Radio Daze? KGO won't be the first

KGO Radio's sudden layoffs affecting on and off-air personnel is no surprise, given the state of the worsening economy and significantly lower ad revenue. What is surprising is the fact that the Citadel-owned property is the #1 station in the SF-Oakland market, and has been for over 30 years.

In spite of that distinction, KGO is losing significant money; how much? No one knows, and only KGO's finance dept. has the goods on that, but many of the stations core advertisers have either cut back, or gone to "younger demo" stations seeking better "bang for the buck".

Even in good times, KGO was perceived as an "older"-oriented station and although their ratings numbers were consistently high, many ad folks went to "younger" outfits that were more geared to the coveted 25-54 demo. A few years ago, a PD at a competing station refered to the SF talkie as the "AARP of local radio", the inference being that KGO coddled to older listeners.

Even with news of layoffs, including longtime afternoon-drive anchor Greg Jarrett, and 30-year veteran Eastbay reporter, Greg Edmunds, KGO is still a force in the market; and beyond. It is one of the few stations in the nation whose hosts are locally based and non-syndicated. And it's dominant morning host, Ronn Owens is considered the "jewel of the KGO franchise" and commands a seven-figure salary. Owens has been at the station for over 33 years and tops the ratings in his time slot.

As KGO begins the pink-slip process, other stations in the market and beyond are expected to begin slashing jobs, including salespeople, producers, PR and even program directors. Just a few weeks ago, CBS layed off it's entire SF FM outlet, the old KFRC, including notable figures Dave Sholin and Ben Fong-Torres.

Mass layoffs are impending at other local parts of the dial and until the economy improves, no station will be spared.

It's a sad time to be a Bay Area radio/TV broadcaster.