KOFY TV-20 SWITCHES TRANSMITTERS

TV-20 in San Francisco switches to their all-new transmitter with owner James Gabbert and team.

[@smitty195]

Oh my gosh! I watched this LIVE!!!! How neat to see this again.

[@Bopalena]

That station was great in the 80s and I wish they'd still show the old Jack Benny Program!

[@10TVMan]

Excellent! James Gabbert was a true pioneer (and rebel) in Bay Area broadcasting.

[@thejazzenigma]

This event occured December 15, 1985. KTZO/KOFY first broadcasted October 6, 1980. Stereo occured in 1983.

[@ApartmentKing66]

"Broadcast," not "broadcasted." There is no such word.

[@videorewind1720]

This was a live event - when they made the switch to Mt. Sutro the station left the air for a couple of seconds and came back from the new transmitter.

[@PismoBeach]

An even more momentous transition looms (in February 2009 - from analog to digital).

[@declanhughes4107]

Little did you know then that it'd be pushed back to june

[@Rudolf_Edward]

@VideoRewind : Your VCR goes ape because it lost its SYNC-signal for a while, because of the SYNC-loss for a couple of seconds... In the Netherlands, in the 70's and 80's they used to use different studio's, with different TV-Sync-signals. During switch, your tv-set used to go 'ape' for a short while, but when recorded on a VCR it took a little longer... Greetz from Amsterdam

[@KateHorton]

This is awesome!! Thanks for posting!

[@TheMediaHoarder]

The digital signals have already been on for several years at the same time as the analog ones- not that there's been anything worth watching on either. I'll be curious to watch the analog stations going off the air in February, even though TV has already been dead to me for a long time.

[@thejazzenigma]

Look up KOFY TV Behind the KOFY. It is posted on KZbin.

[@thejazzenigma]

In SF, you get alot more content on the Digital end. With KTVU, on 2-2 you get the LATV music network. On KGO 7-3 you get the AccuWeather channel. On KQED 9-1 is PBS HD, 9-3 is PBS World. On KNTV 11-2 is NBC WeatherPlus, 11-3 is an 24/7 all sports channel. On KCSM 43-2, you get an international channel called MHz Worldview (which is really good). On KKPX 65-2, an children's channel, 65-3 a health channel.

[@blairjett526]

Great to watch. I enjoyed this. I thought it was funny how when they did the switch the picture went haywire.

[@ginocavazos2153]

I wonder where are all those people are Today

[@56BUICKRiviera]

Geez. I remember when it was KEMO. Came home from school and watched Ultraman!

[@mrtelevision]

Do you have any actual KOFY 20 show promos?

[@WJF388]

Ironically, KOFY moved backwards and now have moved their transmitter back to Mt. San Bruno and there is practically no signal up in the city.

[@videorewind1720]

Yeah, he owned and operated TV 20 and emceed the Dance Party show. I'll be posting a Dance Party show soon, by the way.

[@videorewind1720]

I'll shout out to you when I do... a friend of mine was on this particular episode and won the contest for the evening.

[@thejazzenigma]

Gabbert was a subject of a 10 minute documentary, when KBWB switched names back to KOFY a few days ago.

[@MizNelson]

I think I was the only one in my school (seventh grade at the time!) who briefly fantasized about being on Dance Party. Jim Gabbert became a rich man after selling TV 20 in 1998. He pops up once in awhile on KGO AM 810 as a substitute talk show host, and he hasn't lost a step.

[@ApartmentKing66]

Oh, he was rich long before that. He and Gary Gielow put KPEN on the air in 1957. It eventually became K101. But he also bought the old 1010 KSAY and made it KIQI, or, K101 AM, and he also had a station in Hawaii. Then he sold them all and poured everything into the old KEMO, changing it to KTZO, the T in TZO standing for "Television," and the ZO was supposed to represent the number "20." But later, he bought into radio again when he acquired KOFY-AM 1050 in San Mateo and changed TV20's call letters to match the AM station. That's how TV20 became KOFY-TV. And of course, Jim Gabbert wouldn't be Jim Gabbert without taking KOFY-TV stereo.

[@MichaelHansenFUN]

where is the payless one?

[@videorewind1720]

I think it was 1987

[@PTH4Fun]

Is that possibally a predecursor to DTV?