Saturday, May 25, 2013

Breaking: Broadcaster Gene Burns has died


Gene Burns has passed away.

Cause of death is unknown but Burns has had several health issues of late, including a recent stroke.

Burns worked at KGO Radio before getting dismissed in 2011 and had a long storied career in radio and won numerous industry awards.




39 comments:

  1. So sorry to hear the bad news. I listened to Gene just about every night when he was on KGO. I still miss his show.

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  2. May Gene Burns Rest In Peace. He was very much a classical and brilliant gentleman with amazing language skills. I have very much missed him since his leaving the old KGO and my Saturday mornings have never been the same without Gene Burns. Besides his 7-10p spot, I just loved his Dining Around show. Gene could never be replaced on the air and in my heart. Marisa Lara

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  3. I offer my sympathies to his family and his inner circle. He will be missed.

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  4. With Gene, Talk radio died.

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    1. Indeed, good talk-radio died today. RIP Mr. Burns.

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    2. I agree! I for one will not listen to the "tribute" that KGO is doing tonight. Talk about hypocritical....I have not listened to that station since that terrible day of the firings!!!

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    3. Gene Burns is the most incredible thinker and speaker I have ever listened to. He taught all of us the power of language. Listening to Gene on a regular basis was a profound education. Whether politics, issues of the day or dining around on Saturdays Gene was a class act in every respect. KGO should have kept Gene on air ... Ronn in the morning ... Gene in the evening & on Saturday with dining around. KGO made a terrible mistake and the loss to the bay area is imeasureable. May God Bless You Gene Burns and Thank You for all that you gave to your listeners everyday!

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  5. I always found Gene's voice comforting on long commutes. His points were salient and I missed him from the first day the pond scum at Cumulus fired him. RIP Mr. Burns.

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  6. listened to fiery gene every day...great and brave guy....didn't get to meet him til i was performing at the walnut creek art and wine faire....was exactly who you heard.....cept perhaps more amiable/amicable.0.....miss ya gene
    michael sea

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  7. No one prepared for a show like Gene Burns. I enjoyed his shows more than any other of his ilk.

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  8. Very sad news. Rest in peace Gene Burns. You are missed.

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  9. I've missed him everyday since Dec. 1, 2011. Gene Burns was one in a million.

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  10. So very sad. What remains of his archived shows will tell someone decades from now what radio USED to be like. He made my drive time home enjoyable (even in heavy traffic), and many times I would sit in my car after arrival at my garage just to hear him complete his thoughts and discussions with callers. I guess radio as we knew it is dead?

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    1. "Sitting in the car and waiting to hear him complete his thoughts".
      Very true 3:38pm poster. I found myself doing just that on many occasions.

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  11. This does end the era of great talk radio.  I am so sad.  I knew when Gene lost his ability to order/understand words properly following the stroke that this would  kill his spirit, because he loved words and language and he was not afraid to use them!

    He only SOUNDED pompous when you first heard him, but after a short while you realized that he was a regular guy, born poor and raised in upstate New York.  He worked for his success and it was well deserved. He loved his family and stayed fiercely loyal to them.

    Gene could "work" a call...often a belligerent one, and often going overtime screwing up the bottom of the hour news, until by the sheer force of his intellect and wit, and his doggedness, he won the caller over or finally dismissed him in a spectacular volley  of bye bye vitriol. And in this say 35 minute block of talk and arguing, we, the audience were riveted, because it was great radio.

    He had a soft side, no where more evident than when he interviewed the "Cookie Exchange" ladies about their proud creations.  He gave them their moment; he made their moment.  He would regularly bring me to tears at Christmas, with his reciting of "The Gift of the Magi", even though I damn well knew how the story turns out.

    I miss his voice. I never heard a bad word or negative thing said about him.  That, in itself, is an amazing tribute.

    Good night, Mr. Burns.  You are missed. You were loved; I hope you knew that.

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    1. Gene loved to tangle with "Mike in San Jose".

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  12. I used to listen to him on my way home from work in the evenings. It's hard to believe he is gone. RIP Gene. You are already missed!

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  13. Great and generous man. Dining Around was a fantastic program for everyone who loved food & the restaurant scene.

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  14. I am saddened to hear of Gene's death. I listened to him religiously (No pun intended, Gene would have
    loved it (:) most evenings and he was Mr. Dining Around in my book, and always will be. Finally some decent food in heaven. Gene will be missed.

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  15. The crowning blow was when those as....les at Cumulus forcibly removed him from the building when they conducted their purge in 2011 at KGO. Gene suffered a stroke a short time later and never recovered. He probably wouldn't have been around for more than a few more years, but Cumulus made his life miserable and took a bay area favorite off the air in one fell swoop. Corporate radio...arrogant, clueless, and heartless. The listeners lose a good man, and the world is a worse place. I hope the Lou Dickeys of the world end up getting their just deserts someday, (like bankruptcy or jail time!)

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  16. Ranjit MavinkurveMay 25, 2013 at 5:36 PM

    Gene was a legend. I stopped listening to KGO after his departure from the radio station. Gene was simply the best. I loved his perfect diction and vocabulary. I also loved listening to Dining Around on weekends. On his weekday evening talk show, I was always amused when the occasional caller would get him to lose his cool. But that was relatively rare. He was widely respected by everyone. I enjoyed listening to him immensely and will miss him.

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  17. Rest In Peace Gene...and Thank You for all you gave us....Shame on Cumulus for the way they treated him...will never listen to any of their programs... We lost a wonderful human being...this was a better place because of him

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  18. RIP Gene Burns, Cumulus I will never forgive you for your disrespect of him. And you have the nerve to do tribute to him. Shame on all of you. I loved dining around.

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  19. His voice and command of the English language will never be equaled. His monolouges routinely caused me to sit in the car long after I'd arrived home from work.

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  20. Good, articulate talk radio died today along with Gene Burns. You are missed.

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  21. Rest in Peace Gene... We missed your voice, your laughter, your vents, your opinions.. but, most of all, we miss you! You will never be forgotten!

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  22. Listened to Pat Thurston's show from 6:30 tonite (worked to 6:30)
    it was really nice to hear all the familiar voices, Ronn, Ray, John Rothman, others, Mike Amatori called in, apparently he is having some health problems (does Rich or others have any idea when and if he might be back at KGO, always loved his work) himself. Went on KGO's webpage, they had a nice write up on Gene.
    However, one sentences stood out, it said something like this: Gene had had several health problems in recent years, including strokes, which caused him to step away from the microphone. A little rewriting of history, and very self serving at that. To my recollection Gene had health problems for years, and probably had some mini strokes (tia) before being fired from KGO (he often fell or fainted with no warning) but he did not step away from the mike, he was fired by Cumulus management and a few weeks later he suffered a major stroke. I am thankful that at least management allowed current and past hosts to remember Gene.

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    1. Shameful re-write of history by Cumulus. Us Bay Area-ites know the truth.

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  23. Very, very sad. I very much enjoyed listening to Gene driving home. Sometimes I would get home before he was done with his segment and I would stay in my car and listen until he was done. I really do believe the way KGone treated him in the great December purge led to his major stroke due to stress. Damn the Dickeys. God bless Gene and his family.

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  24. What a great guy to listen to and learn from. I wish we had more people like him. The world would be a more civilized place. He will be missed so very much ...

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  25. I miss you Gene.... I've missed you since they sent you away from KGO...I miss the dinners, the jokes, the silliness, the Christmas party, the trip Mendocino....You reminded us all the importance of education, the importance of language, the importance of humanity. Your legacy is love. I will miss you Gene.....your voice...someone once said "the voice of God"

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  26. I used to tell time in my commute home by when Gene Burns came on the air. I was entertained, even though I might not have agreed with him, especially when he had one of those calls. One of my favorite shows that Gene Burns did was back in 2007 when Pete Wilson passed away and Gene took over his spot temporarily to give him probably one of the best sendoffs I ever heard. Hopefully Gil Gross, Len Tillem, Ronn Owens and even Ray Taliaferro, Karel, Brian Copeland, Bill Wattenburg and John Rothmann give him the same kind of sendoff.

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  27. Sad news and a reminder of the small-minded people at Cumulus. May their karma follow them!

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  28. The Big Man is gone,R.I.P.Mr. Burns

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  29. RIP Gene Burns Tribute 10:00PM Sunday night.

    Gene, your wit and intelligence will be missed.

    Pretty sure Gene was a fan of the Tillem show (Cumulus-kgo let him go too) Listen to Len (I'm a Lawya) Tillem's new podcast.

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  30. Damn I sure do miss Gene's Dining Around show. It really kept me in touch with many things happening in the culinary circle in the Bay Area. And the Cookie Exchange.....a delightful yearly happening that I looked forward to. It was a good thing, a comforting time. We will all miss Gene and talented givings.

    May the heads of the Dickey boys be made into Taliban pie.

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