NBC Memories 1942 - 1964
by Bill Roddy

Why Did NBC change call letters in San Francisco?
1. KPO    2. KNBC     3. KNBR

    From the first time it went on the air in the 1920's, it was KPO. This was the call sign when the station was at Hale Brothers at Fifth and Mission, at 111 Sutter Street and at Radio City, Taylor and O'Farrell.

    After the war, NBC, a subsidiary of RCA, decided to have their owned and operated stations use the network letters. In New York City they changed WEAF to WNBC and KPO became KNBC.

    Then came television and NBC opened a station in Los Angeles. New York decided a radio station didn't warrant such a prestigious call sign, so the television station became KNBC, and the radio station  became KNBR.

    In 1986 General Electric bought RCA for $6.4 billion. Under the conditions of the merger, GE sold RCA's five NBC radio stations. So the KNBR call letters mean nothing  anymore.

    It is a happy memory for me that I worked under all of the call signs and it is sad that a great corporation like RCA is no more. In New York City seeing the GE letters on top of Radio City doesn't seem quite right.

Footnote: When I worked for NBC, the president of the company was Sylvester "Pat" Weaver. He is the father of Sigourney Weaver.