I can't believe they're still running that announcer's teases. They're SO annoying! Please tell me there's some good news in this shakeup and he got fired.
I'm just heartsick. This is a horrible loss to the social/cultural fabric of the Bay Area. It all started with Mickey Luckoff leaving. He had those guys pegged to a TEE.
It is horrible. As I said last night, we will really miss the intelligence quotient and entertainment value of all the hosts. News? Really? I thought the hours KGO devoted to news was too much already. This is disastrous. As others have said, if we want a news station, we'll listen to KCBS.
Citadel killed KGO. Cumulus is just doing crime scene clean up. Plus, they don't have the management skill to successfully run a talk station. News is pretty much cut n paste from various services using low paid announcers.
Hint might be found in the departure of KFOG "news" guy Peter Finch last week. He's been doing a light, conversational news segment on FOG at 5am that did ok. KGO "News" Director maybe?
At 6:44am KGO ran a the "you wanna talk about it" nasal guy clip. The obvious SoCal talent (writer of script) referred to Highway 101 as "the 101." Can it get worse? Yes, yes it can.
WOW! Clearly, Cumulus doesn't give a tinker's damn about the listeners. If KGO is going to an all news and only news format, then they won't be needing any listeners. Just another example of a strong tradition being eliminated by the computer industry and greedy owners.
KGO's talk-show hosts are of varying quality, but the best of those fired are good. I heard the KGO executive state that ratings are down. In my opinion, the problem is the format. It's all advertising!
For example, Gene Burns's show: he opens with a monologue, then there are six minutes of commercials. I often turn the radio off at that point, and the chances are perhaps 75% that I'll forget to turn it on later. If I keep listening, Mr. Burns usually entertains one phone call, and then five minutes of commercials follow, followed by the news.
To add insult to injury, some of the commercials are an insult to the listener. The ghastly Kars-4-Kids commercial, with its wheedling child and adult begging for money in the form of your donated car, is the prime example. Hearing the first sinister bars of that jingle always prompts me to turn off KGO (and same with KCBS).
When one can listen to the British Broadcasting Corp. on the Internet commercial-free and with outstanding news and analysis from all over the world, KGO's format comes across as antediluvian.
I'm sorry about Lloyd Lindsey Young as well. It's not much of a reward to be fired for working one of the worst work shifts imaginable: 5 a.m. to 9 a.m., then noon to 1 p.m., then 5 p.m. to 7 p.m. And to do so every weekday! I would never have had the stamina even to mumble through the weather, let alone pronounce it with enthusiasm, as he did.
KGO's downfall started when ABC was sold to Cap-Cities and continued when Disney bought it from them. I find it amazing how fast incompetence can destroy a great money maker and it still goes on with the new idiot owners.
Rich, did you hear the voice of reason?!? What a weasel. Did you hear the corporate shill "Jarrett" say that they should avoid talking about the firings and instead talk about cell phones!? WTF!?
Rich, did you hear the voice of reason?!? What a weasel. Did you hear the corporate shill "Jarrett" say that they should avoid talking about the firings and instead talk about cell phones!? WTF!?
Hahaha Ronn Owens is so clueless. He thought the only ones fired were Gene, Gil, Ray and John. He did not know Len Tillem, Wattenberg, Griggins etc. were also gone. He is still numb from the painkillers he admitted to taking....joker.
Ronn Owens is explaining it away on his show: "We were going downhill.."
I hope his seat belt is firmly fastened for the upcoming steep descent into ratings hell.
I was curious to hear how he would be handing the issue this morning. After one token segment, he is now turning to more urgent topics: "Texting while driving." The callers are having none of it!
I rarely listened to KGO. This morning I did for obvious reasons. At the beginning of the Owens show, the producer let slip to Owens that the calls were running 85/15 against. He's pulling the "I'm stunned" card, right. So, they take callers that rag on the guys that got canned, or clueless callers that say KGO will still be great. That's your corporate radio now...
I never thought I'd live to see this day. KGO's management is attempting to capture another station's "news" format, and "do it better." HOW? How would one "do it better?" News is news, no matter how many Facebook or Twitter mentions they want to use. That doesn't make it better, it makes it annoying.
They have killed the geese that laid their golden eggs. Gene, Len, Gil, John, WOW. What a huge mistake. I'd hate to have that on my resume in 2 years when this experiment also fails.
I understand that the ratings are down (and therefore ad revenue too) and that their 32 year reign of being #1 in this market has come to an end. But the drop in ratings has to do more with the content, not the format. Last time I checked KGO was still killing the likes of KSFO and other talk format stations. Why not tweak the content? Those host let go are all very good at what they do and, outside of the host's salary, probably inexpensive to produce. Why not just replace those hosts unwilling to work for less $ and keep the format? Local personalities with interesting opinions on different topics is superior to the one trick pony acts of Limbaugh, Hannity, Taliafero and Sussman types. I enjoyed and will now miss the KGO shows, listening to varied opinions on a variety of topics. Hopefully the void will be filled soon.
KGO has sold out and lost their heart along the way. Ronn is running the company line because he knows he's the last person standing. 2013 after his contract is up, he'll be gone too! Good bye....KGO!
Lowenstein's weasel factor has grown exponentially today. The firings happened and he really tried to talk about cell phones and driving!? Now he is doing an hour of obscure bands? He and Radnich should form a weasel club and be co-presidents. Remember when Pete Wilson died? It was wall to wall talk about Pete. Now we have the loss of 8 hosts and the guy wants to talk cell phones. I bet Michael Savage will have a say....
So KGO sucked when they had these hosts...then they fire them and KGO and Cumulus suck now. Get some facts you infant. And in case you are wondering, you will not be considered for any position. Back to groveling for crumbs Dickie.
I can get news online anytime. I cannot get good talk radio online. I agree that KGO needed a house cleaning, but why not just promote some of the killer talent they already have? Here's my 2 cents worth: Kristine Kraft- very entertaining, digs in and fires away Stacy Taylor - keeps it pretty spicy Ray - unlistenable ego mania Gill - too happy, predictable, I'm not into SF politics Dr. Bill - too rude to listen to, nowhere near as smart as he thinks Rothman - "On this day in 1948..."if I want presidential history, I'll google it. Very doom and gloom about DC politics. Karel - entertaining, takes a stand, keeps it moving Copeland - pretty good Gene - good, but uses a paragraph to state a sentence.Probably needed to retire for younger talent Owens - entertaining but so arrogant I need to take frequent breaks Tillem - OK, a little depressing, your stepson got a DUI, so what News from 4 to 7: just boring. I'll go CNN.com when I want it. "a tree is down in Concord" " A guy was hit by a bus in San Mateo" snooze
Let's see. New York City is the only other major market with 2 AM all news outlets (WCBS & WINS). CBS converted their Chicago staion (WMAQ now WSCR) to sports years ago and their other Los Angeles station (KFWB) to a syndiacted talk format a couple of years ago. CBS is the expert in newsradio. Somehow, Cumulus, who really has no similar background in all news programming, seems to think they can be successful in a smaller market with a second news outlet mixed in with a Owens and a scattering of undefined talk programs on the weekend. This defies logic. I expect lower ratings and perhaps an eventual transition to syndicated talk or some local hosts with far lower salaries. Of course, there's still gospel and Spanish language opportunities. Within 90 days, they will have learned their lesson. This format will fail. Good wishes to the professionals departing the airwaves in San Francisco.
How quickly some forget, remember KCBS was "news and more on 74" when they went all news. KGO needed to clean house, the only guy who brought in $$$ from ad revenue was/is Ronn. Think about it, outside of those in their late 70s most don't listen to the other shows. That's not the demo that ad people want a change had to be made. Most of the talent was past their "prime."
As for Dr Bill, I'd beg to differ with th person who said he wasn't that smart. The guy is brilliant while you may not agree with his political views he is very smart. You don't get hired at Nat'l labs if your dumb...You may not remmber but Dr. Bill was the one that pointed out the fatal flaw in the Bay Bridge after 2001 that could have cuased the entire bridge to come down if someone cut a cable or crashed a car into it.
I am sick and tired of people saying that KGO's hosts were way over the hill. They have experience and they can offer perspective based on that experience which is invaluable when hell is breaking loose all over the world. If age is such an important thing then why is Michael Savage the 3rd most popular host in the land? Why are his online numbers so huge? The guy is 70 years old and is amazing to listen to even if I disagree with 95% of what he says. There are plenty of younger people craving the talk show format. BTW Savage mentioned the firings on his show today. He was shocked and speechless. I enjoyed the digs he took at The Voice of Treason.
I'm listening to a Rothmann rebroadcast right now. It's about Shakespeare. Maybe not a hot topic, but I never knew what I was going to get with KGO - and that was what made it great. Other radio hosts, you know where they will stand before they open their mouths, KGO hosts asked questions instead of acting like they had all the answers. I'll miss the joy Rothmann had in his voice (I hope he gave Shirley a call), Ray's passion, Gene's ability to say "it's not that simple."
I really worry about what the "news content" is going to be. It sounds suspiciously like seafood product or food like substance. Figure if it was going to be "news" he would have said news.
I'm shocked. I've been a KGO listener since 1959 which is several years before 'Talk Radio' came on the air. I can remember all those hosts throughout the years. Just a few: Jim Moore, Jim Easen, Ira Blue, Owen Spann, Miss Nix, plus dozens of others and of course the last ones out the door.
Really, I suppose, it just sort of wore out the format with all those years going past. Nothing can last forever.
Sorry to see the latest group leave as they all became 'friends' of a sort. All the best to them and hope we can hear some of them again somewhere. Burns and Tillem were my favorites of late.
It will be sad to finally delete Mickey's great 810 on the dial, from all my radios, house, cars and walkman. It was the greatest of radio while it lasted and was the beacon of the airwaves. It was the only radio I ever listened to. So sorry it's now gone.
A pox on the new owners for wrecking a great bay areea institution of long standing. The corporate suits have won this one, for now.
Ah,no, Anon at 3:51 pm, I predict that the all news format will fail, at which point they will move the KSFO crowd over to the larger KGO transmitting power and use it to blanket the west coast with conservative talk radio.
Haven’t read all the comments yet but had to chime in immediately. It’s clear to me that this is a prime example of corporate attempt at influencing the upcoming election. This is the killing of what is no doubt one of the best, if not the best, independently hosted talk radio station in the United States. I’ve been in many areas and have never heard another talk radio station this good; all you’ll find is streamed propaganda from the same folks such as Rush, Hannity, etc. Of course the new format will fail, there’s too much news on KGO already! In a world of 24/7 news no one can seriously believe this is about improving ratings, that’s a red herring. Gene Burns, Rothman, etc. are all men of reason and integrity while still being able to play devils advocate to keep the conversation great! KGO is heard all over the west coast, even in AZ at night. As I started with, this is another example of why corporations should not have as much power as they do. Citizens United has unleashed a virus on this nation that aims to kill the entire premise of democracy by dumbing down those who vote. Think of the killing of KGO, the premier talk radio station in the US for many decades, as a window into what corporations will do to the election process. They will leave no stone unturned in their reach to pervert democracy by convincing the average person to vote against their best interest and worse yet, teaching people to adopt a mentality that is disconnected from how the world, and human beings, actually function. All this for political purposes. Just as some in this nation thought the banks could regulate themselves, only to ruin the economy, well the same misguided type of people who run corporations for short term profit are part of the same 1% who are part of this attempt to corrupt our democracy. These people are as clueless regarding what they are doing as their banking counterparts. And the fallout will be huge as this nation slips further into decline because the Knights of the Round Table are so ill informed and corrupt in their own perspective of life and what a country actually is. They are only one part of the whole yet believe their values and needs trump all others. They are obviously ignorant of the fallout which is suffering and social/political unrest that does not have to happen if things were just run the correct moral way. This is scary stuff and killing KGO at the outset of the next presidential election, killing the best independent group of hosts, is a shot right over the bow in the attempt to dumb down CA. When this new format fails, as it will, they’ll pipe in right wing radio from KSFO to the entire West Coast of the United States. The FCC should be compelled to start an investigation for the theft of these airways. There is no way you’ll convince me that KGO had ratings problems in comparison to any other station. And if they did it was because they already had too much news, too many commercials and not enough local hosts of the caliber of Burns, Rothman, etc. Firing some of the best and most thoughtful hosts in the business is not the act of a company concerned with ratings. There is more to this story…
I can't believe they're still running that announcer's teases. They're SO annoying! Please tell me there's some good news in this shakeup and he got fired.
ReplyDeleteThe most grating part of this debacle is that the "you wanna talk about it" nasal guy is still on and Copey kept his show. Any word on Mike Amatori!?
ReplyDeleteI'm just heartsick. This is a horrible loss to the social/cultural fabric of the Bay Area. It all started with Mickey Luckoff leaving. He had those guys pegged to a TEE.
ReplyDeleteIt is horrible. As I said last night, we will really miss the intelligence quotient and entertainment value of all the hosts. News? Really? I thought the hours KGO devoted to news was too much already. This is disastrous. As others have said, if we want a news station, we'll listen to KCBS.
ReplyDeleteKNBR's turn next Friday!
ReplyDeletePlease make the attempt to keep us current with the whereabouts of Burns, Gross and Rothman
ReplyDeleteFinally some relief on KGO / Obama Campaign HQ.
ReplyDeleteDr. Bill is the only straight-talker of the bunch let go. He has a loyal following.
Why wasn't Ronn Owens on that list? That should have been No. 1, Line 1.
Citadel killed KGO. Cumulus is just doing crime scene clean up. Plus, they don't have the management skill to successfully run a talk station. News is pretty much cut n paste from various services using low paid announcers.
ReplyDeleteHint might be found in the departure of KFOG "news" guy Peter Finch last week. He's been doing a light, conversational news segment on FOG at 5am that did ok. KGO "News" Director maybe?
What about Karel? I want him gone. John Rothmann was great, so knowledgeable. But Karel, I am so tired of listening to his sob story about himself.
ReplyDeleteAt 6:44am KGO ran a the "you wanna talk about it" nasal guy clip. The obvious SoCal talent (writer of script) referred to Highway 101 as "the 101." Can it get worse? Yes, yes it can.
ReplyDeleteOwens introduces his show as "one of the toughest he's ever done." A few minutes of survivor guilt and then nothing.
ReplyDeleteWOW! Clearly, Cumulus doesn't give a tinker's damn about the listeners. If KGO is going to an all news and only news format, then they won't be needing any listeners. Just another example of a strong tradition being eliminated by the computer industry and greedy owners.
ReplyDeleteKGO's talk-show hosts are of varying quality, but the best of those fired are good. I heard the KGO executive state that ratings are down. In my opinion, the problem is the format. It's all advertising!
ReplyDeleteFor example, Gene Burns's show: he opens with a monologue, then there are six minutes of commercials. I often turn the radio off at that point, and the chances are perhaps 75% that I'll forget to turn it on later. If I keep listening, Mr. Burns usually entertains one phone call, and then five minutes of commercials follow, followed by the news.
To add insult to injury, some of the commercials are an insult to the listener. The ghastly Kars-4-Kids commercial, with its wheedling child and adult begging for money in the form of your donated car, is the prime example. Hearing the first sinister bars of that jingle always prompts me to turn off KGO (and same with KCBS).
When one can listen to the British Broadcasting Corp. on the Internet commercial-free and with outstanding news and analysis from all over the world, KGO's format comes across as antediluvian.
I'm sorry about Lloyd Lindsey Young as well. It's not much of a reward to be fired for working one of the worst work shifts imaginable: 5 a.m. to 9 a.m., then noon to 1 p.m., then 5 p.m. to 7 p.m. And to do so every weekday! I would never have had the stamina even to mumble through the weather, let alone pronounce it with enthusiasm, as he did.
KGO's downfall started when ABC was sold to Cap-Cities and continued when Disney bought it from them. I find it amazing how fast incompetence can destroy a great money maker and it still goes on with the new idiot owners.
ReplyDeleteA Bay Area institution has committed suicide! Shall we call them Little KCBS?
ReplyDeleteRich, did you hear the voice of reason?!? What a weasel. Did you hear the corporate shill "Jarrett" say that they should avoid talking about the firings and instead talk about cell phones!? WTF!?
ReplyDeleteRich, did you hear the voice of reason?!? What a weasel. Did you hear the corporate shill "Jarrett" say that they should avoid talking about the firings and instead talk about cell phones!? WTF!?
ReplyDeleteI am devastated that I won't have Gene Burns....
ReplyDeleteHahaha Ronn Owens is so clueless. He thought the only ones fired were Gene, Gil, Ray and John. He did not know Len Tillem, Wattenberg, Griggins etc. were also gone. He is still numb from the painkillers he admitted to taking....joker.
ReplyDeleteRonn Owens is explaining it away on his show: "We were going downhill.."
ReplyDeleteI hope his seat belt is firmly fastened for the upcoming steep descent into ratings hell.
I was curious to hear how he would be handing the issue this morning. After one token segment, he is now turning to more urgent topics: "Texting while driving." The callers are having none of it!
It's a sad day for talk radio fans. I will miss Len the most. I hope KGO goes under. I already wiped them off my radio preset.
ReplyDeleteRonnnnn is drinking the kool-aid. Pathetic.
ReplyDeleteNote to KQED: best talent at KGO is now available. Heck, KCBS should grab some of them. Whither Ronn Owens.
ReplyDeleteI rarely listened to KGO. This morning I did for obvious reasons. At the beginning of the Owens show, the producer let slip to Owens that the calls were running 85/15 against. He's pulling the "I'm stunned" card, right. So, they take callers that rag on the guys that got canned, or clueless callers that say KGO will still be great. That's your corporate radio now...
ReplyDeleteI never thought I'd live to see this day. KGO's management is attempting to capture another station's "news" format, and "do it better." HOW? How would one "do it better?" News is news, no matter how many Facebook or Twitter mentions they want to use. That doesn't make it better, it makes it annoying.
ReplyDeleteThey have killed the geese that laid their golden eggs. Gene, Len, Gil, John, WOW. What a huge mistake. I'd hate to have that on my resume in 2 years when this experiment also fails.
I am willing to bet that Ron owens will be fired while he is on vacation. I do not see how Ronn will fit in with a news format.
ReplyDeleteI understand that the ratings are down (and therefore ad revenue too) and that their 32 year reign of being #1 in this market has come to an end. But the drop in ratings has to do more with the content, not the format. Last time I checked KGO was still killing the likes of KSFO and other talk format stations.
ReplyDeleteWhy not tweak the content? Those host let go are all very good at what they do and, outside of the host's salary, probably inexpensive to produce. Why not just replace those hosts unwilling to work for less $ and keep the format? Local personalities with interesting opinions on different topics is superior to the one trick pony acts of Limbaugh, Hannity, Taliafero and Sussman types.
I enjoyed and will now miss the KGO shows, listening to varied opinions on a variety of topics. Hopefully the void will be filled soon.
KGO has sold out and lost their heart along the way. Ronn is running the company line because he knows he's the last person standing. 2013 after his contract is up, he'll be gone too!
ReplyDeleteGood bye....KGO!
So Owens is playing new music on the air. It's basically turned into a bad version of MTV.
ReplyDeleteWOW...but in a bad way.
KGO off to bad start on news format. Note to listeners devoid of news: http://www.kgoam810.com/Article.asp?id=2345949&spid=
ReplyDeleteLowenstein's weasel factor has grown exponentially today. The firings happened and he really tried to talk about cell phones and driving!? Now he is doing an hour of obscure bands? He and Radnich should form a weasel club and be co-presidents. Remember when Pete Wilson died? It was wall to wall talk about Pete. Now we have the loss of 8 hosts and the guy wants to talk cell phones. I bet Michael Savage will have a say....
ReplyDeleteRonn Owens will be next to get the ax once his contract comes up for renewal.
ReplyDeleteRonn your stay at K-GO is only good till contract renewal.
Then we will see how excited you are about the new format.
If you're in downtown SF that's not another protest march, it's all KGO's advertisers running north to KCBS.
ReplyDeleteSo KGO sucked when they had these hosts...then they fire them and KGO and Cumulus suck now. Get some facts you infant. And in case you are wondering, you will not be considered for any position. Back to groveling for crumbs Dickie.
ReplyDeleteSo everyone got canned except the black guy and the Jew with the crafty lawyer? You can't make this stuff up.
ReplyDeleteWho exactly was let go?
ReplyDeleteCumulus didn't kill KGO, they just buried the body. It died of old-age.
ReplyDeleteI can get news online anytime. I cannot get good talk radio online.
ReplyDeleteI agree that KGO needed a house cleaning, but why not just promote some of the killer talent they already have?
Here's my 2 cents worth:
Kristine Kraft- very entertaining, digs in and fires away
Stacy Taylor - keeps it pretty spicy
Ray - unlistenable ego mania
Gill - too happy, predictable, I'm not into SF politics
Dr. Bill - too rude to listen to, nowhere near as smart as he thinks
Rothman - "On this day in 1948..."if I want presidential history, I'll google it. Very doom and gloom about DC politics.
Karel - entertaining, takes a stand, keeps it moving
Copeland - pretty good
Gene - good, but uses a paragraph to state a sentence.Probably needed to retire for younger talent
Owens - entertaining but so arrogant I need to take frequent breaks
Tillem - OK, a little depressing, your stepson got a DUI, so what
News from 4 to 7: just boring. I'll go CNN.com when I want it. "a tree is down in Concord" " A guy was hit by a bus in San Mateo" snooze
What irony that KGO talk goes down, and the right-wing propaganda station down the hall lives! JW
ReplyDeleteLet's see. New York City is the only other major market with 2 AM all news outlets (WCBS & WINS). CBS converted their Chicago staion (WMAQ now WSCR) to sports years ago and their other Los Angeles station (KFWB) to a syndiacted talk format a couple of years ago. CBS is the expert in newsradio. Somehow, Cumulus, who really has no similar background in all news programming, seems to think they can be successful in a smaller market with a second news outlet mixed in with a Owens and a scattering of undefined talk programs on the weekend. This defies logic. I expect lower ratings and perhaps an eventual transition to syndicated talk or some local hosts with far lower salaries. Of course, there's still gospel and Spanish language opportunities. Within 90 days, they will have learned their lesson. This format will fail. Good wishes to the professionals departing the airwaves in San Francisco.
ReplyDeleteHow quickly some forget, remember KCBS was "news and more on 74" when they went all news. KGO needed to clean house, the only guy who brought in $$$ from ad revenue was/is Ronn. Think about it, outside of those in their late 70s most don't listen to the other shows. That's not the demo that ad people want a change had to be made. Most of the talent was past their "prime."
ReplyDeleteAs for Dr Bill, I'd beg to differ with th person who said he wasn't that smart. The guy is brilliant while you may not agree with his political views he is very smart. You don't get hired at Nat'l labs if your dumb...You may not remmber but Dr. Bill was the one that pointed out the fatal flaw in the Bay Bridge after 2001 that could have cuased the entire bridge to come down if someone cut a cable or crashed a car into it.
I am sick and tired of people saying that KGO's hosts were way over the hill. They have experience and they can offer perspective based on that experience which is invaluable when hell is breaking loose all over the world. If age is such an important thing then why is Michael Savage the 3rd most popular host in the land? Why are his online numbers so huge? The guy is 70 years old and is amazing to listen to even if I disagree with 95% of what he says. There are plenty of younger people craving the talk show format. BTW Savage mentioned the firings on his show today. He was shocked and speechless. I enjoyed the digs he took at The Voice of Treason.
ReplyDeleteI'm listening to a Rothmann rebroadcast right now. It's about Shakespeare. Maybe not a hot topic, but I never knew what I was going to get with KGO - and that was what made it great. Other radio hosts, you know where they will stand before they open their mouths, KGO hosts asked questions instead of acting like they had all the answers.
ReplyDeleteI'll miss the joy Rothmann had in his voice (I hope he gave Shirley a call), Ray's passion, Gene's ability to say "it's not that simple."
I really worry about what the "news content" is going to be. It sounds suspiciously like seafood product or food like substance. Figure if it was going to be "news" he would have said news.
I'm shocked. I've been a KGO listener since 1959 which is several years before 'Talk Radio' came on the air. I can remember all those hosts throughout the years. Just a few: Jim Moore, Jim Easen, Ira Blue, Owen Spann, Miss Nix, plus dozens of others and of course the last ones out the door.
ReplyDeleteReally, I suppose, it just sort of wore out the format with all those years going past. Nothing can last forever.
Sorry to see the latest group leave as they all became 'friends' of a sort. All the best to them and hope we can hear some of them again somewhere. Burns and Tillem were my favorites of late.
It will be sad to finally delete Mickey's great 810 on the dial, from all my radios, house, cars and walkman. It was the greatest of radio while it lasted and was the beacon of the airwaves. It was the only radio I ever listened to. So sorry it's now gone.
A pox on the new owners for wrecking a great bay areea institution of long standing. The corporate suits have won this one, for now.
For now.
ReplyDeleteI wouldn't be totally shocked to see them restore the old format. Sometimes it takes hindsight to realize what a good thing you had.
Ah,no, Anon at 3:51 pm, I predict that the all news format will fail, at which point they will move the KSFO crowd over to the larger KGO transmitting power and use it to blanket the west coast with conservative talk radio.
ReplyDeleteHaven’t read all the comments yet but had to chime in immediately. It’s clear to me that this is a prime example of corporate attempt at influencing the upcoming election. This is the killing of what is no doubt one of the best, if not the best, independently hosted talk radio station in the United States. I’ve been in many areas and have never heard another talk radio station this good; all you’ll find is streamed propaganda from the same folks such as Rush, Hannity, etc.
ReplyDeleteOf course the new format will fail, there’s too much news on KGO already! In a world of 24/7 news no one can seriously believe this is about improving ratings, that’s a red herring. Gene Burns, Rothman, etc. are all men of reason and integrity while still being able to play devils advocate to keep the conversation great!
KGO is heard all over the west coast, even in AZ at night. As I started with, this is another example of why corporations should not have as much power as they do. Citizens United has unleashed a virus on this nation that aims to kill the entire premise of democracy by dumbing down those who vote.
Think of the killing of KGO, the premier talk radio station in the US for many decades, as a window into what corporations will do to the election process. They will leave no stone unturned in their reach to pervert democracy by convincing the average person to vote against their best interest and worse yet, teaching people to adopt a mentality that is disconnected from how the world, and human beings, actually function. All this for political purposes.
Just as some in this nation thought the banks could regulate themselves, only to ruin the economy, well the same misguided type of people who run corporations for short term profit are part of the same 1% who are part of this attempt to corrupt our democracy. These people are as clueless regarding what they are doing as their banking counterparts. And the fallout will be huge as this nation slips further into decline because the Knights of the Round Table are so ill informed and corrupt in their own perspective of life and what a country actually is. They are only one part of the whole yet believe their values and needs trump all others. They are obviously ignorant of the fallout which is suffering and social/political unrest that does not have to happen if things were just run the correct moral way.
This is scary stuff and killing KGO at the outset of the next presidential election, killing the best independent group of hosts, is a shot right over the bow in the attempt to dumb down CA. When this new format fails, as it will, they’ll pipe in right wing radio from KSFO to the entire West Coast of the United States.
The FCC should be compelled to start an investigation for the theft of these airways. There is no way you’ll convince me that KGO had ratings problems in comparison to any other station. And if they did it was because they already had too much news, too many commercials and not enough local hosts of the caliber of Burns, Rothman, etc. Firing some of the best and most thoughtful hosts in the business is not the act of a company concerned with ratings. There is more to this story…