KRON-TV 4
The city's third station was KRON (Channel 4), which began broadcasting on November 15, 1949, with studios in the basement of the San Francisco Chronicle, which owned and operated the station, and a transmitter on San Bruno Mountain. KRON was long affiliated with the NBC television network; that affiliation passed to KNTV, located in San Jose, in early 2002. KRON was the first Bay Area station to offer programs in RCA's compatible color, including NBC specials and occasional movies, beginning with The Big Cat, a 1949 Technicolor feature starring Preston Foster and Forrest Tucker, shown in 1954. KRON's local children's programs included Fireman Frank, hosted by George Lemont, who utilized puppets and drawings to entertain children; he was succeeded by Art Finley's Mayor Art show, which had begun on Stockton's KOVR. A longtime staff announcer was Vern Wilson, whose voice was often heard during station I.D.s and whenever technical problems occurred. In 1967, KRON moved from the Chronicle Building to a massive facility on Van Ness Avenue near Civic Center; the production studio was later used for a special live telecast by the Oakland Symphony Orchestra. Today the station is independently owned and operated, producing local programs and carrying syndicated shows.
Read more about this topic: List Of Television Stations In The San Francisco Bay Area