Cure-a-Thon first casualty of post-Luckoff KGO Radio

The decision to scrub the Leukemia 24-hour "Cure-a-Thon" is one of the very first major decisions to affect KGO Radio in its post-Mickey Luckoff era.

 Although the decision to shelve the 30-year charity that raised over $18 million was made months ago, the fact its now public is a shock to both the on and off-air station personnel, in addition to the NC Leukemia Society staff that depended on it as both a significant fundraiser and promotional event.

Luckoff, who resigned late last year, fed up with a corporate owner, (Citadel Broadcasting), that is a notorious penny-pincher, was instrumental in both the evolution and undertaking of the Cure-a-Thon. It not only was a huge success raising money for a worthy cause, but also a major part of KGO's community outreach.

There's heavy speculation that once Luckoff exited KGO, top Citadel brass, among other moves, was ready to move past the annual 24-hour event as just another way to cut costs and, more importantly perhaps, give Luckoff a little payback. It was Luckoff, remember, who left with some highly publicized parting shots to Citadel and its notorious COO, Fareed Suleman.

Petty? Yes. And a looming PR abyss for KGO and its listeners.