KNBR (AM)

KNBR
Broadcast areaSan Francisco Bay Area
Frequency680 kHz
BrandingKNBR 680 and 104.5 The Sports Leader
Programming
FormatSports
Affiliations
Ownership
Owner
KNBR-FM, KSAN, KSFO, KTCT, KZAC
History
First air date
April 17, 1922 (1922-04-17)
Former call signs
  • KPO (1922–1946)
  • KNBC (1946–1962)
Call sign meaning
National Broadcasting Radio (a reference to former owner NBC)
Technical information
Licensing authority
FCC
Facility ID35208
ClassA
Power50,000 watts unlimited
Transmitter coordinates
Repeater104.5 KNBR-FM (San Francisco)
Links
Public license information
Webcast
Websitewww.thesportsleader.com

KNBR (680 kHz, "KNBR 680 and 104.5 The Sports Leader") is an AM radio station in San Francisco, California, broadcasting on a clear channel from transmitting facilities in Redwood City, California. KNBR's non-directional 50,000-watt class-A signal can be heard throughout much of the western United States and as far west as the Hawaiian Islands at night. For several decades, KNBR enjoyed a long history as the flagship station of NBC's West Coast radio operations. KNBR and KTCT are owned by Cumulus Media Partners, LLC, a private partnership of Cumulus Media, Bain Capital, The Blackstone Group, and Thomas H. Lee Partners. It was purchased from Susquehanna Pfaltzgraff in 2005 along with other Susquehanna Radio Corporation stations.

Two other stations also use the KNBR brand. KNBR-FM (104.5 FM) in San Francisco has been a full-time simulcast of KNBR's programming since September 6, 2019. KTCT (1050 kHz) is licensed to San Mateo, California, with a transmitter located near Hayward, California. It carried a separate sports format known as The Ticket but was rebranded as a second KNBR in 2003. The Sports Leader is the on-air branding used by all three stations. KNBR maintains its studios at 2001 Junipero Serra Blvd. in Daly City, California.

Between the three stations, games of the San Francisco Giants, San Francisco 49ers, Bay Area Panthers and Stanford Cardinal are broadcast to the San Francisco Bay Area. KTCT was available in the HD format on 1050 kHz but has been broadcasting in analog. In addition, KNBR was simulcast on the HD2 subchannel of KSAN in nearby San Mateo.