San Francisco 1975-'78; Triumph Over Tragedy; KGO-TV and Radio Powerful TV/Radio Dynamic Duo; Moscone/Milk Murders; President Ford Outside St. Francis Hotel Gets Lucky; Bill Graham Dominates; Dunbar/Wygant Magical in Morning; Paoli's Media Centerpiece; Carol Doda Stories; An Homage to the Great Dennis Fanucchi; TGIF 415 Media

THEY KNEW ...DEEP DOWN INSIDE...that they really weren't news "journalists", not in any sense of the word but that's no knock. They were more like "entertainers" --entertaining news anchors to be precise.

It will never take place again. KGO's free-spirited "News Scene" team of Van Amburg, Jerry Jensen, Weather maven, Peter Giddings and sports guy, John O'Reilly.

What a time and what an event.

Jim Dunbar

San Francisco in the 70's. The heart of the Tenderloin was the home theatre of "Happy Talk"; 277 Golden Gate Avenue with the gritty "Studio Café" across the street and crusty, antiquated, KGO Radio in the alleyway next door, where Jim Dunbar and Russ Coughlan held court; Owen Spann did his best repertoire interviewing Ruth Reichl, the food critic of the NY Times; the late, great John L. Wasserman conducted coordinated, civilized conversations with Bill Graham; did you ever once hear fifteen solid minutes on Jerry Garcia's diet before hitting the stage? Neither did I; Wasserman got Graham to embellish.

*TWO GIANT MEDIA COMPANIES in the middle of the Tenderloin. It was vintage San Francisco and the zeitgeist of Bay Area media culture but far bigger and bolder, more entrenched than you'd ever imagine.

"Dunbar and Wygant" ruled the KGO morning news and their corny jokes in the first hour (5 AM) were hilarious radio because first and foremost, they were as original as all get-go. It didn't matter if the jokes fell flat or the off-beat news story wasn't as funny as the boys thought it was; it was funny because that damn Ted Wygant's laugh was so pervasive and beguiling.

Bill Graham

KGO Radio in the morning...cup of coffee at the Studio Café reading Gerry Nachman, the Chronicle's "Singles" and Entertainment columnist. Gerry wrote with dramatic flair and engaging prose was his customary style. He was first reading, as was obviously, Herb Caen.


IT WAS QUITE A TIME.

Innocence and Thrills meets tragedy and horror in the same era. We were hurt and dismayed but we quickly recovered and were back to business in little time.

1975: The Streets of San Francisco awash in 70's lore. Joe Alioto. Quentin Kopp. Bobby Murcer. Reggie Jackson. Police Chief, Charlie Gain at the Hookers Ball at the Cow Palace, Halloween Night.

SCARY MOMENTS: President Ford escapes assassination outside the St. Francis Hotel by some lonesome woman named Sara Jane Moore; only  weeks after an attempt by Squeaky Fromme in Sacramento. Not a good September for GRF.

*We were as advertised: Baghdad by the Bay as Caen noted but perseverance was our strong point. Somehow, Someway, we managed to get through the madness like Rich Hongisto's International Hotel fiasco/tragedy in '77, a slaughter that didn't have to happen --almost as gruesome as the Golden Dragon massacre, vintage SF 1970's tragedy and historic lore even if involves blood, sweat and tears.

*MORE TRAGEDY, 1978: Jim Jones massacre and Moscone-Milk Murders...just as the city was getting though the horror of Jonestown; the darkest of times in the city and Bay Area; visuals everywhere; print, TV and radio, then comes the afternoon of Monday, November 27th: both Mayor George Moscone and Supervisor, Harvey Milk were ambushed and murdered by Dan White. Mayhem. Shock. Misery and anguish. Dianne Feinstein announces the carnage with gasps and OMG's in the background.

Of course they were all there. The media mavens like KGO; KGO Radio; the Chronicle; the Examiner; the TV stations; KCBS; it was Topic A the rest of the way and made for KGO Radio fodder later in the night and into the morning. Ronn Owens practically cried on the air and told listeners to call in and collectively grieve. It was helpful and therapeutic because indeed San Francisco and the Bay Area in general were out of sight out of mind. WE NEEDED A BREAK.

Because there was no Internet, no social media, KGO Radio was a great forum to vent. It was as if a cathartic radio giant swept in and allowed us all to commiserate and shed our tears and emotion.

Supervisor Harvey Milk (l) and Mayor George Moscone

Owens was great then; just a few years in the city and knew how to set the right tone and whose own grief was original having formed a bond and friendship with Moscone due to countless appearances on his show. .

WE always knew we had the perseverance to overcome all obstacles and tragedies like these two in particular. They defined us; defined a generation in Bay Area history if you were here back then like myself, a cherubic if not enlightened 13 year-old kid across the bay in Oakland trying to fine reason in the sea of discomfort and mayhem across the bay. We had our own issues like the Hells Angels and re-awakening of the Black Panthers and the conservative Oakland Trib and Bill Fiset trying to dissect it all but nothing compared to the goings-on in Baghdad by the Bay.

IF WE NEEDED TO GET AWAY from the carnage it was go-to, Bill's Place for a burger; out on the avenues, Caen's favorite spot if he weren't at Tadich or the Fairmont yakking with Joe Alioto or Merv Griffin.

Carl Lombardi bartending at Paoli's

Carol Doda back in the day

There was the magnificent Paoli's on Washington Media Square; the food was above average and the drinks ginormous but that was not the mission: for every eligible SF guy and office woman (and even not so eligible) the idea was to meet the lady/guy, have a couple of drinks (or more) and perhaps exchange phone numbers and meet later that night (not a real toughie) at Vanessi's for a night cap. It was charming in a sort of cadaver way. First off, the men ALL wore suit and tie; it was considered mandatory and the women? Dear God, they were dressed to the Nines and this was after work in Downtown SF. They weren't in gowns obviously because it was post office 6 PM; their skirt and blouse and respectable heels sufficed. Civilized boy-girl drama and cheesy cheese foreplay with a couple Beefeater over the rocks on hand as necessary stand by. Talk about a cool time, you had to be there.

I WASN'T A CAROL DODA fan namely because I wasn't old enough to get in the famous Condor on the Broadway Strip but I heard and read about its stories and adventures good and bad. I actually met Doda fifteen years ago; she was Sunday bar tending at Geno&Carlo and had a great sense of humor something I was not ready for; I thought she'd be dour and jaded by all her legendary lore but she had quite a smile and disposition. She wasn't brimming mind you but very polite and engaging and didn't mind telling a few stories of yesteryear which captivated me even though I grew up across the bay.

I wanted to know about Davey Rosenberg, the notorious numbers man and North Beach character and Doda, dis-boobed, if you will, told how Rosenberg's influence was bigger than you'd think and how Sam Conti, the flamboyant restaurateur and wise guy, made Davey his historic proxy. If you know old SF lore, then you know Davey Rosenberg's theatrics.

WHAT A TIME. WHAT A PLACE. THE STREETS OF SAN FRANCISCO