KTVU History Main Page Beginnings Signing On The Moose Club Studios "Big Sam" The First Programs The Early Years The New Building Local Religious Coverage Japanese Sister Station Growing Up Creature Features The Jack Carney Show Sports Flashbacks Roller Derby

On March 2, 1958, KTVU signed on the air from an old abandoned theatre in downtown Oakland as Channel 2.

With a staff of 35, portable lighting equipment, and a leaky roof, the San Francisco Bay Area's first independent station set out to compete against the old established network affiliates across the Bay.

While operating from the Paris Theatre, KTVU's first permanent home was being prepared by the Port of Oakland on an old abandoned gravel quarry along the estuary. Compared to the temporary theatre home, this new 36,000 square foot facility was enormous.

KTVU's first programming consisted of a few old reruns, movies, childrens' shows, and an emphasis on sports, including the new San Francisco Giants baseball team, Cal football and basketball, Roller Derby, and professional wrestling, live from the Channel Two studios at #1 Jack London Square.

In 1964, owners Bill Pabst, Ward Ingrim, and company sold KTVU to Cox Broadcasting Corporation for $12.6 million, one of the highest prices then ever paid for a single TV station.

In 1974, William Schwartz took over as Vice-President and General Manager of KTVU. He quickly changed the programming emphasis, buying up many new, popular off-network shows, and movie packages, and then created an entirely new visual image to promote these shows. The slogan There's Only One Two was born.

After two building expansion projects, KTVU soon was overcrowded and deemed inadequate to meet future needs. A new facility was necessary, and a search for that new location began.

A five-acre parcel was found only one-thousand yards from the old location. After months of negotiating with the railroad company that owned the land, the site was secured and new building plans began in earnest.

In April 1981, KTVU moved into its new, state-of-the-art, three-story facility at #2 Jack London Square. It has since affiliated with the Fox network, and dramatically increased its daily output of news programming.

In its nearly 40 years of broadcasting, KTVU has grown in size, and in stature... gaining a nationwide reputation for excellence. There is truly... Only One Two!