Jim Dunbar was born in Dearborn, MI and attended Michigan State University, where he handled sports play-by-play on the campus radio station. After serving in the U.S. Army, Dunbar spent time on the air in Detroit, New Orleans, and Chicago before he was hired at KGO in 1963.
Dunbar became a Bay Area institution. For a number of years, he could be heard on KGO radio and seen on KGO-TV. He is credited with shaping the mix of news, personality and commentary that KGO called “Newstalk”.
His role at KGO radio evolved over the years, from program director and afternoon talk show host to morning news anchor. Dunbar began anchoring KGO’s morning news block in 1974 and stayed there until his retirement in 2000. During his tenure, KGO went from an also-ran to a station that dominated Bay Area radio ratings for decades. KGO would be named BARHOF’s “Legendary Station” for 2010.
Dunbar was inducted into the national Radio Hall of Fame in 1999.
Jim Dunbar died in 2019 at age 89.