Broadcast Legend and local media pioneer James Gabbert was the guest of honor at the quarterly Broadcast Legends Luncheon on Thursday, September 20, 2007, at the DoubleTree Hotel & Executive Meeting Center on the Berkeley Marina.

The event celebrated Mr. Gabbert's more than fifty years in broadcasting, which began as a teenager in Costa Rica and flourished with his co-founding of Atherton-based KPEN (101.3 FM) in 1957 while pursuing his degree in Electrical Engineering at Stanford. Under Mr. Gabbert's direction, the small station was at the forefront of high-fidelity sound, becoming the first station west of the Mississippi to transmit in multiplex stereo in August 1961.

Transplanted to San Francisco from the Peninsula, KPEN became KIOI ("K-101") in December 1968, and rose to even greater popularity.

In 1974, Mr. Gabbert purchased the San Francisco radio station KSAY (1010 AM), which he turned into KIQI. He sold K-101 FM in 1980 for $12-million, a record at the time for an individual FM station, and later purchased KOFY (1050 AM), KEMO-TV (Channel 20) and KHIT (98.9 FM), all of which became branded with the distinctive "KOFY" call letters under his ownership.

While still in command of the KOFY cluster, he bought the foundering KDIA (1310 AM), once an institution among Soul Music stations, in attempt to restore it to its former glory. After two years at the helm, Mr. Gabbert sold KDIA to ABC Radio, which made the station its local "Radio Disney" affiliate as KMKY.

With his comfortable conversational style and broad knowledge of people, places and events, Mr. Gabbert remains a popular fixture on the air at KGO (810 AM) as an occasional substitute for the station's regular talk show hosts. (You may also hear some of his early KPEN broadcasts on the Bay Area Radio Museum's website.)

Mr. Gabbert shared stories and photographs spanning his life and career, and included video of a special edition of the popular "TV20 Dance Party" that he hosted with Dick Clark.

The event concluded with the induction of Mr. Gabbert into the Bay Area Radio Hall of Fame as a member of the initial class of honorees, which was accompanied by a rousing standing ovation from the appreciative crowd.

View Robert Mohr's photos from the Broadcast Legends' Salute To James Gabbert.

Photographs courtesy of Dave Billeci