Jumpin' George and KSAN were pioneers in broadcasting to the black audience in the Bay Area, along with Oakland's KWBR, which later became KDIA. Until the mid-1950s, the relative handful of stations on the air locally devoted little time to "ethnic" programming of any kind, with the exception of KSAN and KWBR, which also broadcast programs intended for the Chinese, Italian, Portuguese, German and Japanese communities.
The original KSAN, not to be confused with the local FM stations that have used the same call letters more recently, was born in June 1925 as KGTT. In 1929, it became KGGC and, in 1938, it became the first local station to use the KSAN call letters — again, not to be confused with the local FM stations that have used the same call letters more recently. In 1958, KSAN switched to a fulltime rhythm and blues music format, targeting black listeners in the Bay Area, the first station on the local dial to broadcast R&B around the clock.
George at KDIA in San Francisco on Friday, February 22, 1963. [ LISTEN ] (10:28)
You may be familiar with the re-creation of a KSAN Jumpin' George Oxford show from '55 on the CRUISIN' 1955 LP. THIS is the real thing, recorded off-the-air in '63 when G.O. was the morning host on 1310 KDIA.
On July 3, 1964, KSAN was sold to John F. (Les) Malloy and Delmor A. (Del) Courtney, two well-known San Francisco radio and television personalities; Les Malloy was for many years a star on local radio and had hosted a popular TV talk show on KGO in the 1950s, while Del Courtney found fame as a bandleader and personality on KSFO. With Malloy as president and general manager, KSAN became KSOL on its first day under new ownership, hoping to better emphasize its "Soul Radio" format, which it continued until September 1970.By this date, Oxford was no longer using the "Jumpin'" monicker, having lost the right to do so in a dispute with former employer KSAN. [ LISTEN ] to the CRUISIN' LP version. (32:47)
 DIX VS. OXFORD | ||
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According to the March 30 article, KSAN had obtained a temporary restraining order one day earlier barring Oxford from identifying himself on KDIA's air as "Jumpin'." The complaint noted that Oxford had been hired by KDIA on January 26, 1960, despite being under contract to KSAN.
As detailed in the May 27 article, the suit was resolved when Judge Joseph W. Murphy accepted an agreement between the two stations that allowed Oxford to legally work at KDIA beginning on July 1, 1960, but barred him from using either "Jumpin'" or "Ole" as part of his air name. More surprisingly, the agreement stopped Oxford from using his signature sign-off — "I love everybody ... especially you, baby" — on the air until after January 1, 1961.
As a result of KSAN retaining the "Jumpin' George" moniker, the station chose to hire a new morning personality, Mike Dix, who went on the air under that name. Another revelation comes in the final paragraph of the earlier article, which notes the $200,000 "payola" lawsuit filed on March 28 by KSAN against Oxford and twenty unnamed record distributing and manufacturing companies. The suit charged that Oxford had "plugged" records on KSAN's air time in exchange for payments from the record companies. This suit was covered in more detail by the Tribune in an article published in the March 29, 1960 edition.
