Jane Riley spent 30 years at KCBS Radio. She was hired in 1971 for a secretarial job and spent many years as the administrative assistant to the station’s vice president and general manager. For 25 years, Riley produced and hosted a program she created, “Bay Area Woman”. She figured she interviewed 2,000 women from all walks of life. She finally retired at age 79.
Riley told the San Francisco Chronicle in 2011, “When I first started, women weren’t allowed to be on the air, and by the time I left the newsroom was practically filled with women,” Riley said. “I wasn’t afraid to push. I hope I helped a little bit” in breaking that glass ceiling.
Jane Riley died in 2014 at age 89.
In this episode, Jane interviews Janis Cooke Newman, author of "The Russian Word for Snow: A True Story of Adoption" (published in 2001)
KCBS Radio coverage of the January 21, 1985 San Francisco parade for the 49ers after their 38-16 victory over Miami in Super Bowl XIX the day before. The game was played at Stanford Stadium. Coverage is anchored by Charlie Seraphin and Valerie Coleman.
KCBS Radio news aircheck. Approximately 30 minutes as David Fowler anchors after 11 pm on October 10, 1974. Fowler was a KCBS reporter and San Jose bureau chief in the 1970's before moving to television reporting and anchoring in 1975 (KPIX and later KRON). This segment includes a report by Bob Safford and a sports report by longtime KCBS Radio Sports Director Don Klein.
Our thanks to the California Historical Radio Society/ Bay Area Radio Museum for preserving this segment in digital form from the original reel-to-reel recording.
Broadcast on December 8, 1960. The KCBS Radio documentary "Expedition: B-24" told the story of the 1943 crash of a B-24 bomber into an unnamed High Sierra lake and the 17-year effort by the father of the co-pilot to find the wreckage. The program was written by Fred Goerner and anchored by Dave McElhatton and won a 1961 Sigma Delta Chi journalism award.
Audio preserved by the California Historical Radio Society's Bay Area Radio Museum.
1983 "demo reel" of KCBS Radio coverage of various stories. Numerous segments include: Coalinga earthquake, grounding of USS Enterprise, Fleet Week live coverage, example of 8:06 AM "Beat Check". Anchors include Mike Pulsipher, Stan Bunger, Al Hart and Don Mozley.
Early 1960's station presentation reel for advertisers, hosted by Dave McElhatton. It includes samples of a number of programming elements woven together by morning host McElhatton in his folksy style.
1962 KCBS documentary "The Silent Thunder" looks back on the Pacific Theater during World War 2. Reporter Fred Goerner interviews a number of people, including Pacific Fleet Commander in Chief Admiral Chester Nimitz. He also visits Tinian Island, the launching point for the atomic bomb attacks on Japan.
Droughts are a fact of life in California. The one that lasted between 1986 and 1992 was a bad one. In 1991 alone, state officials would estimate the drought cost the state $1 billion in agriculture losses, increases in energy costs and damage to the environment—that’s close to 2 billion in today’s dollars.
In the winter of 1991, KCBS Radio ran a series of reports entitled “Drought Watch”, looking at what had already happened—and what may lie ahead. You’ll hear discussion of things like drip irrigation, advanced weather forecasting, new approaches to water storage, challenges to agriculture, urban water rationing,
Reporters are Mike Sugerman, Jim Taylor, Barbara Taylor, Dave Padilla, Jerry Wilcox, Mike Colgan, Chris Cutter and Paula Drake.
On March 20 2003, protests broke out around the world, including in the Bay Area, after the start of the US/British ground invasion of Southern Iraq. KCBS Radio coverage was anchored by Patti Reising with field reports delivered by Margie Shafer in San Francisco and Doug Sovern in Berkeley. Ron Cervi delivered airborne reports.
A KCBS Radio "In Depth" special report broadcast on April 12, 1993. Reporter Rebecca Corral examined concerns about increasing acts of violence perpetrated by teenagers.
On March 14, 1993 KCBS Radio broadcast a special report on a story that had gripped Bay Area sports fans for months: the sale of the San Francisco Giants. Just before a deal to sell the team to buyers in St. Petersburg, Florida was to be concluded, a group of local investors led by Safeway Stores CEO Peter Magowan came forward. KCBS Radio sports anchor Steve Bitker produced this special report with assistance from Ron Lyons.
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