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| Jack Swanson |
Cumulus is looking for a quick fix of KGO's current phase and Swanson still has enough influence and savvy to make it at least more than just a blip on the broadcast AM radio terrestrial radar. (Whatever that is now)
Yes, a few hosts have been giving out the telephone number and wanting interactive feedback from listeners. The latest mass-shooting near the Nation's Capital was proper grist for the mill. So too the impending SCOTUS pick by President Trump; talk show radio meat and potatoes. Yes, KGO will again try a news-talk incarnation and has done away with the lifestyle baloney which it should have done years ago.
Swanson is not instant nirvana but he has the tactical wits to get the motor running. That could materialize in Ronn Owens, perhaps, back to a weekday morning gig from 10-Noon. Owens is not 100% but 75% is better than listening to this mutt.
Swanson likes John Rothmann and Rothmann's political credentials are second to none. He's also terrific on the Trump goings on and makes for an elite host who elicits strong caller feedback and intelligent, occasionally testy back and forth, which translates well on "live and local" radio theatre. If Brian Copeland can mix it up a bit and do better interviews without the unnecessary histrionics then I'm open to hearing him back on the KGO airwaves in a late afternoon time slot. Here's a wild one for you: the "new", non-gimmicky, Chip Franklin not doling out stupid toilet humor and actually having a reasonable, hot-button opinion is good radio. I listened to Franklin Friday and he sounded decent; if this new system helps Franklin than good, I'm all for it because the old BS made Franklin sound like a schmuck and didn't do him any favors. I believe in redemption.Swanson responded to me via e-mail and decided to be cagey and cute; he had no answer for me on my info from a pretty good source that the job is his if he wants it and I don't know what Jack's thoughts are; he could be revved up and ready to go; on the other hand he may want a leisure life in Marin with his wife and kids and not want the added stress of radio.
It's 50-50 but I do know that Swanson has passion for those KGO call letters no matter how rusty they've become. It could be the ultimate challenge for a guy that was in the KGO golden era with Mickey Luckoff as his co-partner. Of course KGO will never be the old KGO just like the Chronicle will never be the same Chron but a little tinkering can go a long way.Bay Area radio listeners who miss the back and forth, caller-host cadence that KGO used to manifest its legacy would welcome this once mighty Wurlitzer back out of its shell.
Jack Swanson is on the clock or he isn't.
Great potential lineup, Rich. Didn't work before, won't work this time. Moonbeam radio.
ReplyDeletekgo was the number one station in sf.what are you smoking...i want some
DeleteStill hear the woman through the tin can talking about the new generation while talking over the Batchelor spots. mega annoying
ReplyDeleteSomethings better than nothing. KGO will never be the same however I think it will be a good thing to revive it and see what happens. I would listen. I lost lots of sleep listening to the old KGO but it was interesting and I learned a lot.
ReplyDeleteSounds like jack would be performing CPR on an 8 year old decomposed corpse.
ReplyDeleteCan't wait to see the budget.
I don't feel that your Copeland, Rothmann and Thurston types will draw anything significant. They'll just be preaching to the choir. It's like asking lifetime utility players to bat in the heart of the lineup.
ReplyDeleteHey folks, accept that the times have changed. It's not just KGO, though Cumulus definitely rat-fucked that operation. KCBS gets the majority of its listeners from the FM side. KFI in Los Angeles is the #1 AM down in the Southland, a low-dial-position 50kW blowtorch, but the "#1 AM" gets only the #6 share, and that's with the overhead of being live and local most of the time. KNX, the other L.A. blowtorch, is in a 7-way tie for #10. The venerable WABC in New York is doing so badly they barely register a 1% share anymore. AM is dying all around the country, and unless you're in a legacy format like all-news that's been around half a century, or programming religion or foreign language to a niche audience that can't find the equivalent on FM, you're wasting your money trying to relive past glories. AM sounds like crap due to all the modern devices that spew RFI (electronic hash) all over the AM band, and because the powers-that-be have systematically narrowed the frequency range of the transmitters and receivers to where AM's got the fidelity of an old Bell telephone. Unless they're going to convert one of the Cumulus FM's (KFOG, anyone?) into a KGO-FM simulcast, they'd be smarter to just use 810 to run their NASH country music service - at least there's be no additional programming overhead, just take it off the bird 24-7. Or run an oldies format from Westwood One. Anything that's low-overhead. Sadly, unless Jack Swanson is a descendant of Dr. Frankenstein, it's unlikely he's going to ever bring this corpse back to life.
ReplyDeleteI’ll ask again...what did Jack leave us when he left KGO?
DeleteActually KFI is one of the top ten billing stations in the country and number 3 in LA. In 2017 they took in $35 million according to Radio Online.
Deletehttps://news.radio-online.com/cgi-bin/rol.exe/headline_id=b15405
Trying to get a better (KGO) hand? Shuffle the Deck...NOT THE SAME HAND. No Budget No Success. It is a corpse, Bury it.
ReplyDeleteMan oh man let’s stop pretending this guy matters? New blood and new ideas. Jack wouldn’t care if he failed and that’s the reality. Need someone who will never quit.
ReplyDeleteIt will take more than Jack to restore KGO Radio. Format is one step, talent another. B ut it is all useless wit hoot the behind the scenes staffing programing, news and sales. It will also take a massive advertising budget for ads, billboards and a digital foot print. That's probably more than Cumulus will want to spend, and no miracle worker from the past will[ treat he life into this station.
ReplyDeleteIf Jack were on the TV side of KGO, Trixie would have been gone yesterday. Mr. Swanson has never suffered any fools, regardless of how the first radio stint finished up.
ReplyDeleteLots of negative comments. KGO is dead start over find new talent, etc. etc. John Rothmann was in for Pat Thurston, for 3 hours tonight. He covered the following subject: The immigration crisis, Foreign affairs, the shooting (or I should say the shooter) in Annapolis MD, the retiring of Anthony Kennedy, and the high cost of living in the Bay Area, he took calls on all subject, and had a diversity of opinions, he engaged all callers. How is that bad radio? He also kept mentioning KGO is returning to a more interactive format, all host will encourage listeners to call in. He will be sitting in for Ethan Bearman I think on Thursday and Pat or Friday, or vice versa. Can't help wondering if management is trying out those 2 for eventually taken over from Ethan? Several comments keep saying KGO is dead just start over, well if it is dead, which it pretty much is, starting over shouldn't be that hard, but why not keep the hosts who has been there and have a following i.e. Pat and John. Most likely KGO will not return to what it was, but radio HAS changed, but there are still plenty of people who like a good talk show host, specially in an area where many have a long commute (like I do). Even if KGO became just half or 3 quarters of what is was it would be a huge improvement. If Ethan Bearman and Chip Franklin can get with the new program keep them on, certainly Ethan is intelligent enough, he was on KSFO for a short time, and did a much different show than he does now. I still find his personality annoying, but I'm willing to give him a chance. KGO still has a following, which is very evident when John Rothmann is on. Ronn's 10 minutes is more interesting than Ethan, diet, pet, exercise etc. segments, so if he returns to 2 hours or 1 hour that will be okay. I don't think it would do KGO any good to fire everyone, or almost everyone, like they did in 2011, and start over. Keep the good host, develop the weak ones if possible and bring in some new ones. I don't care if Maureen Langdon stays or goes, never warmed up to her, except for very few shows, get rid of Dr. Drew, he is not local, and I don't find his show that interesting for the most part, liked him much better on his TV show.
ReplyDelete"get rid of Dr. Drew, he is not local"
DeleteNeither is Bearman. They both broadcast out of the same studio in LA. Bearman just acts out his part better; he's a fraud. I find it insulting.
When I did still listen to KGO I found Bearman to be a fraud because he lets us believe he is broadcasting from the Bay Area. He doesnt even live here and has never truly lived here.
DeleteI like Dr. Drew. ; but like you said he is not local and that is annoying.
Bring back the lawyer; Ronnnn; and Rothmann; Wattenburg would be great too .
New talent! It’s not going to work with the one trick pony (Rothmann) or Copie. In Copie’s final year at KGO all he talked about is race. Yeah it’s important but every day! Let’s get some fresh perspectives on the air, not retreads!
ReplyDeleterothmann is a one trick pony? the man is a liberal who worked in the nixon administration and is an actual presidential historian. his family has real roots in this city
DeleteTrixie must have pictures of Disney execs with farm animals. No other explanation.
DeleteFunny I listened to Brian a fair amount when he was on and I heard interviews with Oaklands Mayor, Johnny Mathis, Ben Vereen and others, I also heard him talking about housing, the cost of weddings (his daughter was getting married) Trump, myriad of other subjects which included race at times. I wrote the blog at 10:40 and listed all the subjects talked about yesterday in the 3 hours you were on. I don't think you listen very well, why then don't you list what subjects you prefer?
ReplyDeleteThe guys who think Brian just talks about race are simply people so obsessed with their (white) racial insecurity that that's all they expect to and want to hear.
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DeleteWe keep forgetting what PD's are hired to do...Increase ratings. What Jack will need to do is get them the Right
ReplyDeleteKind of ratings. That means 25-54 for advertisers in the national market to start buying them. Even at the end of Luckoff the ratings were Too Old. KGO always said they were #1...BUT that was in a Demographic No National Advertiser bought. Talent will have to attract that audience (25-54) to survive...Not sure a bunch of old white guys and women will be able to do that...That HAS ALWAYS been KGO real problem. Cumulus, as a company is down 11 million dollars this quarter...They need National advertising dollars.
Gee, America elected an old white man, anon at 11:00 am. You are making the mistake of conflating the age of the host with the age of the audience. It isn't the age that matters, it's whether or not the host is interesting, provocative, knowledgeable, and gutsy. All of the people doing successful talk radio on the national scene are certainly not young, are they?
ReplyDelete