Stacy Taylor, a San Diego-based veteran KGO host who, along with Christine Craft, was the only worthwhile decent content to listen to, was abruptly given his walking papers Wednesday. His last program(s) will be Saturday and Sunday.
"I'm disappointed, but that's the way the business is today, "said Taylor to me via phone.
Pat Thurston, a weekender from 8-11 AM will replace Taylor from 2-5 PM Saturday and Sunday, which brings further news...
KGO/Cumulus is planning to "re-brand" more local news from 5-10 AM on the weekend. No word on the anchors. And that means a possible doomsday for John Hamilton's "On the Go", travel show.
A strong rumor: Kim Komando, a female tech-wizard with a moniker called "digital goddess", (apparently she's hot), has a syndicated show that's very popular, (WestStar Talk Network), that might be in play for a future KGOne--Cumulus already runs her two-minute tech seg Monday-through Friday on KGOne's PM news.
**Now, what did I say about KGOne going syndication?
*Developing...
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How fast can a company destroy a station? This has been done with lightening speed.
ReplyDeleteWhy can't they get rid of Karel? Fire Stacey Taylor and leave the socially inept Karel. Sure that makes sense.
ReplyDeleteWhat's really too bad, too, is that Stacy won't be able to say Good-bye to his fans and we won't be able to say it to him, either. What we'll hear is an earlier recorded show because the station can't take the chance of an out-going host saying anything "unseemly". NOw would Stacy say something unseemly? Yes, he probably would, and that's why I like him so much. But I'm going to listen to his show this weekend, anyway. I'll really miss him. My boyfriend called his show a few weeks ago and started talking about Marxism and Das Capitol. I laughed hysterically when Stacy said he wanted to go home and cuddle up with some warm cookies, cold milk, and a copy of Das Capitol. I'll miss his incredibly dry wit!
DeleteKim Komando showed up on KSFO last Sunday after a brief return appearance by the outstandingly erudite Geoff Metcalf. KGO ratings must be plummeting as a result of this hybrid mix of class B weekday news readers and weekend talkers. I suspect that they have lost 50% of their audience since Cumulus made these nonsensical changes in December. The ratings will not be good.
ReplyDeleteGosh-oh-gee-golly..."outstandingly erudite Geoff Metcalf." can I use that in my next promo pitch? Thank you very kindly.
DeleteBTW: Rich, why is it that SO (all?) many of your posters post under 'Anonymous'. As I have noted before snark is way cooler if the writer mans up and can be identified.
But why, Geoff? Do you air names of your callers on your erudite show?
DeleteDidn't think so. "Paul from Petaluma" could just as well be "Anonymous from Almeda."
Thanks for playing.
Must mean an end to Godtalk with Brent Walters too. I thought the weekend was slow for news and that was a reason KGOne decided to do talk on the weekends. Obviously they don't really know WHAT they are doing. They are floundering and it shows.
ReplyDeleteStill seems astonishing to me that since they were going to so drastically change their format, they would have taken some time to make a plan so the new product they unveiled would be top notch.
Your second point is so right on. I may have said this on this blog before, but I'll say it again. When I've had to fire someone in a retail store I managed I think we (the management team) spent more time figuring out how the store would continue to operate without her than these folks at KGO spent flipping the format.
DeleteThey're protecting the "franchise." As it's been of late, Karel has been doing better covering breaking news than KGO News has.
DeleteTalk about a credibility gap.
Now that I think about it, "What franchise?"
Hate to say it...but, who cares? KGO is not worth the time any longer. It's not worth the ink you give it, Rich.
ReplyDeleteI disagree I think KGO is worth the ink, we need to know what happened to our former favorite station. For almost 15 years KGO was like a friend, wether it was 9/11 or the death of JFK jr. Kgo and it excellent hosts was there to keep you company, to make you feel connected to your community. I was a teen-ager in Denmark when JFK was killed, an au-pair in Connecticut, when MLK and Robert Kennedy was killed, it was devastating to learn JFK Jr. had perished, 9/11 was devastating, I lived in NYC when the towers was build), but tuning in to KGO and listen to Ronn (who was so much better then) Gene, John and others helped with the sense of loss, especially since at that time I was living alone. I was never a big fan of Christine Kraft (common complaint she talks over her callers to much, even though I like her subjects) I did like Stacy Taylor quite a bit. Seems like Cumulus is hell bent on TOTALLY destroying what was left of a once great radio station, so they want more news, even though it seems like the ratings show, we the listening audience, don't want more news, what a bunch of no clue idiots, well I better stop, I have a few choice words for that bunch that I don't think would be appropriate to repeat here. I don't want more news, I think we need to write KGO and tell them we are fed up with boring news, that mostly is on subjects that don't affect us. They wont listen, but it will make us feel better, and let them know we have no interest in listening to there repeat and repeat of the news.
DeleteRich, you probably know this, but going to Google Images and entering Kim Komando will confirm that she is indeed hot.
ReplyDeleteThose images are from ten years ago.
DeleteStacey was the last reason to listen to KGO. He is really good. And to replace him with Pat? Ugh.
ReplyDeleteYes, Stacey (sic) is really good. And Pat is really bad? Or just a woman? Whichisit?
DeleteMan or woman, Pat Thurston is just plain awful!!!
DeleteYou wonder how long Pat will put up with being yanked around the time slots. She can't need the job/money that badly (she does live in Ross, doesn't she, with a husband who has retired, presumably because he has made his fortune already?) It can't be too flattering to be used as a token like this. Once upon a time it was prestigious to be a host on KGO, but not anymore. Audience is down, brand is tarnished. Why keep at it?
DeletePat Thurston is one of the remaining intelligent hosts on KGO. I don't know how Brent Walters and Red Eye Radio remain: Absolutely no relevance to this market.
Delete7:42, I see where you're coming from. Stick a fork in KGO--it's done.
ReplyDeleteYet I do think it is worth the time and effort to discuss this. It would be easy to say that these are the times we live in, that mergers, consolidation, and "synergy" rule the corporate world, but still the piece-by-piece dismantling, like a Lego building that an 8-year-old is tired of after two days, of a heritage radio station that many of us grew up with and still serves, or used to, a real purpose for news, information, and entertainment, is worth discussing in detail.
There is not a thing we can do about KGO, or all the other Cumulus properties, but not to yell about them would be wrong.
I think that what makes us angriest about such things is that a group of people (the Dickey brothers serve as Exhibit A) make such decisions for us not simply based on "hitting the numbers" to make the purchase look good financially, but on assuming that we here, or in Los Angeles (where our beloved Jim Ladd was bounced), or anywhere, will NOT NOTICE ANY DIFFERENCE in canned syndicated programming instead of what we have had. That is an insult to our intelligence.
Did you guys know that Cumulus Media was a partner of Bain Capital?... 'nuff said.
Stacy Taylor is solid. This is very dissapointing. He along with Thurston as well as Hamilton and Walters are all I hear on KGONE on weekends. How in the hell is it that they keep the comedian? He must have pictures indeed. If Stacy can be heard on other outlets I hope you let us know. I can't wait to hear Mel "the trench coat with 5 pink slips" Baker spin this one....
ReplyDeleteThe "comedian" works for peanuts. That's why.
DeleteUnforunately the poster at 7:42 has a point.
ReplyDeleteStacey Taylor's show was very good. What a shame.
ReplyDeleteHmmmm... replacing local talk on the weekends with more news... then the news doesn't draw the listeners, so the folks at the home office get rid of all the news, except for one or two people to handle the "local breaks" during the sydicated shows that are added. No local talk people; only a couple of news "talkers" and voila, you have just reduced your payroll by a bunch. I watched them doing this with other stations around the country in minor markets. I would have never considered they would destroy a major market station like KGO... but they have.
ReplyDeleteSure hope Stacy Taylor resurfaces up here he was a good listen
ReplyDeleteYes, he sure was/is!
DeleteStacy Taylor was the only remaining talker at KGone that I still listened to. I'm saddened to hear of his impending departure. I agree with 10:16 that I hope Stacy resurfaces in the Bay Area.
ReplyDeleteNow there is no reason left at all to listen to KGone. Buh bye!
I hope there's a special place in Hell for the Cumulus management team that has systematically destroyed what used to be a local media asset. Maybe they can spend all eternity programming a tin can on a string.
Hope 910 picks up Taylor! He would could join the Bay Area Allstars!
ReplyDeleteThat is a lot of talk show hosts filling a very small space.I am also curious to know, when Gene Burns recovers then what? How many of these hosts are gonna be on the air then?
DeleteSo they're cutting from the top - getting rid of the best people (Stacy Taylor) first. Then Christine Craft will have to be next even though she doesn't have a regular spot. Sorry to see you go Stacy; I liked you and your show.
ReplyDeleteI disagree with 7:42. It is important; it's what's happening to the world as we knew it. I check Rich several times a day. I agree with 9:16 p.m. KGO was with me through many of the major events of the past decades. I wish there was something I could do. I wish that the story "What Cumulus Did To KGO And It's Listeners," was getting more attention,
I am just SICK!!! For a bit, I refused to listen to any KGO after the bloodbath, because I was so livid with management for what they did to our long time family. After thinking about it, I believed that if I listened to the talkers whom I did enjoy (Stacy and Christine), it would show KGO that yes, some people do want INTELLIGENT TALK RADIO. Now this? I can not believe it! Stacy and Christine are fabulous at what they do, and to lose their talent is an absolute shame. I can not believe what these moronic corporate heads are doing to a once beloved station. Just horrible!
ReplyDelete@7:58pm: Kim Komando is not hot. Have you seen that nose on her? Deal breaker. Also what's up with that hair? She looks like she is wearing Malachy the Pekingese dog show winner on her head. The final nail in the coffin is that she wears manly button up shirts. Definitely not hot. Proof once again that way too many men get blinded by blond hair.
ReplyDeleteWhen Stacy was on KFMB-AM 760 in San Diego his last day on air was a triad. Very funny and a good peak behind the fourth wall. He went on to KOGO-AM and KLSD-AM in the market. To have him not on air anywhere is a travesty. Then again, radio, especially AM talk radio, is more canned than live and controlled by a couple of companies nationwide. Outside of a few fringe players, talk radio is dead as there is usual an extreme right view. While George Noory and the weekend crew at Coast To Coast AM, and Alex Jones, continue to question everything, I don't know of any host that does that -- except Stacy Taylor.
ReplyDeleteNot a fan of Stacy. He's a grumpy, jaded, closed minded man. Not fun to listen to.
ReplyDeleteSorry Stacy.
Total fan of Stacy. No BS kinda host. Truthful and unapologetic. Not a kiss a$$...will seriously miss him.
DeleteI can't believe this. I once had a public affairs radio program.I've only listened to him for 4 months, but he is without a doubt the on air talent that is closest to my philosophy. How do I get in touch with him? I'm looking for a place on his website, other than a general blog. Does anyone know if there a specific incident that canned him?.
ReplyDeleteAs if a mental midget like Taylor ever deserved a radio show in the first place
ReplyDeleteI have generally stopped listening to KGO since the long-time commentators/hosts were so abruptly fired due to the "format change." Recently, I started listening again on weekends, only to find that Stacy Taylor is out. The whole Cumulus gameplan seems pretty crazy considering the SFBay market political demographics. I once listened to the BS redeye dweebos in the early AM and they were beyond belief: rumor, innuendo, and nothing that would stand up to a bit of factual research. Vomitus! Seems like this syndicated and uber-conservative format might be the gradual path for this station. But, money talks & maybe the advertisers will cut out, and cut out in mass!!! Here's to that or a big change in what is happening for the good of the SFBay area and the owners of the station!
ReplyDeleteNo, I am not anonymous!
Marguerite Johnson in Alamp