Saturday, December 3, 2011

KGO Radio/Cumulus bomb brings out the Irate; Saturday notes


Former listeners of KGO Radio Newstalk 810


So, I think they struck a nerve. Duh!

Already, numerous anti-KGO Radio campaigns have hit the social-networking sites, including this on Facebook. And don't forget Twitter.

And there's more, too numerous to count at this point. I doubt seriously, any of it will cause any retreat, but as I said on Friday, it won't hurt.

People are really upset. I heard Pat Thurston on Saturday and she tried her best to explain to the listeners, most of whom were still in shock.

I'll say this: at least Thurston, (as part of the new schedule, Saturday/Sunday morning 8-11 AM) handled the chore a lot better than Ronn Owens who was lost in space on what amounted to a gimmick show on Friday.

Thurston tried her best to both neutralize the situation, still fluid, and she deserves props. Yeah, their were times she sounded like a management tool, but given the circumstances and all, she was effective for providing a forum for the infinitely pissed-off crowd, of which there are many.

--NEWS: Here's a portion of the new Sat./Sun. schedule:

As mentioned, Thurston, 8-11 AM Sat., followed by Damon Bruce, 11-1 PM...Stacy Taylor and Michael Finney will follow Thurston on Saturday. Brian Copeland will keep his show on Sunday following Thurston.

That right-wing nut case, Spencer Hughes has found a home at the "New KGO" and Karel is still on board, for now. Keep in mind that all of this could change, but as of now, that's the schedule.

Monday will roll out the new format with the new, "all-news" format beginning from 2PM until Midnight. After that, the ABC net, syndicated, "Red Eye" crapolla, (it's cheap and out of the Bay Area will cover all-night).

Other tidbits: No longer will the ABC Net provide national news updates, I've been told by a KGO staffer. Instead, announcers will begin tonsiling right at the top of the hour. Again, this is a total budgetary move intended to save money. Surprise.

Check back periodically. I will update any new information I get.

*Follow me on Twitter

57 comments:

  1. Please post any FB pages that open to protest this. I have been picking through the net and and there to find what I can. thanks

    ReplyDelete
  2. All of the complaining today , tomorrow and this week will do no good at all. The backlash is expected and built in to the plans of any company making changes. The short attention spans of people are what is counted on. They expect people to get mad and then go on with their lives. To make an actual difference the campaign has to extend. If it doesn't, its just one less voice in the 2012 election cycle.

    ReplyDelete
  3. Hello All...I'm filling for Michael Finney today 5 to 7pm ..a great live guest you will hear nowhere else....Miss Doris Day..

    ReplyDelete
  4. While I agree that Annon. at 10:49 is correct, the one giant risk Cumulus faces is that while folks with short attention spans may forget, the new format offers no incentive for anyone to stick with the new KGO.

    And this is the something else that does not make sense; the most highly desired demographic for advertising purposes that has deserted the old KGO is not too likely to seek its news from an AM radio station. WTF???

    ReplyDelete
  5. Lemme guess CC, gonna talk about dogs again?

    ReplyDelete
  6. At the very first meeting with KGO staff, John Dickey told us something to the effect of, "not doing radio for your own pleasure or edification" (loosely quoted). The comment stuck with me at the time, I remember thinking to my self, 'he could as easily said that "pride in craft" is meaningless at cumulus. In hindsight, he could as easily have said that doing radio is not for the "pleasure or edification" of the listeners, either. In any case, then and now, it's clear that "doing radio" under the cumulus banner is for the "pleasure and edification" of the owners and their pocketbook. Community service, pride in craft, journalistic excellence, and public interest are not only not valued at this company, they are actually nuisance concerns that potentially get in the way of what is valued at this company: bottom line.

    I'm struck by one other comment that was made that day in the standing-room only conference room on the 2nd floor, with the entire staff waiting 45 minutes for the new owners to show: 'there is only one culture at cumulus.' That one stuck with me too. This may actually be the biggest shame of all in this mess: this owner class doesn't give a whit about the community culture that is built up in a long-standing community pillar like a KGO (or a KFOG for that matter). Not only do they not value such a culture, which takes time to evolve between an air staff and its' constituent listener community, but they actually perceive it to be a threat, one that must be crushed and paved over with the corporate official culture. In the official corporate culture, money is the only idol.

    In this culture, the radio station is a machine that prints money, and the parts are interchangeable and cheap. The prize is earned when a station is able to simultaneously lower its' cost of doing business, while raising revenue; the resulting profit stream is shunted directly to Atlanta. No longer is creativity valued, unless there is a direct and demonstrable link between the creative endeavor and a measurable increase in the bottom line.

    No longer is skill and experience valued, unless the case can be proved that it tips the bottom line in the owners' favor. No longer is public service valued, unless the public is paying for the privilege. Labor that is valued by these guys is the labor that is hungry to work in media, scared of the bosses, subservient and unquestioning -- and willing to work cheap. Since skill isn't particularly valued, it follows that the laborers themselves are not particularly valued; the message is consistently, 'shut up and do your job as we tell you to, or we'll find someone else who will.'

    ReplyDelete
  7. How can former loyal KGO fans find out where these former hosts have gone? If they went to another radio station, can someone post it so we will know please?? I miss them and am very, very sad this is happening on KGO.

    ReplyDelete
  8. Crap, Karel still on. What a tool.

    ReplyDelete
  9. What. You're still listening?

    ReplyDelete
  10. I sympathize with all who lost their jobs, and the listeners who have lost their friends on the radio. News from 2-12 is going to stink, and the way Cumulus handled this with no goodbye shows allowed stinks.

    There may be a couple of silver linings at least.

    I turned it on last night and it was some guy doing a show - nothing special, but certainly better than suffering the drivel of Ray Taliafero.

    Then I turned it on again this morning, and some guy is carving up Herman Cain beautifully. Usually it's Gene talking about the lobster bisque at some restaurant in San Rafael that costs $82 a plate and I will never eat. So instead of flipping to FM, I enjoyed Saturday morning on KGO for the first time ever. So I'll wait to see what else improves.

    ReplyDelete
  11. Rich,

    I always enjoy reading you. But I've got several comments from your previous post:

    "Ronn opened his hour by showing false shock. It was prepared. It was planned. It was most transparently non-transparent. He said KGO had been losing listeners and that the new owners decided to make a change. He felt "shocked" and "saddened" that his "friends" were losing their jobs,"

    Of course it was planned and false shock. You've been posting for days and weeks that changes were coming to KGO and other stations. How could it be shocking? Owen's reaction WAS planned- he had 12-18 hours to think about what he wanted to say; he wasn't on the air immediately.

    You posted: "Ronn was sorry, very sorry, for his "friends" demise, (before the holidays, no less), but that business was business. "I'm fortunate that I'm still here and I have a job to do." How poignant, Lowenstein. (Owens last name)."

    What did you want Owens' to say? I'm not a KGO listener, so I didn't hear his comments, but I think he said what a lot of us have said when we've seen colleagues laid off the last several years: "I'm sorry this happened" (and maybe privately- "I'm thankful I still have a job", or for the more cynical "Better him than me."

    You go on to write that Owens' makes a lot of money for the company. Then it becomes a relatively easy decision (in addition to the personal services contract) as to who to keep and whom to let go.

    You wrote: "Indeed, KGO Radio, once the envy of the Bay Area, the industry giant that rightly garnered national acclaim was losing listeners. Lots. Ratings had declined."

    Cumulus, like every other business, is in business to make a profit for the owners of the business. KGO, according to you, was losing "customers". Then changes have to be made. And if the ratings decline is as dramatic as you write (and I have no reason to doubt you), then "tradition and tweaking" isn't going to do enough. Sometimes to save the patient, you have to amputate a limb. In this case, because these were veteran on-air talent, I would assume they were also more expensive than their replacements. Again, that happens in business every day.

    "They're no different really, from the Wall St crooks like Madoff, only they didn't steal as much as Madoff did and weren't caught."

    Really?? What did Cumulus do that is illegal? It's hyperbole like this that doesn't drive the conversation forward in a helpful way, whether the conversation is about KGO, Wall St., politics, etc.

    You wrote: "They play with our lives. They like to take away some of our own little guilty pleasures. We have creature comforts and habits that we take for granted and they, the Cumulus' and Citadels of the world, remind us that we are beholden to them. THEY own the airwaves and to heck with you. You, sir, madam, are merely one of the masses."

    KGO is playing with your life? Not mine. Every business that I know of will give their customers what the customer wants, or the customers will find a new place to do business, listen, etc. Based on your posting, KGO was losing more and more "customers", and has to do something. And trying to make a profit is not a crime!

    Last comment: "We're in a different world, where corporate profit and greed rule the day and the public be damned. Some of us are, yeah, mad as hell and not gonna take it anymore!"

    Did corporate profit ever NOT rule the day? Public be damned? It reads to me like KGO is responding to the public- the public has spoken- with declining ratings.

    While the KGO listeners that were left may be disappointed and angry, it reads to me like Cumulus is trying to respond to shrinking numbers of listeners, and had to do something to reverse that.

    ReplyDelete
  12. Doris Day was interviewed on Good Morning America on Friday. She doesn't appear on camera anymore so it was via telephone with Robin Roberts. She's plugging a new CD hence the interviews.

    ReplyDelete
  13. On THEGAME,Mike Urban is doing his little show right now..I got to admit its nice to have a "weekday" voice do weekend sports. I'm not interested in Damon Bruce doing politics. He's out of his element with thinking people at that.

    ReplyDelete
  14. re right wing nut case Spencer Hughes... is really all about in the end: This move is just another example of the ever-increasing elimination of public forums to to freely air opinions, ideas and frustrations. It's an especially important venue during election cycles. This phasing out of public airwaves, has been going on for the past several years (i.e, eliminating Pubic Access Television). It's being done with purpose, backed by BIG money, as one more attempt to silence the masses.

    ReplyDelete
  15. Doris Day and I will not be talking about dogs at all.

    ReplyDelete
  16. You are in the know about this re: Cumulus and the budget cutting suits that run them, but I get the funny feeling that these creeps will try to cram more right-wing bullshit down the bay area's throat. I fear more "personalities" like Spencer Hughes are what may ultimately be on KGOs horizon.

    ReplyDelete
  17. The "Red Eye" thing after midnite Friday was awful -- not even live. It's as if they went out of the way to find the most annoying thing they could find for that time slot. Spencer Hughes a new regular on the station? Yikes!

    No more network news starting Monday. That should really put them on the same level as KCBS!

    I don't know if today's Saturday lineup through Michael Finney, starting with Pat Thurston in the morning, is permanent. But it's pretty decent. I'm reaching for something positive.

    Pat Thurston handled the calls about the changes pretty well, but I honestly think Ronn handled it about right on Friday morning too. One caller told Pat that the "survivors" should have walked out. As Gil Gross might say, "Seriously?"

    ReplyDelete
  18. Can I make a few points?

    -1-
    I'm already tired of most of these social media screaming/crying/boycotting/conspiracy theory sites and pages. I'll miss some of the talent, too...and I'll have to find something new to listen to, but no advertiser can do anything about this. And the hosts who were let go were not let go to silence liberal voices...they were fired to reduce payroll...my guess is combined they probably cost the station $2 or so million a year.

    -2-
    I don't expect to hear any of them again, honestly...possibly with the exception of Gil Gross, and probably doing news again..not talk. I enjoy Gene Burns as a broadcaster, but he's too old to learn to do cost effective radio, I know he didn't put his callers on/off air, and I don't think he even turned his mic on/off himself. Maybe a weekly Dining Around podcast is in his future...maybe...

    -3-
    Did they have a plan for how they were going to roll this out? Bob Brinker was reported, at least once, as out...but he's on tomorrow's schedule. When I started writing this post, "Guest Host" was scheduled tomorrow from 4 to 7...Stacy Taylor has since been dropped into that slot. Leo LaPorte and Joel Riddell still have working website/email links on the Contacts page of the website...but nothing for Red Eye or Spencer Hughes...and Joanne Weir is still listed.

    ReplyDelete
  19. Check out the new KGO schedule at KGO.com.
    Red Eye Radio from 12a-4 am. Morning News from 4a-9a. Ronnnnn from 9-Noon. News from noon-midnight. And Red Eye will be taped inasmuch as it's live from 10p-2a PST.

    Egad. Maybe the Mayan calendar was right after all. The end is near.

    ReplyDelete
  20. I remember when local TV and radio stations touted the fact that the Bay Area was "different." Like no place else on earth, unique - the kind of place that fostered new ideas, a Steve Jobs, a George Lucas, Alice Waters, Harvey Milk, the music, the arts etc.
    KGO was a station that reflected that, hosts that didn't agree in lockstep, shows that went beyond the news of the day. I don't think the impact of this loss can be understated. Maybe it would have - or has been - declined in importance through the years, but the station's ability to unite the disparate voices and thoughts of the communities of the Bay Area was unmatched and will be tremendously missed.

    And Rich - thank you for this site. As has been made clear, there is a need for a public forum on matters of interest to people who will always call the Bay Area home.

    ReplyDelete
  21. Listeners, the best way to revolt is to buy an internet streaming radio. Become your own program director. There are thousands of programs to choose from and they are free. If you are stuck in your car, get satellite radio.(okay so that's not free but there is State Farm-free music stations) As for smartphone owners, they are ahead of the curve. That's where everything is headed.

    ReplyDelete
  22. Who is Pat Thruston? Sounds like some angry liberal Democrat.
    Well folks . . . conservative talk radio won the ratings WAR! Get over it.
    Stations like KGO lost listeners for one good reason.
    Their content is boring.

    ReplyDelete
  23. Rich, you should look into the bankruptcy filing of a certain group from Cumulus called AR Broadcasting Holdings which took place just a couple weeks ago. It includes their SF properties.

    ReplyDelete
  24. Just one more station "unoccupied."

    ReplyDelete
  25. Converative talk radio rules. Accept it.

    ReplyDelete
  26. I would love to see fans of KGO NOT call in to these talk shows. But there are always the lemmings who call in to hear themselves on the radio. The new schedule sucks so I've removed KGO from my pre-programmed dial. No use listening to drivel.

    ReplyDelete
  27. Anon 1:02
    What conservative Bay Area talk radio stations have better ratings than KGO?

    ReplyDelete
  28. Michael Finney is still very much on KGO..He just happens to be on vacation this week.. I'm filling in for him.

    ReplyDelete
  29. How about a listener rating tool.
    Call in/hang up.
    Let them count numbers.

    ReplyDelete
  30. I could barely stomach Ronn Owens before...now after listening to his drivel on Friday, I now see the real Ronn. "I think the new format is going to be great." Does anyone on this planet have still have a sense of decency, pride? He could have left that remark out, and still kept his job.

    Yes, Ronn you still have your job. But a lot of us are tired of your middle of the road schtick. To me, you are just a tool.

    ReplyDelete
  31. Christine, you may be the only person left worth listening to at KGO. The last link to the station we can still admire. I hope you get some late shifts on the weekend so I can listen to you up here in Oregon. Otherwise it looks like I'll only get canned leftovers from the station when the sun goes down.

    ReplyDelete
  32. It appears that they no longer will broadcast Leo Laporte on Sundays either? Does anyone know if this is true?

    ReplyDelete
  33. Let's face it ronn is still there because he has a services contract; they have to pay him so no point to not keep him on for a year; or maybe he will be so embarrassed he'll quit. Ron's staying or leaving ain't going bring back he people that were fired; and many of us are geared to not run down our current employer and even past employers because you never know. If you retire, I guess then maybe you can like Jim Eason.

    ReplyDelete
  34. How can you not have a national network news update on the hour at a 50K Watt station that serves the whole western US? That is an absolute joke and a good clue as to how this station will be run -- on the cheap...

    ReplyDelete
  35. Christine -- I will always listen to you. You are
    my favorite. Jim Eason's email is so succinctly stated what the real KGO fans feel. San Francisco is a unique market and needs a unique station. Good bye to KGO and hello 910!

    ReplyDelete
  36. I only listen to KCBS for only one hour for news, and that's it. The remaining junk is rehashed (Dave Padillia and Susan Kennedy; I'd rather listen to).

    In come the syndicators, out goes the local-tators.

    If anyone wants to hear the new KGO, have yourself a bottle of brandy and Peptol-Bismol.

    ReplyDelete
  37. It doesn't cost much for the News and Information Station to read stories right out of the Chronicle.

    Oh well, I stopped listening to KGO in the 90s.

    ReplyDelete
  38. Geez, why are so many people upset about the "loss" of a radio station?
    I stopped llistening five years ago..to ALL local radio.
    WHen driving/at work, I have my iPod loaded with more than 3,000 songs.
    For sports? I listen to ESPN radio on sattelite radio (they aren't local homers and provide a FULL SPECTRUM of NATIONAL-scope coverage).

    Seriouly--I can't remember the last time I listened to "free"/local radio.
    THAT's SO 20th Century...

    ReplyDelete
  39. @4:47pm obviously you have no clue. It is fine if YOU want to hear music 24/7. It is fine if YOU want to hear national sports news. Many of us care deeply about local issues and news and the ability to discuss them inteligently on a LOCAL station. That is what KGO represented until the corporate goons took over. I will tune in on weekends but I will be AWOL during the week. KPFA and KQED for me as well as a good dosis of Michael Savage podcasts

    ReplyDelete
  40. I'm just one of the many middle-class broadcasters out there; nothing special, just a solid worker bee who does what he's told, uses some creativity and enthusiasm, and at the end of the week, takes home a pay check to buy the groceries.

    But take it from someone who has done this for awhile: It's very sad to see what has happened to our venerable and once highly respected industry. A part of American culture is fast disappearing like so many other important things, and it's hardly a blip on the screen of the 'facebookers,' 'texters,' and 'tweeters.'

    They've got their collective brains so scrambled and distracted by the 'new media' that it's sometimes not even possible to converse with one without them staring off into space and saying:
    "Oh, what was that you said?"
    I was at a Cal/Stanford Big game a few weeks ago, and one of the local TV sportscasters (she shall remain anonymous) was spending her entire time in the press box tweeting her 'peeps,' without hardly even bothering to look up at the game. Once in a while she would take an obligatory glance at one of the TV screens to watch an important replay but then it was back to her screen...can't miss those important Tweets!
    How she knew anything about the game, other than the final score is one of the great mysteries of life! Unfortunately, these are the kind of people who are being hired to fill broadcasting jobs nowadays!


    This downsizing of the media is only a symptom
    of a deeper, more disturbing trend in our country: The only thing that is beholden seems to be money....friends, family, jobs, homes,
    and of course all of the trinkets and baubles we've bought over the year (which we store like
    chipmunks in our attics and basements, or worse, pay some storage company to pack it away for us!) are eventually tossed into the ash can because....they're all disposable!

    At least we aren't disposing of the Giants, A;s, 49ers, Warriors, Raiders, Sharks, and other sports activities that keep up humming along.
    I was out at Bolinas bodysurfing today and the waves and the vibe were soooo nice!
    Surfing relaxes the brain, refreshes the spirit and makes you realize how joyful life can be when you get away from cars, Comp;uter and TV screens, cell phones, and frantic, edgy people!


    Aloha BAY AREA!-

    ReplyDelete
  41. 4:47...there's this thing called "LIFE" just sitting out there, waiting for you to try it.
    I suggest you turn off the radio, and try it...because believe me, this thing called Life? It'll continue.

    Because if you're like me, you have an opinion of things--and this opinion will not change, no matter how loudly the talking heads yell. And if you're like me, you realize that those who disagree w/your opinion aren't gonna change their stance, either.

    So all you have, then, is precious airwave-time filled with people yelling and complaining at each other. And at the end of the show, nothing has changed.

    Buy yourself an iPod or otehr MP3 device. They're REALLY cool!

    ReplyDelete
  42. dear 12:07...I certainly mentioned Doris Day's new CD. and her Chronicle Coolest women of the last Century win..(SEESFGAtE.LAST THURSDAY,MIKE LASALLE).but she came on because she is a longtime friend and wanted to talk about the horse slaughter bill. I'm always delighted to speak with her and have volunteered legal services many times to work on projects with her..and will do so in the future. I'm a lucky girl.

    ReplyDelete
  43. 4:47..that's so sad that you feel that way...I actually feel sorry for you because you're like a 'rolling stone,' just rolling down the highway of life with no connection to your own community! Local radio is so important!

    It connects you to the important things that are happening in the bay area. The personalities who talk about these events and news items that effect you in your area... the announcers that closely cover the local teams and who become associated with those players and games that are being playing in your region...these folks all become like friends; people that you would invite into your house or car...a friendly voice that centers you a bit and allows you to take a moment to listen to something interesting while the fast-paced, sometimes frantic world flies by!

    San Francisco has such a rich history, and you can't get a good view of what's going on here by listening to some out of town network person who is announcing back in NYC or Bristol, Conn and has no connection or idea about what is happening here in Northern California.

    From the manner in which you wrote this post, I'm guessing that you are either from another part of the country and don't really care much about Northern California, or perhaps you might be one of those 'restless,' types that follows a career from city to city without setting down any roots in a community. Maybe when you have a have a family, that will change. But for now, you appear to be 'tumbling along like the tumbleweeds!"

    ReplyDelete
  44. @4:47pm, you don't mention where you're getting your news, or is it all about music and sports for you? Just entertainment?

    And we wonder why the citizenry is so poorly informed...

    ReplyDelete
  45. I have been an avid KGO listener since Ira Blue at the Hungry i and KGO mystery programs on Saturday evening. Times have changed. The morning news is now soft chatty material, and the greats including Ira Blue, Owen Spann, Pete Wilson, Jim Eason, and Dr. Edell have moved on or passed on. The only dignified radio now is NPR/KQED - listen to Michael Krasney (former KGO host) and you'll never go back to KGO.

    ReplyDelete
  46. btw, doug mcyntyre is a good talk show host...so dont bash red eye

    he is one of the few intelligent conservatives on the air, who has absolutely no prob bashing conservatives

    his red eye started on kabc, and he was one of the few hosts who spent a lot of time on local issues

    on the weekend, its the former mr k...mark germaine...one of the more intelligent mod to lib hosts around...someone who (if they had kept talk) should have been hired by kgo, as he is very knowledgeable about cali politics, and isnt into the whole screaming at your listeners thing

    ReplyDelete
  47. What has become of Jim Gabbert? He could afford to start a new station. I am in Phoenix and have been buying everything possible from CCrane company to improve radio reception here. In recent years I've been streaming it. What will I do now if at 4 am I don't feel well or can't sleep... and can't turn to Ray T's voice? I won't miss Shirley or the blue paint stain in the hallway upstairs.

    ReplyDelete
  48. Christine, if you are still reading this thread, I want to say that I think you handled your show with integrity last night, sparing us too much of the company BS. Although I am aghast at this change and mad as hell at Cumulus, I will check from time to time to see if you are going to be on.
    Keep on truckin'

    ReplyDelete
  49. For people who blather on and on about how conservatives "win" talk radio... you sound like a bunch of sheep. Conservative thought lends itself well to people screaming simple ideas without any depth of knowledge. Congratulations on "winning" that. Liberals don't want to be pandered to. They want thoughtful discussion. Tough to make a buck from advertisers when you're laying a bunch of punches on major banks, the military industrial complex, oil companies, etc. Try to understand what you're talking about before you bleat out your Michael Savage, Rush limbaugh or Fox "news" talking points.

    ReplyDelete
  50. im new to this blog, but i think it shows the dif between the bay area and other markets

    cant ever recall on air talent commenting on media blogs in los angeles

    this is something that cumulus doesnt get...sf is a much different market than any other in the usa, and needs to be treated as such

    ReplyDelete
  51. KGO has offered me the Sat. 2-4pm and Sun. 4-7pm shows on a permanent basis. Or as permanent as it is these days in radio.

    ReplyDelete
  52. See how confusing it is? I'll be on 4-7pm today, but starting next weekend, 2-5pm

    ReplyDelete
  53. bacci40: not just a different market. KGO is a totally unique radio station.

    I'm from the Bay Area but I've lived around the world and always listened to KGO over the internet. There's a reason they call it the "World's Greatest Radio Station".

    ReplyDelete
  54. I've listened to talk radio before it was called talk radio. Dave MacElhatton before KCBS went to all news, KNBR-Frank Dill, then Frank and Mike, Leo Laporte B4 tech, KSFO/KFRC-Gene Nelson and KGO for most of that time. I no longer listen to those stations except KCBS for a quick news or traffic fix.

    I'm now forced to make another change. I will install an FM antenna in my attic or on my roof to get NPR more clearly and maybe I'll get a WIFI radio. Right now I'm listening to KPFA streaming on my computer. A WIFI radio and good FM reception wired to a home intercom would be cool. I could get rid of several radios around my house.

    Adios, KGO, I'm voting with my legs (or fingers).

    Long time listener, seldom caller

    ReplyDelete
  55. I've noticed that KGO is still using Len T, John Rothmann and Gene Burns in ads. It's kind of weird to hear their voices. I wonder if they gave permission and are being paid.

    It's now Monday night and I'm not that impressed with the new evening format. It's recycled "news" every couple of hours. Who is Peter Finch? His delivery is kind of self-conscious. Maybe because it's his first official night on the job. Where did KGO get these new people on such short notice? Were they waiting in the wings until the regulars were fired?

    ReplyDelete
  56. I have been listening to KGO for 30 years. Not any moe.

    The new format SUX. 20 minutes of local news repeated endlessly all day long like a broken record. BORING !
    Even the national/international news is virtually missing in action. But lots of corn-ball sports comedy (attempted). Yuuuuukkk.

    This is a big BAIT & SWITCH for the unsuspecting advertisers. THEY should be jumping ship en masse, if/when they figure out the accumulated cumul1us consequences.

    That is where the protest should be taken. Tell the advertisers we are turning off the station. Won't be listening to their ads any more.

    KGO listenership will plummet in very short time, it this crap continues.

    'World's Greatest Radio Station' HA! NOT ANY MORE, FAR FAR FROM IT.

    This is a big blow to the Bay Area.

    Did any of the hosts know this was coming? Or is the whole thing a negotiating tactic with their Union? (I would hope, but doubt it)

    Also, the talk lines (808-0810 in all Bay Area prefixes) are 'busy' 24/7.

    So you can't call in and tell em what you think of it. Surely they don't care anyway. The screeners were fired too I presume.

    We should have a proper funeral for KGO Talk Radio.

    ReplyDelete
  57. i'm really sick since kgo let go of all these bay radio ppl let us know if you are going to pick up these radio ppl Burns,Taliferro,John rothman, Craft also and others Please do so immediately

    ReplyDelete