Could Luckoff buy KTRB and take a few KGO hosts with him?; Friday feast

Yes, its one of many rumors, and on the face of it, seems rather unlikely, but a few broadcast execs in town say it could happen.

Could the just- departed-from KGO, Mickey Luckoff, eventually take control of KTRB, (late of Pappas Broadcasting and now under bank receivership) and along the way, bring a few of his KGO buds with him?

Let's look at some of the facts, shall we?

One thing's for sure: Luckoff said publicly that he's looking at other "projects" and plans to write a book. We know he's not headed to KSFO, which is KGO's sister station and a Citadel property.

A source close to Luckoff told me Thursday that he wants to be an agent. Could happen, but that would appear to be a down-the-road project.

Back to KTRB: It has 50,000 watts, (ironically right next to KGO on the dial at 860 AM) and conceivably could be purchased for nickels on the dollar. It has existing contractual obligations with the Oakland A's and Stanford football, so logically that could be a potential roadblock to a "news-talk" format, but there's still ample airtime available for a blend of news, talk, and sports.

**The Owens factor--

Ronn Owens, KGO's most popular and highest paid host, (at a shade over $1 million) has a contract that runs through 2013. Although Owens' is in his 60's, he's still generally regarded as one of the Bay Area's most popular radio talents. He and Luckoff have battled in the past, but remain close friends.

It had to be galling for Owens to have to bow to Citadel management and cancel  a scheduled hour with Luckoff on Tuesday. That, combined with other internal issues, could propel Owens to mull his options.

He might be inclined to begin contemplating retirement, but as I previously noted, he's still very popular, (he just took home a Marconi) and the ratings are still decent.

Owens isn't the only talent that Luckoff could snatch. There's others too, but that's really not the point here, for now.

Luckoff is a veteran radio exec and would love nothing better to get even with the corporate schlums at Citadel, who forced his hand.

There's few radio options out there in the current Bay Area audio landscape. KTRB is ripe for the pickings and Luckoff, (and some investors) could be possible suitors. Right now, its only a rumor. But one that could have some legs in the future.