KGB (AM)
Warren Burnham Worcester stood atop the Spreckels Building in San Diego on the 19th of August 1941. He was an aerospace engineer from a prominent family in Worcester, Massachusetts. His new radio station KFMB began broadcasting at 8 pm that evening. The opening night featured classical music and opera performances by the United States Marine Band. Worcester named the call letters after his children Mary and Burnham. The Federal Communications Commission had originally granted permission for 1420 kHz but moved all stations to 1450 kHz due to international agreements. By the time KFMB signed on, it operated with only 250 watts of power. Studios sat at the corner of Pacific Highway and Ash Street. This location later became known as Pacific Square. Warren B. Worcester died just over a year later on the 24th of October 1942. He was only thirty-three years old when he passed away.
Jack O. Gross purchased KFMB radio in July 1943 for ninety-five thousand dollars. He bought the station alongside business partner O.L. Taylor through the trustees of Worcester's estate. Gross eventually acquired sole ownership on the 12th of June 1945. Under his leadership, KFMB pioneered FM and television service in San Diego. An FM sister station launched in April 1947 on 101.5 MHz. Television channel 8 signed on in May 1949 as a primary CBS affiliate. The AM frequency shifted from 1450 to 550 kHz on the 30th of March 1948. Power increased from 250 to 1,000 watts during that same move. Gross sold the combined AM-TV operation to John A. Kennedy in November 1950. Three years later, Kennedy transferred the stations to Jack Wrather and Helen Alvarez. Wrather then sold his interests to Buffalo-based Transcontinent Television Corporation in early 1959. Midwest Television acquired all three stations in 1964. The Meyer family owned Midwest and operated it from Champaign, Illinois.
KFMB adopted a full service format combining music, news, talk, and sports from 1964 to 1975. The station moved to 760 kHz on the 29th of December 1965 after realignment forced it off 540 AM. Limited power of 5,000 watts prevented interference with KGU Honolulu. Charlie & Harrigan debuted in 1972 hosted by Jack Woods and Paul Menard. They had previously worked together in Dallas and Cleveland. Their morning show became San Diego's most popular before leaving for Dallas in 1975. KFMB began broadcasting San Diego State Aztecs football games in 1972. Mac Hudson and Joe Bauer started their Hudson & Bauer morning drive time show around 1975. Bobby Rich joined KFMB during that same period. Mark Larson began as a weekend DJ in June 1976 before moving to weeknights. From roughly 1975 through 1989, KFMB ranked among the top three highest rated stations in San Diego. Studios relocated to Kearny Mesa in 1977 where they remained for over forty years.
KFMB dropped music entirely and switched to news/talk format in April 1994. Geni Cavitt and Stacy Taylor debuted new talk shows alongside a two-hour evening news program. Ted Leitner launched his general issues afternoon talk show in February 1995. The station carried Dr. Laura Program starting in June 1994. Bill Ballance began hosting All Talk Slice of the Night on the 1st of March 1978. In October 1997, the Hudson and Bauer morning show ended after twenty-two years following Mac Hudson's death at age fifty-eight. Jack Woods returned to replace Hudson in the successor Jack and Joe show. Rick Roberts arrived from KOGO as afternoon drive host in April 2000. He attracted media attention discussing the murder of Danielle van Dam on his program. Roberts became morning drive host in February 2003 after Leitner stepped down. By 2009, Roberts' show reached weekly audiences exceeding one hundred thousand listeners according to Arbitron measurements. The Great Recession forced budget cuts leaving only two local daily talk hosts by 2010.
Tegna Inc. purchased KFMB stations for three hundred twenty-five million dollars on the 18th of December 2017. Midwest Television had owned them for fifty-three years before that transaction. Tegna sold the radio stations to Local Media San Diego in December 2019 for five million dollars. iHeartMedia bought 760 KFMB for $1.2 million when the deal closed on the 17th of March 2020. On the 3rd of July 2020, KFMB changed its call sign to KGB effective the next day. This three-letter designation had been used previously by KLSD from 1928 to 1982. the 31st of August 2022 marked a format swap between KGB and KLSD. Sports programming moved to 760 AM while conservative talk shifted to 1360 AM. Mike Slater and Lou Penrose began co-hosting a new weekday show from 5-7 pm. Mark Larson became a fill-in host during this transition. The new sports format debuted September 1 two days before broadcasting the San Diego State Aztecs football season opener.
KGB broadcasts at 5,000 watts during daytime hours using a non-directional antenna. Nighttime power increases to maximum 50,000 watts with a directional antenna. Transmitter towers sit along the San Clemente Canyon Freeway in Santee near Exit 13. These towers spread across both sides of California State Route 52. Studios remain located in the Serra Mesa neighborhood of northeastern San Diego. Directional antennas prevent interference with WJR in Detroit which holds Class A status on 760 AM. The FCC denied an application to decrease nighttime power from 50 to 10 kW in 2017. This unique transmitter configuration allows coverage despite highway barriers. Local listeners in North County benefit from stronger broadcast signals compared to previous arrangements. The station maintains live play-by-play for multiple professional teams including Lakers basketball and Gulls hockey.
Continue Browsing
Common questions
When did Warren Burnham Worcester start broadcasting KFMB radio in San Diego?
Warren Burnham Worcester began broadcasting KFMB at 8 pm on the 19th of August 1941. The station operated with only 250 watts of power and studios were located at Pacific Highway and Ash Street.
Who purchased KFMB radio in July 1943 and what changes followed?
Jack O. Gross bought KFMB for ninety-five thousand dollars alongside partner O.L. Taylor through the trustees of Worcester's estate. Gross later acquired sole ownership on the 12th of June 1945 and launched an FM sister station in April 1947.
What format did KFMB adopt from 1964 to 1975 and where were its studios located?
KFMB adopted a full service format combining music, news, talk, and sports from 1964 to 1975. Studios relocated to Kearny Mesa in 1977 where they remained for over forty years.
Why did KFMB change its call sign to KGB effective the 4th of July 2020?
The Federal Communications Commission approved the change because the three-letter designation had been used previously by KLSD from 1928 to 1982. The new call sign became official on the 4th of July 2020 following the transaction that closed on the 17th of March 2020.
How does KGB transmit signals during nighttime hours compared to daytime?
KGB broadcasts at 5,000 watts during daytime hours using a non-directional antenna. Nighttime power increases to maximum 50,000 watts with a directional antenna to prevent interference with WJR in Detroit.