The Gnus

Shortly after the KMPX staff moved to their new digs at 211 Sutter Street and became KSAN, Tom Donahue sent a note out to the deejays. "Just remember," it began, "we are a music station, so please keep politics out of your broadcasts as much as possible." Both Donahue and his policy changed, luckily, and KSAN's news department evolved into a powerhouse of creative and dedicated group of reporters who produced daily segments, documentaries, specials, and on-the-spot coverage. Bob Postle set the tone with his satiric commentaries, a tone Scoop Nisker amplified in his time-intensive audio collages that didn't so much report the news as interpret it. Larry Bensky joined the staff in 1968, having honed his style at the New York Times and Ramparts magazine. Larry provided almost daily coverage of the Chicago 7 trial. Willis Duff later hired Dave McQueen, whose deep-soaked-Whiskey tone and intense focus on hard core news launched a stay at KSAN lasting nearly a decade and overseeing a series of richly researched and alternative coverage. McQueen was aided by the immensly talented Peter Laufer and Larry Lee, the latter who oversaw the daringly creative Watergate Follies. After Donahue's death in 1975, the Gnus team added a variety of talent from Denise Bordette to Joanne Green and Randy Alfred.
KSAN was formed from a love for music, but Donahue always believed that a radio station served the needs of its community. No department exemplified that commitment better than the Gnus. When the 1971 oil spill threatened the Bay Area, Laufer and McQueen were central to providing round-the-clock coverage. As politics turned dangerous in the early 70s, the team reported on the SLA, the Sam Melville bomb