A huge milestone: KGO-TV celebrates 75 years on Bay Area airwaves

It all started on May 5, 1949 when Channel 7 went live on air for the first time from Sutro Mansion.
Sunday, May 5, 2024
SAN FRANCISCO (KGO) -- KGO-TV is celebrating a huge milestone on Sunday! It's the 75th anniversary!

It all started on May 5, 1949 when Channel 7 went live on air for the first time from Sutro Mansion.

In the 1970s, a show called "News Scene" changed TV News to what it is today.

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At the bottom of San Francisco's iconic Sutro Tower, you can still find the remnants of early Bay Area television. A crumbling stone stairway is all that is left of the historic Sutro Mansion called "La Avansada" where KGO-TV, Channel 7, launched its first broadcast in 1949.


The basic format was similar to now, but for its time, it was a revolution -- with cutting edge stories on social change and a new focus on people's everyday concerns.

Consumer issues, health news, stories about children and education -- even pop culture -- all became part of the programming.

RELATED: 70 Years of ABC7: Van Amburg, the 1970s and a TV news revolution

Van Amburg and the Channel 7 News team road in on horseback, launching a TV revolution with crazy commercials, colored coats, and history making news coverage in the 1970's.


Today, we're continuing to tell your stories with the hope of Building a Better Bay Area.

We're thankful that over 75 years, you've invited us into your homes to do just that.


If you're on the ABC7 News app, click here to watch live

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