It was, for a period of time, one of the most admired legacy stations in the Bay Area and beyond. KGO was universally envied by the broadcast industry as not only a perennial #1 but a close-knit, "family" radio station with virtually no turnover and amazing stability.
So, yes, inevitably it all had to end but end this way?
Jimenez was always among the best Business reporters in the Bay Area. Ciolino got a raw deal about a year before the 2011 purge. Dr. Edell retired just in time before it all broke loose. And of course, everybody knows the messes made or being made by Bristow, Copeland, Owens, Ward, and most recently, Shumann.
ReplyDeleteAnd local television is next. The audience continues to get older and the viewing numbers, except for large events, gets smaller.
ReplyDeleteReally miss the wisdom of Dr. Dean. And wife and I just talking about Bob Brinker, money talk, another great down to earth show.
ReplyDeleteA hippie in his younger days, Edell derided hippie culture and its connection to the "Vitamin and Health Food Industry" during his TV and Radio career. It was strongly suspected that he was on the take from multiple industries during his media career, using the "Skeptic" and "Science-Based" guises to supposedly "debunk" competing interests. Along with his snide cracks and contradictions, the man had/has the beadiest eyes I've ever seen!
DeleteDr. Dean moved to Mendocino County when he retired, where he has resumed his hippie lifestyle. He has stated that one of his hobbies is growing "organic" produce. What a hypocrite! Or is it Hippiecrite?!
If you miss Bob Brinker and don't know, he is on KSFO on Sunday's, might be Saturday, anyway he is 3 hours in the afternoon on one of those days, I think from 1 to 4 p.m.
Deletethanks
DeleteI started listening to KGO on occasion around the time the (first) Irag war broke out. Drifted away during the O.J. saga, and again in 1998, when 'Bill and Monica' dominated talk radio.
ReplyDeleteDamn, those were the days. Almost every hour was great, 24/7, 7 days a week. Now, crap every hour except when Pat and John are on. Even blowhard Dr.Bill was okay to tune in once in awhile as long as he stayed away from politics and didn't talk down to some listeners..
ReplyDeletePat and John are interesting to listen to, although they are passionately anti-trump.
DeleteDr. Bill was the only sensible voice when it came to politics. The others? Look at the mess the state is in financially now. Nothing else needs to be said.
DeleteLook at that sea of white. Never again in the Bay Area, you are correct. We sold out.
ReplyDeleteAll the hosts are still white.
DeleteIt was sarcasm.
DeleteI wonder if one of Brian Copelands family members took the pictures?
Bernie ward, oh man. Definitely a much better lineup back then. Now they got Chip Franklin, lol.
ReplyDeleteI wore out 2 CC radios from the Crane Co., Fortuna, CA. listening to all those people. I have a third CC radio in my kitchen but I don't listen to talk radio anymore.
ReplyDeleteThose were the "good old days" certainly rings true and always will...I salute them all!!
Are any of them still on KGO?
ReplyDeleteRich Walcoff maybe? I remember hearing him a few years ago.
Wow..... You made my day!!! I just assumed I was totally forgotten, but look here..... My photo, with the KGO lineup, AND my last theme song TAKE FIVE!!!
ReplyDelete(The "suits" in the offices suggested I NOT use Brubeck, but I insisted...and it was one of the smart things I did. Not only one of the greatest records ever released, but an enormous hit, and remembered by many. Keep up your good work.....SF needs your sharp comment, even as that once great city slides off the dial. It was once something special, with good people on the air and off...
I quit listening years ago, and can't imagine any reason to ever listen again.
And, I occasionally hear from former listeners...great people!! Thanks to them, too. Jim Eason, formerly KGO radio's "afternoon guy."
So nice to hear from you Mr. Eason. Do what you can, but behave yourself.
DeleteGreat to hear from Jim Eason, one of the greats of Bay Area Talk Shows. I think he once worked at KNEW with Joe Dolan and a very young Ray Taliaferro.
DeleteI always wondered what happened to Joe Dolan
Jim Eason - a great professional - and remembered from my drives back from school
DeleteJim will always be one of the kings of radio. What a great voice. Great to hear from him.
DeleteJim Eason, I smuggled a radio in to work so I could listen to you in the afternoon. The KGO lineup then was terrific and converted me to talk radio from pop music. I so miss those discussions and am sad that they will most likely never return. I now listen to KCBS because KGO is so bad unless I catch an evening show once in a while. So good to hear from you and I repeat "Do what you can but behave yourself".
DeleteNow that was radio. Not like the crap you hear these days. Today, radio stations in this market sound like something you can get in Fresno and Modesto. Hell, even radio in Yuma, Ariz. sounds better than what's in SF. Satellite radio -- that's where it's at!
ReplyDelete.... and look what it's come to, what we have now. If 810 was an embarrassment it would be an improvement!!!
ReplyDeleteAnd then there was Duane Garrett, natively (by that I mean from the first step) the best talk show host I ever heard. Too bad he wasn't as good at swimming. At least KGO got me through school in the 90's.
ReplyDeleteJim, “do what you can, but behave Yo self!”
ReplyDeleteForgot Tori Campbell was in radio
ReplyDeleteDoes KGO even have that many on-air people, today???
ReplyDeleteI miss Gene Burns
ReplyDeleteI served with Ray Taliaffero on the AFTRA Local Board when I was at KFRC. One of the nicest people I met on my Magical Mystery Tour of big market radio. Liz Jimenez is married to one of the great friends I found while working at KFRC and KSFX. You'll have to ask Ben Fong-Torres about KSFX ��.
ReplyDeleteWhen cumulus bought it it turned to poo. :( Shaun nix! Where did she go?? Len tillem!! Karel!!! Dr Dean ! Bernie ward hahaha oh no! OMG and always screaming at ray overnight lol it shaped my days and nights for over a decade; up at night with my babies and kgo on the ccradio .. and even tho I live rurally in Humboldt it truly made me feel engaged, and a part of the bay area community . Now I'm sad and alone. kgo is just canned a.m.... like anytown USA.
ReplyDeleteYep, that brings back memories; heck, I have never seen pictures of some of those folks but I still remember their names! When I left the Bay Area for San Diego in 1992, KGO (and KCBS) were the stations I would always try to tune in during my evening commutes. Alas, I then started to follow the whole Granite thing with KNTV and the unwinding of the power-five Bay area TV and radio stations... :(
ReplyDelete