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KCBS (AM)
Encyclopedia
KCBS is an all-news radio station
in San Francisco, California
, that is a key West Coast flagship radio station of the CBS Radio Network
and Westwood One
. Its transmitter is located in Novato, California
. KCBS currently has studios on Battery Street, where it shares the location with co-owned KPIX
. The current logo resembles that of the CBS logo.
KCBS' full programming schedule is simulcast
on co-owned KFRC
106.9 FM
.
engineer Charles Herrold
as far back as 1909, making the broadcaster a leading contender for the title of oldest continuously broadcasting station in the United States
and possibly the world. Herrold used a variety of different radio call signs in the early days, including FN, SJN, 6XF, and 6XE. In the very beginning, he just used a simple greeting like "San Jose calling." That greeting and the initial FN sign (which was an inverted abbreviation of "National Fone") reflected the fact that Herrold had been partially working on the idea of a radiotelephone
.
On December 9, 1921 Herrold received a commercial license
under the callsign KQW. It was the 21st licensed radio station in the United States and the 11th in California. However, the "arc-phone" Herrold had been using for over a decade had to be scrapped. It would only work at wavelength
s above 600 meters, and all radio stations were restricted to 360 meters (roughly the equivalent of 833 kHz). He quickly created a replacement, using a tube-like transmitter drawing power from San Jose's streetcar lines. However, he never recovered financially from the loss of his arc-phone, and was forced to put the station on the market in 1925. After initially giving an option to a civic foundation, he sold it to the First Baptist Church of San Jose. Herrold stayed on as a technician for the station he'd created for a few years, but died in obscurity in 1947.
There is at least one authentic broadcast recording chronicling this early history. On November 10, 1945, KQW presented a special program called "The Story of KQW," commemorating Herrold's early broadcasts. It includes a brief recorded statement by Herrold, just before his 70th birthday. During the introduction to the program, a KQW announcer explains that the program was produced to mark the 25th anniversary of the broadcasting industry as well as the 36th anniversary of KQW. The announcer then goes on to say that KQW was the first radio station in the world to operate on a regular schedule. The major events in Herrold's work are then dramatized.
In 1926 station manager James Hart bought KQW's license and facilities, buying the station itself in 1930. Until 1942, it operated as a service of the Pacific Agricultural Foundation to farmers in the Central Valley. A series of power boosts brought the station to 5,000 watts by 1935. It was the San Jose affiliate of the Don Lee Broadcasting System
from 1937 to 1941, during the time that it was owned by Julius Brunton & Sons, co-located with KJBS at 1470 Pine Street in San Francisco.
However, in 1942 CBS offered to move its San Francisco affiliation to KQW after KSFO
turned down CBS' offer to buy the station. KQW jumped at this offer, having been without a source of network programming for over a year. CBS moved its affiliation to KQW later that year, with an option to buy the station outright. KJBS Broadcasters then sold the station and KQW moved to a lavish CBS-owned studio at the Palace Hotel
in San Francisco. For all intents and purposes, it became a San Francisco station, though it continued to be licensed in San Jose. An announcer remained at the transmitter to identify the station as "KQW, San Jose" every hour.
, KQW found itself in a battle with KSFO for its longtime home on 740 kHz, the last Bay Area frequency that was authorized to operate at 50,000 watts. When CBS affiliated with KSFO in 1937, it cut a deal with KQW to swap frequencies with KSFO, which would then boost its power to 50,000 watts. The change was waiting Federal Communications Commission
(FCC) approval when World War II broke out. By 1945, however, KQW had become San Francisco's CBS affiliate, and CBS was obviously not about to give up the advantage of having the last 50,000-watt frequency in the Bay Area. While the FCC granted the frequency to KSFO, its owners, Associated Broadcasters, later decided to concentrate on plans for its new television station, KPIX-TV
. Eventually, Associated Broadcasters traded 740 back to CBS in return for KPIX getting the CBS television affiliation for the Bay Area.
CBS exercised its option to buy KQW in 1949, changing the calls to KCBS. (The KCBS callsign predates the use on the CBS owned television station
(then KNXT) in Los Angeles by over 30 years, and KCBS-FM
there as well.) It also officially changed the city of license to San Francisco after seven years. In 1951, KCBS signed on with 50,000 watts for the first time from an elaborate multi-tower facility in Novato originally intended for KSFO. However, the station is a class B station, not a Class A (clear-channel).
In 1968, KCBS became one of the first all-news stations in the country. However, it already had a long history in news dating to World War II, when it was the center of CBS' news-gathering efforts in the Pacific Theater. KCBS is currently the eighth oldest fully licensed radio station in the United States, the third oldest in California (behind KWG
in Stockton
and sister station KNX
in Los Angeles
) and the oldest in the Bay Area.
to the Fairmont Tower at 50 W. San Fernando St., the address of Charles Herrold's original broadcasts. Although CBS management was not aware of the history of the San Fernando St. address when the move was planned, they quickly recognized and embraced its significance when informed, giving long-overdue credit at the bureau's opening celebration to one of the inventors of broadcasting.
In mid-March 2005, KCBS, along with almost all the other all-news stations owned by Infinity Broadcasting (which renamed itself CBS Radio that fall), began streaming its audio (reversing a long-standing Infinity Radio policy of not doing so) via its website (WCBS began its streaming audio the previous December). Local commercials which are heard on the radio signal are pre-empted on the Internet stream for a small selection of sponsored ads, and more often for public service announcement
s, station promos, and repeats of pre-recorded CBS Radio Network feature segments already on the broadcast schedule (including Lloyd DeVries' stamp collecting segment, Dr. Emily Senay's "Healthwatch" and Neil Chayet
's "Looking at the Law"); before the fall of 2008, outside sponsors purchased considerably more spots on the internet stream.
In 2007, the station began identifying itself on-air as "KCBS and KCBS-HD", a reference to the stations' broadcasting in hybrid digital.
On October 27, 2008, KCBS began simulcast
ing its complete program schedule (including commercials) on co-owned KFRC-FM and digital KFRC-HD-1, at 106.9 in San Francisco. Previously, that FM station had programmed a classic hits format (which remains on digital KFRC-HD-2). The station's microphone flag now carries the 740 frequency on two faces of the cube, and 106.9 on the other two faces. 106.9 did not change calls, because the KCBS-FM
calls are on its sister Los Angeles
station on 93.1, airing adult hits
music.
In 2009, KCBS celebrated the 100th anniversary of its founding by Dr. Charles Herrold with a yearlong series of centennial events throughout the Bay Area, culminating in the public dedication of a new plaque at the location in San Jose where the experimental broadcasts originated. During that year KCBS adopted the slogan "The World's First Broadcasting Station." Openly acknowledging that its CBS sister station KDKA
in Pittsburgh claims to be the world's oldest radio station based on continuous operation since 1920 and being the first commercial station licensed by a governmental entity, KCBS instead claims to be the world's first such station, basing it on a historic succession of owners and callsign changes from 1909 to the present day.
As previously mentioned, KCBS also broadcasts its programming online at www.kcbs.com. However, in March, 2010, along with all other CBS Radio stations, KCBS blocked Internet listeners outside the United States from accessing its live stream.
In mid-September 2010, KCBS Radio's website merged with KPIX
. The title, "CBS San Francisco," now houses the two stations and sharing resources with KPIX. As of 2011, the radio station was branded "KCBS All News 740 AM and 106.9 FM."
and Hopland
and as far south as San Luis Obispo
on most days. Under the right conditions, its daytime signal reaches as far north as Redding
and as far south as Santa Maria
. At night, with its 50,000 watts of power, the signal can be heard throughout California including Los Angeles and San Diego, and it covers several western states such as Nevada
, Oregon
, Washington, Idaho
and Utah
. On rare occasions, its signals travel across the Pacific ocean to be received by DXing
the station in Hawaii
, Alaska
, Colorado
and northwest Mexico
.
inductee, former Oakland Raiders
coach, and sportscaster John Madden. Morning team members Stan Bunger
, Steve Bitker
and Susan Leigh Taylor talk with Madden about a wide variety of topics, generally focusing on sports. The station also hosts special segments each weekday with CBS News
technology analysts Larry Magid
and Brian Cooley and longtime food and wine editor Narsai David
.
Similar to its sister stations such as WBBM
and WCBS
, KCBS does traffic and weather on the :08s (promoted as "traffic and weather together every ten minutes"), sports updates at :15 and :45 past the hour, and business news ("Moneywatch") at :25 and :55 past the hour. KCBS Cover Story airs weekly as an extended look at a major issue in the news, while In Depth is a weekly long-form interview program. In addition, KCBS simulcasts 60 Minutes
and Face The Nation
, which is also standard practice at the other CBS-owned all-news radio stations. KCBS generally simulcasts the CBS Evening News
with Scott Pelley live from 3:31 to 3:38 p.m. weekdays; listeners hear the opening stories two hours before they appear on KPIX-TV.
Bob Price, a longtime business anchor and editor for KCBS who worked for over 20 years at the radio station, anchored from what is currently called the San Francisco floor of the New York Stock Exchange
before his retirement on November 5, 2009. Jason Brooks currently anchors business news since Price's retirement.
In 2011, Kim Wonderley was the morning traffic anchor (5 a.m. to 10 a.m.). She simultaneously was traffic reporter for other Bay Area radio stations. A KCBS direct mail piece claimed, "More people rely on her morning traffic reports on KCBS than on any other station." Patti Reising was a weekday afternoon news anchor in 2011.
KCBS occasionally runs a "Mystery Newsmaker" listen-and-phone contest. Listeners hear a sound bite in the morning (7:40 a.m.) and are invited to be the tenth caller to correctly identify the speaker at a certain point in the afternoon (usually 4:40 p.m.) in order to win a prize.
Radio station
Radio broadcasting is a one-way wireless transmission over radio waves intended to reach a wide audience. Stations can be linked in radio networks to broadcast a common radio format, either in broadcast syndication or simulcast or both...
in San Francisco, 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...
, that is a key West Coast flagship radio station of the CBS Radio Network
CBS Radio Network
The CBS Radio Network provides news, sports and other programming to more than 1,000 radio stations throughout the United States. The network is owned by CBS Corporation, and operated by CBS Radio ....
and Westwood One
Westwood One
Westwood One was an American radio network and was based in New York City. At one time, it was managed by CBS Radio, the radio arm of CBS Corporation, and Viacom and was later purchased by the private equity firm The Gores Group...
. Its transmitter is located in Novato, California
Novato, California
Novato is a city located in the North Bay region of the San Francisco Bay Area, in northern Marin County. Novato is located about north-northwest of San Rafael, at an elevation of 30 feet above sea level . The 2010 U.S. Census estimated the city population to be about 51,904. Novato is about ...
. KCBS currently has studios on Battery Street, where it shares the location with co-owned KPIX
KPIX-TV
KPIX-TV is the CBS owned and operated television station in San Francisco, California. Through its parent company CBS Corporation, KPIX is co-owned with The CW affiliate KBCW-TV ....
. The current logo resembles that of the CBS logo.
KCBS' full programming schedule is simulcast
Simulcast
Simulcast, shorthand for "simultaneous broadcast", refers to programs or events broadcast across more than one medium, or more than one service on the same medium, at the same time. For example, Absolute Radio is simulcast on both AM and on satellite radio, and the BBC's Prom concerts are often...
on co-owned KFRC
KFRC-FM
KFRC-FM is a commercial radio station in San Francisco, California, serving the San Francisco Bay Area. It simulcasts sister station KCBS, which carries an all-news format...
106.9 FM
FM broadcasting
FM broadcasting is a broadcasting technology pioneered by Edwin Howard Armstrong which uses frequency modulation to provide high-fidelity sound over broadcast radio. The term "FM band" describes the "frequency band in which FM is used for broadcasting"...
.
As KQW (1909-1949)
KCBS has its roots in the experiments of San JoseSan 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...
engineer Charles Herrold
Charles Herrold
Charles David 'Doc' Herrold, was an American radio broadcasting pioneer who in 1909 created the world's second radio station....
as far back as 1909, making the broadcaster a leading contender for the title of oldest continuously broadcasting station in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
and possibly the world. Herrold used a variety of different radio call signs in the early days, including FN, SJN, 6XF, and 6XE. In the very beginning, he just used a simple greeting like "San Jose calling." That greeting and the initial FN sign (which was an inverted abbreviation of "National Fone") reflected the fact that Herrold had been partially working on the idea of a radiotelephone
Radiotelephone
A radiotelephone is a communications system for transmission of speech over radio. Radiotelephone systems are not necessarily interconnected with the public "land line" telephone network. "Radiotelephone" is often used to describe the usage of radio spectrum where it is important to distinguish the...
.
On December 9, 1921 Herrold received a commercial license
Broadcast license
A broadcast license or broadcast license is a specific type of spectrum license that grants the licensee the privilege to use a portion of the radio frequency spectrum in a given geographical area for broadcasting purposes. The licenses are generally straddled with additional restrictions that...
under the callsign KQW. It was the 21st licensed radio station in the United States and the 11th in California. However, the "arc-phone" Herrold had been using for over a decade had to be scrapped. It would only work at wavelength
Wavelength
In physics, the wavelength of a sinusoidal wave is the spatial period of the wave—the distance over which the wave's shape repeats.It is usually determined by considering the distance between consecutive corresponding points of the same phase, such as crests, troughs, or zero crossings, and is a...
s above 600 meters, and all radio stations were restricted to 360 meters (roughly the equivalent of 833 kHz). He quickly created a replacement, using a tube-like transmitter drawing power from San Jose's streetcar lines. However, he never recovered financially from the loss of his arc-phone, and was forced to put the station on the market in 1925. After initially giving an option to a civic foundation, he sold it to the First Baptist Church of San Jose. Herrold stayed on as a technician for the station he'd created for a few years, but died in obscurity in 1947.
There is at least one authentic broadcast recording chronicling this early history. On November 10, 1945, KQW presented a special program called "The Story of KQW," commemorating Herrold's early broadcasts. It includes a brief recorded statement by Herrold, just before his 70th birthday. During the introduction to the program, a KQW announcer explains that the program was produced to mark the 25th anniversary of the broadcasting industry as well as the 36th anniversary of KQW. The announcer then goes on to say that KQW was the first radio station in the world to operate on a regular schedule. The major events in Herrold's work are then dramatized.
In 1926 station manager James Hart bought KQW's license and facilities, buying the station itself in 1930. Until 1942, it operated as a service of the Pacific Agricultural Foundation to farmers in the Central Valley. A series of power boosts brought the station to 5,000 watts by 1935. It was the San Jose affiliate of the Don Lee Broadcasting System
Don Lee (broadcaster)
Donald Musgrave Lee was the exclusive west coast distributor of Cadillac automobiles in the early 20th century. In 1919 Lee purchased the Earl Automobile Works of Hollywood, California. Harley Earl, the son of the company's owner, was kept on as manager...
from 1937 to 1941, during the time that it was owned by Julius Brunton & Sons, co-located with KJBS at 1470 Pine Street in San Francisco.
However, in 1942 CBS offered to move its San Francisco affiliation to KQW after KSFO
KSFO (AM)
KSFO is a conservative talk radio station in San Francisco, California, USA, broadcasting on 560 kHz AM. It is owned by Cumulus Media.The content of the KSFO's talk programming is solidly conservative, which is in stark contrast to the rather liberal San Francisco area, with show hosts such as Rush...
turned down CBS' offer to buy the station. KQW jumped at this offer, having been without a source of network programming for over a year. CBS moved its affiliation to KQW later that year, with an option to buy the station outright. KJBS Broadcasters then sold the station and KQW moved to a lavish CBS-owned studio at the Palace Hotel
Palace Hotel, San Francisco
The Palace Hotel is a landmark historic hotel in San Francisco, California, located at the SW corner of Market and New Montgomery streets. Also referred to as the "New" Palace Hotel to distinguish it from the original 1875 Palace Hotel that it was built to replace, the present...
in San Francisco. For all intents and purposes, it became a San Francisco station, though it continued to be licensed in San Jose. An announcer remained at the transmitter to identify the station as "KQW, San Jose" every hour.
The beginning of KCBS (1949-1995)
At the end of World War IIWorld War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
, KQW found itself in a battle with KSFO for its longtime home on 740 kHz, the last Bay Area frequency that was authorized to operate at 50,000 watts. When CBS affiliated with KSFO in 1937, it cut a deal with KQW to swap frequencies with KSFO, which would then boost its power to 50,000 watts. The change was waiting Federal Communications Commission
Federal Communications Commission
The Federal Communications Commission is an independent agency of the United States government, created, Congressional statute , and with the majority of its commissioners appointed by the current President. The FCC works towards six goals in the areas of broadband, competition, the spectrum, the...
(FCC) approval when World War II broke out. By 1945, however, KQW had become San Francisco's CBS affiliate, and CBS was obviously not about to give up the advantage of having the last 50,000-watt frequency in the Bay Area. While the FCC granted the frequency to KSFO, its owners, Associated Broadcasters, later decided to concentrate on plans for its new television station, KPIX-TV
KPIX-TV
KPIX-TV is the CBS owned and operated television station in San Francisco, California. Through its parent company CBS Corporation, KPIX is co-owned with The CW affiliate KBCW-TV ....
. Eventually, Associated Broadcasters traded 740 back to CBS in return for KPIX getting the CBS television affiliation for the Bay Area.
CBS exercised its option to buy KQW in 1949, changing the calls to KCBS. (The KCBS callsign predates the use on the CBS owned television station
KCBS-TV
KCBS-TV, channel 2, is an owned-and-operated television station of the CBS Television Network, located in Los Angeles, California. KCBS-TV shares its offices and studio facilities with sister station KCAL-TV inside CBS Studio Center in the Studio City section of Los Angeles, and its transmitter...
(then KNXT) in Los Angeles by over 30 years, and KCBS-FM
KCBS-FM
KCBS-FM is a radio station in Los Angeles, California broadcasting to the Greater Los Angeles area on 93.1 FM. KCBS-FM airs an adult hits music format branded as "Jack-FM"....
there as well.) It also officially changed the city of license to San Francisco after seven years. In 1951, KCBS signed on with 50,000 watts for the first time from an elaborate multi-tower facility in Novato originally intended for KSFO. However, the station is a class B station, not a Class A (clear-channel).
In 1968, KCBS became one of the first all-news stations in the country. However, it already had a long history in news dating to World War II, when it was the center of CBS' news-gathering efforts in the Pacific Theater. KCBS is currently the eighth oldest fully licensed radio station in the United States, the third oldest in California (behind KWG
KWG
KWG is an AM radio station in Stockton, California. KWG is one of the oldest broadcasting stations in USA, signing on November 22, 1921...
in Stockton
Stockton, California
Stockton, California, the seat of San Joaquin County, is the fourth-largest city in the Central Valley of the U.S. state of California. With a population of 291,707 at the 2010 census, Stockton ranks as this state's 13th largest city...
and sister station KNX
KNX (AM)
KNX is an all-news radio station in Los Angeles, California, USA. The station operates on a clear channel and is owned by CBS Radio. KNX broadcasts from facilities shared with sister stations KFWB, KCBS-FM, KTWV, and KAMP on Los Angeles' Miracle Mile...
in 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...
) and the oldest in the Bay Area.
Common ownership with KPIX (1995-present)
Westinghouse Electric Corporation (which purchased KPIX-TV from Associated Broadcasters in 1954) bought CBS in 1995, bringing the Bay Area's oldest radio station and its oldest television station under common ownership. In May 2006, KCBS and KPIX-TV moved their San Jose news bureauNews bureau
A News bureau is an office for gathering or distributing news. Similar terms are used for specialized bureaus, often to indicate geographic location or scope of coverage: a ‘Tokyo bureau’ refers to a given news operation's office in Tokyo; foreign bureau is a generic term for a news office set up...
to the Fairmont Tower at 50 W. San Fernando St., the address of Charles Herrold's original broadcasts. Although CBS management was not aware of the history of the San Fernando St. address when the move was planned, they quickly recognized and embraced its significance when informed, giving long-overdue credit at the bureau's opening celebration to one of the inventors of broadcasting.
In mid-March 2005, KCBS, along with almost all the other all-news stations owned by Infinity Broadcasting (which renamed itself CBS Radio that fall), began streaming its audio (reversing a long-standing Infinity Radio policy of not doing so) via its website (WCBS began its streaming audio the previous December). Local commercials which are heard on the radio signal are pre-empted on the Internet stream for a small selection of sponsored ads, and more often for public service announcement
Public service announcement
A public service announcement or public service ad is a type of advertisement featured on television, radio, print or other media...
s, station promos, and repeats of pre-recorded CBS Radio Network feature segments already on the broadcast schedule (including Lloyd DeVries' stamp collecting segment, Dr. Emily Senay's "Healthwatch" and Neil Chayet
Neil Chayet
Neil Lewis Chayet is an American lawyer.He is widely known for his weekday feature program Looking at the Law ....
's "Looking at the Law"); before the fall of 2008, outside sponsors purchased considerably more spots on the internet stream.
In 2007, the station began identifying itself on-air as "KCBS and KCBS-HD", a reference to the stations' broadcasting in hybrid digital.
On October 27, 2008, KCBS began simulcast
Simulcast
Simulcast, shorthand for "simultaneous broadcast", refers to programs or events broadcast across more than one medium, or more than one service on the same medium, at the same time. For example, Absolute Radio is simulcast on both AM and on satellite radio, and the BBC's Prom concerts are often...
ing its complete program schedule (including commercials) on co-owned KFRC-FM and digital KFRC-HD-1, at 106.9 in San Francisco. Previously, that FM station had programmed a classic hits format (which remains on digital KFRC-HD-2). The station's microphone flag now carries the 740 frequency on two faces of the cube, and 106.9 on the other two faces. 106.9 did not change calls, because the KCBS-FM
KCBS-FM
KCBS-FM is a radio station in Los Angeles, California broadcasting to the Greater Los Angeles area on 93.1 FM. KCBS-FM airs an adult hits music format branded as "Jack-FM"....
calls are on its sister 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...
station on 93.1, airing adult hits
Adult hits
Adult hits is a radio format, popular in the early 2000s, that does not adhere to a specific music genre, but instead draws from a wider playlist...
music.
In 2009, KCBS celebrated the 100th anniversary of its founding by Dr. Charles Herrold with a yearlong series of centennial events throughout the Bay Area, culminating in the public dedication of a new plaque at the location in San Jose where the experimental broadcasts originated. During that year KCBS adopted the slogan "The World's First Broadcasting Station." Openly acknowledging that its CBS sister station KDKA
KDKA
KDKA may refer to:* KDKA , a radio station licensed to Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, United States* KDKA-TV, a television station licensed to Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, United States...
in Pittsburgh claims to be the world's oldest radio station based on continuous operation since 1920 and being the first commercial station licensed by a governmental entity, KCBS instead claims to be the world's first such station, basing it on a historic succession of owners and callsign changes from 1909 to the present day.
As previously mentioned, KCBS also broadcasts its programming online at www.kcbs.com. However, in March, 2010, along with all other CBS Radio stations, KCBS blocked Internet listeners outside the United States from accessing its live stream.
In mid-September 2010, KCBS Radio's website merged with KPIX
KPIX-TV
KPIX-TV is the CBS owned and operated television station in San Francisco, California. Through its parent company CBS Corporation, KPIX is co-owned with The CW affiliate KBCW-TV ....
. The title, "CBS San Francisco," now houses the two stations and sharing resources with KPIX. As of 2011, the radio station was branded "KCBS All News 740 AM and 106.9 FM."
Signal
KCBS's signal can be heard clearly as far north as SacramentoSacramento, California
Sacramento is the capital city of the U.S. state of California and the county seat of Sacramento County. It is located at the confluence of the Sacramento River and the American River in the northern portion of California's expansive Central Valley. With a population of 466,488 at the 2010 census,...
and Hopland
Hopland, California
Hopland is a census-designated place in Mendocino County, California. It is located on the west bank of the Russian River south-southeast of Ukiah, at an elevation of 502 feet . The population was 756 at the 2010 census....
and as far south as San Luis Obispo
San Luis Obispo, California
San Luis Obispo is a city in California, located roughly midway between San Francisco and Los Angeles on the Central Coast. Founded in 1772 by Spanish Fr. Junipero Serra, San Luis Obispo is one of California’s oldest communities...
on most days. Under the right conditions, its daytime signal reaches as far north as Redding
Redding, California
Redding is a city in far-Northern California. It is the county seat of Shasta County, California, USA. With a population of 89,861, according to the 2010 Census...
and as far south as Santa Maria
Santa Maria, California
Santa Maria is a city in Santa Barbara County, on the Central Coast of California. The 2010 census population was 100,062, putting it ahead of Santa Barbara for the first time and making it the largest city in the county...
. At night, with its 50,000 watts of power, the signal can be heard throughout California including Los Angeles and San Diego, and it covers several western states such as Nevada
Nevada
Nevada is a state in the western, mountain west, and southwestern regions of the United States. With an area of and a population of about 2.7 million, it is the 7th-largest and 35th-most populous state. Over two-thirds of Nevada's people live in the Las Vegas metropolitan area, which contains its...
, Oregon
Oregon
Oregon is a state in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States. It is located on the Pacific coast, with Washington to the north, California to the south, Nevada on the southeast and Idaho to the east. The Columbia and Snake rivers delineate much of Oregon's northern and eastern...
, Washington, Idaho
Idaho
Idaho is a state in the Rocky Mountain area of the United States. The state's largest city and capital is Boise. Residents are called "Idahoans". Idaho was admitted to the Union on July 3, 1890, as the 43rd state....
and Utah
Utah
Utah is a state in the Western United States. It was the 45th state to join the Union, on January 4, 1896. Approximately 80% of Utah's 2,763,885 people live along the Wasatch Front, centering on Salt Lake City. This leaves vast expanses of the state nearly uninhabited, making the population the...
. On rare occasions, its signals travel across the Pacific ocean to be received by DXing
DXing
DXing is the hobby of tuning in and identifying distant radio or television signals, or making two way radio contact with distant stations in amateur radio, citizens' band radio or other two way radio communications. Many DXers also attempt to receive written verifications of reception from the...
the station in Hawaii
Hawaii
Hawaii is the newest of the 50 U.S. states , and is the only U.S. state made up entirely of islands. It is the northernmost island group in Polynesia, occupying most of an archipelago in the central Pacific Ocean, southwest of the continental United States, southeast of Japan, and northeast of...
, Alaska
Alaska
Alaska is the largest state in the United States by area. It is situated in the northwest extremity of the North American continent, with Canada to the east, the Arctic Ocean to the north, and the Pacific Ocean to the west and south, with Russia further west across the Bering Strait...
, Colorado
Colorado
Colorado is a U.S. state that encompasses much of the Rocky Mountains as well as the northeastern portion of the Colorado Plateau and the western edge of the Great Plains...
and northwest Mexico
Mexico
The United Mexican States , commonly known as Mexico , is a federal constitutional republic in North America. It is bordered on the north by the United States; on the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; on the southeast by Guatemala, Belize, and the Caribbean Sea; and on the east by the Gulf of...
.
Content & Personalities
KCBS is well-known for a number of personalities. On weekday mornings, the morning anchor team chats with Pro Football Hall of FamePro Football Hall of Fame
The Pro Football Hall of Fame is the hall of fame of professional football in the United States with an emphasis on the National Football League . It opened in Canton, Ohio, on September 7, 1963, with 17 charter inductees...
inductee, former Oakland Raiders
Oakland Raiders
The Oakland Raiders are a professional American football team based in Oakland, California. They currently play in the Western Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League...
coach, and sportscaster John Madden. Morning team members Stan Bunger
Stan Bunger
Stan Bunger is an American broadcast journalist. He is currently the morning co-anchor at KCBS All News 740 AM/106.9 FM in San Francisco, heard from 5:30 AM to 10 AM each weekday with co-anchor Susan Leigh Taylor. In addition to his anchor duties, Bunger and colleague Steve Bitker host the...
, Steve Bitker
Steve Bitker
Steve Bitker is a sports broadcaster for KCBS All News 740 AM in San Francisco. Steve has been the morning sports anchor since 1991. He is also married to former Alameda County Supervisor Alice Lai-Bitker....
and Susan Leigh Taylor talk with Madden about a wide variety of topics, generally focusing on sports. The station also hosts special segments each weekday with CBS News
CBS News
CBS News is the news division of American television and radio network CBS. The current chairman is Jeff Fager who is also the executive producer of 60 Minutes, while the current president of CBS News is David Rhodes. CBS News' flagship program is the CBS Evening News, hosted by the network's main...
technology analysts Larry Magid
Larry Magid
Larry Magid , also known as Lawrence J. Magid, is an American journalist, technology columnist and commentator. He was born in Brooklyn, New York and raised in Los Angeles. He received his BA from the University of California, Berkeley and a doctorate of education from the University of...
and Brian Cooley and longtime food and wine editor Narsai David
Narsai David
Narsai Michael David is an author, radio and television personality in the Bay Area.-Biography:Narsai Michael David was born in South Bend, Indiana to Assyrian parents Michael Khanno David and Shulamith Sayad. During college he supported himself by working in restaurants, then opening a plastic...
.
Similar to its sister stations such as WBBM
WBBM (AM)
WBBM is an all-news CBS radio station in Chicago, Illinois broadcasting on the AM dial at 780 kHz. It is owned by CBS along with WBBM-TV....
and WCBS
WCBS (AM)
WCBS , often referred to as "WCBS Newsradio 880" , is a radio station in New York City. Owned by CBS Radio, the station broadcasts on a clear channel and is the flagship station of the CBS Radio Network...
, KCBS does traffic and weather on the :08s (promoted as "traffic and weather together every ten minutes"), sports updates at :15 and :45 past the hour, and business news ("Moneywatch") at :25 and :55 past the hour. KCBS Cover Story airs weekly as an extended look at a major issue in the news, while In Depth is a weekly long-form interview program. In addition, KCBS simulcasts 60 Minutes
60 Minutes
60 Minutes is an American television news magazine, which has run on CBS since 1968. The program was created by producer Don Hewitt who set it apart by using a unique style of reporter-centered investigation....
and Face The Nation
Face the Nation
Face the Nation with Bob Schieffer is an American Sunday-morning political interview show which premiered on the CBS television network on November 7, 1954. It is one of the longest-running news programs in the history of television...
, which is also standard practice at the other CBS-owned all-news radio stations. KCBS generally simulcasts the CBS Evening News
CBS Evening News
CBS Evening News is the flagship nightly television news program of the American television network CBS. The network has broadcast this program since 1948, and has used the CBS Evening News title since 1963....
with Scott Pelley live from 3:31 to 3:38 p.m. weekdays; listeners hear the opening stories two hours before they appear on KPIX-TV.
Bob Price, a longtime business anchor and editor for KCBS who worked for over 20 years at the radio station, anchored from what is currently called the San Francisco floor of the New York Stock Exchange
New York Stock Exchange
The New York Stock Exchange is a stock exchange located at 11 Wall Street in Lower Manhattan, New York City, USA. It is by far the world's largest stock exchange by market capitalization of its listed companies at 13.39 trillion as of Dec 2010...
before his retirement on November 5, 2009. Jason Brooks currently anchors business news since Price's retirement.
In 2011, Kim Wonderley was the morning traffic anchor (5 a.m. to 10 a.m.). She simultaneously was traffic reporter for other Bay Area radio stations. A KCBS direct mail piece claimed, "More people rely on her morning traffic reports on KCBS than on any other station." Patti Reising was a weekday afternoon news anchor in 2011.
KCBS occasionally runs a "Mystery Newsmaker" listen-and-phone contest. Listeners hear a sound bite in the morning (7:40 a.m.) and are invited to be the tenth caller to correctly identify the speaker at a certain point in the afternoon (usually 4:40 p.m.) in order to win a prize.