big jerry jenson, a television news legend here. >> reporter: they rode in on horseback, deputized toe channel 7's ratings. believe it or not, this is an actual ad for channel 7 news in the 1970s, and it was followed by a decade of the highest local news ratings in bay area history. >> the bay area's most-wanted television news team. >> reporter: i'm dion lim, celebrating 70 years of great tv news. even though i worked here, i didn't know a lot about kgo news' amazing history. now that i do, i am so excited to share the incredible story of the 1970s with you. the year is 1969. van amberg is taking over as lead anchor. >> if you catch fish in the bay and eat them, don't. >> reporter: within months, there's a whole new format that will change local tv news forever. the basic format looks familiar now, but for its time, it was a revolution, with crazy commercials, ground breaking reports on social change and a decade of history-making news coverage. >> it's been almost six months now since the indians took over alcatraz. >> it was a no holds barred news operation that made up the rules a