Detail |
When Jim Gabbert
and Mike Lincoln sold their TV station KOFY-20 to New York based Granite
Broadcasting Corporation, it was only a matter of time before the TV-20
Dogs were shown the door. Over the years, thousands of dogs like Blanche
of San Leandro were introduced to Bay Area viewers as stars of the ten
second station identification clips shown before programs. A dog would
appear in close up, then shown sitting in a chair next to a television
set tuned to channel 20. As a jingle played, the pooch would turn on cue
to face the set. What amused viewers most and earned the dogs a place in
our popular culture was the droll manner in which they usually turned to
face the direction of the TV set while their unseen and unheard masters
signaled off camera. Some of the dogs were perkier than others but none
was without charm. KOFY 20 was also the last place to see late night Streets
of San Francisco reruns. Gabbert and Lincoln sold the station to Granite
in the summer of 1998. By mid September, the dogs were gone. To take over
KOFY, Granite shelled out upwards of $150 million to Gabbert and Lincoln,
who donated $70 million from the sale to the Trust for Public Land. KOFY
now broadcasts under the call letters KBWB as part of the WB network. |