The San Francisco Radio Photo Archive

| KGO Photos | KPO Photos | KPO Transmitter Site Photos | NBC San Francisco Photos | NBC Radio City Photos | KFRC Photos | KTAB/KSFO/KWID Photos | KRE Photos | KQW Photos | KYA Photos | Early Stations | Miscellaneous Photographs |

KGO Photos:

• KGO Studio Building, Oakland, CA, 1924
• KGO Main Studio, 1924
• KGO Audio Control Room, 1924
• KGO Transmitter Building and Antenna, Oakland, 1924
• KGO 7,500 watt Transmitter, 1924
• Another view of KGO Transmitter Room, 1924
• KGO Motor Generator Room, 1924
• KGO transmitter engineers pose in front of transmitter building – 1934
• KGO transmitter tower collapse (1989 earthquake)

KPO/KNBC/KNBR Photos:

• KPO’s first studio with 50 watt transmitter, 1922
• KPO 500-watt transmitter and control desk, 1923
• KPO’s 1000-watt transmitter, 1925
• Another view of KPO 1000-watt transmitter
• KPO speech amplifier equipment, 1925
• KPO antenna on the roof of Hale Brothers Department Store, c. 1925
• KPO’s new studio complex (floor plan), Hale Brothers, 1929
• KPO’s Studio “A,” Hale Brothers Department Store, 1929
• KPO’s Studio “B,” Hale Brothers Department Store, 1929
• KPO’s 5000-watt transmitter, Hale Brothers Annex, 1929
• New KPO master control equipment is installed, 1929
• Hugh Barrett Dobbs, KPO’s morning program host, 1920s
• KPO children’s program host “Big Brother” at the microphone
• “Marshall’s Mavericks,” featuring Charlie Marshall, 1934
• Southern Harmony Four on KPO, 1934
• Edna Fischer, popular KPO pianist, 1934
• An Engineer Mixing Audio for a KPO Remote Program, 111 Sutter Street
• Ticket to “Hail and Farewell” Broadcast, When KPO Became KNBC, 1947
• Staff of the Doug Pledger Show, KNBR, 1950s

 

KPO/KNBC/KNBR 50KW Transmitter Site, Belmont:

• KPO transmitter building, under construction, 1933
• Finished view and full description of KPO’s transmitter building
• One of two KPO towers under construction, 1933
• Completed KPO/KNBC Antenna Site, 1948
• Additional views of the KPO Antenna
• KPO 50 KW G.E. Transmitter, 1933
• Detail views of KPO 50 KW Transmitter
• Inspecting Giant Air Capacitor in the Output Network of 50 KW Transmitter
• Motor Generator Room for KPO 50 KW Transmitter
• Cooling Pond for G.E. 50KW Transmitter
• Inspecting One of the 50 KW Water-Cooled Tubes
• KPO transmitter engineering staff mid 1930s
• KPO’s transmitter engineering staff, 1941
• Joseph Baker, KNBC Chief Engineer, 1947
• KNBC-FM antenna installation at Belmont, circa 1947
• KNBC’s west tower is toppled to make room for new tower, 1949
• Building the new KNBC tower, 1949
• New KNBC Franklin antenna, 1949
• Engineer Joseph Baker stands atop the new KNBC tower, 1949

 

NBC San Francisco Photos:

• West Coast Network Program Circuits, 1929
• The Hunter-Dulin Building, 111 Sutter Street – NBC home from 1927-42
• Floor plan of NBC studios, 111 Sutter Street (drawn from memory by Bill Andrews)
• View of NBC Master Control Room, 111 Sutter Street
• NBC Engineers Pose in the NBC Control Room, 111 Sutter Street, 1938
• NBC Staff in Studio A, 111 Sutter Street, 1941
• The “Announcer’s Delight,” NBC, San Francisco, about 1930
• “Taking Inventory in the Microphone Storage Room”
• Meredith Willson & Orchestra in 111 Sutter Street Studio, 1934
• The Cast of “One Man’s Family,” broadcasting from Studio “C,” 111 Sutter Street
• Another View of a “One Man’s Family” broadcast
• Author Carlton E. Morse, reviewing bound scripts of “One Man’s Family,” 1930s
• Bernice Berwin, radio actress and “Hazel Barbour” of “One Man’s Family”
• Wilda Wilson Church, pioneer radio drama producer, on NBC in 1930s
• Max Dolin, Music Director at NBC San Francisco 1926-32
• Meredith Willson and Estelle Caen rehearse at NBC, 1936
• Paul Carson, NBC organist, creator of the “Bridge to Dreamland”
• Cecil and Sally, radio entertainers at NBC San Francisco
• The Arion Trio
• B. Floyd Farr, KPO and KEEN
• Some early NBC announcers
• Don E. Gilman, NBC’s Western Division Manager
• The First RCA 44A Ribbon Microphones are Installed at 111 Sutter Street
• Max Dolin conducts NBC studio orchestra, Hales Department Store annex studio, 1927
• Another view of Max Dolin and the NBC studio orchestra, 111 Sutter Street
• Broadcast of “Carefree Carnival,” Marines Memorial Theatre, 1936
• Meredith Willson, Music Director of “Carefree Carnival”
• NBC Remote Broadcast Truck, outside California Palace of Legion of Honor, 1930s
• Max Dolin Broadcasting from the NBC Remote Truck, early 1930s
• NBC Remote Broadcast Truck, 1940s
• Another NBC Remote Broadcast – 1940s
• Schematic Diagram of the NBC Chime Machine

 

NBC Radio City Photos:

• Architects Renderings of the Radio City Building
• Views of Radio City under construction
• Radio City, the Home of NBC/KGO/KPO, Taylor and O’Farrell Streets, 1942
• Color View of Radio City, from a 1942 post card
• NBC Radio City as it appeared in 1999
• Mosaic mural above the main entrance to Radio City
• Studio “A” of Radio City, program rehearsal in progress
• Another View of Studio “A”
• Main control room of Studio “A,” Radio City
• Studio “C” of Radio City
• Studio “D” of Radio City
• Master Control Room of Radio City, 1944
• Another View of Radio City Master Control
• Recording Room of Radio City
• Another View of Recording Room
• The Making of a Recording
• Sound Effects Storage Room, Radio City
• Engineer Checks the Final Wiring of Radio City
• Another Photo of Final Installation Checks
• Additional Views of Radio City
• Floor Plan, 1st floor, Radio City
• Floor Plan, 2nd floor, Radio City
• Floor Plan, 3rd floor, Radio City
• Floor Plan, 4th floor, Radio City
• Floor Plan, 5th floor, Radio City
• NBC Radio City, Sunset and Vine, Hollywood

 

KFRC Photos:

• Young Harrison Holliway operating his ham radio station, 6BN
• KFRC’s first studio, in the City of Paris Department Store, 1925
• Harrison Holliway, founder and manager of KFRC
• Harrison Holliway announcing on KFRC’s “Blue Monday Jamboree,” 1927
• The Cast of KFRC’s “Blue Monday Jamboree,” 1927
• The Don Lee Cadillac Building, exterior view
• The Don Lee Cadillac Building, showroom view
• Meredith Willson, KFRC’s Music Director, 1929
• Al Pearce of KFRC’s “Happy Go Lucky Hour”
• Cast Photo of KFRC’s “Happy Go Lucky Hour”
• “Haywire Mac” McClintock of KFRC’s “Mac and His Gang,” 1920s
• Merv Griffin, KFRC Singer and Staff Announcer
• Tommy Harris, KFRC’s 14-year-old star vocalist, late 1930s

 

KTAB/KSFO Photos:

• Invitation to the inaugural ceremonies of KTAB, Oakland, 1925
• The main studio of KTAB, 1926
• The KTAB operating room, 1926
• The KTAB antenna on the roof of the Tenth Avenue Baptist Church, 1926
• The staff of KTAB, 1926
• Broadcasting the 9 AM “Hour of Prayer” over KTAB, 1926
• KSFO and KWID Staff at Islais Creek Transmitter Site, Circa 1940
• Wesley I. Dumm, President of the Associated Broadcasters, 1942
• Announcer Rod Kurry on the air at KSFO, 1942
• KSFO master control, 1942
• KSFO transmitter building and tower, 1942
• KSFO 5 KW Western Electric transmitter, 1942
• KSFO newsmen, 1945
• KSFO’s Wally King, 1945
• KSFO Studio Eleven, No. 1 Nob Hill Circle, 1945
• KSFO and KPIX-TV building, 2655 Van Ness Avenue, 1952
• KSFO, Fairmont Hotel, mid 1950s
• KSFO Transmitter Site, 2006

 

KRE Photos:

• KRE studio in the Claremont Hotel, 1922
• KRE transmitter room in the Claremont Hotel, 1922
• KRE studios in the Claremont Hotel, late 1920s
• KRE control room in the First Congregational Church
• KRE studio “A” on Shattuck Ave., 1934
• KRE studio “B” on Shattuck Ave., 1938
• Broadcast of a Wrestling Match on KRE, 1938
• KRE transmitter building, Ashby Avenue, Berkeley, 1937
• Control Room in KRE’s new transmitter building, 601 Ashby Avenue, Berkeley, 1937
• KRE studio building and tower, Ashby Avenue, Berkeley, 1950s
• KRE transmitter building, as it appeared in 1999

 

KQW Photos:

• Doc Herrold and Ray Newby, 1909
• Doc Herrold operating the arc-fone station, about 1912
• Dr. Charles Herrold on the air on KQW, early 1920s
• KQW towers on the First Baptist Church, San Jose, 1925
• KQW’s main studio in San Jose, mid 1920s
• Charles L. McCarthy, co-owner and Manager of KQW in the 30’s and 40’s

 

KYA Photos:

• KYA’s first studio in the Clift Hotel, 1926
• KYA’s RCA 1001-B Transmitter at the Whitcomb Hotel
• KYA’s new transmitter site, 1937 – Exterior
• KYA’s new transmitter site, 1937 – Interior
• KYA’S new RCA 5-C Transmitter, 1937
• KYA motor generators, 1937
• KYA’s FCC License, 1937
• Cowboy Bob on KYA, 1940s
• KYA Sports Announcer Ernie Smith
• KYA transmitter tower collapse, 1986

 

Early Stations:

• Francis McCarty transmits from the Cliff House, 1902
• Lee DeForest and performer, broadcasting from 6XC in the California Theatre, 1920
• Operating room of KDN, Fairmont Hotel, 1921
• Preston Allen with KLX’s 50 watt transmitter, “Powerful Katrinka,” 1922
• Floor plan of KLX studios in the Tribune Tower Building, 1926

 

Miscellaneous Photographs:

• The “KFI” antenna on the roof of the Earle C. Anthony Building, San Francisco, 1970
• KFWM Radio: The Andy Wallace Band
• KJBS Studio Building and Tower, Pine Street, 1971
• KJBS Control Room and Studio, 1930s
• KOBY Top 40 Survey, 1959
• Del Gore, KROW announcer
• KSAN Tower on the Merchandise Mart Building

 

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All articles copyright © 1997-2023 by John F. Schneider. All rights reserved.
Reprinted with the generous permission of the author.