Mickey Luckoff has the cachet to put together a deal and bring the former KGO talk hosts that were dismissed last year to a new available property.
It never materialized.
But there's some talk that the veteran Bay Area broadcast exec is quietly, very quietly, working behind the scenes to make one more last vital attempt.
A deal would require a whole lot of breaks, financial considerations and some luck too. My insiders say some of the core group of players have met and are "looking at all possible avenues." Don't know all the specifics now, and truly, there's still a lot of debate whether or not Luckoff may be able to work it out, but what if he's just one of the players? That's right, another or perhaps a silent, but powerful partner could be in the mix.
And don't necessarily think AM radio here. And yes, one of the current KGOne tonsils may be saved by the Mickster.
We will explore further and get you the gist once we know more details.
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Let's hope if true, it materializes. Something has to be done to counter the idiocy currently on air...
ReplyDeleteCachet counts for nothing unless you are at a cocktail party. In business, you need $$$ and smarts.
ReplyDeleteLuckoff probably has the latter and maybe has the former, but cachet won't get him anywhere.
Is he going to buy 910am? Rothman, Gross, Burn, Tillem all work for 910am now.
ReplyDeleteJohn Rothman works only part time for 910 am, I'm sure he would love a steady gig, and us, his fans would love for him to have a steady gig. I don't think we should count on Gene, but here is some names to throw into the mix: Ronn Owens, Ray Talifaro, Stacy Taylor, Peter B, Christine Kraft (I thinks she is more interested in having a show than being on KGO)until I heard Stacy Taylor on KGO several months ago (maybe a year ago) I had never heard of him, same with Peter B Collins, so I'm sure there are other hosts out there who would like to be associated with a good radio station. No one is going to like every hosts, just because some don't like Ronn much these days, does not mean that he won't get ratings. I love his shows on some subjects, not so much on others, but he is a pro and can get heavyweights on his show (Feinstein, others).
DeleteLen Tillem, Gill Gross, Lloyd Lindsay Young, Dr. Bill Wattenburg. They all work for Clear Channel. Gene Burns is in poor health. Which former KGO hosts would be on this fictional station?
ReplyDeleteWhy do they hosts have to be former KGO hosts? They just have to be good and preferably independent, no right or left wing talking points. Yes, some hosts would probably be former KGO hosts, but there are other talents out there who would do well in the Bay Area.
DeleteThere are quite a few successful FM talkers but many failures. The difference is in the selection and motivation of talent, along with the whole-hearted buy-in of management. That's the secret sauce of the winning consultants.
ReplyDeleteHow is Gene Burns doing these days? Is he making a slow recovery? I hope he gets better no matter what!!!
ReplyDelete"And yes, one of the current KGOne tonsils may be saved by the Mickster. "
ReplyDeleteOh not Ronn! I wish him only the best but the best off radio, he is quite dull these days ...
Agreed. If a new Luckoff led station takes off and brings in Mattress Man they'd lose credibility instantly. That pussy Owens takes the gloves off against Jimmy Carter but when his colleagues were summarily fired he elected to talk cell phones. Schmuck! For all their faults, Thurston, Craft and Karel spoke at length about the firings. Lowenstein the ” Rainmaker” and his friend, The Disingenuous Black ”Man” cowered behind the mic and showed the type of spineless men they are...
DeleteIs he a "rainamker" these days?
DeleteWhen you call KGO, you get right on, something that rarely happened in the past.
Ronn was there right place, right time, with the new rage. For all the crap Rush takes, he outworks Ronn 5 to 1. What does Ronn do? Re-se tired old guests who are caught in 1985, like Dr. Harry Edwards and Dr. Dean Edell.
I would not be surprised if his associates buy AM860-The Big 86er.
ReplyDeleteUsually something good..is copied. I'm surprised that for all the old KGO love..none of those stations that have a strong signal..well,decent, stick with elevator music. Not one is interested in bringing back thinking talk news back?..not that Wally George and Rush KSFO hatefests,.eh, "talk".
ReplyDeleteLets hope the Mickster can buy 910am or KGOne and bring every one back!
ReplyDeletePlease, not Taliaferro, Bernie Ward, and even Ronn Owens seems off his game, unable to comprehend the disaster that is Obama. (Deficit, Israel, golf-mad, etc.)
ReplyDeleteA 100% liberal bent wouldn't work for me; what I liked about KGO was though it was largely liberal, it had some tru diversity of thought. Lee Rogers (in the past), Dr. Bill, Jim Gabbert and Gene Burns, as well as Bob Brinker.
Would Gabbert and Brinker want a piece of the action?
BTW, not sure about Lynn Jimenez as a financial "expert".. she said last week that we had a 7% tax rate in America, and seems perfectly OK with the Obama Spending Spree.
What do folks think about national talk host John Bachelor?
Were your shorts also in a bunch when Bush was on his 8 yr bender? Went to war in two different places and didn't pay for it! Gave an unprecedented tax CUT during wartime. Created a brand new entitlement, Medicare D, and didn't pay for it. Presided over the most calamitous financial crisis since the Great Depression. Came in to office with a surplus and left with a gaping deficit and a financial collapse. Hey, and Paul Ryan, Mr. Let's Kill Medicare, voted with him all the way!
DeleteI would love to have Gene Nelson back on the air.
DeleteWas I happy about the year Bush had a $400 Billion deficit? No. Was I happy about Medicare - were *both* party's wanted to BUY the senior vote, to win the election? No. Was I happy about the second war? No.
DeleteFor the record, Bush's last deficit was what - $150 Billion? What has Obama's deficit's been for 4 years - $1.5 TRILLION per year! FOUR TIMES Bush's highest deficit.
Per the financial crisis, have you ever read how Barney Frank and his cohorts wanted *every American* to own a jhome, regardless of income or credit history? How they THREATENED the bannks with lawsuits if they didn't loan to folks with poor credit, with no down payment, to people of color? Helped create the bubble, and the burst.
Defict was not "gaping" when he left, only $150 Billion.
BTW, Obama cut $700 BILLION from Medicare!
How come you never came to this forum to denounce Bush? Your ilk called poor Gene Burns many times to defend Bush. You think going back to Bush type policies will bring prosperity? Get outta here. Romney would be a disaster. I am not happy with Obama, but once again we are faced with choosing the lesser of two evils
Deletetalk host John Bachelor
DeleteThat is an excellent suggestion.
Re: Anonymous 9:24, "Per the financial crisis, have you ever read how Barney Frank and his cohorts wanted *every American* to own a jhome, regardless of income or credit history".
DeleteDo you remember George W. waxing rhapsodic over the "ownership society" one of his hairbrained plans like privatizing social security? I'm sure you've forgotten it since you blame everyone but. Look, there's plenty of blame to go around and we need a good radio station with hosts that don't forget recent history and who are provocative without selling their souls (or ours).
Mickey Luckoff would be crazy to try and return to radio these days. One of the reasons he probably left radio was that he saw the handwriting on the wall when the Cumuluses, the Clear Channels, and the Infinities of the broadcasting world starting absorbing an alarming number of radio stations. This is not a 'Brave New World,'
ReplyDeletebut rather, sadly, a 'Dumb New World!'
He left because Cumulus was undermining him. He said they were not good people. I am certain he wants to comeback and kick their ass. Here is hoping sans Gadget Man
DeleteGo Mickey go! It would be so satisfying if we former listeners of KGO got a new local station populated with our all-stars (especially Rothmann...it's criminal that in this election time he does not have a show). 8:13 mentioned Gene Nelson. Wow!
DeleteJim Gabbert is JUST the impresario to join in! He's a maverick and a risk taker. I think he would enjoy this David and Goliath challenge.
I hope Mickey is able to do it! Bring back Ray Taliaferro, John Rothman, Gene Burns if he is able, Joannie Greggains, and hire Pat Thurston, Stacy Taylor, Peter B. Collins and Bernie Ward, when he gets out of prison. I miss him. I wish I could hear him TODAY!
ReplyDeleteI say put them on a web site called "bayareanewstalk.com" or something...stream it on tune in, itunes, radio.com, etc and be done with the expensive terrestrial radio of the 20th century! Pay them well and promote the hell out of the show! It is 2012 folks...let's stop trying to put together expensive 20th century radio stations!
ReplyDeleteWish the best of luck to anyone that could bring the old KGO back I no longer listen to it and do miss the old shows that were so well rounded. All you get now is a a few right wing wack jobs the times I would be listening. Sure would enjoy hearing Gene and John during the coming war with Iran and their views on the upcoming Presidential election.
ReplyDeleteThank you Rich for staying on top of this. I am in north Idaho and you keep me posted on what's happening with John Rothmann and his co-workers. I miss those people so much. Thank you, Sir, for doing the work here.
ReplyDeleteCould Jim Gabbert pull it off?
ReplyDeleteHas KSCO's Michael Zwerling given up the idea of trying to replicate KGO on his family-owned Santa Cruz station. He's got Dr. Bill Wattenburg, but that's all, pulling down a weekday shift. The KSCO Web banner, which was up for a while, "If you liked KGO, you'll love KSCO," has been removed.
What kind of ratings are the Loyah Len Tillem and Gil Gross, the Cabinet Man (he's constantly plugging a cabinet-making company), pulling down on 910 in the afternoons? Do listeners enjoy Gross' show more on Fridays when his wife Rhoda joins him behind the mic? Why doesn't 910 replace Alan Colmes in the 7-10 slot weeknights with local host John Rothman?
Great questions raised by your post. The problem with KSCO is that MZ is hooked on Rush, Alex Jones and 24/7 infommercials on weekends. In recent weeks Dr. Bill has been off more often than not. Even he probably realizes KSCO is not the answer. Ever hear Kay Zwerling's rambling editorials? God, The Military and Donald Trump are her guiding lights (nuff said). I do not see any effort on KSCO's part to raise their level. Besides Dr. Bill, no one on their regular talk show rotation is any good. Some of the hosts sound like they got pulled off the street.
DeleteAs to 910am I enjoy the Cabinet Man nickname, almost as good as Montemanure for the screamer on KGO weekends. I do not enjoy Rhoda on Fridays AT ALL. A couple of weeks back Gil had his son on for the whole show. I am expecting his second cousin and moyel up next as sidekicks. Why not bring Rosie Allen? I enjoyed the Friday shows with Allen and Baxter. Rhoda and Gil is bad radio. She adds NADA!
I have been advocating for Rothman to be on from 7pm to 10pm. Make it happen 910am! Colmes is a bore and this is coming from a true Marxist.
This is a super idea! Time will tell to see if its an option.
ReplyDeleteI'm ambivalent about the talk radio format, where having and defending an opinion is valued above reasoned discourse; but I appreciated most of the old hosts for welcoming and engaging reasoned callers. Gene Burns was especially good at it. Still, if some version of the old format finds a single home on the dial, I hope they pair off hosts with contrary views and force them to engage. More discourse, less pontification.
ReplyDeletePresident-elect Mitt Romney! Vice President-elect Paul Ryan! Humm Baby, these next eight years are gonna be fun!!!
ReplyDeleteYes they will! Complete and total collapse of the economy!!! Let Romney and Ryan finish the job Bush started!!.Wooohooooooo
DeleteIf anyone can pull it off it is Luckoff.
ReplyDeleteLet hope he and Jim Gabbert are able to find an AM outlet.