KSFO
| File:KsfoLogo.jpg | |
| Broadcast area | San Francisco, California |
|---|---|
| Frequency | 560 (kHz) |
| Branding | "News Talk KSFO 560 AM" |
| Programming | |
| Format | News/Talk |
| Ownership | |
| Owner | Disney/ABC |
| History | |
First air date | 1955 |
Call sign meaning | SFO is taken from the airport code for San Francisco International Airport |
| Links | |
| Website | www.ksfo560.com |
Template:Redirect5 KSFO is a conservative talk radio station in San Francisco, California, USA, broadcasting on 560 AM. It is owned by ABC Radio, a division of the Walt Disney Company, which has announced that it would sell its ABC Radio holdings (including KSFO) to Citadel Broadcasting. The sale is expected to close by the end of 2007.[1]
Background
Despite being located in a very liberal region, the content of the station's programs is solidly conservative with show hosts such as Rush Limbaugh, Melanie Morgan, Sean Hannity, and Dr. Laura Schlessinger. One of its few moderate talk shows is its night-time show, Coast to Coast AM. The station also broadcasts Oakland Raiders football games throughout the season.
It was not, however, always a talk station. In its heyday, starting in 1955, it played music, sports, and, particularly memorably, rebroadcast antique radio shows at particular times of the year. At the time, the station was owned by Gene Autry's Golden West Broadcasters and called itself "the world's greatest radio station." The station's news department earned national and international journalism awards for coverage of the Peoples Temple massacre in Jonestown, Guyana[2] and the assassinations of San Francisco Mayor George Moscone and Supervisor Harvey Milk by former Supervisor Dan White.[citation needed] Newscasters, sportscasters, and DJs from KSFO played an annual softball game to benefit the Police Athletic League; the No-Stars' arch-rivals were Reno Barsocchini's VIPs.
Memorable broadcasters of KSFO's history include Lon Simmons, Don Sherwood, Jeff Skov, Aaron Edwards, Jim Lange, John Gilliland, and Dan Sorkin. The station's history included stints as the flagship station for both San Francisco Giants and Oakland Athletics baseball (although at different times) and Stanford University football. A history of KSFO in the heyday of Don Sherwood (1950s and 1960s) can be found in Laurie Harper's biography "Don Sherwood -- The World's Greatest Disk Jockey."
Its early morning schedule since 1997 has included a trio of humorous, hardline, and vitriolic conservatives, Lee Rodgers, Melanie Morgan, and Officer Vic; the former two being the major contributors to the show, and the latter one covers weather and traffic and often contributes political satire. It was the former flagship station for Michael Savage, and some of the conservative hosts at sister station KGO who were not well received by that audience have subsequently hosted shows on KSFO, such as David Gold and Savage.
References
- ^ "Citadel to Buy Most of Disney Radio Assets," The Wall Street Journal, February 6, 2006.
- ^ Tony Russomanno, quoted in The Poynter Institute, Thursday Edition: Clearing Kool-Aid's Name. Retrieved January 14, 2007.
External links
- KSFO 560 AM Official Website
- 1995 Democratic National Committee letter condemning KSFO hate speech
- Blog post explaining controversy over hate speech on KSFO
- Spocko's Statement on the Controversy
- Example of Spocko letter to AT&T Advertising VP
- San Francisco ISP Shuts Down Website After Disney Complaint; Studio Briefing; January 5, 2007
- ABC shut down blogger who criticized violent rhetoric on one of its radio stations, January 9, 2007 from Media Matters for America
- Mike Stark's blog. Lot's of information regarding the latest controversy
