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KGB (AM)

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Coordinates: 32°50′33″N 117°1′30″W / 32.84250°N 117.02500°W / 32.84250; -117.02500
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KFMB
File:KFMB-AM logo 2013.png
Broadcast areaSan Diego County, California
Frequency760 kHz
Branding760 KFMB
Programming
FormatTalk
AffiliationsCBS Radio News, Westwood One
Ownership
OwnerMidwest Television
KFMB-FM, KFMB-TV
History
First air date
August 19, 1941
Call sign meaning
For Mary and Burnham (see "History" in article)
Technical information
Facility ID42120
ClassB
Power5,000 watts day (non-directional)
50,000 watts night (directional)
Transmitter coordinates
32°50′33″N 117°1′30″W / 32.84250°N 117.02500°W / 32.84250; -117.02500
Links
WebcastListen Live
Website760kfmb.com
KFMB's towers are near Mission Gorge in San Diego.

KFMB (760 kHz, "TalkRadio 760") is an AM talk radio station in San Diego, California, USA. It is owned by Midwest Television, Inc., along with 100.7 KFMB-FM and CBS affiliate Channel 8 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 significantly increases power at night. The daytime power of 5000 watts is limited due to proximity to KBRT (740 AM), a religious-programming station with its transmitter in Orange County, California. The nighttime power is 50,000 watts, with a signal pattern that follows the California coast.[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 team. 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.

On October 6, 2015, Midwest Television announced that it had entered into a joint operating agreement with Local Media San Diego LLC, who operates Tijuana-licensed stations XHRM-FM, XETRA-FM, and XHITZ-FM, forming an entity known as SDLocal. The intent of this agreement is to "[preserve the] local ownership and operation of San Diego's top-rated radio stations".[15]

Programming

The station is the current San Diego home of 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 L.A. 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.[16]

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. 12 (9). Washington, D.C.: Broadcasting Publications, Inc.: 49 September 1, 1941.
  5. ^ "Warren B. Worcester." (obituary) Broadcasting - Broadcast Advertising, November 2, 1942, pg. 12. [1]
  6. ^ "Gross, Taylor to buy KFMB, San Diego." Broadcasting - Broadcast Advertising, July 19, 1943, pg. 60. [2]
  7. ^ "KFMB sale okayed." Broadcasting - Broadcast Advertising, November 1, 1943, pg. 44. [3]
  8. ^ "Actions of the FCC." Broadcasting - Broadcast Advertising, June 18, 1945, pg. 75. [4]
  9. ^ "KFMB sale; Kennedys to buy." Broadcasting - Telecasting, November 20, 1950, pg. 68. [5]
  10. ^ "$7 1/2 million mark passed in bumper transfer crop." Broadcasting - Telecasting, February 2, 1953, pp. 27-28. [6][7]
  11. ^ "Wrather buys out Alvarez." Broadcasting - Telecasting, May 12, 1958, pg. 9. [8]
  12. ^ "New station combine formed." Broadcasting - Telecasting, February 16, 1959, pg. 9. [9]
  13. ^ "Transcontinent tie with Marietta gets ok." Broadcasting, May 18, 1959, pp. 74, 76. [10][11]
  14. ^ "Transcontinent sale: last of its kind?." Broadcasting, February 24, 1964, pp. 27-28. [12][13]
  15. ^ "Local Media, KFMB Stations announce joint-operating agreement". San Diego Union-Tribune. Retrieved 6 October 2015.
  16. ^ Finnegan, Michael (2009-03-15). "Conservative talk radio on the wane in California". Los Angeles Times.
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