When kgo was KGO

I miss the old KGO. Call me naive--yeah I know with time, everything changes, even great radio stations that you grow up listening to most of your life.

Although I never had a chance to listen to the "old KSFO", I feel for the generation that were entertained by the likes of Russ "The Moose" Syracuse, Don Sherwood, Jim Lange, Al "Jazzbeaux" Collins, Lon Simmons and Aaron Edwards.

For me, growing up in the 70's was a Dr Don/KFRC morning, Owen Spann later on KGO and Terry McGovern on KSAN.

But the best was KGO.

KGO was as much a part of the Bay Area cultural landscape as Herb Caen, Melvin Belli, Carol Doda, Davey Rosenberg and a lunch at Paoli's, (and I wasn't even a San Franciscan.)

I miss the old KGO, not the current kgo.

I miss it when Ronn Owens, (still Ronn, "with two n's) used to playfully tease conservative minion, Jim Eason. (Never agreed with that guy, politically, but he ran a pretty tight, entertaining show.)

I miss Jim Dunbar telling corny jokes to Ted Wygant and vice-versa. I miss the best street reporter at the time, Peter Cleveland, doing the best damn on-scener at a shooting in the Tenderloin at 5: 15 in the morning.

I miss Greg Edmonds in the Eastbay covering the Oakland Hills firestorm and the late Lou Hurley in the 'KGO copter. (The "Hurley bird")

I miss the great pipes of one Owen Spann. He was special. Spann could do an hour on cryonics and keep you listening. He was that good. Miss you Sir.

I miss "Mayor" Art Finley going ballistic over the shenanigans of the SF Board of Supervisors, (they were nuts back then too.)

I miss the late Russ Coughlan on the night John Lennon was murdered.

I miss listening to the weekend vibes of one of the greatest music writers of all time, John Wasserman, a KGO host, who wrote for the Chronicle and died much too soon.

I miss the rants of sports guys Gregg Jordan, the charming, wise-guy, Monte Stickles and the most polished three-minute rap-around ever: Joe Starkey, yes, THAT Joe Starkey, of the afternoon news.

I miss "Clergy on the Line."

I miss hearing "Howard Cosell...'speaking of sports'" in the morning news. (Cosell was a master in radio writing)

I miss Owens doing "Rock Trivia" and especially, "Rock Rich," (inside joke) "Status, Class, and Tacky", "Now is that True?", (rip, "honest Chuck"), and the like...

I miss the old KGO jingles and damn, I even miss Mickey Luckoff's on-air editorials, (I'm a masochist, I know)

--I know all good things come to an end. I had to laugh when I got a guy who chastised me for riffing on the new lady who got the GM gig the other day. Frankly, I've never met the woman and have no animosity, I just know that for me and many thousands of others, KGO, has now officially become the kgo era and that's a bummer.

Just my opinion.

(photo, courtesy Bay Area Radio Hall of Fame)