*Long before the mass kerfluncta at KGO/Cumulus, the handwriting was on the wall when ex-GM/VP, Mickey Luckoff left in October, 2010, and earlier this year, opps mgr/, Jack Swanson, took a hike.
It was Luckoff, the 40-year-plus VP, that had built and guided KGO Radio into prominence and was a key reason the station commanded over three decades as the #1 Arbitron-leader. Luckoff, in fact, hired Ronn Owens way back in 1975 from Atlanta. He also presided over the regime that included the late Owen Spann, Jim Eason, Art Finley, and both Jim Dunbar and Ted Wygant.
Jack Swanson's split, rumored for months, was not so long after Luckoff's departure. Both were crafty individuals who, temporarily, managed to keep the integrity of the station mostly intact, before Citadel and, now Cumulus, have essentially tore the core structure out of the once-dominant station.
Luckoff had a notorious reputation as a tough negotiator, particular in contract negotiations with Owens, but earned both local and national praise as a genius programming wizard who maintained KGO's success in spite of a growing change in the business. He was also loyal too, (even among those talents he had personal disdain for, but respected professional--case in point, Ray Taliaferro).
Swanson too had numerous allies inside the building and managed to be the last man standing before finally giving up and splitting.
*As predicted, KGO has begun cannibalizing talent from KNBR and KGO-TV. ABC7 weather guessers have provided as replacements for the fired Lloyd Lindsay Young. Ray Ratto's mundane commentaries have begun airing on the afternoon news and into the evening.
Damon Bruce, of KNBR 1050, has a weekly Saturday show following Pat Thurston from 8-11 AM. Stacey Taylor, a talk-vet from San Diego, is on Saturday evening, preceding Karel.
The real head-scratcher: Spencer Hughes, at least temporarily, holds down the 10 PM- 1 AM Sat/Sunday show. Hughes, a right-wing nut case on loan from Fox Radio and KSFO, sounded patently embarrassing in his inaugural broadcasts. He has a thing for ghosts and aliens. He's also asked, about 54,000 times, that "listeners, please, give me a chance." They already have spoken, Spence, (you're a farce--next question).
*Class move by KGO to keep playing commercial spots of both Len Tillem and John Rothmann, who were both let go...and the real topper, cancelling the Gene Burns cookie bake-off. Corporate grace at its best.
*OCCUPY KGO RALLY
THURSDAY, DEC. 15- 900 FRONT ST.
SAN FRANCISCO 11: 30 AM
*Follow me on Twitter
Spencer: as Rich says, I've given you a chance. My conclusion is that you suck.
ReplyDeleteI want the old KGO back.
One of the tactical mistakes KGO made was the modal Liberal talk it adopted in the last 15 years. Understand the city (SF), Beserkly, & Marin county is not the market. A more balanced &
ReplyDeleteyounger KGO would have remained relevant
25-54. In fact the KGO you morn Mr Blogger seems to be the golden years of KGO, not the reality of the Democrat think tank radio. Most people are in the middle, KGO reached out too far to the left. Ended up #1 with Marin county Females over 60 with a house full of cats. Cumulus is unfit to own a license, much less operate KGO, it's a damn shame that the justice department has ignored how the major markets are controlled by 2-3 companies.
Mickey had genuine integrity; he said multiple times that he would leave if the corporate meddlers ever kept him from doing his job -- and when he decided it was time to leave, he bluntly cited corporate intervention as having crossed the line. I'm speculating when I say I think it may have been because they told him the CureAThon - a pet project -- was gong to get the axe, which it did following his departure.
ReplyDeleteJack -- whom I have tons of respect for -- stuck it out and made a play at working with the new Cumulus owners; he asked if there were "any opportunities in Cumulus Management" when they first took over. He would have had a go at working with these guys if he had a chance, but they didn't give him one. Honestly, they were probably terrified of him.
10:14 modal?? KGO presented a full spectrum of ideas ..very centrist actually
ReplyDelete@10:14: The Justice Department seems to think that 2-3 behemoths equals an ideal competitive environment. This is the pattern of their regulation ala the cel phone & wireless environment, on wired telecom, and on cable companies. Why not radio & tv? Not at all saying I agree with it, but 2-3 large players locking everyone else out seems to be the justice department's sweet spot.
ReplyDeleteIn Corporate America, we have Freedom Of Choice: you're free to choose McDonalds, Burger King, or KFC.
I find it odd, with the Bay Area's obsession with weather and KGO's new more news plan, that Lloyd was let go...and not replaced. I can't imagine he was making that much...but maybe. Also surprising, Stan Burford not getting the ax...he's good, but sounding a little tired some days and I'm sure he does make quite a bit.
ReplyDeleteDoesn't sound like 10:14 was a KGO listener. Most of the talk had little to do with Democrats/partisan politics. Almost any local issue you could think of was discussed -- from tuition increases, elementary ed successes and failures, PG&E pipeline tragedy, term limits for politicians, foreclosures, authors and their new books on every subject imaginable (including the guy who wrote just go the F..to sleep, tiger mom, being imprisoned in Iran, etc), car pool lanes pluses and minuses, investment strategies, illegal immigration, the death of newspapers, and on and on. These are not partisan political issues and these dominated the talk shows.
ReplyDeleteI'm surprised that no one has also mentioned how we lost The Examiner (newspaper) when Bill Clinton was in office, causing us to become a one-newspaper town. This reminds me of that situation. A loss of consumer choice.
ReplyDeleteI forget all the grubby details, but Bill Clinton and his local lefties lined it up so that the Fang Family (?) could buy one paper, in order for The Chron to be sold. I recall that first week when the new owners took over The Examiner ... they mispelled the day of the week on the masthead!!! (I think it was a Thursday.)
Mickey Luckoff / Swanson may have won a battle when they created KSFO (right wing) and KGO (predominantly left wing, except for Brinker and Dr. Bill), but long-term I think it hurt the magic. I wish we could have had more Lee Rogers - Dwayne Garrett debates. (Ward wouldn't be up to it.)
Yes, puzzling why they cancelled the Cur-a-thon, truly a boneheaded, "we're the bosses now", move.
Swanson, didn't he hire his wife at KSFO? (Melanie Morgan?) Integrity? Nepotism? He may have had a good run, but he had "no bench", and was too timid to get rid of the washed up hosts (Christine Craft, Ray Taliaferro). Lawsuit fears?
Here's a clue...I'm delighted to be in Ray's company in terms of quality content.
ReplyDeleteI think you are woefully ignorant of applicable law in your prospective fear of litiation.
If you are a part time fill in talk host. as I am and continue to be...what ground(s) would you ever have for a discrimination lawsuit? I told Mickey years ago..I would never sue him or KGO. I'm sure he knew that. I think you have very minimal knowledge about Title VII law and what interests it protects and what interests it doesn't.
wow...the sniping at individual hosts continues
ReplyDeletetaliafaro was close to retirement...swanson was a good boss and was going to allow him to leave on his own terms
craft is far from "washed up"
but this is neither here nor there and misses the big picture...once again
btw...its ok to snipe at spence...he is a corporate hack
Christine Craft wrote: "I told Mickey years ago..I would never sue him or KGO..."
ReplyDeleteNow why would you ever have to even say THAT? **Clears throat** Humm? (Because you sued your pevious employer?)
I'm no lawyer, and not even a PhD *cough*, but from afar, if the station is predminantly male; and predomiantly white; and in the previous few years they hire 4-5 white men for prime time slots, and only one woman (Pat T.) in the wee hours; and you then fire (I prefer the term "laid off", you or Gene or John did nothiong wrong) a woman host with 10-20 years experience at the station, ... could that not be the basis for a discrimination lawsuit (prima facia)?
Besides. This is America. You can sue for anything. Look at Herman Cain, driven away from the presidency by claims from 4 women... all from Chicago *cough* ... that he sexually harrassed them. One woman was paid a "severance package" just to avoid such a costly lawsuit.
The disingenuos black man is such a horrible host that many of us can't wait for the despised Ronnnnnnnnnnnnnnn Lowenstein to return from vacation. I can just picture Ronnnnnnnnn meeting with PR people to go over what he should say upon his return. I predict a weasel response to criticism and a further collapse of his already tarnished image. Nothing short of resignation will get him out of this quagmire.
ReplyDeleteas you said nony..you are no lawyer. The woman in the Cain situation worked for and had been contracted by the National Restaurant Association which mr. cain led. Believe it or not..American women don't have to endure unwanted gropings in the work place.
ReplyDeleteMy case against Metromedia had nothing to do with sexual gropings.. It had to do with being told I had to play dumb to make male peers(not bosses) look smarter. They hated the fact that I had been a sportscaster for CBS network and that I knew the difference between the American and the National League and that I loved the Raiders...and wouldn't pretend I didn't.
I'm very proud of that litigation and winning two trials in front of juries..It made it possible for many American broadcasters both male and female to keep their jobs after the first crow's foot..
Btw..when I went to the station in Kansas City..they had been number two in ratings in a three station town. When I left..they were number one...They didn't know whether to be happy..or to cry.
I am still often asked how I had the courage to challenge the big broadcasting company. My answer is always the same, as a former competitive surfer, " When you've seen real sharks, the corporate ones just don't scare you as much".....really.
and one more critical point..yes, you are right..anyone can sue for anything...But before you do so..you might want to look at Rule 11..
ie sanctions for frivolous lawsuits in federal court.
I stopped taking Christine Craft seriously when she seemed not to understand what was wrong about the viral Duke F* List and thought it was actually a good thing in terms of equality. Yes, men and women have had these discussions with friends for a long time. But there's a huge difference between allowing something out on the internet (which is what happens when you begin circulating emails) with real names. I'm not aware of any fraternties publishing similar content on the internet using real names of women and I wonder what Christine's reaction would be if similar presentation or essay about Duke women went viral. She's better than most syndicated options in the area (and probably better than Spencer) but she's a cut below the former KGO hosts and the others who often do fill-ins (Brian, Stacy, Peter B., etc)
ReplyDeleteAnon 12:28 needs to do something about that cough.
ReplyDeleteKudos for Christine for posting under her own name on this forum while still employed by the company; braver than most of us. I'm posting anonymously because I'm too chickenshit to risk my job for Internet pontification.
ReplyDeleteChristine Craft wrote: "as you said nony..you are no lawyer. The woman in the Cain situation worked for and had been contracted by the National Restaurant Association which mr. cain led. Believe it or not..American women don't have to endure unwanted gropings in the work place..."
ReplyDeleteYour facts are alarmingly wrong.
Last I read, the *alleged* 'grouping' did not occur in the workplace. Secondly, she was not an employee at that time, she was socializing with Mr. Cain, and apparently hitting him up for a job.
So Christine, you're saying that you were the solitary reason that TV station went from number 2, to number 1?
Lastly, what do you think about sexism against men? Specifically, does it bother you when newbie college coeds come fresh out of college, and 2 or 3 years later are anchoring a newscast? How many men, 2 or 3 years out of college, get that opportunity? They don't!
I am so encouraged to hear their is something in the works for a new station with Gene Burns and John Rothman. Hey, I was even dreaming of scenero they would go over to NPR, I'd pay to hear them.
ReplyDeleteI'm keeping my fingers crossed that Micky L and Jack S put something together.
Bets Wishes for new success!!!
Lieberman, how can Spencer Hughes be a "right wing nut case" when he's pro gay marriage? It's enough for you that he worked at KSFO, right?
ReplyDelete