PUBLIC PEOPLE in high profile positions like TV NEWS most often have to relinquish their privacy...especially if they're married and boning other men and women.*KGO Radio's Pat Thurston will be filling in for Ronn Owens this (Wednesday) morning--Owens is sick (a nasty chest cold) In fact, Thurston had to fill in on Tuesday right after the first hour as Owens tried to do a full show but sounded so awful and was so sick, management told him to go home.
Owens health is a question of great concern at KGO and other lingering medical issues have made a lot of things difficult of late. Even though we disagree with his past issues and present-day peccadilloes we wish him a speedy recovery.
*The State of Cumulus-SF stations: KSFO is under the radar with more-than-average numbers and performing profitable work for an operation with only 4 people on the staff; KNBR, Cumulus' cash cow, essentially pays for the FM stations and KGO, as it's presently constituted. Which is sad.
KGO Radio has essentially become Cumulus' warehouse --picking up Cal and Stanford sports broadcasts; home of taped real estate and health shows plus a god-awful local travel show. Don't forget, NO NEWS now on the weekend. Updates? Gone.
KGO = Cumulus Warehouse for Oral DogShit.
ReplyDeletei like john hamilton on sunday...they should bring back brent walters god talk
ReplyDeleteBrent Walters was horrendous radio. As much as his politics bother me I'd prefer that filthy Rabbi Lapin over Walters. At least the rabbi tried to be entertaining whereas Walters' nonstop reading for hours was from scripture was nauseating.
DeleteKGO's "new" role is perfect as the 50,000-watt position has become a vast wasteland for garbage. Landfill smells better than the dreck called programming on that station. Greed, selfishness and bullying have taken down a great station. Pity.
ReplyDeleteI've even caught the regular female hosts that everyone seems to adore here on this blog slipping or talking about subjects they have limited knowledge of only to be schooled by callers...it's not just Ronn.
ReplyDeleteChristine, take a bow.
Deletewith all due respect to your request, I'm not a regular female host on KGO. I've not been on for well over a month..I do fill-in..nothing more, nothing less..now try again.
DeleteToo fat to bow (I get it).
DeleteWho wants to bet that John Madden will NOT come back to KCBS or any other media. His declining health & his current attitude indicate that he doesn't want to do it anymore. So sayeth my source.
ReplyDeleteI really enjoy Pat filling in for Ronn, wish she had the noon spot instead of Chip Franklin...he is really, really annoying. Oh, my gosh, "regular female hosts talking about subjects that they have limited knowledge of and need to be schooled by callers" Oh, please limit them to talking about food and child rearing... or as some of you note...their bra size...but please do not let them speak of politics, or world affairs...you know...those "manly" topics....
ReplyDeleteSexist much? Tell us how you really feel about women.
DeleteHe just did. Deal with it.
DeleteRight over your head 12:32
DeleteI too decry the demolition that has been done to KGO Radio. Not only because of their programming actions, but it is a waste of a beautiful 50K signal. The KGO of old is gone - dead and buried, complaining about it, will not bring it back. No news on the weekend. Who cares? If news is what I want, I'd be on KCBS, and no where else on the radio.
ReplyDeleteMiss the likes of Ray taliaferro, Karel, Gene Burns. Also bring back Russ Riera who did the restaurant talk local stuff, Briana Laub with tv talk. Get rid of Ryan Scott and his "rockstar" get rid of heckle and jeckyl and the cackling news. What ever happened to Len Tillem. The station turned to crap years ago
ReplyDeleteTotally agree on all you said. Len's on Ronnnn's show sometimes but give him his old hour slot @ 12p back. Very entertaining show. He had a show briefly on 910 but it didn't last long. Yet Gil and Corey & Joel are still on and the ratings are sinking badly on 910.
DeleteRonnnnn should retire tomorrow. He had a good 40 year run but it's time to hang it up. Doesn't sound as sharp as a few years ago and his show's are just meh anymore. Give Pat and John Rothmann a slot during the week. Dump Drex and Put Chip on later or on weekends. Give Christie her own show on weekends. She's filled in forever and deserves a permanent slot.
ReplyDeleteI agree with everything in this comment.
DeleteI'm just getting over that same chest cold Ronn has and it's no joke.
ReplyDeleteIt's really time for Ronn to hang it up for good. Like it or not, it's over Ronn, you should go out on top instead of the bottom where you are heading very fast. If Rama, HD and David in Sacramento didn't call in you wouldn't even have a show. Run while you can.
ReplyDeleteHere's an idea for replacing the afternoon news block. What about a hybrid of news and pay-to-play lifestyle talk? Do three or four minutes of traffic/weather and something on the quarter hour: traffic/weather and sports at :00, traffic/weather and local news at :15, traffic/weather and business/tech news at :30 and traffic/weather and national/world news at :45? In between have a host or maybe two interviewing anyone and everyone who is in the area promoting everything and anything on a pay-to-play basis...books, bands, broadway shows, street fairs, restaurant week, assorted festivals, concerts, cat shows, bay cruises, parades, carnivals, charity fundraisers, blood drives, etc, etc, etc. I think it has potential.
ReplyDeleteSounds like a constant commercial or promotion which it already is.
DeleteThe saddest thing about the Cumulus situation is that KNBR employees have to to pull the freight for all those over paid KGO empolyees. KNBR producers and board ops aren't on par with KGO board ops.YET NO BODY listens to KGO. Pat Thurston and her tired old act isn't going to help the ratings. They keep doing the same thing at KGO expecting a different result.
ReplyDeleteI assuem a KNBR staffer sent this. My do I regret that we fought like hell during the union talks to up the rates and all but blew up the talks to try and get you guys into the AFTRA health and retirement plan. KNBR is a great station, but mostly because it lucked out and got team franchise broadcast rights when the teams were in the tank.
DeleteSounds good to me, have nothing against Ronn, am not sure how his Parkinson's affects his everyday quality of work, as far as I can tell his mind is still sharp, but his voice for the most part, even when he does not have a cold does not sound good, perhaps he could do just 2 days and John Rothmann 3 days. I'm all for dumping Drex he adds nothing, kind of like Chip, but don't listen to him a lot either I'm working or I listen to Tom Sullivan on 1530 am, even though I often disagree with him, I like his style. Not sure Christine wants a full time gig, I believe she has other things to keep her occupied. I for one wouldn't mind hearing a little more of Brian Copeland, his show on Sundays was cut to 2 hours, but he too is busy with other interests, writing, performing etc.
ReplyDeleteI still enjoy listening to Pat and Christine when she is on, but the rest of the programming is just background noise. I agree that it's time for Ronn to retire. Chip is full of shit most of the time and always forgetting names and events. Drex is awful.
ReplyDeleteWhat's with the speeded up spots for Micheal Finney and Pat Vitucci in the morning? So stupid.
I work from a home office and broadcast radio will not work in here so I listen online. Recently the online feed has been gone for hours at a time. I guess I don't miss it.
KGO is not that bad...It's....What, I can get 2 for 1 my pillows.......................
ReplyDeleteKGO's not that bad...It's so............Wait, what!....I can get 2 for 1 pillows......................
ReplyDelete"PUBLIC PEOPLE in high profile positions like TV NEWS most often have to relinquish their privacy...especially if they're married and boning other men and women."
ReplyDeleteActually, they do not. What they do when they're at work, on the air, is undoubtedly available for praise or criticism. What they do when they're not on the clock is none of your damn business. Try being informative rather than being a rumor mongering cock fight promoter, Rich.
Why does Blowensteinnnnnn continue to hold on for dear life for his spot? It is very unbecoming and pathetic. Is he in heavy debt? Hang it up dude.
ReplyDeleteI have heard him say, more than once, that he has no other interests and wouldn't have anything to do if he wasn't on the air.
Delete