ofKGB, 1928–1931)[1] |
| Technical information[2] | |
Licensing authority | FCC |
| Facility ID | 42120 |
| Class | B |
| Power |
|
Transmitter coordinates | 32°50′33″N117°1′30″W / 32.84250°N 117.02500°W /32.84250; -117.02500 |
| Repeater(s) | 101.5-2 KGB-HD2 (San Diego) |
| Links | |
Public license information | |
| Webcast | Listen Live |
| Website | sportssd |
KGB (760AM) is a commercial broadcastradio station licensed toSan Diego, California. It is owned byiHeartMedia and airs asports radioformat.[3] KGB has local sports talk shows along with play-by-play coverage ofSan Diego State Aztecs football andbasketball,Los Angeles Lakers basketball,San Diego Gulls hockey, and national programming fromFox Sports Radio.
The station first broadcast in 1941 as KFMB, founded by aerospace engineer Warren Burnham Worcester broadcasting mostlyclassical music. In 1943,Jack O. Gross bought KFMB radio and later added twosister stations:KFMB-TV channel 8 andKFMB-FM, first at 101.5MHz and later at 100.7 MHz. The trio of stations were owned by Chicago-based Midwest Television from 1964 to 2017. For much of the 1960s and 1970s, KFMB AM had afull service format combiningMiddle of the Road (MOR) music, as well as news and sports. KFMB AM was one of the most popular radio stations in San Diego from the mid-1970s to late 1980s. At that point, the station shifted away from music to emphasize talk shows. As a talk station, KFMB featured hosts includibgTed Leitner,Hank Bauer,Rick Roberts andRoger Hedgecock, with a focus onconservative talk shows.
In 2017,Tegna Inc. bought the KFMB radio and TV stations from Midwest Television, then sold the KFMB radio stations to Local Media San Diego in 2019. Less than a year later,iHeartMedia bought KFMB AM and changed itscall sign to KGB. In 2022, iHeartMedia changed KGB's format from talk to sports and moved much of KGB's talk programming to sister stationsKOGO 600 andKLSD 1360.
In 1940, the Worcester Broadcasting Corporation obtained aconstruction permit for a 250-watt radio station. Its president, Warren Burnham Worcester, was an aircraft designer and engineer from a prominent family inWorcester, Massachusetts.[4][5] Worcester Broadcasting's station had thecall sign KFMB, named after Worcester's children: the "M" for daughter Mary and "B" for son Burnham.[4] TheFederal Communications Commission (FCC) construction permit was for 1420 kHz. By the time the stationsigned on, all stations on 1420 kHz had moved to 1450 kHz as a result of theNorth American Regional Broadcasting Agreement (NARBA).[citation needed]
With a transmitter on the top of theSpreckels Building, KFMB debuted at 8 p.m. on August 19, 1941; 83 years ago (August 19, 1941). Its studios were at the corner of Pacific Highway and Ash Street, then known as Pacific Square.[6] KFMB's opening night featured classical music and opera performances and theUnited States Marine Band.[7] KFMB offered what Worcester called "the finest classical and semi-classical groups, vocalists, and the greatest name bands in the country."[8]
Warren B. Worcester died on October 24, 1942, at age 33.[9] In July 1943, the trustees of Worcester's estate sold KFMB for $95,000 to its general manager,Jack O. Gross and a business partner, O.L. Taylor.
KFMB became anaffiliate of theNBC Blue Network in September 1943.[10] The FCC approved the sale of KFMB to Gross and Taylor in November.[11] Gross purchased Taylor's 50 percent interest and became sole owner on June 12, 1945.[12]
In 1943, NBC Blue Network was sold and became simply "The Blue Network". KFMB remained an affiliate through a further rename two years later toABC.[13] Under Gross's stewardship, KFMB pioneered FM and television service in San Diego. In April 1947, KFMB-FM, originally on 101.5 MHz, was launched, largelysimulcasting the AM station.KFMB-TV (channel 8) signed on in May 1949 as a primary CBS affiliate.[14][13]
On March 30, 1948, KFMB moved from 1450 to 550 on the AM dial and increased its power from 250 to 1,000 watts.[15][16] Few people owned FM receivers in those days, so the first KFMB-FM went off the air in 1950.[17]
In November 1950, Gross sold KFMB-AM-TV to John A. Kennedy, a former publisher of theSan Diego Daily Journal.[18] Three years later, Kennedy sold the stations to a partnership of television producerJack Wrather and industry executive Helen Alvarez.[19] On December 7, 1954, KFMB moved again, this time from 550 to 540 kHz.[15]
In 1957, Alvarez sold her shares in KFMB to Wrather.[20] Wrather then sold his broadcast interests toBuffalo, New York-based Transcontinent Television Corporation in early 1959.[21][22] A secondKFMB-FM station signed on in 1959 on its present frequency of 100.7 MHz.[23][24]
Also in 1959,Geoff Edwards joined KFMB as a host.[25] Edwards would later go on to host a number of network TVgame shows. In September 1959, KFMB once again put an FMsister station on the air. This time, KFMB-FM was heard on 100.7 MHz, again largely simulcasting the AM station.
As part of Transcontinent's exit from broadcasting, KFMB-AM-FM-TV were sold in 1964 to Midwest Television. The company was owned by the Meyer family and was based inChampaign, Illinois.[26]
From 1964 to 1975, KFMB had afull service,middle of the road (MOR) format combining popular adult music, news, talk and sports.[27] KFMB moved to 760 kHz on December 29, 1965.[15] This frequency changed after a realignment of broadcast channels between the United States and Mexico forced the station to vacate 540 AM, which is now a Mexican and Canadian clear channel frequency. The FCC granted KFMB the 760 spot on the dial as a replacement. But becauseKGUHonolulu was also on 760 AM, KFMB was limited to 5,000 watts full time to avoid interference.[citation needed]
KFMB debuted theCharlie & Harrigan morning show in 1972. It was hosted by Jack Woods (as Charlie) and Paul Menard (as Harrigan), who previously hosted that show on stations in Dallas and Cleveland.[28]Charlie & Harrigan quickly became the most popular morning radio show in San Diego, before the hosts left for Dallas in 1975 and eventually returned to San Diego on rival stationKCBQ in 1976.[29] Charlie & Harrigan became one of the most popular shows on San Diego radio. KFMB also began broadcastingSan Diego State Aztecs football andmen's basketball games in 1972.[27][30]
Starting in 1975, Mac Hudson and Joe Bauer began co-hosting theHudson & Bauer morningdrive time show, which provided humorous discussions of the news in the voices of various characters.[27]Bobby Rich also joined KFMB around the same time.[31] Mark Larson began the first of two stints with KFMB in June 1976 as a weekendDJ and moving up to weeknights from 9 p.m. to 1 a.m.[32][33][34] From roughly 1975 through 1989, KFMB was one of the top three highest rated stations in San Diego, frequently fighting its FM sister, then known as "B-100", for the top position.
In 1977, the KFMB studios moved toKearny Mesa, where the TV and radio stations would be headquartered together for over 40 years.[35]
Ted Leitner joined the KFMB TV and AM stations as a sports reporter in January 1978. In his first job at KFMB, he provided sports reports and commentary onHudson & Bauer.[36][27]Bill Ballance, formerly ofKABC in Los Angeles, began hostingAll Talk Slice of the Night on KFMB on March 1, 1978.[37][38]
In 1979, Larson became KFMB's program director. KFMB became theflagship station forSan Diego Padres baseball games, which were announced byJerry Coleman and Leitner.[39][34] KFMB dropped San Diego State sports in 1985.[27] As more people switched to FM for music listening, KFMB added more talk programming and sports.
With the KFMB stations under new management, KFMB dropped music and switched full time to anews/talk format in April 1994, debuting talk shows hosted by Geni Cavitt and Stacy Taylor and a two-hour news show during the 4–6 p.m. afternoon drive hours.[40] With this format change, Larson left KFMB to become general manager ofKPRZ1210 AM.[41] In June 1994, KFMB was among the first stations to carry the newly syndicatedDr. Laura Program, based atKFI in Los Angeles.[42]
Leitner, a longtime sports announcer and reporter for KFMB, debuted a general issues afternoon talk show in February 1995.[43] In the same month, KFMB replaced evening hostRollye James withThe Late Late Radio Show, asyndicated show co-hosted byTom Snyder and Elliott Forrest.[44]
KFMB began a second stint as the home of San Diego State football in 1996.[45]
As a cost cutting measure, KFMB laid off its radio news staff in September 1997 and began sourcing news updates from KFMB television reporters. The San Diego chapter of theAmerican Federation of Television and Radio Artists (AFTRA) initially opposed the move before signing a new contract with KFMB stations in 1998.[46] In October 1997, theHudson and Bauer morning show ended its 22-year run on KFMB following the death of Mac Hudson at age 58.[47] FormerCharlie & Harrigan co-host Jack Woods returned to KFMB to replace Hudson in the successorJack and Joe show.[48] The end of the year saw the departure of another longtime host, as Stacy Taylor left KFMB after six years.[49]
Beginning in 1998, KFMB began broadcastingSan Diego Chargers football games afterXETRA's one-year contract expired.[50] The following year, KFMB signed a contract extension to secure the rights to Chargers games until the 2004 season.[51] That year, KFMB also replaced its afternoon news show with a sports talk show hosted by former Chargers running backHank Bauer (no relation to Joe Bauer).[52]
The year 2000 marked major changes to the KFMB lineup. Leitner moved from afternoon to morning drive in January, and his show became the lead-in toJack and Joe.[53] Then in April, KFMB hiredRick Roberts away from KOGO as afternoon drive host.[54] Regarding sports broadcasts, KFMB lost the rights to Padres baseball and San Diego State football games toKOGO, which was the Padres' original flagship station from 1969 to 1978; KFMB also dropped Hank Bauer's sports talk show at the end of 1999.[39][55][53]
In 2001, Joe Bauer resigned from KFMB to join rivalKPOP to host a show focusing on health and personal finance.[48] Subsequently, Woods would reunite withCharlie & Harrigan co-host Menard for a show hosted under their real names.[56]
KFMB later expanded the presence of nationally syndicated conservative talk, dropping the Woods/Menard show and an evening sports talk show in March 2002 forThe Sean Hannity Show andThe Laura Ingraham Show.[56] Roberts attracted media attention for his frequent discussion of themurder of Danielle van Dam, an eight-year-old girl from San Diego, on his program.[57][58][59]
After Leitner stepped down from his longtime morning drive show for personal reasons, Roberts became the new morning drive host in February 2003.[60]
In the fall of 2005, KFMB began broadcasting commentary byPaul Harvey.[61] After many years affiliated withCBS Radio News, KFMB switched toABC News Radio as its national news provider on April 23, 2006.[62] KFMB returned to CBS Radio News in June 2012.[63]
By 2009, Roberts's KFMB show was among six local conservative talk radio shows in California measured byArbitron to have a weekly audience of more than 100,000.[64] As theGreat Recession forced radio stations to make budget cuts, by 2010, Roberts was among only two local hosts of daily talk radio shows in San Diego. That changed in January 2011 as KFMB hired Mike Slater fromWTJS inJackson, Tennessee, as the new morning drive host.[65] Roberts returned to his former afternoon drive slot that long had a syndicated show,The Savage Nation.[66]
Roberts left KFMB in December 2011, and his show was replaced the following month byRoger Hedgecock, who moved his nationally syndicated show from KOGO.[67][68][69] In October 2012, Hedgecock show producer Brett Winterble debuted his own evening show on KFMB in replacement ofThe Savage Nation, which had temporarily exited syndication.[70]
Hedgecock retired from his radio show on March 27, 2015; Slater became the new afternoon drive host March 30, and Hedgecock would remain a part-time commentator on KFMB.[71] Winterble returned to KFMB as afternoon drive host in September 2015.[72]
On October 6, 2015, Midwest Television entered into a joint operating agreement with Local Media San Diego LLC, which operated threeTijuana-licensed stations–XHRM-FM (92.5 FM),XETRA-FM (91.1 FM), andXHITZ-FM (90.3 FM) — forming an entity known as "SDLocal" to market all five stations together. Management said the intent of the agreement was to "[preserve the] local ownership and operation of San Diego's top-rated radio stations".[73] The agreement ended at the end of 2016.[74] Around the same time, KFMB droppedThe Sean Hannity Show after 13 years in favor of an expansion of Slater's show and a one-hour news show leading into Winterble.[75]
In 2017, the FCC denied an application to decrease KFMB's nighttime power from 50 to 10 kW.[76]
In October 2017, local media reported that KFMB-AM-FM-TV were being offered for sale by Midwest Television.[77] On December 18, 2017,Tegna, Inc. announced it would purchase the KFMB stations for $325 million.[78] t
The deal marked Tegna's re-entry into radio, as predecessorGannett Company had sold its previous radio group toEvergreen Media in 1997.[79] The sale was completed on February 15, 2018, ending the Meyer family's stewardship of the stations after 53 years.[80]Nielsen Audio ratings in the summer of 2019 ranked KFMB in 18th place among all San Diego area listeners, compared to sixth for rival AM stationKOGO600 AM.[81]
In December 2019, Tegna agreed to sell KFMB-AM-FM to Local Media San Diego for $5 million, putting them back under common control with Local Media's three Mexican-licensed stations and separating them from KFMB-TV.[82] The deal did not include the rights to the KFMB call letters. The call signs of the KFMB radio stations were changed after the closure of the acquisition. Local Media had reportedly explored reselling the AM station after the closure.[83] It promptly announced a $1.2 million resale of 760 KFMB toiHeartMedia when the deal closed on March 17, 2020.
KFMB immediately flipped to a temporary simulcast ofKOGO at noon local time, with its regular programming resuming on March 19.[84] KFMB host Mark Larson said that the KOGO simulcast was necessary due to "the huge logistic challenges" associated with the ownership change and moving of studios.[85] iHeartMedia completed the purchase on June 12, 2020.[86] Winterble left KFMB to joinWBT inCharlotte, North Carolina, in February 2020.[72]
On July 3, 2020, iHeart announced that KFMB would change its call sign to KGB, effective the next day. The KGB call sign was previously used on the AM dial in San Diego by sister stationKLSD1360 AM from 1928 to 1982. The reassignment of thethree-letter call sign was granted by the FCC, even though new three-letter call signs are usually not permitted.KGB-FM (101.5 FM) is also owned by iHeart so that allows the KGB call letters to be shared with a co-owned AM station.[87]
Beginning in September 2020, KGB became the San Diego affiliate of theLas Vegas Raiders radio network.[88] KGB also was the San Diego home forArmstrong & Getty,The Mark Levin Show,Red Eye Radio, and other syndicated talk shows.[89]
On August 31, 2022, iHeartMedia announced that it would swap the formats of KGB and KLSD the next day. KLSD's sports programming moved to 760 AM, while KGB's conservative talk moved to KLSD's 1360 AM signal. KLSD's shows are all nationally syndicated, while KGB’s schedule had two local hosts who moved to co-owned talk station KOGO. Mike Slater and Lou Penrose would co-host a new weekday show from 5-7 p.m., while Mark Larson would become a fill-in host.[90]
The new sports format, branded "San Diego Sports 760", debuted September 1 two days before the station broadcast theSan Diego State Aztecs football season opener. TheSan Diego Union Tribune commented about the sports station's move: "Listeners, especially in the North County, should appreciate the move to a stronger broadcast signal."[91]
San Diego State football and basketball were among the sports programming moving from the old KLSD; others included local talk shows,Fox Sports Radio network programming,Los Angeles Lakers basketball, andSan Diego Gulls hockey.[90][92][93]
By day, KGB broadcasts at 5,000watts, using anon-directional antenna. But at night, in an unusual move for an AM radio station, power increases to the maximum 50,000 watts, using adirectional antenna. Thetransmitter towers are along the San Clemente Canyon Freeway (California State Route 52) inSantee.[94] The studios are in theSerra Mesa neighborhood in northeastern San Diego.[95]
The transmitter location is unique in that its towers are found on both sides of a highway. They spread across the San Clemente Canyon Freeway (California State Route 52), near Exit 13.[96] The directional antenna is required at night to avoid interference with the dominant Class A station for which 760 AM is reserved,WJR inDetroit.
KGB features a mix of local and national sports radio shows, with local shows in afternoon hours, including a show co-hosted byRich Ohrnberger. In mornings, evenings, and overnights, KGB joins theFox Sports Radio national network.[97]
The station also has live play-by-play:San Diego State Aztecs football andmen's basketball,Los Angeles Lakers basketball, andSan Diego Gulls hockey.[93][92][90]
| ByAM frequency | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ByFM frequency |
| ||||
| NOAA Weather Radio frequency | |||||
| Digital radio by frequency & subchannel | |||||
| Bycall sign | |||||
| Defunct | |||||
