KEWB (910 AM) was a legendary Top 40 rock ‘n’ roll radio station that dominated the San Francisco Bay Area airwaves from 1959 to 1966. Licensed to Oakland, California, it was often referred to as a San Francisco station due to its broad regional coverage and cultural impact on the Bay Area’s music scene. Branded as “Color Radio – Channel 91,” it brought high-energy, youth-oriented programming that captured the spirit of the early rock era, competing fiercely with rivals like KYA.
The frequency began in the 1920s as KLX, one of California’s earliest stations, owned by the Oakland Tribune newspaper. It started experimentally in 1921 and went commercial in 1922, broadcasting from the Tribune Tower. Programming included news, sports (e.g., Oakland Oaks baseball games), live music from Sweet’s Ballroom in Oakland, and even early remote broadcasts. By the 1950s, it was a full-service station with block programming, but ratings were middling.
On June 8, 1959, Crowell-Collier Publishing Company (owners of Collier’s magazine) purchased KLX for approximately $1.5 million. They flipped it to a Top 40 format, changing the call letters to KEWB. The station moved studios to the KEWB Building at 2101 Lombard Street in San Francisco’s Cow Hollow neighborhood, with transmitters in Oakland.
KEWB pioneered a vibrant, colorful on-air style to stand out in the black-and-white TV era. Slogans like “Color Radio Channel 91” emphasized fun, fast-paced DJs, sound effects, and custom jingles. It played the hottest hits from artists like Elvis Presley, The Beatles (who visited the station in 1964), and Motown stars, with tight playlists (top 40 songs rotated heavily).
High-production jingles by producers like Bob Sande and Larry Greene, often shared with sister stations.
Promotions included teen dances, car giveaways, and sponsorships of concerts (e.g., at the Cow Palace).
News breaks were quick and punchy, integrated into the music flow.
Broadcast at 5,000 watts daytime (1,000 watts nighttime) on 910 kHz AM, reaching across the Bay Area. It used a directional antenna to avoid interference.
KEWB was a star factory, launching careers in radio and beyond.
Casey Kasem joined in 1960 after KYA; known for his warm style and “teaser” intros. He later created American Top 40 and voiced Shaggy in Scooby-Doo.
Gary Owens, the deep-voiced announcer famous for “Beautiful Downtown Burbank” on Rowan & Martin’s Laugh-In. He did mornings and created comedic bits.
The Real Don Steele, afternoon drive-time host with high-energy shouts like “Tina Delgado is alive!”; moved to KHJ Los Angeles for “Boss Radio.”
Robert W. Morgan, nighttime DJ who later became a LA staple at KHJ and KRTH.
Others: K.O. Bayley (mornings), Buck Herring, “Honest” John Trotter, Don McKinnon, and Chris Lane. Many rotated shifts for maximum exposure.
News Team: Led by director Gil Haar, with reporters like Barney Lee (sports) and Mike Forrest. They provided “rip and read” wire service news with a youthful twist.
The station’s “Boss Jocks” were marketed as celebrities, appearing at events and on TV.
By 1960, KEWB surged to #1 in Bay Area ratings (per Pulse and Hooper surveys), appealing to teens and young adults. It battled KYA (which flipped to Top 40 in response) and later KFRC.
KEWB helped break acts in Northern California, hosting Beatles press conferences and promoting surf rock, British Invasion, and soul. It reflected the Bay Area’s emerging counterculture, just before the Summer of Love.
Owned by Crowell-Collier, it shared formats and jingles with KFWB (Los Angeles) and KDWB (Minneapolis), creating a mini-network of “Color Channels.”
By the mid-1960s, FM radio was rising, and AM Top 40 faced saturation. Crowell-Collier exited broadcasting to focus on publishing.
In April 1966, Metromedia bought KEWB for $2.5 million. On May 1, 1966, it became KNEW (mirroring WNEW New York) – call letters purchased from AM 790 in Spokane, which became KJRB. KNEW shifted to adult standards and big-band music. The Top 40 format ended abruptly mid-song during Don Steele’s shift.
1960sā1970s: KNEW as easy listening, then MOR (middle-of-the-road). 1980sā1990s: Country music as KNEW. 2000s: Progressive talk as KQKE (“The Quake”), then smooth jazz/oldies as KKSF.
Today, owned by iHeartMedia, it’s still KKSF (910 AM), airing Bloomberg Radio business news and talk, with a weak signal overshadowed by digital options.
Airchecks from archive.org