Yep. Agree 100%. I quit listening long ago for the same reasons many have already mentioned here, but tuned in at 9am to see what he had to say. Very excited about the change?? Sure. His 40+ year career spent entirely on talk, and now he's excited about an all news format? Come on, man. I guess if I was making a mil a year, I'd be kissing ass to save my job too.
I figured that I would stop listening to KGO except for Ronn Owens; but after hearing his weaselly show this morning, I may have to give up on Ronn also.
Admittedly, he was in a tough position. Would he have been allowed to spend an hour taking calls from people attacking KGO management? His screener said he was having trouble finding callers who weren't screaming -- but it would have been better radio to hear people screaming about how KGO is now managed by idiots.
You gotta understand, he needs the $2 million coming to him through 2013, he lives in Sea Cliff you know...did you hear how forced he sounded when he said he was soooo excited about the new format!? I am not listening to that shiznit no mo'
He won't be as "excited" when his personal services contract terms out. If he didn't have that, he'd be gone today. Smart move on his part to get that, he had the leverage then. He doesn't have that any more...
Sellout? Where the fuck have you been Rich? His fellow hosts were obviously not pulling their weight.
Not Ronn's fucking problem they sucked. Not one of those fired was worth 2 shits. Ok Gene wasn't too bad when he wasn't hospitalized for months on end. But Rothmann? and the rest were garbage.
When I think of KGO, I think of a vibrant link to make the disparate elements of the Bay Area a community. With hosts who lived there, knew the backstories and had the personal connections, who experienced first-hand, the ups and downs of life in the Bay Area. That link was what made the Thanksgiving food drive work, what made the cure-athon work. It's gone now. KGO just flushed the very thing that made it valuable down the toilet.
I seldom listen much to KGO live as I usually check out my favorites at the internet archives the next day. I skip over the news and ads. This usually leaves about 35 minutes of content. I did listen to the "survivor guilted Owens" this morning and found him a bit ingenuous. I suspect Ronn will be the next causality. I doubt that I will listen to KGO in the future.
they did exactly what they had to do. they did it right and did it perfect. if that was your livelihood and were not ready to retire every single person here would do what Ronn did. I did not expect anything more than that.
Now we know how Owens would've reacted during the Holocaust. As long as they didn't take him, he'd find somewhere to hide and cower in sadness for the ones they took. Owens you are a shame to the Jewish community. Shabbat Shalom you shmuck.
Does anyone else think this is a mistake for one simple reason? Having two all-news stations next to each other is going to be bad for KGO. When they throw to one of their six-minute clusters, it's very easy to go down the dial one stop. Without programming that's different, there's no reason to stay on the dial.
I guess they're going to save money by consolidating all their news departments into one, so you have one set of reporters and then you take sports, national, and international from syndicated sources.
Guess I'm in the minority. I thought Ronn handled "the elephant in the room" rather well. He could easiliy have just slipped away on his vacation without saying anything and then returned after the dust settled. My guess is that management would have preferred that he do so. What should he do? Resign and give up his salary and what he loves to do, thereby abandoning his listeners, just so a few "Occupy KGO" types could get some satisfaction? If you take a salary from a company, especially a check as big as Ronn's," they are entitled to expect some cheerleading support from you. I'll miss Burns and Rothmann. But, in this biz, you live and die by the numbers. JW
Rich, don't you love it that your favorite voice, B C has survived the bloodbath and will be filling in for Ronn next week? I thought of you immediately when Ronn announced it.
They started using the same loud buffoon from KNBR announcing spots on KGO. I thought I had the wrong station on the dial! What a sad day for the Bay Area. Let's hope we can hear all these great hosts on the air soon.
Pretty clear that one of the most thoughtful and thought provoking groups in the media (Burns, Rothmann, etc) -- anywhere -- has been sold out to save a few $$. We are all poorer for it
Do you have access to KGO's ratings in the key demographic, the ones advertisers use...not the headline number that is typically reported. If so, where do they stand? Is it really as low as some people have alluded?
One thing Owens is not is stupid. San Francisco radio is circling the drain, he can certainly accelerate KGO's descent into the toilet in the next few months like Ray did the 1am-5am slot after Obama's election. Why wouldn't the new owners get rid of Owen's with a buyout?
Otherwise, it's over one way or another. Most of these Bay Area Baby Boomer radio icon's are in their 70's. Their time has come and gone.
Got to really feel sorry for Gil. Moving to the Bay in recent years, working tirelessly on the charity drive. Then the big slap. If nothing else he is a very talented newsman, they ought to keep him as such.
Ronn Owens always struck me as that turncoat traitorous type. You know, the type of person who is going to side with whoever is in power just so he can protect his ass. The hell with everyone else. As much as I despise his sanctimonious, arrogant patter, I am not at all surprised. His behavior on the air today was vintage Ronn Owens. . . Ronn Owens first, and piss on everyone else. I am certain he will sleep well tonight. People with no soul usually do.
I feel terrible for my friends. I feel survivor's guilt. I know our ratings have been sinking. I understand changes had to be made. I am excited about our new format. I will be going on vacation. I am not going anywhere.
Decades ago, I filled in as a stringer on the short lived KGO-FM. The late Jack Brooks related the sordid story of how Owens zeroed in on Owen Spann's 9am-noon time-slot like a laser beam, manipulated and cajoled his way into "filling-in" the 11am hour, helping to shove Spann into an ill-advised national network gig (that Spann had serious misgivings doing) from 9-11, and picked off the carcass when Spann's show got ash-canned by Disney/ABC - taking over his prized 9-noon slot at the expense of Spann's career. No class whatsoever.
Ditto Michael Jackson at KABC. Ronn's still smarting from that debacle (and the thousands of pissed off listeners). How about his 88 day prima donna walkout back in 1995? Oh, right, his attempt for expanding to syndication was an even bigger failure than Spann's!
Yeah, I know, it's just business. But why do business with phonies like the weasel I heard at 9am today? When the second caller suggested he display a modicum of solidarity with his "friends" and stage a walkout, Ronn scoffed and boasted that he's well-paid, implying wouldn't rock the boat. Seconds later, he switched over mid-segment to the cell-phone topic; I'm pretty sure he realized he just made himself look like an absolute tool.
Inside of 14 months, he'll be off the air and spending full-time at Bay Meadows. Cumulus would probably love to drop him now, but can't contractually.
"Today was a lousy day at KGO. Management in their infinite wisdom decided to let go four extremely talented talk show hosts and decided to go into an all news format. We will have our butts handed to us by KCBS and KQED now. In fact our management is a bunch of morons. The only reason I'm still here is that they can't fire me until the end of 2012. So, they are stuck with me. Thank you agent for a killer contract! But, lets spend the next hour bashing my station's management's stupidity."
He can't do that no matter how much he wanted to. He's in a no win situation for the next year and a half.
I am heartbroken. Thank you for telling us what really happened. I'm through with KGO. From its new schedule it looks like a conservative will be on mon through fri. I have been a loyal listener since the 1970s and my mother since the 1960s. I feel like I lost several good friends. Shame on Cumulus -- I hope the station tanks now.
I agree with most of the comments here. Listening to Ronn this morning made me almost puke while driving. I have been listening to KGO since the 80's while I was in the US Army. I could not wait to be reassigned back to the US so I can have the pleasure to listen to that wonderful station. Now that I am retired from the service I thought that KGO as I knew it will be there for me. I thought wrong. I am very sorry for all of the good people that were let go. But, I am very optimistic that they be back on air, hopefully soon.
We'll see how excited and understanding Ronn is after his no-cut contract is up because, Ronn, you WILL be going too.
Nothing personal. Just business. They just don't want to eat all the Barry Zito-like money. It ain't your charm, buddy!
That and they need to keep at least one poor schmuck around to mop up the blood.
Here's your mop, Ronn, now get to work.
Perhaps Sleep Train has a new mattress where Ronn can not only still stuff his money into it but also sleep away the survivor's guilt?? I think you might be able to get a group rate for the rest of the Cumulus boys as a Christmas bonus this year.
Quite frankly SiriusXM has replaced KGO for me, both on my commute and at home. I access Sirius on my computer and/or my iPhone when not in my car. Both Gill Gross and John Rothman would be great additions to the Sirius POTUS channel. Ray Taliaferro would be a good fit at their Liberal Talk channel.
As for "Dr. Bill" he is a right wing reactionary who continues to steer listeners wrong both politically and with his science input. He was at one time Interesting, informative and amusing to listen to (sometime in the Summer of 1987, if I remember correctly), but is now just a twisted caricature of an over opinionated credentialed voice with an axe to grind.
Owens remains as always, an insincere, self-promoting ego.
The right thing for Ronn to do is to tell his bosses that he cannot work for a radio station that would fire all of his "friends" in one fell swoop. Business is business but loyalty to your friends is something all together different. Ronn should resign (when he gets back from vacation, that is)
If Cumulus is really bottom line it is possible that they did offer Ronnnn some sort of buy out on his personal services contract. He may have been a money maker, but the new format is hardly likely to sustain the number of listeners he had before the firings.
I mean, how many savvy 25-year olds (within the treasured demographic) are going to now say, "Yes, I want to get my news from a cheap-assed AM radio station." Not.
To my "Anonymous"namesake. Certainly Sirius is not free, neither is KGO where the cost is your ear to the commercials which make up a good 50-60% of the content, and your intellect and independent thought to the agenda of the management and their various "Quislings" in the form of personna such as Owens, who right now should just cruise off into the Sunset.
KGO has made its self unworthy of the likes of John Rothman, Gil Gross, Gene Burns (who should retire), & Ray Taliaferro. I believe they, and we would be better served if they moved to satellite radio.
Outside of satellite radio KGO had been one of my "AM" options. Now in my car I hardly ever use terrestrial radio. At home I also access various "radio" stations with iTunes and with that I get a variety that is globally diverse. After the cost of my computer that could be considered as "free".
Strangely enough SiriusXM satellite radio is currently the one medium where an uncensored, open opinion from all sides of the political spectrum can be found, from the off-the-wall right to the wishy-washy left, with all flavors in between, warts and all.
It gives me easy access to news & sports from diversified sources. If I need a traffic report I can get it without waiting.
It is a place where classical music can live with, jazz, classic rock, folk, and contemporary music, ...and of all people Martha Stewart (though I have yet to listen to her channel).
The price of entry is well worth it, especially now that I no longer have any reason to tune into KGO.
Odd decision. I would often tune in to catch a topic now and then. Absolutely no reason to tune into an all news format...get my news online via computer or iphone. 960 on the dial it shall be for me for topical discussion. KGO's execution of this change in and of itself is reason enough to never tune in again.
When I heard the news Friday afternoon, I thought "Ronn is going to quit over this, he's not going to stand for Gene and Gil and Len being fired..." But then I heard his mealy mouthed 9am Friday show on the archive; it made me sick to hear. And to give just 2 people an opportunity to talk about it before switching to cell phone using drivers... WHAT? Anyone listening to the station at that moment would much rather have talked about what happened. I feel like a part of my life has been killed off, this is a sad time. I hope to hear these talented people back on the air sometime soon.
Checked Ronn's Facebook page last evening -- more than 100 messages on his Wall expressing their disgust with his performance Friday morning. I mean folks were really giving it to the guy. Checked back later and all the wall comments had suddenly disappeared and there was only a post from The Voice of Treason expressing his shock and sadness at the firing of his "friends." Yeah, right, Ronn.
You who dished such criticism of others cannot take it yourself?
Ronn is all about Ronn. I am not surprised at his clown act on Friday. I am, however, surprised at people's responses. If any of you have listened to Ronn for any period of time, you'd all know that he is what he is= a wishy washy, spineless, sell-out.
BTW- and the sad part is that I bet he sleeps really well at night.
I have to be honest and say that I'm not sure what Ronn should've done. It's a job. A job he clearly loves (and who wouldn't?). His coworkers are just that. They're not his family or possibly not his friends either. If you had a morning show and the idiotic management changed the format and fired most of the other hosts, would you honestly say "Hey wait, I can't work like this. I quit!" I doubt it.
Having said that, I find Ronn to be too full of himself. He tends to favor Jewish people. He's not a comedian, but clearly wants to be and thinks he is. And he tends to lean ever more conservative for my taste. Overall, he does his job well, though, in keeping up to date and with diverse topics. But there are times I am speaking at my radio saying something like "Come on Ronn, don't let him get away with that." OY!
I once was thinking about the tragic loss of Pete Wilson. He is affectionately remembered by many people, as far as I can tell. And I wondered what would happen to Ronn if he were no longer on KGO. Even if he were only fired, rather than dead. And I figured he probably wouldn't really be missed that much. Would people be saying "Remember when Ronn had a show? I miss that guy" Or "what would Ronn say about that?" Would he get a table right away at a fancy restaurant? Would the mayor ever call him? I'm guessing it wouldn't go down like that. He's likely to just drift into obscurity. Who knows?
As for the format change: I believe it sucks. And I'm glad I started listening to NPR a few years back most of the time my radio is on. I'll miss Len the most, I suppose.
So Cumulus wants to attract a younger demographic? Then why is it running Medicare ad? I've been a KGO fan for almost (gulp) 40 years and I'm too young for Medicare!
Oh, and why hasn't KSFO been changed to a news station ?? It's also owned by Cumulus.
I feel like I lost 8 of my closest friends in a horrible airplane crash. No good byes, just gone.
Thank you, Rich, for your wonderful and informative blogs.
I stopped listening KGO year ago because I found Ron Owens insufferable. The only person who was worth listening too was Bernie Ward and we know what happened there. That station has been a colossal bore for years. Ronn Owens has been a tool for years...
The best move I ever made was becoming a XM subscriber; I can listen to any type of talk, music, comedy etc. I can take my dock to the car and then bring it into the house. I can listen to MSNBC, Fox, CNN, KQED and endless sports stations. I could care less about KGO. In fact, I even get weather and traffic reports on a dedicated station that covers San Diego, SF and Washington.
Ronn Owens HAD to say that. I doubt he FEELS that. KGO is going to suck and he knows it.
ReplyDeleteYep. Agree 100%. I quit listening long ago for the same reasons many have already mentioned here, but tuned in at 9am to see what he had to say. Very excited about the change?? Sure. His 40+ year career spent entirely on talk, and now he's excited about an all news format? Come on, man. I guess if I was making a mil a year, I'd be kissing ass to save my job too.
ReplyDeleteI figured that I would stop listening to KGO except for Ronn Owens; but after hearing his weaselly show this morning, I may have to give up on Ronn also.
ReplyDeleteAdmittedly, he was in a tough position. Would he have been allowed to spend an hour taking calls from people attacking KGO management? His screener said he was having trouble finding callers who weren't screaming -- but it would have been better radio to hear people screaming about how KGO is now managed by idiots.
Spot on, Rich.
ReplyDeleteHead-to-head with KCBS: Good luck with that.
KQED-FM's ratings --- already #1 --- will soar.
Has a no-cut contract. Good guy, but expect him gone by mid-2012. Do we really need another KCBS?
ReplyDeleteYou gotta understand, he needs the $2 million coming to him through 2013, he lives in Sea Cliff you know...did you hear how forced he sounded when he said he was soooo excited about the new format!? I am not listening to that shiznit no mo'
ReplyDeleteRonn Owens: The Voice of Treason
ReplyDeleteHow paranoid is Lew Dickey for all the jobs he's cost? His Wiki page is removed. That's a man who REAL afraid to be found...
ReplyDeleteWho will be on from 12-2?
ReplyDeleteIs John Hamilton gone?
What about overnights?
He won't be as "excited" when his personal services contract terms out. If he didn't have that, he'd be gone today. Smart move on his part to get that, he had the leverage then. He doesn't have that any more...
ReplyDeleteSellout? Where the fuck have you been Rich? His fellow hosts were obviously not pulling their weight.
ReplyDeleteNot Ronn's fucking problem they sucked. Not one of those fired was worth 2 shits. Ok Gene wasn't too bad when he wasn't hospitalized for months on end. But Rothmann? and the rest were garbage.
What did anyone expect Ronn to say? He's bent over a chair with his pants around his ankle and there's a broomstick up his ass.
ReplyDeleteWhen I think of KGO, I think of a vibrant link to make the disparate elements of the Bay Area a community. With hosts who lived there, knew the backstories and had the personal connections, who experienced first-hand, the ups and downs of life in the Bay Area.
ReplyDeleteThat link was what made the Thanksgiving food drive work, what made the cure-athon work.
It's gone now. KGO just flushed the very thing that made it valuable down the toilet.
Ronn is sad for his friends who no longer have jobs. He said so.
ReplyDeleteI seldom listen much to KGO live as I usually check out my favorites at the internet archives the next day. I skip over the news and ads. This usually leaves about 35 minutes of content.
ReplyDeleteI did listen to the "survivor guilted Owens" this morning and found him a bit ingenuous. I suspect Ronn will be the next causality. I doubt that I will listen to KGO in the future.
Rich thinks anybody trying to save his job is a sellout... because he doesn't have one, outside of this lousy blog.
ReplyDeletethey did exactly what they had to do. they did it right and did it perfect. if that was your livelihood and were not ready to retire every single person here would do what Ronn did. I did not expect anything more than that.
ReplyDeleteI'm going to KQED FM.
ReplyDeleteThis is a greedy move that will hurt our Bay Area culture !
Now we know how Owens would've reacted during the Holocaust. As long as they didn't take him, he'd find somewhere to hide and cower in sadness for the ones they took. Owens you are a shame to the Jewish community. Shabbat Shalom you shmuck.
ReplyDeleteDoes anyone else think this is a mistake for one simple reason? Having two all-news stations next to each other is going to be bad for KGO. When they throw to one of their six-minute clusters, it's very easy to go down the dial one stop. Without programming that's different, there's no reason to stay on the dial.
ReplyDeleteI guess they're going to save money by consolidating all their news departments into one, so you have one set of reporters and then you take sports, national, and international from syndicated sources.
Guess I'm in the minority. I thought Ronn handled "the elephant in the room" rather well. He could easiliy have just slipped away on his vacation without saying anything and then returned after the dust settled. My guess is that management would have preferred that he do so. What should he do? Resign and give up his salary and what he loves to do, thereby abandoning his listeners, just so a few "Occupy KGO" types could get some satisfaction? If you take a salary from a company, especially a check as big as Ronn's," they are entitled to expect some cheerleading support from you. I'll miss Burns and Rothmann. But, in this biz, you live and die by the numbers. JW
ReplyDeleteIn some ways I feel bad for Owens. The call letters might be the same, but he's not working at KGO Radio anymore.
ReplyDeleteRich, don't you love it that your favorite voice, B C has survived the bloodbath and will be filling in for Ronn next week? I thought of you immediately when Ronn announced it.
ReplyDeleteThey started using the same loud buffoon from KNBR announcing spots on KGO. I thought I had the wrong station on the dial! What a sad day for the Bay Area. Let's hope we can hear all these great hosts on the air soon.
ReplyDeletePretty clear that one of the most thoughtful and thought provoking groups in the media (Burns, Rothmann, etc) -- anywhere -- has been sold out to save a few $$. We are all poorer for it
ReplyDeleteRich:
ReplyDeleteDo you have access to KGO's ratings in the key demographic, the ones advertisers use...not the headline number that is typically reported. If so, where do they stand? Is it really as low as some people have alluded?
One thing Owens is not is stupid. San Francisco radio is circling the drain, he can certainly accelerate KGO's descent into the toilet in the next few months like Ray did the 1am-5am slot after Obama's election. Why wouldn't the new owners get rid of Owen's with a buyout?
ReplyDeleteOtherwise, it's over one way or another. Most of these Bay Area Baby Boomer radio icon's are in their 70's. Their time has come and gone.
Got to really feel sorry for Gil. Moving to the Bay in recent years, working tirelessly on the charity drive. Then the big slap. If nothing else he is a very talented newsman, they ought to keep him as such.
Ronn Owens always struck me as that turncoat traitorous type. You know, the type of person who is going to side with whoever is in power just so he can protect his ass. The hell with everyone else. As much as I despise his sanctimonious, arrogant patter, I am not at all surprised. His behavior on the air today was vintage Ronn Owens. . . Ronn Owens first, and piss on everyone else. I am certain he will sleep well tonight. People with no soul usually do.
ReplyDeleteAgree. Ronn Owens once again dodged all callers who challenged the format change.
ReplyDeleteWorse than this, he gave this phony impression that he was "delighted" and "thrilled" with the new format.
Who is he kidding?
That guy has no guts!
Poster at 2:04pm nailed it!
ReplyDeleteTwo points for you.
I say we OCCUPY 900 Front Street NOW!
ReplyDeleteTime for some outrage San Francisco.... How does it feel to have outsiders come in and slaughter your family.... nice huh?
ReplyDeleteSellout is too nice of a word for Ronn Owens.
ReplyDeleteI feel terrible for my friends.
ReplyDeleteI feel survivor's guilt.
I know our ratings have been sinking.
I understand changes had to be made.
I am excited about our new format.
I will be going on vacation.
I am not going anywhere.
I gave up listening to the morning Squirrel a long time ago loved many of the other hosts though.
ReplyDeleteRonn has been such an asslicker for for long this does not surprise.
They kept the smarmy asshole and fired the good ones.
ReplyDeleteDecades ago, I filled in as a stringer on the short lived KGO-FM. The late Jack Brooks related the sordid story of how Owens zeroed in on Owen Spann's 9am-noon time-slot like a laser beam, manipulated and cajoled his way into "filling-in" the 11am hour, helping to shove Spann into an ill-advised national network gig (that Spann had serious misgivings doing) from 9-11, and picked off the carcass when Spann's show got ash-canned by Disney/ABC - taking over his prized 9-noon slot at the expense of Spann's career. No class whatsoever.
ReplyDeleteDitto Michael Jackson at KABC. Ronn's still smarting from that debacle (and the thousands of pissed off listeners). How about his 88 day prima donna walkout back in 1995? Oh, right, his attempt for expanding to syndication was an even bigger failure than Spann's!
Yeah, I know, it's just business. But why do business with phonies like the weasel I heard at 9am today? When the second caller suggested he display a modicum of solidarity with his "friends" and stage a walkout, Ronn scoffed and boasted that he's well-paid, implying wouldn't rock the boat. Seconds later, he switched over mid-segment to the cell-phone topic; I'm pretty sure he realized he just made himself look like an absolute tool.
Inside of 14 months, he'll be off the air and spending full-time at Bay Meadows. Cumulus would probably love to drop him now, but can't contractually.
Somewhere, I hope Burt Reynolds is chuckling.
What do you want him to say:
ReplyDelete"Today was a lousy day at KGO. Management in their infinite wisdom decided to let go four extremely talented talk show hosts and decided to go into an all news format. We will have our butts handed to us by KCBS and KQED now. In fact our management is a bunch of morons. The only reason I'm still here is that they can't fire me until the end of 2012. So, they are stuck with me. Thank you agent for a killer contract! But, lets spend the next hour bashing my station's management's stupidity."
He can't do that no matter how much he wanted to. He's in a no win situation for the next year and a half.
I am heartbroken. Thank you for telling us what really happened. I'm through with KGO. From its new schedule it looks like a conservative will be on mon through fri. I have been a loyal listener since the 1970s and my mother since the 1960s. I feel like I lost several good friends. Shame on Cumulus -- I hope the station tanks now.
ReplyDeleteSo they really think everyone wants to listen to news all day and all night long?
ReplyDeleteI agree with most of the comments here. Listening to Ronn this morning made me almost puke while driving. I have been listening to KGO since the 80's while I was in the US Army. I could not wait to be reassigned back to the US so I can have the pleasure to listen to that wonderful station. Now that I am retired from the service I thought that KGO as I knew it will be there for me. I thought wrong. I am very sorry for all of the good people that were let go. But, I am very optimistic that they be back on air, hopefully soon.
ReplyDeleteWe'll see how excited and understanding Ronn is after his no-cut contract is up because, Ronn, you WILL be going too.
ReplyDeleteNothing personal. Just business.
They just don't want to eat all the Barry Zito-like money.
It ain't your charm, buddy!
That and they need to keep at least one poor schmuck around to mop up the blood.
Here's your mop, Ronn, now get to work.
Perhaps Sleep Train has a new mattress where Ronn can not only still stuff his money into it but also sleep away the survivor's guilt?? I think you might be able to get a group rate for the rest of the Cumulus boys as a Christmas bonus this year.
Get rid of the dick , ronn what a back stabber
ReplyDeleteQuite frankly SiriusXM has replaced KGO for me, both on my commute and at home. I access Sirius on my computer and/or my iPhone when not in my car.
ReplyDeleteBoth Gill Gross and John Rothman would be great additions to the Sirius POTUS channel. Ray Taliaferro would be a good fit at their Liberal Talk channel.
As for "Dr. Bill" he is a right wing reactionary who continues to steer listeners wrong both politically and with his science input. He was at one time Interesting, informative and amusing to listen to (sometime in the Summer of 1987, if I remember correctly), but is now just a twisted caricature of an over opinionated credentialed voice with an axe to grind.
Owens remains as always, an insincere, self-promoting ego.
Is Sirius free? Like radio should be? No? Then shut up.
ReplyDeleteThe right thing for Ronn to do is to tell his bosses that he cannot work for a radio station that would fire all of his "friends" in one fell swoop. Business is business but loyalty to your friends is something all together different. Ronn should resign (when he gets back from vacation, that is)
ReplyDeleteIf Cumulus is really bottom line it is possible that they did offer Ronnnn some sort of buy out on his personal services contract. He may have been a money maker, but the new format is hardly likely to sustain the number of listeners he had before the firings.
ReplyDeleteI mean, how many savvy 25-year olds (within the treasured demographic) are going to now say, "Yes, I want to get my news from a cheap-assed AM radio station." Not.
To my "Anonymous"namesake.
ReplyDeleteCertainly Sirius is not free, neither is KGO where the cost is your ear to the commercials which make up a good 50-60% of the content, and your intellect and independent thought to the agenda of the management and their various "Quislings" in the form of personna such as Owens, who right now should just cruise off into the Sunset.
KGO has made its self unworthy of the likes of John Rothman, Gil Gross, Gene Burns (who should retire), & Ray Taliaferro. I believe they, and we would be better served if they moved to satellite radio.
Outside of satellite radio KGO had been one of my "AM" options. Now in my car I hardly ever use terrestrial radio. At home I also access various "radio" stations with iTunes and with that I get a variety that is globally diverse. After the cost of my computer that could be considered as "free".
Strangely enough SiriusXM satellite radio is currently the one medium where an uncensored, open opinion from all sides of the political spectrum can be found, from the off-the-wall right to the wishy-washy left, with all flavors in between, warts and all.
It gives me easy access to news & sports from diversified sources. If I need a traffic report I can get it without waiting.
It is a place where classical music can live with, jazz, classic rock, folk, and contemporary music, ...and of all people Martha Stewart (though I have yet to listen to her channel).
The price of entry is well worth it, especially now that I no longer have any reason to tune into KGO.
Anon. 2:03 you have given me a lot to think about.
ReplyDeletePerhaps there is a poetic justice in Ron is the one left after the real talent has been canned.
Odd decision. I would often tune in to catch a topic now and then. Absolutely no reason to tune into an all news format...get my news online via computer or iphone. 960 on the dial it shall be for me for topical discussion. KGO's execution of this change in and of itself is reason enough to never tune in again.
ReplyDeleteWhen I heard the news Friday afternoon, I thought "Ronn is going to quit over this, he's not going to stand for Gene and Gil and Len being fired..." But then I heard his mealy mouthed 9am Friday show on the archive; it made me sick to hear. And to give just 2 people an opportunity to talk about it before switching to cell phone using drivers... WHAT? Anyone listening to the station at that moment would much rather have talked about what happened. I feel like a part of my life has been killed off, this is a sad time. I hope to hear these talented people back on the air sometime soon.
ReplyDeleteChecked Ronn's Facebook page last evening -- more than 100 messages on his Wall expressing their disgust with his performance Friday morning. I mean folks were really giving it to the guy. Checked back later and all the wall comments had suddenly disappeared and there was only a post from The Voice of Treason expressing his shock and sadness at the firing of his "friends." Yeah, right, Ronn.
ReplyDeleteYou who dished such criticism of others cannot take it yourself?
Ronn is all about Ronn. I am not surprised at his clown act on Friday. I am, however, surprised at people's responses. If any of you have listened to Ronn for any period of time, you'd all know that he is what he is= a wishy washy, spineless, sell-out.
ReplyDeleteBTW- and the sad part is that I bet he sleeps really well at night.
F**K YOU, RONNNNNNNN. MONEY GRUBBING EGO-MANIAC LOSER!
ReplyDeleteI have to be honest and say that I'm not sure what Ronn should've done. It's a job. A job he clearly loves (and who wouldn't?). His coworkers are just that. They're not his family or possibly not his friends either. If you had a morning show and the idiotic management changed the format and fired most of the other hosts, would you honestly say "Hey wait, I can't work like this. I quit!" I doubt it.
ReplyDeleteHaving said that, I find Ronn to be too full of himself. He tends to favor Jewish people. He's not a comedian, but clearly wants to be and thinks he is. And he tends to lean ever more conservative for my taste. Overall, he does his job well, though, in keeping up to date and with diverse topics. But there are times I am speaking at my radio saying something like "Come on Ronn, don't let him get away with that." OY!
I once was thinking about the tragic loss of Pete Wilson. He is affectionately remembered by many people, as far as I can tell. And I wondered what would happen to Ronn if he were no longer on KGO. Even if he were only fired, rather than dead. And I figured he probably wouldn't really be missed that much. Would people be saying "Remember when Ronn had a show? I miss that guy" Or "what would Ronn say about that?" Would he get a table right away at a fancy restaurant? Would the mayor ever call him? I'm guessing it wouldn't go down like that. He's likely to just drift into obscurity. Who knows?
As for the format change: I believe it sucks. And I'm glad I started listening to NPR a few years back most of the time my radio is on. I'll miss Len the most, I suppose.
So Cumulus wants to attract a younger demographic? Then why is it running Medicare ad? I've been a KGO fan for almost (gulp) 40 years and I'm too young for Medicare!
ReplyDeleteOh, and why hasn't KSFO been changed to a news station ?? It's also owned by Cumulus.
I feel like I lost 8 of my closest friends in a horrible airplane crash. No good byes, just gone.
Thank you, Rich, for your wonderful and informative blogs.
gene burns, a gold mine dumped. ronn owens, spineless. i'm disgusted. won't listen. it feels like a death.
ReplyDeleteI stopped listening KGO year ago because I found Ron Owens insufferable. The only person who was worth listening too was Bernie Ward and we know what happened there. That station has been a colossal bore for years. Ronn Owens has been a tool for years...
ReplyDeleteThe best move I ever made was becoming a XM subscriber; I can listen to any type of talk, music, comedy etc. I can take my dock to the car and then bring it into the house. I can listen to MSNBC, Fox, CNN, KQED and endless sports stations. I could care less about KGO. In fact, I even get weather and traffic reports on a dedicated station that covers San Diego, SF and Washington.
owens is a p-word...
ReplyDelete960 AND 910 am are way better!!!
screw kgo