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{{Short description|TV station in San Francisco}}
{{Infobox_Broadcast |
{{Use mdy dates|date=August 2024}}
call_letters = KGO-TV|
{{Infobox television station
city = |
| callsign = KGO-TV
station_logo = ]|
| city = San Francisco, California
station_slogan = Discover ABC 7|
| logo = KABC-TV-Logo-2021.png
station_branding = ''ABC 7'' <small>(general)</small><br>''ABC 7 News'' <small>(newscasts)</small>|
| logo_upright = .8
analog = |
| branding = {{ubl|ABC 7}}
digital = 7 (])|
| digital = 12 (])
other_chs = |
| virtual = 7
subchannels = ]|
| translators = ''see {{section link||Translators}}''
affiliations = ]|
| affiliations = {{ubl|'''7.1:''' ]|''for others, see {{section link||Subchannels}}''}}
network = |
| owner = ]
founded = |
| licensee = KGO Television, Inc.
airdate = ], ]|
location = ]| | location = ]–]–]
| country = United States
callsign_meaning = ]<br>'''O'''akland<br>(]'s former owner)| or the word '''go'''
| airdate = {{start date and age|1949|05|05|p=y}}
former_callsigns = |
| callsign_meaning = ] Oakland (original owner and location of ])
former_channel_numbers = ''']''': 7 (1949-2009)<br>''']''': 24 (200?-2009)|
| former_channel_numbers = {{ubl|'''Analog:''' 7 (VHF, 1949–2009)|'''Digital:''' 24 (], 1998–2009), 7 (VHF, 2009–2020)}}
owner = ]/]|
| erp = 47 kW
licensee = KGO Television, Inc.|
| haat = {{convert|520.5|m|ft|0|abbr=on}}
sister_stations = |
| facility_id = 34470
former_affiliations = |
| coordinates = {{coord|37|45|19|N|122|27|10|W|type:landmark_scale:2000}}
effective_radiated_power = 24 kW |
| licensing_authority = ]
HAAT = 509 m |
| website = {{URL|https://abc7news.com/}}
class = |
facility_id = 34470|
coordinates = {{coord|37|45|18.8|N|122|27|10.4|W|type:landmark_scale:2000}}|
homepage = |
}} }}
'''KGO-TV''', channel 7, based in ], is an ] of ] ] ]. Its studios are located in the ABC Broadcast Center on Front and Vallejo streets in downtown San Francisco, while its transmitter is atop the iconic ], located between ] and the ] in central San Francisco, along with the ]'s other major television stations. '''KGO-TV''' (channel 7) is a ] licensed to ], California, United States, serving the ]. It has been ] by the ] television network through its ] division since the station's inception. KGO-TV's studios are located at the ABC Broadcast Center immediately west of ] north of the city's ], and its transmitter is located atop ]. In addition, KGO-TV leases part of its building to ] outlet ] (channel 4, owned by The CW's majority owner, ]), but with completely separate operations.


==History==
The station's signal is currently carried by a ]-only ABC affiliate in the ]/]/] area. Formerly the local ABC station from ] was ] channel 11 until 2000.
KGO-TV first signed on the air on May 5, 1949, as the San Francisco Bay Area's second-oldest television station, signing on five months after ] (channel 5) and the 50th in the United States. In fact, KPIX had a hand in getting KGO-TV on the air, as the ]-affiliated station produced informational programming on how to receive and view ABC's channel 7. KGO-TV's original studios were located in the renovated Sutro Mansion near ] in San Francisco, next to the transmitter tower it shared with KPIX.


KGO-TV was the fourth of ABC's five original ]s to sign-on, after ] in New York City, ] in Chicago and ] in Detroit, and before ] in Los Angeles. The ] were inherited from ] (810 AM). In addition to airing ABC programming, KGO-TV also aired syndicated programs from the ]; among the Paramount programs aired were '']'',<ref name="TDR">{{cite news|title=Video Notes|last=Walker|first=Ellis|date=December 21, 1953|work=The Daily Review|location=Hayward, CA}}</ref> ''Hollywood Reel'',<ref name="TT1950">{{cite news|title=Tonight on TV|date=April 28, 1950|work=The Times|pages=15|location=San Mateo, CA}}</ref> ''Sandy Dreams'',<ref name="OT50">{{cite news|title=Show Time|last=Franklin|first=Bob|date=November 16, 1950|work=Oakland Tribune|pages=63|location=Oakland, CA}}</ref> ''Hollywood Wrestling'',<ref name="billboard1955e">{{cite magazine|date=October 8, 1955|title=The Nation's Top Television Programs|magazine=Billboard|pages=12}}</ref> and ''Cowboy G-Men''.<ref name="TOT1954">{{cite news|title=TV Programs|date=May 12, 1954|work=The Oakland Tribune|pages=26 D|location=Oakland, CA}}</ref>
For antenna viewers, '''KGO-DT''' was available ] on RF channel 24 until the ]. It has since returned to RF channel 7.


Channel 7 had a limited broadcasting schedule during its first year on the air. It was not until September 1950 that the station announced, in the ''],'' that it would broadcast on all seven days of the week.<ref>''San Francisco Chronicle'', September 1950</ref> For much of the 1950s, the station signed on late in the morning or early afternoon, especially on the weekends, because the ABC network did not offer many daytime programs then. For many years, Saturday programming began with ''King Norman's Kingdom of Toys'', a popular children's program hosted by the owner of a San Francisco toy store, Norman Rosenberg, from 1954 until 1961. He died in December 2016 at the age of 98.<ref>{{Cite web|date=January 3, 2017|title=Bay Area children's TV show host 'King Norman' dies|url=https://abc7news.com/1685002/|access-date=April 7, 2020|website=ABC 7 San Francisco|language=en}}</ref>
In the few areas of the western United States where viewers cannot receive ABC programs over-the-air, KGO is available to ] customers as part of All American Direct's distant network package.


In 1954, KGO-TV moved to one of the most modern broadcasting facilities on the West Coast at the time at 277 Golden Gate Avenue, formerly known as the Eagle Building. The building was demolished between 2010 and 2011 to make way for apartments. As an ABC-owned station, KGO-TV originated a few network daytime shows, including programs hosted by fitness expert ], singer ], and entertainer ]. ] game shows ''Oh My Word'' and '']'' were produced at KGO-TV by ]. In the mid-1950s, KGO-TV telecast live weeknight variety shows hosted by ], a disc jockey for ], until Sherwood was fired for making a political comment in defiance of a warning from station management. In September 1962, KGO began carrying ABC's first ] program, the animated series ''],'' followed by '']''. In the mid 1960s, KGO became the first Bay Area station to broadcast local programs in color, including its newscasts. In 1985, KGO-TV began broadcasting from its current studios at 900 Front Street, sharing the facility with radio stations KGO (AM 810), KSFO and ] (the former two are now owned by ]).<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.citadelbroadcasting.com/citadel_broadcasting.aspx?call=KGO |title=KGO — Station Search - Citadel Broadcasting |access-date=December 26, 2007 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110708160028/http://www.citadelbroadcasting.com/citadel_broadcasting.aspx?call=KGO |archive-date=July 8, 2011 |url-status=dead }}</ref>
==History==
The station signed on the air for the first time on ], ], as ]'s second-oldest TV station, behind Associated Broadcasters' ] (later sold to ], now ]-owned). In fact, KPIX had a hand in getting KGO-TV on the air, as the CBS channel 5 station produced informational programming on how to receive and view ABC's channel 7. KGO's original studios were located in the renovated Sutro Mansion atop ] in San Francisco, next to the transmitter tower it shared with KPIX.


By 2012, the radio stations had vacated 900 Front Street. In late 2014, ] (channel 4; then a primary ] affiliate) moved its operations from 1001 Van Ness Avenue, a building it had occupied since 1967, to the ABC Broadcast Center, leasing from KGO-TV/ABC the space on the third floor that had been occupied by the radio stations. KRON-TV, which became a ] owned-and-operated station in 2023, also uses one of the two studios on the first floor for production of its news programming.
KGO is ABC's oldest original O&O station on the West Coast, as its sister station KECA-TV (now ]), also operating on channel 7, did not sign on the air until September 1949. In addition, it is the only ABC station to keep its original ] which were inherited from KGO ] (] and FM 103.7, now ]). KGO was the fourth original ABC O&O (after ], ] and ] in New York, Chicago, and Detroit, respectively) to begin broadcasting.


===KGO in the Salinas–Monterey–Santa Cruz market===
Channel 7 had a limited broadcasting schedule during its first year on the air. It wasn't until September 1950 that the station announced, in the ''],'' that it would finally broadcast seven days a week.<ref>''San Francisco Chronicle'', September 1950</ref> For much of the 1950s, the station signed on late in the morning, especially on the weekends.
{{See also|KSBW}}
In 1999, KGO-TV—seeking to gain advertising revenue in the ]—reached an agreement with the ], then-owner of ]'s ABC affiliate ] to pay Granite to drop KNTV's ABC affiliation, resulting in KGO-TV becoming the network's exclusive Bay Area outlet. This resulted in the ]–]–] market losing over-the-air reception of ABC programs since KNTV had also served those communities (the station temporarily affiliated with ], before replacing KRON-TV as the Bay Area's NBC affiliate in January 2002). In response, a ]-only ABC affiliate was set up for the areas affected, that simulcast KGO-TV's programming (including ABC programming and local newscasts), with the exception of programs that channel 7 was only allowed to show within the San Francisco market under ] rules. On December 20, 2010, ], owners of NBC affiliate ], signed an affiliation agreement with ABC to bring the network's programming to KSBW's second ].<ref></ref> The new subchannel (branded on-air as "Central Coast ABC") debuted on April 18, 2011, and took the pay-TV channel slots of KGO's market-only feed throughout California's ], with the latter wound down at the same time.


===Logos===
In 1954, KGO-TV moved to one of the most modern broadcasting facilities on the West Coast (at the time), at 277 Golden Gate Avenue.
KGO-TV was the first ABC station to use the ]. According to ''Broadcasting'' magazine, KGO unveiled this logo, created by San Francisco design consultant G. Dean Smith, on August 27, 1962.<ref>"," Broadcasting, August 27, 1962, p. 72.</ref> When the station incorporated ABC into its branding in the late 1990s (initially as "Channel 7 ABC" from 1996 to 1997, then as "ABC 7"), the station—along with several other ABC stations broadcasting on channel 7 that used the original version of the Circle 7 logo—simply attached the ABC logo to the Circle 7.


==Programming==
For many years, Saturday programming began with ''King Norman's Kingdom of Toys'', a popular children's program hosted by the owner of a San Francisco toy store, Norman Rosenberg.<ref>''San Bruno Herald''</ref> Born in 1918, Rosenberg was a former naval officer when he began the program in 1954, joined by his wife Doris as Page Joy. It ran until 1961. The Rosenbergs eventually owned a chain of 21 stores in three states. Doris Rosenberg died from colon cancer on January 10, 2009, at the age of 85.<ref>''San Francisco Chronicle'' January 2009</ref>
]


The station carries a high-profile lineup of daytime programming with shows such as '']'', '']'', '']'', and '']'' (the first two programs are distributed by the station's corporate cousin, ], while the latter two are produced by ] and distributed by ]). ''Jeopardy!'' and ''Wheel of Fortune'' have aired on KGO-TV since both shows moved to the station from KRON-TV in 1992. '']'' aired on KGO-TV throughout the program's tenure from 1986 to 2011. The station was among the handful of ABC affiliates to have aired the syndicated '']'', first-run on the network, until the game show's cancellation in 2019. It also paired '']'' with ''Oprah'' on the station's afternoon lineup in the late 1980s, after the station acquired ''Donahue'' from KTVU; however, in January 1995, KGO-TV became the first affiliate in the country to drop the talk show, sixteen months before its cancellation in May 1996 (New York City's NBC O&O ] dropped ''Donahue'' during the summer of 1995 as well, even though the program originated from WNBC's studios at ] until being ousted and relocated to new studios in ] to finish its final season).<ref>{{Cite web|last=Flint|first=Joe|date=August 21, 1995|title='Donahue' on precipice in shock development|url=https://variety.com/1995/tv/features/donahue-on-precipice-in-shock-development-99129707/|access-date=April 12, 2024|work=]|language=en-US}}</ref>
As an ABC O&O station, KGO-TV originated some daytime network shows, including programs hosted by fitness advocate ], singer ], and entertainer ]. ] ]s ''Oh My Word'' and ''The Anniversary Game'' were also produced at KGO-TV for Circle Seven Productions. In the mid-1950s, KGO-TV telecast live week night ]s hosted by KSFO ] ], until Sherwood was fired for making a political commentary in defiance of a warning from the station's management. Today, KGO-TV broadcasts from studios at 900 Front Street, which it has occupied since 1985. It shares the facility with KGO Radio (]), KSFO and KMKY, although the former two are now owned by ]. <ref></ref>


KGO also airs the pre-show of the ] (which is produced by Los Angeles sister station KABC-TV). The station had sometimes aired the ] race during the 1980s, and the ''KGO Cure-a-thon'' with its radio partner, KGO-AM 810. KGO-TV was the first station to produce documentaries of the ] and the ] on April 8, 2006.
In 1962, KGO began carrying ABC's first color program, the animated series ''],'' followed by '']''. In the mid 1960s KGO became the first Bay Area station to transmit local programs in compatible color, including its newscasts.


In the 1970s and 1980s, KGO-TV produced weekday talk/variety shows in the 9:00 to 10:00&nbsp;a.m. timeslot following '']''. ''A.M. San Francisco'' ran from 1975 to 1987/1988, when it was replaced by ''Good Morning, Bay Area'', hosted by Susan Sikora. Hosts of ''A.M. San Francisco'' included the husband-and-wife team of Fred LaCosse and Terry Lowry (other ABC owned-and-operated stations produced their own ''A.M.'' programs in the 1980s; for example, ''A.M. Chicago'' at WLS-TV evolved into ''The Oprah Winfrey Show'', and ''Live with Kelly and Mark'' evolved from a similar ''A.M.'' program on WABC). For a week or two in the summer of 1988, ''A.M. Los Angeles'' was simulcast on KGO-TV, with a few KGO-TV produced segments.
In 1973, KGO joined the other major Bay Area television stations in moving its transmitter to the ], located on a ridge between ] and ].


For many years, KGO-TV was the only network-owned-and-operated station in the Bay Area, even throughout the time when ABC was going through ownership changes when ] bought out ABC and merged with the network in 1985 before being sold to ] in 1996. As such, the station did not heavily pre-empt network programming unlike its local competitors or its sister stations -- such as ]'s ], ]'s ] and ]'s ] -- which were known for doing so in those days. The distinction ended in 1995 when several other stations over the next ten years became network-owned stations--notably KBHK (today's ]), KPIX and KNTV in that order. (As of 2007, some exceptions to this policy may be made when ] events or selected ] programs warrant exclusive coverage, in which case ]'s independent station, ], may pick up the pre-empted ABC programming scheduled for the time period.) For most of its existence, KGO-TV was the only network-owned television station in the Bay Area, even throughout the time when ABC underwent ownership changes: ] bought out ABC and merged with the network in 1985, the combined company Capital Cities/ABC was then sold to ] in 1996. As such, the station did not heavily preempt network programming unlike its local competitors or its sister stations—such as Philadelphia's ], Houston's ] and Fresno's ]—which were known for doing so in those days (as of 2007, some exceptions to this policy may be made when ] events or selected ] programs warrant exclusive coverage). The distinction of being the Bay Area's only O&O station ended in 1995 when several other stations in the San Francisco-Oakland market became network-owned stations over the next twenty years—including KBHK-TV (now ]) becoming a charter member of ] (in which ] was a partner) in 1995, KPIX becoming a CBS O&O with the network's 1995 merger with Westinghouse, KNTV becoming an ] O&O in 2002 after being bought by the network after it disaffiliated from KRON-TV, ] becoming a ] O&O in 2015 after being acquired by the ] alongside sister station ] a year prior (although KICU remains an independent station due to KRON-TV's affiliation with MyNetworkTV), and KRON-TV becoming a CW O&O after picking up the affiliation in 2024 following KBCW (now KPYX) and seven other CBS-owned stations disaffiliating with The CW. After ABC sold Detroit's WXYZ-TV to ] in 1986 as part of the Capital Cities/ABC merger, KGO-TV went on to be the longest-serving ABC O&O outside of New York, Los Angeles and Chicago.


===Sports programming===
KGO-TV was the first station to transmit images of the 1989 ] through ] and ]. At the time, ABC was televising the third game of the ], which was interrupted by the quake. Subsequent coverage of the earthquake won the station that year's ].
Owing to its common ownership with ], Channel 7 holds the right of first refusal to '']'' games involving the ]. The station carried coverage of the 49ers' victories in ], which was played locally at ], and ]. The station also carried coverage of the ]' appearance in ]. Also, Channel 7 airs '']'' contests involving the ] via the network's contract with the ] and, since 2021, ] games through the network's contract with the ]. KGO-TV has aired the Warriors' championship victories in the ], ], ], and ] and the Warriors' championship appearances in the ] and ].


The station ] the ], a matchup between the ] and ] which would be interrupted by the Loma Prieta earthquake shortly before Game 3 was to begin at ].
===Cable-only Monterey ABC station===
]


===''The View from the Bay''===
In 1999, KGO-TV reached an agreement with the ], then owner of ]'s ABC affiliate ]. KGO-TV agreed to pay Granite in exchange for dropping ABC programming from KNTV, and as a result, KGO-TV became the exclusive ABC outlet in the Bay Area. The agreement, however, also saw the ]/]/] area lose over-the-air reception of ABC programming since KNTV (before the 1999 agreement) had also served those communities. In response, a ]-only ABC affiliate was set up for the Salinas/Santa Cruz/Monterey Bay area. The station simulcasts the signal from KGO-TV (including ABC programming and local newscasts) for part of the day and opts out of the station's signal during programming which KGO-TV is only allowed to show within the San Francisco Bay Area under ].
From June 26, 2006, to September 10, 2010, KGO-TV broadcast a locally produced weekday variety show called ''The View from the Bay'', hosted by ] and Janelle Wang. The hour-long show focused on local attractions as well as interviews and other interests in the Bay Area. Aimed at female viewers, the show aired weekdays at 3&nbsp;pm, and was also live streamed online.<ref></ref> Los Angeles sister station KABC-TV also aired the program weeknights at 10 p.m. on its second digital subchannel, with the program also airing at various times on digital subchannels of other ABC O&O stations. The program was also syndicated to the Live Well Network in 2010, retitled as ''Everyday Living''.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://livewellhd.com/everydayliving/channel?id=7186766 |title=Everyday Living |website=livewellhd.com |access-date=January 11, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100726032410/http://livewellhd.com/everydayliving/channel?id=7186766 |archive-date=July 26, 2010 |url-status=dead}}</ref>


===''7 Live''===
The ABC affiliate is carried on channel 7 on area cable systems including ], identifies itself on-air as "ABC 7", and has its own logo. The local Comcast Spotlight website claims this is the first cable-only big three network affiliate in the United States. <ref>http://montereybay.comcastspotlight.com/sites/Default.aspx?pageid=4693&siteid=115&subnav=1</ref> ABC's local station website lists Del Rey Gardens Drive in Del Ray Oaks as the studios of "ABC 7". <ref>http://abc.go.com/site/ca.html</ref> According to the website of satellite carrier ], KGO-TV is available in the Monterey / Salinas television market. It is part of the local channel's package on DirecTV in that area while ] does not have KGO-TV available (nor any other local ABC channel) since a court order in 2006 forced them to cease offering distant network stations "a la carte". However, DISH Network customers in the Monterey/Salinas television market may still be able to receive KGO-TV through All American Direct. This service leases satellite space from DISH Network to provide distant network feeds to qualifying customers and chooses San Francisco as the source market for its west coast feeds.
''The View from the Bay'' was replaced by a new local afternoon talk program called ''7 Live'' on September 13, 2010 (which was similar in format to one of ]'s earliest programs, '']''), taking the former program's previous 3 p.m. timeslot. The program was hosted by longtime KGO-AM radio host ] and Lizzie Bermudez, who stood at a computerized podium and alternatively acted as "sidekick" or "sounding board" to Copeland and shared material from her computer; Bermudez focused on technology and pop culture segments. ''7 Live'' had an innovative format with a studio audience called "The Voice Box" and viewer-submitter e-mail, Facebook and Twitter comments that were read by the hosts during the program. Copeland spent most of the program walking about the studio, peppering his material with humorous comments. Each edition of ''7 Live'' generally ended with Copeland sharing a "Thought of the Day".{{Citation needed|date=January 2014}}<!-- The whole paragraph -->


] served as the technology/social media co-host from a computerized podium (on a par with Bermudez) from its premiere until August 2011, when she became a frequent technology and social media guest contributor for the now-defunct CBS morning news program, '']''. The program played off the "seven" theme by sometimes incorporating a seven-item list (referred to as "The List") into the program. ''7 Live'' was canceled by KGO, due to low ratings, airing its last broadcast on April 27, 2012.{{Citation needed|date=January 2014}}<!-- The whole paragraph -->
===Logos===
KGO-TV was one of the earliest ABC stations to use the original ] (along with sister station WLS-TV in Chicago). When it was rebranded from '''Channel 7''' to '''ABC7''' (temporarily branded '''Channel 7 ABC 1996-1997'''), the ABC logo was just simply attached to the Circle 7 on this station, its sister stations and others across the country.


==Digital television== ===News operation===
KGO-TV presently broadcasts {{frac|42|1|2}} hours of locally produced newscasts each week (with 6 hours, 35 minutes each weekday and five hours each on Saturdays and Sundays). The program usually rebroadcast stories previously shown during the 6 p.m. newscast and national and international news reports from ABC News.{{Citation needed|date=January 2014}}<!-- The whole paragraph -->
The station's digital channel is multiplexed:
{| class="wikitable"
'''Digital channels'''
|-
! Digital Channel
! Programming
|-
| 7.1 || main KGO-TV/ABC programming
|-
| 7.2 || ]// ]
|-
| 7.3 || ]
|}


KGO-TV had followed the lead of its New York City sister station, WABC-TV, and adopted the '']'' format for its newscasts in the late 1960s; however, the ''Eyewitness News'' title was already being used on KPIX-TV, which inherited its version of the format from its Philadelphia sister station ]. As a result, KGO-TV instead called its newscasts ''Channel 7 News Scene'' throughout the 1970s, and ''Channel 7 News'' from 1982 to 1998, when it switched to the current ''ABC 7 News'' branding. Along with the other ABC O&Os, KGO-TV also used an edited version of the "Tar Sequence" from the soundtrack of '']'' as the theme music for its newscasts starting in 1969.{{Citation needed|date=January 2014}}<!-- The whole paragraph --> After its Chicago sister station, WLS-TV, began to reuse the ''Eyewitness News'' branding in 2013, KGO-TV became the only ABC O&O that does not use the ''Eyewitness News'' or ''Action News'' brand for its newscasts as with other ABC O&O stations.
===Analog-to-digital conversion===
After the ] scheduled for June 12, 2009 <ref name="Analog to Digital">http://hraunfoss.fcc.gov/edocs_public/attachmatch/DA-06-1082A2.pdf</ref>, KGO-TV moved back to channel 7. <ref name="FCCForm387"></ref> Now KGO-TV is the only station to retain the same channel allocation in the Bay Area post-transition and the only other station alongside KNTV to remain on the VHF dial.


The station broadcast a 4:30&nbsp;p.m. newscast named ''Early News'' in 1970, anchored by Ray Tannehill and ], with ] covering weather and ] presenting sports. Lu Hurley provided live helicopter traffic coverage, one of the first television programs in the San Francisco Bay Area to offer traffic reports. KGO-TV was one of the last ABC affiliates that broadcast the network's evening news program in the 7:00&nbsp;p.m. time slot. By early 1992, '']'' had been displaced to 5:30&nbsp;pm, replacing the last half of the 5:00&nbsp;p.m. news hour. KGO-TV has long broadcast an 11:00&nbsp;p.m. newscast; it was originally a half-hour program, before expanding to 35 minutes in the early 1990s. In the 2000s, a staple of the 11&nbsp;pm. Sunday newscast was Richard Hart's segment about technological developments, alternatively titled "Next Step" and "Drive to Discover".{{Citation needed|date=January 2014}}<!-- The whole paragraph -->
KGO has recently applied for a fill-in translator on UHF Channel 35, serving the southern portion of the viewing area, including San Jose.<ref>https://fjallfoss.fcc.gov/cgi-bin/ws.exe/prod/cdbs/forms/prod/cdbsmenu.hts?context=25&appn=101329805&formid=346&fac_num=34470</ref>


The station previously used the market's first helicopter equipped to shoot and transmit ] video, branded as "Sky 7HD", which made its on-air debut in February 2006. Due to logistical and equipment limitations, video from the helicopter was only available in ] ] at times (when this occurs, the helicopter is branded simply "Sky 7"). KGO became the second television station in the Bay Area (after KTVU) to begin broadcasting its local newscasts in high definition on February 17, 2007.{{Citation needed|date=January 2014}}<!-- The whole paragraph -->
==Programming==


From January 8, 2007, until March 11, 2022, KGO-TV also produced an hour-long 9 p.m. newscast for independent station ] (channel 20).<ref>{{cite web|date=July 30, 2019|title=Two ABC O&O's end live news on their partner stations|url=https://changingnewscasts.wordpress.com/2019/07/30/two-abc-oando-end-news-partner-stations/|website=changing news casts}}</ref> On September 6, 2021, KOFY moved ''ABC 7 News'' from 7:00&nbsp;p.m. to 8:00&nbsp;pm. KGO aired its final news broadcast on KOFY on March 11, 2022, in anticipation of KOFY becoming a ] affiliate and switching to western programming on April 16, 2022.
The station carries a high profile lineup of daytime programming with shows such as '']'' (produced by sister station ] in New York), '']'', '']'', '']'' and '']''. The latter two programs have aired on the station permanently since 1992 after moving from KRON. The station also airs the pre-show of the Academy Awards (produced by sister station ] in Los Angeles). The station sometimes aired the ] race in the 1980s and the KGO Cure-a-thon with its radio partner, ].


On July 20, 2007, longtime evening news anchor and KGO radio talk show host ] died at age 62, following a massive heart attack that he suffered during a hip replacement procedure at ] in ]. The station aired extensive tributes to Wilson when his death was publicly announced the following day. His final newscast and radio show were on July 18, 2007.
KGO-TV was the first station to produce earthquake documentaries of the 1906 San Francisco earthquake and the 1989 Loma Prieta earthquake on April 8, 2006.


In 2008, KGO became the first station in the market to start its early morning newscast before 5&nbsp;am, with the expansion of its weekday morning program to 4:30&nbsp;am. Around that same time and prompted by a sluggish economy and the station's conversion to the "Ignite" automated control room system, on May 26, 2011, KGO debuted an hour-long 4 p.m. newscast, which filled the timeslot formerly held by ''The Oprah Winfrey Show'' (which ended its 25-year syndication run the previous day).<ref>, ''TVNewsCheck'', May 19, 2011.</ref> On September 10, 2011, KGO-TV expanded its weekend 11 p.m. newscasts to one hour.<ref>, ''TVNewsCheck'', September 7, 2011.</ref>
In the 1970s and 1980s, KGO-TV produced weekday talk/variety shows in the 9:00 to 10:00 a.m. timeslot, after the national '']'' broadcast ended each day. ''A.M. San Francisco'' was the name from about 1975 until late 1987 or early 1988, when it was replaced with ''Good Morning, Bay Area'', hosted by Susan Sikora. Hosts of ''A.M. San Francisco'' included the husband-and-wife team of Fred LaCosse and Terry Lowry. (Other ABC owned-and-operated stations produced their own ''A.M.'' programs in the 1980s. For example, ''A.M. Chicago'' at WLS-TV evolved into the ''Oprah Winfrey Show'', and ''Live with Regis and Kelly'' evolved from the similar ''A.M.'' program on WABC. For a week or two in the summer of 1988, ''A.M. Los Angeles'' was simulcast on KGO-TV, with a few KGO-TV produced segments.)


KGO broadcast a special seven-minute "minicast" at midnight during the ], called ''ABC 7 News Special Edition'', as an effort to counterprogram the special midnight local newscast on NBC-owned KNTV that followed the network's prime time Olympics coverage. The special newscast did not air on nights when NBC's Olympic coverage ended before midnight (August 8, for example, resulting in no KGO midnight newscast on August 9). At least one other ABC-owned station, KABC-TV downstate in Los Angeles, also produced a seven-minute midnight newscast during the 2012 Olympics.{{Citation needed|date=January 2014}}<!-- The whole paragraph --> On August 8, 2014, KGO struck a partnership with ] O&O ] to cross-promote newscast and share news context second behind its Philadelphia sister station WPVI-TV which in December partnered with ] to produce a live 11 p.m. newscast.<ref>{{Cite web|title=KGO–TV & KDTV work together|url=http://corporate.univision.com/2014/08/abc-kgo-tv-and-univision-kdtv-tv-work-together-to-better-serve-the-bay-area/|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140814055335/http://corporate.univision.com/2014/08/abc-kgo-tv-and-univision-kdtv-tv-work-together-to-better-serve-the-bay-area/|archive-date=August 14, 2014|access-date=August 13, 2014|website=corporate univision}}</ref>
On ], ], KGO-TV began a new locally-produced weekday variety show called '']'', hosted by ] and ]. This hour long show focuses on hot spots as well as interests in the Bay Area. The show airs Mondays-Fridays at 3 PM, and is available to watch online while the show is on the air. The View From the Bay also airs nightly on weekdays in Los Angeles on ] DT 7.2 at 10 pm and at various times on ABC O&O's digital subchannels.


On July 9, 2015, KGO became the first station in Northern California to fly a commercial drone under newly approved FAA guidelines. Called "DroneView7", the aircraft flew over the demolition of Candlestick Park, broadcasting live. On February 4, 2022, the station launched ''ABC 7 Bay Area 24/7'', a continuous online streaming channel showing local news and information.<ref>{{Cite web |last=KGO |date=January 31, 2022 |title=New live channel from ABC7 offers local news, weather, new morning news show |url=https://abc7news.com/abc-news-live-local-watch/11513295/ |access-date=March 31, 2022 |website=ABC7 San Francisco |language=en}}</ref>
As of June 2009, Channel 7.2 ran "Live Well HD" network programming. In 2007, KGO was among the few commercial television stations in California that scheduled an alternative set of programs on a digital channel. Channel 7.2 then simulcast most KGO-TV-produced programs, but also re-ran them throughout the day. Channel 7.2 also re-ran ABC News programming at non-traditional times, such as ''World News'' at 7 pm on weeknights and ''Nightline'' at 9 am and 7:30 pm on many weekdays. Some programs on channel 7.2, such as ''] Speaker's Luncheon'' and reruns of the 1960's ABC primetime western '']'', were not shown on Channel 7.


On February 1, 2024, KGO updated the news graphics after a new logo launched.<ref>{{YouTube|id=3qC9U4YePDg|title=KGO {{!}} ABC 7 News at 5&nbsp;pm Open and Close - February 1, 2024}}</ref>
==News / Station Presentations==
===Newscast titles===
*''Sunday Night News'' (Sunday at 5pm, 5:30pm, 6pm, 11pm news, ]-])
*''Morning News'' (morning newscast, ]-])
*''Channel 7 News Scene'' (]-])
*''Channel 7 News'' (]-])
*''ABC 7 News'' (]-present)
*''ABC 7 News HD'' (2007-present)


====Notable current on–air staff====
===Station Slogans===
=====Anchors=====
*''Now is the Time, Channel 7 is the Place'' (1981-1982; localized version of ABC ad campaign)
* ]
*''Number One in Northern California'' (1987-1998)
* ]
*''Live. Local. Latebreaking.'' (1996-1999)
* ]
*''The Bay Area's #1 News'' (1999-2007)
* ]
*''Discover ABC 7'' (2007-present)
{{inc-video}}


=====On-air meteorologist=====
==News operations==
* ]


====Notable former on-air staff====
KGO-TV had followed the lead of its sister station in ], ], and adopted the '']'' format for its newscasts in the late 1960s. However, the ''Eyewitness News'' name was already used on KPIX-TV, which inherited the version of it from its then-sister station ] in Philadelphia. As a result, KGO-TV instead called its newscasts ''Channel 7 News Scene'' throughout the 1970s, and ''Channel 7 News'' during the 1980s and much of the 1990s before switching to ''ABC 7 News''. Also, along with the other ABC O & O's, KGO-TV used an edited version of the "Tar Sequence" from the soundtrack of "Cool Hand Luke" as the opening/closing theme of news broadcasts starting in 1969.
* ] – anchor
* ] – health reporter with "House Calls"
* ] – meteorologist
* ] – anchor and news director
* ] – anchor
* ] – reporter
* ] – reporter
* ] – meteorologist
* ] – anchor and host of ''AM San Francisco''<ref>{{cite news |last=Mandel |first=Bill |date=August 14, 1978 |title=Major changes at Channel 7, too |url=https://www.newspapers.com/image/461063228/ |work=] |access-date=August 24, 2024 }}</ref>
* ] – anchor
* ] – anchor


==Technical information==
The station did, however, follow other aspects of news branding at the other ABC O&Os. The station currently utilizes the market's first helicopter equipped to shoot and transmit ] (HD) video. The helicopter branded Sky 7HD made its on-air debut in February 2006. Due to current logistical and equipment limitations, video from Sky 7HD at times is only available in ] (SD) 4:3 ]. When this occurs, the helicopter is branded as Sky 7. Also following the leads of its sister stations, KGO began broadcasting ABC7 News in ] on Saturday, February 17, 2007, becoming the 2nd news operation in the Bay Area to make this transition following ]. It should be noted that the KGO-TV affiliate in the Monterey/Salinas area does not transmit a high definition signal. KGO-TV also produces a 9pm newscast for independent station ]; the only other ABC O&O to do this is ] in North Carolina.


===Death of Pete Wilson=== ===Subchannels===
The station's signal is ]:
On ], ] long-time main news anchor and KGO radio talk show host ] died following a massive heart attack suffered during a hip replacement procedure at ] in ]. He was 62 years old. The station aired extensive tributes to Wilson when his death was publicly announced the following day. His final newscast and radio show were on Wednesday ], ].
{| class="wikitable"
|+Subchannels of KGO-TV<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.rabbitears.info/market.php?request=station_search&callsign=KGO#station|title=RabbitEars TV Query for KGO|website=]|accessdate=January 7, 2025}}</ref>
! scope = "col" | ]
! scope = "col" | ]
! scope = "col" | ]
! scope = "col" | Short name
! scope = "col" | Programming
|-
! scope = "row" | 7.1
| rowspan="2"|] || rowspan="4"|] || KGO-HD || ]
|-
! scope = "row" | 7.2
| LOCLish || ]
|-
! scope = "row" | 7.3
| rowspan="2"|] || Charge || ]
|-
! scope = "row" | 7.4
| HSN || ]
|- style="background-color:#DFEBF6; border-top: 2px solid #003399;"
! scope = "row" | ]
| 480i || 16:9 || Defy || ] (])
|}
{{legend|#DFEBF6|Broadcast on behalf of another station}}


====Localish====
===Failed single-anchor experiment===
In May 2010, KGO-TV began carrying the Disney/ABC-owned Live Well HD (later Live Well Network, now ]) on its second digital subchannel; KGO-TV also produces the cooking show ''Good Cookin' with Bruce Aidells'' for the network. In 2007, KGO was among the few commercial television stations in California that scheduled an alternative set of programs on a digital subchannel; at the time, the 7.2 subchannel ran simulcasts and rebroadcasts of most KGO newscasts and other locally produced programs, along with repeats of ] programs in non-traditional timeslots (for example, the weeknight editions of ''ABC World News Tonight'' aired at 7&nbsp;pm, while '']'' aired most weekdays at 9 a.m. and 7:30&nbsp;pm). Some programs seen on channel 7.2, such as the ''] Speaker's Luncheon'' and reruns of the 1960s ABC prime time western '']'', were not shown on channel 7.1.
Buoyed by a sluggish economy and conversion to the "Ignite" automated control room system, KGO-TV briefly operated under what was -- by all accounts -- a failed experiment in having one person anchor an entire primary or "main" newscast. During this ill-fated experiment, Cheryl Jennings anchored the 5:00 p.m. weekday news by herself, and Dan Ashley anchored the 11:00 p.m. news solo. Research and ratings later proved both shows had suffered dramatically during the experiment, though Ashley still anchors an additional KGO-TV newscast produced for the independent station in San Francisco, ], Channel 20.


===Analog-to-digital conversion===
===Current personalities===
KGO-TV shut down its analog signal, over ] channel 7, on June 12, 2009, as part of the ].<ref name="Analog to Digital">{{Cite web |url=http://hraunfoss.fcc.gov/edocs_public/attachmatch/DA-06-1082A2.pdf |title=List of Digital Full-Power Stations |access-date=June 7, 2008 |archive-date=August 29, 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130829004251/http://hraunfoss.fcc.gov/edocs_public/attachmatch/DA-06-1082A2.pdf |url-status=dead }}</ref> The station's digital signal relocated from its pre-transition ] channel 24 to VHF channel 7.<ref name="FCCForm387"></ref> As a result, KGO-TV is the only Bay Area television station to retain the same channel allocation post-transition and the only other station alongside KNTV to remain on the VHF dial (KQED moved from VHF channel 9 to UHF channel 30). During the 2019 digital television repack, KGO-TV moved to VHF channel 12, while KRON-TV moved to VHF channel 7.
'''Anchors'''
*] - Weeknights 5:00, 6:00, 9:00 on ]<ref>
{{cite web
| url = http://abclocal.go.com/kgo/story?section=bios&id=3281861
| title = Dan Ashley
| accessdate = 2007-10-19
}}</ref> & 11:00 p.m.
*] - Weekdays 11 a.m. and 5 p.m. (6:00 p.m. anchor Fridays only)
*] - 6:00 p.m. and 11:00 p.m. (Sun-Thurs)
*] - Weekdays 4:30, 5:00, 6:00 and 11 a.m.
*] - Weekday Mornings 4:30, 5:00 & 6:00 a.m.
*] - Saturdays 5 p.m., 6 p.m., and 11 p.m.
*] - Sunday Mornings 6 a.m. and 9 a.m.
*] - Saturday Mornings 6 a.m.


KGO-TV has a construction permit for a fill-in translator on UHF channel 35, serving the southern portion of the viewing area, including San Jose,<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://fjallfoss.fcc.gov/cgi-bin/ws.exe/prod/cdbs/forms/prod/cdbsmenu.hts?context=25&appn=101329805&formid=346&fac_num=34470|title = CDBS Print}}</ref> for UHF antenna viewers, until the ]. It has since returned to RF channel 7, which is a VHF channel, therefore its reception can be difficult for people with UHF HDTV antennas.
'''Weather'''
*] - weekend mornings
*] - 6 p.m. weeknights (also co-host of ''View from the Bay'')
*] - weekend evenings/View from the Bay contributor
*] - fill-in weather anchor
*] - weekday mornings and 11 a.m. (AMS Certified)
*] - 5, 9, and 11 p.m. weeknights (NWA/AMS)


===Translators===
'''Sports'''
* '''{{FCC-LMS-Facility|34470|3=KGO-TV (DRT)}}''' 35 ]
*] - weekdays
* '''{{FCC-LMS-Facility|65119|3=K21CD-D}}''' ]
*] - weekends

'''Reporters'''
*]
*]
*]
*] - traffic anchor and fill-in weather anchor
*] - consumer reporter
*]
*]
*] (freelance)
*]
*]
*]
*]
*] - financial
*] - "The View From The Bay"
*] - Freelance Weather and Traffic anchor and fill-in Host "The View from the Bay"
*]
*] - politics
*]
*] - Sacramento Bureau chief
*] - investigative
*] - South Bay Bureau
*] - arts and entertainment
*] - ''View from the Bay'' co-host

===Notable alumni===
*] - Anchor (July 1998- April 2007, now 5/11pm anchor ])
*] - longtime anchor (1969-1986)
*] - reporter (1965-1970)
*] - weather anchor (1990-2007)
*] - anchor/reporter (1976-1980)
*] - anchor (1990-1996)
*] - sports anchor (1984-1985)
*] - anchor/reporter (1979-1983), later worked at ]
*] - sports anchor
*] - South Bay Bureau chief (1974-2003, now operating Rigo Chacon Associates at RigoChacon.com)
*] - anchor/reporter (1984-1991)
*] - anchor/reporter (1970s), later worked at ] and ]
*] (deceased) - editorial reporter, former general manager of KGO-TV
*] - East Bay Bureau chief (1977-1982)
*] - reporter (1971-1992)
*] - reporter (1965-1979)
*] - medical reporter (retired from television in 2007)
*] - sports anchor (1971-1991, deceased)
*] - weather anchor (1969-1998)
*] - East Bay Bureau chief (1988-1995, now weekend morning anchor/reporter ])
*] - reporter
*] - anchor (1961-1968, deceased) later was moved to WABC in 1968
*] - reporter (1995-2002, then reporter NBC11, now at ])
*] - weather anchor (1990-1995, weather anchor/news anchor at KRON, now host of "Eye on the Bay" at ])
*] - reporter (1980-1981, now at ])
*] - anchor/reporter/''A.M. San Francisco'' host (1970s-1990s)
*] - reporter (1995-2005, now working for the homeless)
*] - sports anchor/reporter (1976-1977)
*] - reporter (1972-1990, now in public relations)
*] - sports reporter/anchor
*] - reporter (1980s)
*] - longtime anchor (1969-1984, deceased)
*] - anchor (1991-1999), then anchor at NBC11 2000-2002
*] - weather weekend/morning anchor (deceased)
*] - anchor (1970-1971)
*] - reporter (1987-1989, now weekday morning anchor ])
*] - anchor/reporter (1980s, now at ] in Syracuse)
*] - ''A.M. San Francisco'' co-host (1982-1987 )
*] - political reporter (1970s)
*] - entertainment reporter (1968-1973)
*] - reporter (1985-1986, now anchor/reporter ])
*] - sports anchor/reporter (1988-1993)
*] - ''A.M. San Francisco'' co-host (1982-1987)
*] - anchor/reporter (1984-1989), reporter/anchor KRON/BAY-TV
*] - anchor/reporter (1989-2004, now reporter ])
*] - anchor/reporter (early 1980s)
*] - Oakland Bureau chief (1982-2007)
*] - anchor (1979-1981, now at ])
*] - reporter (1981-1984, at ] radio until 2008)
*] - reporter (1982-1985, now at ])
*] - reporter/anchor (1995-2002, now at ])
*] Weekend/Morning Meteorologist (1985-1989). Now writer for ]
*] - weekday morning anchor (1999 - 2001)
*] - freelance reporter (1995-1996, now at ])
*] - sports (1973)
*] - reporter/anchor (1992-1995)
*] - anchor/''A.M. San Francisco'' co-host (1978-1980, now host of ])
*] - reporter (1968-1970)
*] - anchor (1982-1988)
*] - anchor/reporter (2005-2007, now at ] in ])
*] - host of ''King Norman's Kingdom of Toys'' (1954-1961)
*]-Shaw - anchor (1977-1988), then anchor at KRON
*] - traffic reporter (1985-1990, now at ])
*] - anchor/reporter (1997-2000, now at ])
*] - variety show host (1955-1957, deceased)
*] - anchor/reporter (1972-1976, now Karna Bodman and an author )
*] - reporter (1975-1979), then to KRON 1979-2006, now spokesman for Kaiser
*] - anchor/reporter (1984-1993, now at ])
*] - anchor (1957-1970)
*] - reporter
*] - anchor (1983-1990, then anchor at KRON 1990-2002, back to ABC7 News 2002-2007, deceased)
*] - reporter, now at ]
*] - sports director (1980-2007)
*] - reporter
*] - technology reporter
*] - reporter (1977-1978), then lead reporter at KRON 1978-2007
*] - weather anchor (1981-1983, now working for both ] and ])
*] - reporter
*] - reporter/anchor (1976-1979, now at ])


==See also== ==See also==
*] * ]
*] * ]
*] * ]
* ]
* ]


==References== ==References==
{{Reflist}} {{Reflist}}
*.
*


==External links== ==External links==
{{Commons category|KGO-TV}}
*
* {{Official website|https://abc7news.com/}}
*
*
*{{TVQ|KGO}}
*{{BIA|KGO|TV|TV}}


{{SF TV}} {{SF TV}}
{{Monterey TV}}
{{ABC California}} {{ABC California}}
{{Disney–ABC stations}}
{{Disney}}
{{Major U.S. TV O-O Stations}} {{Major U.S. TV O-O Stations}}
{{Authority control}}


{{DEFAULTSORT:Kgo-Tv}} {{DEFAULTSORT:Kgo-Tv}}
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Latest revision as of 01:01, 17 January 2025

TV station in San Francisco

KGO-TV
CitySan Francisco, California
Channels
Branding
  • ABC 7
Programming
Affiliations
Ownership
Owner
History
First air dateMay 5, 1949 (75 years ago) (1949-05-05)
Former channel number(s)
  • Analog: 7 (VHF, 1949–2009)
  • Digital: 24 (UHF, 1998–2009), 7 (VHF, 2009–2020)
Call sign meaningGeneral Electric Oakland (original owner and location of KGO radio)
Technical information
Licensing authorityFCC
Facility ID34470
ERP47 kW
HAAT520.5 m (1,708 ft)
Transmitter coordinates37°45′19″N 122°27′10″W / 37.75528°N 122.45278°W / 37.75528; -122.45278
Translator(s)see § Translators
Links
Public license information
Websiteabc7news.com

KGO-TV (channel 7) is a television station licensed to San Francisco, California, United States, serving the San Francisco Bay Area. It has been owned and operated by the ABC television network through its ABC Owned Television Stations division since the station's inception. KGO-TV's studios are located at the ABC Broadcast Center immediately west of The Embarcadero north of the city's Financial District, and its transmitter is located atop Sutro Tower. In addition, KGO-TV leases part of its building to CW outlet KRON-TV (channel 4, owned by The CW's majority owner, Nexstar Media Group), but with completely separate operations.

History

KGO-TV first signed on the air on May 5, 1949, as the San Francisco Bay Area's second-oldest television station, signing on five months after KPIX (channel 5) and the 50th in the United States. In fact, KPIX had a hand in getting KGO-TV on the air, as the CBS-affiliated station produced informational programming on how to receive and view ABC's channel 7. KGO-TV's original studios were located in the renovated Sutro Mansion near Mount Sutro in San Francisco, next to the transmitter tower it shared with KPIX.

KGO-TV was the fourth of ABC's five original owned-and-operated stations to sign-on, after WABC-TV in New York City, WLS-TV in Chicago and WXYZ-TV in Detroit, and before KABC-TV in Los Angeles. The call letters were inherited from KGO radio (810 AM). In addition to airing ABC programming, KGO-TV also aired syndicated programs from the Paramount Television Network; among the Paramount programs aired were Time For Beany, Hollywood Reel, Sandy Dreams, Hollywood Wrestling, and Cowboy G-Men.

Channel 7 had a limited broadcasting schedule during its first year on the air. It was not until September 1950 that the station announced, in the San Francisco Chronicle, that it would broadcast on all seven days of the week. For much of the 1950s, the station signed on late in the morning or early afternoon, especially on the weekends, because the ABC network did not offer many daytime programs then. For many years, Saturday programming began with King Norman's Kingdom of Toys, a popular children's program hosted by the owner of a San Francisco toy store, Norman Rosenberg, from 1954 until 1961. He died in December 2016 at the age of 98.

In 1954, KGO-TV moved to one of the most modern broadcasting facilities on the West Coast at the time at 277 Golden Gate Avenue, formerly known as the Eagle Building. The building was demolished between 2010 and 2011 to make way for apartments. As an ABC-owned station, KGO-TV originated a few network daytime shows, including programs hosted by fitness expert Jack La Lanne, singer Tennessee Ernie Ford, and entertainer Gypsy Rose Lee. Syndicated game shows Oh My Word and The Anniversary Game were produced at KGO-TV by Circle Seven Productions. In the mid-1950s, KGO-TV telecast live weeknight variety shows hosted by Don Sherwood, a disc jockey for KSFO, until Sherwood was fired for making a political comment in defiance of a warning from station management. In September 1962, KGO began carrying ABC's first color program, the animated series The Jetsons, followed by The Flintstones. In the mid 1960s, KGO became the first Bay Area station to broadcast local programs in color, including its newscasts. In 1985, KGO-TV began broadcasting from its current studios at 900 Front Street, sharing the facility with radio stations KGO (AM 810), KSFO and KMKY (the former two are now owned by Cumulus Media).

By 2012, the radio stations had vacated 900 Front Street. In late 2014, KRON-TV (channel 4; then a primary MyNetworkTV affiliate) moved its operations from 1001 Van Ness Avenue, a building it had occupied since 1967, to the ABC Broadcast Center, leasing from KGO-TV/ABC the space on the third floor that had been occupied by the radio stations. KRON-TV, which became a CW owned-and-operated station in 2023, also uses one of the two studios on the first floor for production of its news programming.

KGO in the Salinas–Monterey–Santa Cruz market

See also: KSBW

In 1999, KGO-TV—seeking to gain advertising revenue in the South Bay—reached an agreement with the Granite Broadcasting Corporation, then-owner of San Jose's ABC affiliate KNTV to pay Granite to drop KNTV's ABC affiliation, resulting in KGO-TV becoming the network's exclusive Bay Area outlet. This resulted in the Salinas–Monterey–Santa Cruz market losing over-the-air reception of ABC programs since KNTV had also served those communities (the station temporarily affiliated with The WB, before replacing KRON-TV as the Bay Area's NBC affiliate in January 2002). In response, a cable-only ABC affiliate was set up for the areas affected, that simulcast KGO-TV's programming (including ABC programming and local newscasts), with the exception of programs that channel 7 was only allowed to show within the San Francisco market under syndication exclusivity rules. On December 20, 2010, Hearst Television, owners of NBC affiliate KSBW, signed an affiliation agreement with ABC to bring the network's programming to KSBW's second digital subchannel. The new subchannel (branded on-air as "Central Coast ABC") debuted on April 18, 2011, and took the pay-TV channel slots of KGO's market-only feed throughout California's Central Coast, with the latter wound down at the same time.

Logos

KGO-TV was the first ABC station to use the Circle 7 logo. According to Broadcasting magazine, KGO unveiled this logo, created by San Francisco design consultant G. Dean Smith, on August 27, 1962. When the station incorporated ABC into its branding in the late 1990s (initially as "Channel 7 ABC" from 1996 to 1997, then as "ABC 7"), the station—along with several other ABC stations broadcasting on channel 7 that used the original version of the Circle 7 logo—simply attached the ABC logo to the Circle 7.

Programming

Antennas outside the KGO studios in San Francisco

The station carries a high-profile lineup of daytime programming with shows such as Live with Kelly and Mark, Tamron Hall, Jeopardy!, and Wheel of Fortune (the first two programs are distributed by the station's corporate cousin, Disney Media Distribution, while the latter two are produced by Sony Pictures Television and distributed by CBS Media Ventures). Jeopardy! and Wheel of Fortune have aired on KGO-TV since both shows moved to the station from KRON-TV in 1992. The Oprah Winfrey Show aired on KGO-TV throughout the program's tenure from 1986 to 2011. The station was among the handful of ABC affiliates to have aired the syndicated Who Wants to Be a Millionaire, first-run on the network, until the game show's cancellation in 2019. It also paired Donahue with Oprah on the station's afternoon lineup in the late 1980s, after the station acquired Donahue from KTVU; however, in January 1995, KGO-TV became the first affiliate in the country to drop the talk show, sixteen months before its cancellation in May 1996 (New York City's NBC O&O WNBC dropped Donahue during the summer of 1995 as well, even though the program originated from WNBC's studios at Rockefeller Center until being ousted and relocated to new studios in Manhattan to finish its final season).

KGO also airs the pre-show of the Academy Awards (which is produced by Los Angeles sister station KABC-TV). The station had sometimes aired the Bay to Breakers race during the 1980s, and the KGO Cure-a-thon with its radio partner, KGO-AM 810. KGO-TV was the first station to produce documentaries of the 1906 San Francisco earthquake and the 1989 Loma Prieta earthquake on April 8, 2006.

In the 1970s and 1980s, KGO-TV produced weekday talk/variety shows in the 9:00 to 10:00 a.m. timeslot following Good Morning America. A.M. San Francisco ran from 1975 to 1987/1988, when it was replaced by Good Morning, Bay Area, hosted by Susan Sikora. Hosts of A.M. San Francisco included the husband-and-wife team of Fred LaCosse and Terry Lowry (other ABC owned-and-operated stations produced their own A.M. programs in the 1980s; for example, A.M. Chicago at WLS-TV evolved into The Oprah Winfrey Show, and Live with Kelly and Mark evolved from a similar A.M. program on WABC). For a week or two in the summer of 1988, A.M. Los Angeles was simulcast on KGO-TV, with a few KGO-TV produced segments.

For most of its existence, KGO-TV was the only network-owned television station in the Bay Area, even throughout the time when ABC underwent ownership changes: Capital Cities Communications bought out ABC and merged with the network in 1985, the combined company Capital Cities/ABC was then sold to The Walt Disney Company in 1996. As such, the station did not heavily preempt network programming unlike its local competitors or its sister stations—such as Philadelphia's WPVI-TV, Houston's KTRK-TV and Fresno's KFSN-TV—which were known for doing so in those days (as of 2007, some exceptions to this policy may be made when breaking news events or selected ABC Sports programs warrant exclusive coverage). The distinction of being the Bay Area's only O&O station ended in 1995 when several other stations in the San Francisco-Oakland market became network-owned stations over the next twenty years—including KBHK-TV (now KPYX) becoming a charter member of UPN (in which the station's then-owner was a partner) in 1995, KPIX becoming a CBS O&O with the network's 1995 merger with Westinghouse, KNTV becoming an NBC O&O in 2002 after being bought by the network after it disaffiliated from KRON-TV, KTVU becoming a Fox O&O in 2015 after being acquired by the network alongside sister station KICU-TV a year prior (although KICU remains an independent station due to KRON-TV's affiliation with MyNetworkTV), and KRON-TV becoming a CW O&O after picking up the affiliation in 2024 following KBCW (now KPYX) and seven other CBS-owned stations disaffiliating with The CW. After ABC sold Detroit's WXYZ-TV to Scripps–Howard Broadcasting in 1986 as part of the Capital Cities/ABC merger, KGO-TV went on to be the longest-serving ABC O&O outside of New York, Los Angeles and Chicago.

Sports programming

Owing to its common ownership with ESPN, Channel 7 holds the right of first refusal to Monday Night Football games involving the San Francisco 49ers. The station carried coverage of the 49ers' victories in Super Bowl XIX, which was played locally at Stanford Stadium, and Super Bowl XXIX. The station also carried coverage of the Oakland Raiders' appearance in Super Bowl XXXVII. Also, Channel 7 airs NBA on ABC contests involving the Golden State Warriors via the network's contract with the NBA and, since 2021, San Jose Sharks games through the network's contract with the NHL. KGO-TV has aired the Warriors' championship victories in the 2015, 2017, 2018, and 2022 NBA Finals and the Warriors' championship appearances in the 2016 and 2019 NBA Finals.

The station carried the 1989 World Series, a matchup between the Oakland Athletics and San Francisco Giants which would be interrupted by the Loma Prieta earthquake shortly before Game 3 was to begin at Candlestick Park.

The View from the Bay

From June 26, 2006, to September 10, 2010, KGO-TV broadcast a locally produced weekday variety show called The View from the Bay, hosted by Spencer Christian and Janelle Wang. The hour-long show focused on local attractions as well as interviews and other interests in the Bay Area. Aimed at female viewers, the show aired weekdays at 3 pm, and was also live streamed online. Los Angeles sister station KABC-TV also aired the program weeknights at 10 p.m. on its second digital subchannel, with the program also airing at various times on digital subchannels of other ABC O&O stations. The program was also syndicated to the Live Well Network in 2010, retitled as Everyday Living.

7 Live

The View from the Bay was replaced by a new local afternoon talk program called 7 Live on September 13, 2010 (which was similar in format to one of MSNBC's earliest programs, The Site), taking the former program's previous 3 p.m. timeslot. The program was hosted by longtime KGO-AM radio host Brian Copeland and Lizzie Bermudez, who stood at a computerized podium and alternatively acted as "sidekick" or "sounding board" to Copeland and shared material from her computer; Bermudez focused on technology and pop culture segments. 7 Live had an innovative format with a studio audience called "The Voice Box" and viewer-submitter e-mail, Facebook and Twitter comments that were read by the hosts during the program. Copeland spent most of the program walking about the studio, peppering his material with humorous comments. Each edition of 7 Live generally ended with Copeland sharing a "Thought of the Day".

Jennifer Jolly served as the technology/social media co-host from a computerized podium (on a par with Bermudez) from its premiere until August 2011, when she became a frequent technology and social media guest contributor for the now-defunct CBS morning news program, The Early Show. The program played off the "seven" theme by sometimes incorporating a seven-item list (referred to as "The List") into the program. 7 Live was canceled by KGO, due to low ratings, airing its last broadcast on April 27, 2012.

News operation

KGO-TV presently broadcasts 42+1⁄2 hours of locally produced newscasts each week (with 6 hours, 35 minutes each weekday and five hours each on Saturdays and Sundays). The program usually rebroadcast stories previously shown during the 6 p.m. newscast and national and international news reports from ABC News.

KGO-TV had followed the lead of its New York City sister station, WABC-TV, and adopted the Eyewitness News format for its newscasts in the late 1960s; however, the Eyewitness News title was already being used on KPIX-TV, which inherited its version of the format from its Philadelphia sister station KYW-TV. As a result, KGO-TV instead called its newscasts Channel 7 News Scene throughout the 1970s, and Channel 7 News from 1982 to 1998, when it switched to the current ABC 7 News branding. Along with the other ABC O&Os, KGO-TV also used an edited version of the "Tar Sequence" from the soundtrack of Cool Hand Luke as the theme music for its newscasts starting in 1969. After its Chicago sister station, WLS-TV, began to reuse the Eyewitness News branding in 2013, KGO-TV became the only ABC O&O that does not use the Eyewitness News or Action News brand for its newscasts as with other ABC O&O stations.

The station broadcast a 4:30 p.m. newscast named Early News in 1970, anchored by Ray Tannehill and John Reed King, with Pete Giddings covering weather and Bob Fouts presenting sports. Lu Hurley provided live helicopter traffic coverage, one of the first television programs in the San Francisco Bay Area to offer traffic reports. KGO-TV was one of the last ABC affiliates that broadcast the network's evening news program in the 7:00 p.m. time slot. By early 1992, World News Tonight had been displaced to 5:30 pm, replacing the last half of the 5:00 p.m. news hour. KGO-TV has long broadcast an 11:00 p.m. newscast; it was originally a half-hour program, before expanding to 35 minutes in the early 1990s. In the 2000s, a staple of the 11 pm. Sunday newscast was Richard Hart's segment about technological developments, alternatively titled "Next Step" and "Drive to Discover".

The station previously used the market's first helicopter equipped to shoot and transmit high definition video, branded as "Sky 7HD", which made its on-air debut in February 2006. Due to logistical and equipment limitations, video from the helicopter was only available in 4:3 standard definition at times (when this occurs, the helicopter is branded simply "Sky 7"). KGO became the second television station in the Bay Area (after KTVU) to begin broadcasting its local newscasts in high definition on February 17, 2007.

From January 8, 2007, until March 11, 2022, KGO-TV also produced an hour-long 9 p.m. newscast for independent station KOFY-TV (channel 20). On September 6, 2021, KOFY moved ABC 7 News from 7:00 p.m. to 8:00 pm. KGO aired its final news broadcast on KOFY on March 11, 2022, in anticipation of KOFY becoming a Grit affiliate and switching to western programming on April 16, 2022.

On July 20, 2007, longtime evening news anchor and KGO radio talk show host Pete Wilson died at age 62, following a massive heart attack that he suffered during a hip replacement procedure at Stanford University Medical Center in Palo Alto, California. The station aired extensive tributes to Wilson when his death was publicly announced the following day. His final newscast and radio show were on July 18, 2007.

In 2008, KGO became the first station in the market to start its early morning newscast before 5 am, with the expansion of its weekday morning program to 4:30 am. Around that same time and prompted by a sluggish economy and the station's conversion to the "Ignite" automated control room system, on May 26, 2011, KGO debuted an hour-long 4 p.m. newscast, which filled the timeslot formerly held by The Oprah Winfrey Show (which ended its 25-year syndication run the previous day). On September 10, 2011, KGO-TV expanded its weekend 11 p.m. newscasts to one hour.

KGO broadcast a special seven-minute "minicast" at midnight during the 2012 Summer Olympics, called ABC 7 News Special Edition, as an effort to counterprogram the special midnight local newscast on NBC-owned KNTV that followed the network's prime time Olympics coverage. The special newscast did not air on nights when NBC's Olympic coverage ended before midnight (August 8, for example, resulting in no KGO midnight newscast on August 9). At least one other ABC-owned station, KABC-TV downstate in Los Angeles, also produced a seven-minute midnight newscast during the 2012 Olympics. On August 8, 2014, KGO struck a partnership with Univision O&O KDTV-DT to cross-promote newscast and share news context second behind its Philadelphia sister station WPVI-TV which in December partnered with WUVP-DT to produce a live 11 p.m. newscast.

On July 9, 2015, KGO became the first station in Northern California to fly a commercial drone under newly approved FAA guidelines. Called "DroneView7", the aircraft flew over the demolition of Candlestick Park, broadcasting live. On February 4, 2022, the station launched ABC 7 Bay Area 24/7, a continuous online streaming channel showing local news and information.

On February 1, 2024, KGO updated the news graphics after a new logo launched.

Notable current on–air staff

Anchors
On-air meteorologist

Notable former on-air staff

Technical information

Subchannels

The station's signal is multiplexed:

Subchannels of KGO-TV
Channel Res. Aspect Short name Programming
7.1 720p 16:9 KGO-HD ABC
7.2 LOCLish Localish
7.3 480i Charge Charge!
7.4 HSN HSN
4.5 480i 16:9 Defy Defy (KRON-TV)
  Broadcast on behalf of another station

Localish

In May 2010, KGO-TV began carrying the Disney/ABC-owned Live Well HD (later Live Well Network, now Localish) on its second digital subchannel; KGO-TV also produces the cooking show Good Cookin' with Bruce Aidells for the network. In 2007, KGO was among the few commercial television stations in California that scheduled an alternative set of programs on a digital subchannel; at the time, the 7.2 subchannel ran simulcasts and rebroadcasts of most KGO newscasts and other locally produced programs, along with repeats of ABC News programs in non-traditional timeslots (for example, the weeknight editions of ABC World News Tonight aired at 7 pm, while Nightline aired most weekdays at 9 a.m. and 7:30 pm). Some programs seen on channel 7.2, such as the Commonwealth Club Speaker's Luncheon and reruns of the 1960s ABC prime time western The Guns of Will Sonnett, were not shown on channel 7.1.

Analog-to-digital conversion

KGO-TV shut down its analog signal, over VHF channel 7, on June 12, 2009, as part of the federally mandated transition from analog to digital television. The station's digital signal relocated from its pre-transition UHF channel 24 to VHF channel 7. As a result, KGO-TV is the only Bay Area television station to retain the same channel allocation post-transition and the only other station alongside KNTV to remain on the VHF dial (KQED moved from VHF channel 9 to UHF channel 30). During the 2019 digital television repack, KGO-TV moved to VHF channel 12, while KRON-TV moved to VHF channel 7.

KGO-TV has a construction permit for a fill-in translator on UHF channel 35, serving the southern portion of the viewing area, including San Jose, for UHF antenna viewers, until the digital transition. It has since returned to RF channel 7, which is a VHF channel, therefore its reception can be difficult for people with UHF HDTV antennas.

Translators

See also

References

  1. "Facility Technical Data for KGO-TV". Licensing and Management System. Federal Communications Commission.
  2. Walker, Ellis (December 21, 1953). "Video Notes". The Daily Review. Hayward, CA.
  3. "Tonight on TV". The Times. San Mateo, CA. April 28, 1950. p. 15.
  4. Franklin, Bob (November 16, 1950). "Show Time". Oakland Tribune. Oakland, CA. p. 63.
  5. "The Nation's Top Television Programs". Billboard. October 8, 1955. p. 12.
  6. "TV Programs". The Oakland Tribune. Oakland, CA. May 12, 1954. pp. 26 D.
  7. San Francisco Chronicle, September 1950
  8. "Bay Area children's TV show host 'King Norman' dies". ABC 7 San Francisco. January 3, 2017. Retrieved April 7, 2020.
  9. "KGO — Station Search - Citadel Broadcasting". Archived from the original on July 8, 2011. Retrieved December 26, 2007.
  10. KSBW To Offer ABC, NBC Programming
  11. "New '7' Logo Designed for KGO-TV (ch. 7)," Broadcasting, August 27, 1962, p. 72.
  12. Flint, Joe (August 21, 1995). "'Donahue' on precipice in shock development". Variety. Retrieved April 12, 2024.
  13. http://abclocal.go.com/kgo/channel?section=view_from_the_bay&id=5755208
  14. "Everyday Living". livewellhd.com. Archived from the original on July 26, 2010. Retrieved January 11, 2022.
  15. "Two ABC O&O's end live news on their partner stations". changing news casts. July 30, 2019.
  16. KGO San Francisco Launching 4 P.M. News, TVNewsCheck, May 19, 2011.
  17. KGO Expanding 11 P.M. Weekend News, TVNewsCheck, September 7, 2011.
  18. "KGO–TV & KDTV work together". corporate univision. Archived from the original on August 14, 2014. Retrieved August 13, 2014.
  19. KGO (January 31, 2022). "New live channel from ABC7 offers local news, weather, new morning news show". ABC7 San Francisco. Retrieved March 31, 2022.
  20. KGO | ABC 7 News at 5 pm Open and Close - February 1, 2024 on YouTube
  21. Mandel, Bill (August 14, 1978). "Major changes at Channel 7, too". San Francisco Examiner. Retrieved August 24, 2024.
  22. "RabbitEars TV Query for KGO". RabbitEars.info. Retrieved January 7, 2025.
  23. "List of Digital Full-Power Stations" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on August 29, 2013. Retrieved June 7, 2008.
  24. CDBS Print
  25. "CDBS Print".

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