Eric Thomas Accepts 'Very Generous' Buyout from KGO/ABC; Last Day Wednesday; More To Leave Soon; NABET Staffers Offer

FOR YEARS, KGO veteran anchor/reporter, Eric Thomas, has been working hard to get a buyout offer from ABC.

You read it here first.

Now, Thomas has got his wish. His last day at 900 Front is Wednesday; after 29years at KGO, he's received a "very generous" buyout and is officially gonno.

KGO has plans.

The move isn't the last for ABC7 SF --in fact, several more senior reporters (including four-decade vet, David Louie is rumored to be a prime candidate to take an offer and split.) 

The move comes not only for on-air personnel. A prominent 7 source told me many people in NABET, both fulltime and over age 50 were offered but declined. The Mouse didn't like that so they might have to ramp up their offer. 

Thomas' tenure at 900 Front included both weekend and fill-in, weeknight anchoring. He also reported in the field and won numerous industry awards for a steady, if not spectacular stint at the SF mouse factory. Thomas wanted it that way, apparently in favor of never appearing to want to rock the boat. 

415 Media Extra Saturday: Cumulus Asks Its Hosts To Consider 'Furloughs and/or Pay Cuts) As a Result of Coronavirus Pandemic Effect on Advertising; KGO/KNBR Hosts Among Local Stations Involved; Advertising Down Whopping 75-90 Percent

CUMULUS officially went into furlough mode on Friday--like other businesses, particularly radio, that have been ravished, financially, by the Coronavirus pandemic, Cumulus/ SF asked its hosts from virtually all its Bay Area radio stations, including KGO and KNBR, to consider "pay cuts and/or furloughs" They were asked to respond in a week.

KGO host, John Rothmann, mentioned the policy shortly before signing off his KGO show (6-9PM) last night (Friday).

Cumulus isn't alone.

I LEARNED, through a well-positioned broadcast source here, that the policy on local show hosts will commence April 20 and that, "no one, no department, is immune" from the policy.

INITIALLY, I'm not surprised by any of this. I heard advertising is down anywhere from 75-90 percent, a whopping hit on the local radio broadcast domain (and in all other markets, big and small); it's completely devastating and while it hurts all of us consumers, it is killing radio companies too and as long as the situation gets worse, (economically) before it improves, you can expect severe cuts (pay) and wholesale furloughs across the board.

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415 MEDIA Analysis

LATER Saturday

Sondland Testimony to House Impeachment Inquiry that there was 'Quid Pro Quo' Portends to Lively Rothmann Show on KGO Tonight

IT'S NO LONGER JUST A BOMBSHELL --IT'S FACT.

Ambassador Gordon Sondland 

Ambassador Gordon Sondland-- testified under oath before the Congressional Impeachment Inquiry; a quid pro quo was administered and that "everyone was in the loop." Including the President, Donald Trump, said Sondland.

The various media outlets have begun to spin Sondland's testimony but his words to Congress' House Intelligence Committee were clear.

I've watched Fox News Channel and both CNN and MSNBC and will be eager to listen tonight on KGO Radio here (locally) when political historian,  John Rothmann, is sure to talk about today's (Wednesday) testimony. Rothmann will broadcast a three-hour special from 6-9 PM; should be appointment listening.

John Rothmann

This has suddenly exploded.

Could be the smoking gun that Trump loyalists have been waiting for and undoubtedly a signature moment that may be their move to distance from POTUS.

*Developing...
415 Media

Jason Brooks Droning at KCBS; 30 Rock Wants Raj Mathai But They'll Have to Wait; Ken Wayne KRON Experiment Not So Smooth; 415 Media Friday

Jason Brooks

HE JUST KEEPS GOING AND GOING AND GOING...Nobody doubts the business expertise of KCBS money reporter, Jason Brooks. He's on top of it from early morning to late afternoon.

But the voice. The vanilla monotony that dulls the senses. Yes, I'm getting personal, of course I am.

Brooks' voice drones on and on almost like a robotic bot that sounds almost computer-like. Brooks doesn't have to sound hysterical; he's positively blase. But it would be wise of him to pick it up a notch and get away from the monotone buzz switch. It's downer-central. And I'm being kind.


*Speaking of KCBS, their morning cacophony of ENDLESS commercial spots has begun to cause ear aches. It's especially evident after the prolific traffic reports where four-minute clusters of continuous ads borders on obnoxious. Sure, you have to pay the bills but this form of commercial spot overkill amounts to greed personified.

*Once again the rumor mill has heated up over the status of lead NBC Bay Area anchor, Raj Mathai, as the 30 Rock News folks are hot on the trail of Mathai who seems pretty much set to remain in the Bay Area and San Jose specifically. But while his partner, Jessica Aguirre, is working without a long-term contract, Mathai not only signed a long-term extension, but one which had several zeros in it and makes Raj near the territory of Frank Somerville at KTVU and Dan Ashley at KGO.. (The latter nearing his own extension which could make him the undisputed salary king of Bay Area TV News) And well deserved.

Raj Mathai with wife and newest family member

Mathai seems to me to not want any part of NY even if it means working in Manhattan amping up his career, which it most certainly would. Mathai has a growing family and is quite settled down in the South Bay. A network gig might be prestigious now but Mathai could wait until his kids get older and then migrate to the east. Then, the money will be even better and his family situation is more ready for the move to Gotham.

Ken Wayne

*Nearing a year with KRON, Ken Wayne's migration to the albatross station hasn't produced any iota of buzz whatsoever, in fact, ratings are pretty much stagnant. Wayne left KTVU when they didn't offer him a contract extension (and took a massive pay cut). Seems his gig at KRON would be more conducive for the soft-spoken Wayne but that's not the case.

Wayne is a steadying anchor, for sure, but excitement is not his greatest virtue. He makes departed Steve Aveson look like a relative Ron Burgundy.

Bay Area TV Stations Pack Wall-to-Wall Coverage on Big Storm Wednesday Night; 415 Media Highlights and Notes

RAIN/WIND STORM BRINGS OUT FULL-THROTTLE COVERAGE FROM BAY AREA TV STATIONS

KGO; KPIX; KTVU; KNTV; KRON 'Storm Center' coverage wall-towall

OK, so I didn't buy into it, (as always) because it's winter and we occasionally get bigtime storms like tonight's rain/wind onslaught that is currently playing havoc with the Bay Area, especially commuters and their transit and residents suffering mass power outages.

*Highlights and Notes...

The local TV stations have provided almost wall-to-wall "team coverage" and then some. Along with chief weather guy, Bill Martin, KTVU brought in morning traffic anchor, Sal Castaneda and had reporter/anchor, Alyana Gomez at the Bay Bridge Toll plaza for live reports throughout the night...KTVU anchors, Frank Somerville and Julie Haener, manned the coverage...KGO used three (3!) weather anchor: Spencer Christian, Drew Tuma and Sandhya Patel all worked the 5 PM newscast; KGO went with Dan Ashley and Kristen Sze for storm reports on the desk and Lyanne Melendez live from the Ferry terminal on commuter options should the boat ride across the bay be closed. As of 6: 20 the ferry was still operating...KPIX conducted business with Ken Bastida and Veronica De La Cruz at the anchor chairs with Paul Deanno providing weather updates. Deanno informed viewers that "the worst part of the storm {was still coming later in the night}and that "we won't be out of the woods until midnight."...Martin too on KTVU provided more lengthy forecasts with urgent warnings about more ominous rain later in the evening and possible thunderstorms ..An aside: I've been critical of Martin of late but on Wednesday night, he was spot to the point and his anchoring was quite precise and crisp. Informational too, kudos to Bill for a change...Jeff Ranieri on NBC Bay Area also provided vivid descriptions of the rain event and suggested this storm might be the most powerful in quite some time. So far, he might be right...KRON wasn't out of the ordinary with Ken Wayne doing most of the talking and reporters doing their VJing from various Bay Area locales. It was the usual unspectacular work from the independent albatross but better then expected...KTVU simulcast its "KTVU Plus" on TV36 with anchors Alex Savidge and Heather Holmes.

415 Media Exclusive: Kimberly Guilfoyle Interested in KGO Radio Talk Gig; Former SF DA and Newsom Wife Taking Calls from NYC

Kimberly Guilfoyle wants to take your calls

KIMBERLY GUILFOYLE --she of Fox News fame (but no longer) is interested in becoming a radio talk-show host and is serious about the venture. How serious?

415 MEDIA has learned through an intermediary the one-time SF DA who was once Mrs. Gavin Newsom, sent out feelers to talk stations, including, get this, KGO! Guilfoyle would still live in the East Coast and do the show from NY City where she lives.

Guilfoyle recently started a relationship with son of POTUS, Donald Trump Jr. She's set to campaign with him and has essentially put her TV career on hold.

Radio is another story apparently. I have heard her do various radio shows but never in the position as host.

KGO is on the list, (says a source to me) because Guilfoyle still has many Bay Area contacts from her DA days and presumably would attract a sizable audience.

I called KGO to get a comment and as of this posting no response has been answered.

This sounds like instant ratings nirvana for KGO but money and arrangements would have to be in the mix. Furthermore, would KGO have interest? What about the conflict of interest with her relationship with Trump Jr? Oh, such trivialities.

Stay tuned.

#415MEDIA EXCLUSIVE

415 Media Election Special; KCBS Go-To Outlet; Sovern Nation Political Acumen; Local TV News Stations Plan Extensive Coverage; Rothmann on KGO Should Be Mandatory But...Matier/Caen Streaming from 8-10 PM; Good Times at North Beach Restaurant on Election Nights Past; Petroni; Willie Brown and Ronn Owens Schmooze; Depression, Me, and Mike Wallace

ELECTION NIGHT COVERAGE of the state primary figures to be relatively tepid given the general malaise of a non-General Election. Turnout once again is expected to be low and the only intrigue is how much Gavin Newsom pulls in votes and the Democrats trying to win in congressional red district Southern California.

On radio, I will go to KCBS and follow updates with political reporter, Doug Sovern, who does a good job and has a staple full of contacts up and down the state.

He's also been conducting excellent interviews with the mayoral candidates in the city; given ranked-choice voting, there's a good chance we won't know who wins the race for several days.

Speaking of the election if you're a political junkie like me you can go to the KPIX website tonight from 8-10 PM to watch political commentary with Phil Matier and Melissa Caen.

* Most local TV outlets plan election night updates and expanded coverage. You know the usual suspects.

*I'm shouting to an empty room on this but it would be rather standard operating procedure for KGO Radio to have John Rothmann in the studio for an hour or so tonight after 8 but I guess lasagna recipes are more important on the next generation station.

Doug Sovern

*Give credit when do: the Monday overnight sounded really cool with ex-KGO reporter, Scott Lettieri, on KCBS. The man has great pipes and a sense of humor too --which sounded original. I'm not much of a giggle guy but it worked here.

*Election Night in the old days (80's/90's) used to be a time to head over to the North Beach Restaurant and watch Ronn Owens and Willie Brown schmooze over prosciutto and cabernet with bombastic owner, the late Lorenzo Petroni.

 

Lorenzo Petroni

Those were the days my friends.

*Of course I went serious yesterday describing a fractured mind and received positive feedback and the usual asshole trolls who pollute the Internet which is their job and they do a fine and dandy job.

Being in this state of mind is not as unusual as I thought. Depression doesn't discriminate against age, race, religion or money.

For years Mike Wallace battled depression and who'd have thunk it.

The "60 Minutes" host looked relatively happy and sanguine. Looks can be deceiving.

*Yes, I know you hate the constant pledge breaks but c'mon, you come here to relax and read a troubled man blog media and good golly, would it be nice to breathe a little easier every day now and then, so do this. Please?

Thank You.

Oh, for sure, as always I will call and/or e-mail you personally to thank you for supporting the Bay Area's only 24/7, daily media blog.

*415MEDIA
  Tuesday
  Election Day
  Bay Area; SF-Oakland-San Jose

Ronn Owens Celebrates 40 Years At Current Albatross KGO; Gushy 3-Hour Lovefest; Owens Stays on Because Cumulus Fearful Of 'Barbieri Factor'; The Real Dope

Ronn Owens/ABC photo

 Ronn Owens celebrated his 40th anniversary at KGO Tuesday with a predictable sappy three hours of worshipping mushes from his amen corner, including a horrific gag-fest with Gavin Newsom in the final hour. It was sort of grotesque, even by Ronnnnnn standards.

Between all the personal porn and gushy ass-kissing, the public missed out the real story: what's up with Ronn and his future at KGO.

Ronn will carry on indefinitely at Cumulus because, and how sad is this? KGO doesn't have nor has found an adequate replacement for Owens--its that simple. Moreover, and this is the big reason that no one wants to put out: Cumulus is fearful of Owen's ongoing battle with Parkinson's disease.

Cumulus is scared to death of any parting of ways with the morning host--call it the Barbieri effect. It's no coincidence that Owens waited more than a decade to disclose his medical condition: don't think for a moment it wasn't timed. Right before Owen's contract was up (December, 2015) --like Ralph Barbieri, the public disclosure was intentional --and it worked. Maybe.

Cumulus is scared to death of a potential contract run-in with a Bay Area radio host who has manned the microphone for 40 years and although whose ratings have fallen dramatically, still has enough cachet to carry on. Even though he's getting slaughtered by both Radnich/Krueger on KNBR and Rush Limbaugh on KSFO. Ratings don't lie.

But to the 50 year-old housewife in Pleasanton; the mutants like Rama; the middle-aged men in Hayward who cheat on their wife, it's a good day--more Ronnnn and Mr. Softie--for the time being. Be happy.

Better yet, dance to Ronn's favorite tune!

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D-Day For Ronn; 'Special Announcement For The Listeners'; Updated: Owens Has His Doctor On; Announces He'll Have Procedure

 1. Retirement (never)


2. Quits KGO --lands sales gig at Sleeptrain


3. Taking temporary leave and considering part-time offer from KPOO


4. Uh, become chief of staff for Gavin Newsom --2018 Gubernatorial Run


5. Buy KGO Radio
6. Asks the listeners if he should buy another Mercedes for the dog
7. "Should I add another 'n' to 'Ronnn?"
8. Says he has a man crush on "Rama."
9. Officially changes name to "Mr. Softie"
10. Tells audience his Clark Kent is Copie.


See you at 11


UPDATE:

Owens has his doctor on; announces he'll have procedure done to slow down advanced Parkinson's --asks listeners to ask questions.  Are we supposed to state sympathy?

BREAKING: KGO Radio Shuts Down Its South Bay Bureau; Veteran Reporters Jeannie Lynch And Jennifer Hodges Shown The Door

In Yet Another blow against its "All-News" hybrid, KGO Radio has shut down its South Bay/Silicon Valley Bureau in San Jose. In addition, KGO laid off veteran reporters Jeannie Lynch (pictured) and Jennifer Hodges. Lynch has been at KGO for  13 18 years and Hodges has reported in the bureau for  13 18years.


This information was told to me by a KGO source.


My other KGO sources told me earlier today that more layoffs are expected and that the newsroom was in "complete mental disarray" all day Friday.


We'll be monitoring the situation the rest of the day and keep you all informed of any further news.


*Rich Lieberman 415 Media Exclusive


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Radnich Play Book: Bring Up Controversial Topic Then Run Away; Notarangelo KPIX Split Inside; Matier Explores Giants-Warriors Situation; Morning Notes

 MORNING RUNDOWN


It's part of the Gary Radnich playbook: broach a subject matter on KNBR that doesn't possess your usual run of the mill standard sports-talk radio faire only Raddy just teases and moves forward.


Case in point, he sticks his nose out and defends Floyd Mayweather even though the excuse(s) don't measure up.


Raddy could have gone toe-to-toe with his co-hosts over this and callers too but he began to sound nervous and quickly ran away and went back to Warriors and Giants.


It wasn't just Monday.


Last week, shortly after the Bruce Jenner interview, he smugly told the audience: "This isn't 'sports-talk radio and we're not going to talk about this, but that Bruce Jenner deal--ok, Bruce had to do what he's doing and I'll just say, 'I don't need to know anymore. " Huh? So, Gary, then if it's not meant for sports-talk radio then why bring it up? I agree with Radnich that the whole Jenner deal was nothing more than major tabloid fare but Jenner's Olympics heroics in Montreal had a sports connection. Probably would have made for interesting caller feedback but Radnich pulled away.


Standard operating procedure. for Raddy.


*It would be perfectly normal if you were suspicious that ex-KPIX weekend Ann Notarangelo would walk away from a $175K a-year gig as weekend news anchor to work as the PR person for the Contra Costa County Welfare Dept.


Notarangelo lives in Concord and will be able to spend more time with her family but she's also taking a major pay cut. I do believe KPIX informed her that her contract wasn't going to be renewed and that she wasn't going to be in their long term plans.


*Phil Matier talks about the Giants development outside the ballpark and provides a Warriors connection. Don't tell me the Giants wouldn't care if the Warriors build their new arena nearby.


*Just a guess: Ex-KGO sports talkie, Kevin "The Rat" Radich will end up at KCBS in the afternoon, eventually.


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DreX Second Night RIP On KGO Radio

 Uh, say Goodnight Gracie.

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SF Cumulus Source: Corporate Atlanta Considering Cutting Sales Commissions in Half

Sorry to ruin your day, Sales guys, but Cumulus Corporate is considering cutting SF Sales Commission rates in half!

The Tricky Dickeys possess such warmth.

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Christine Craft is a Pain in the Ass and a Very Good Talk Show Host; Saturday Notes

Christine Craft and Al Franken

 Christine Craft filled in for Ronn Owens on KGO Radio Friday. Several of you informed me. I know. For once I actually listened to the radio albatross.

Craft is a royal pain in the ass. I told her. She's also an excellent radio talk-show host. Sure, her animal-rights stance borders on infatuation and much too much we're fed her dog stories. Oh well.

For a self-described "liberal", her gun-rights stance seems contradictory but again, she's consistent.

I'm also not thrilled with her steadfast anti-Israel position no matter what but I can deal with that because one thing about Craft--you pick a fight with her, she's more than ready to go at it.

On radio she's really good. She runs a smooth sailing ship and knows how to keep a show moving, there's no denying that. In fact, it's an embarrassment that Craft isn't a full time host on KGO--you would think one of the dim bulbs running the show would hire her and elicit some element of credibility. Only those who run KGO now are trying to reinvent the wheel and actually think 4th-tier comedians from New Jersey appeal to a younger demo and that morons who walk the red carpet and think they're entertainers are more suitable. Never mind that no one is listening but that's another story.

Even in this PPM and TSL era, Craft commands the board. She's incredibly adept at pacing. When a bad caller is much too much, she can cut and move along to the next Edna from Fremont. Now and then she's a little rude and curt with listeners but in trying to zip along the show, that's manageable. She acknowledges as much which is OK from this corner.

*Yes, you heard right: Barely three weeks into his SF run, KGO ran a "best-of" Chip Franklin on Friday. Many of you were shocked. Why not put a fill-in on? Live and local? Because, see, that would have been too logical --furthermore, Cumulus would have had to pay a fill-in, bingo!

*You guys are right--the True Car ads are annoying as hell but maybe that's what the client wants.

*Randall Bloomquist and Renee Bakos: symmetry. (Withhold laughter).

*Sorry, KRON, you just look and sound weird. And please, do something with that lighting! It's awful even by your standards.

*Just because one media blogger in town isn't in love with certain media people doesn't mean he has to omit them from his Christmas card. Hell, someone has to take the high road.

*From one of my KGO Radio spies: "Bloomquist will be fired soon enough. Mahanay brought in Bakos and the Dicks sent him to SF to reign it all in. He's like an ugly Abe Vigoda." Ouch.

*Any day now on the weekend, the real-estate shows and pre-recorded syndicated crap will begin playing because that's the Cumulus playbook. That, and cashing $25 million-dollar bonus checks for the Dicks are SOP. Chew on that, 55 Hawthorne zombies, and Happy New Year.

*Katie Marzullo: It's OK to smile. Ask Claudine Wong. And another thing: loosen up a bit.

NOTE: You can now SUBSCRBE  to 415 Media! For $8.99/ one-year --you'll get 415 Media in your e-mail box every morning and an exclusive extra dose of Bay Area Radio/TV --just click on the Pay Pal icon on the right of the blog and get your membership today--Help support independent media. All subscriptions are confidential as is the Pay Pal transaction. You also do not have to have a Pay Pal account to subscribe.

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KPIX's 'Night Beat' Is In Dire Straits; Nobody's Watching; Don't Expect Bernie Ward On KGO Radio Anytime Soon; Michael Krasny and Angie Coiro; Fire and Ice; KRON Tech Glitches at 900 Front; Tuesday Rundown

 "Night Beat" is in trouble --how bad is anyone's guess but bad enough that rumors have circulated the building that KPIX's attempt, (via its KBCW sister station), to attract an audience for it's 10 PM youth-oriented news show has been an abject failure and is soon to be doomed.

Best case scenario? 90 days. Worst-case? The show could be a goner by the end of the year. That's nine days, I know.

The reason: nobody's watching. Moreover, few, if any of KPIX's coveted demo that was its prime target is watching Night Beat. Furthermore, when those few people watch, they tend to take a look and click their remote.

When Night Beat debuted back in July, KPIX had a plan; albeit sketchy and terribly hard to attain, but a plan nonetheless. More of an experiment actually--but it was simple enough: develop a tech-oriented, soft-news, airy alternative to the traditional newscast and gear it toward a younger audience. Internally, KPIX knew it would have NO chance to compete with KTVU's dominant "10 o'clock News" that is currently the ratings king in that time period.

But KPIX went forward with a blueprint: attract a loyal, if small, audience to build on and acquire a core millennial-oriented demo; the 20-30-something tech types on their laptops and smartphones --precisely the demo that is ON THEIR phone!, checking texts, facebooking, twittering, Instagramming  --do you sense a problem here? The type of people that are doing anything BUT watching their TV at the moment--great research boys and girls!

Worse yet, PIX brought out talented, but clearly not seasoned, Veronica De La Cruz to work the new show, (in addition to co-anchoring the 6 PM News). De La Cruz, at first glance, looks more splash than dash; that said, her captaining of the Night Beat has been fraught with technical issues, out-of-place gimmicks, yelling "GAME ON" to open the sports segment is plain silly and sophomoric. The weather "quiz" is cheesy --and the frequent "TRENDING" and reliance on Facebook and Twitter has been a disaster. No.One.Is.Watching.

Night Beat has had six months to generate an audience but nothing has transpired. Ultimately, KPIX could have brought forth Masterpiece Theatre and if not enough people watched, that would have been blown up too. Unfortunately, Night Beat is no Masterpiece Theatre but it might as well be blown up because nobody's watching. And with that, the show is in dire straits.

*Don't invite KQED Forum host, Michael Krasny and KGO Weekend 10 AM -1PM talkie, Angie Coiro to dinner.

*Bernie Ward, just released from Lompoc will NEVER appear on KGO Radio, either as a host or as a guest. That's my guess.

*The amount of technical glitches that has plagued KRON since its move to 900 Front has ignited rumors about sabotage and the like--from where? Imagine.

*If KOIT gets a huge lift in the ratings from playing 24/7 Christmas music there's something wussy about that, sorry, sincerely, 415 Media Scrooge.

*Let's make it plain and simple: YES, those who PAY a modest amount and SUBSCRIBE to this site help make it possible for me to get some much-needed $ to pay ME, who is 100% responsible for its content, its production, its selling. We have limited advertising and so, yes, without money, 415 Media is lost in translation --I didn't do this with priority A making money but I can't and won't LOSE money either. So, yes, please, if you come here and enjoy this 24/7 then I'd appreciate a donation or subscription --to pay for a service? What a concept!

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Two Of Cumulus' Biggest SF Players, Gary Radnich and Ronn Owens Anti-Union; KNBR Recent Vote To Join SAG-AFTRA Dynamic; Thursday First Hit

Gary Radnich and Ronn Owens--both morning air talent for Cumulus stations, KNBR and KGO are notorious anti-union guys. Interesting coincidence given KNBR's recent vote to join the SAG-AFTRA Union.

We're not necessarily trumping up the idea of being pro or anti-union. That's for the membership to decide but given San Francisco's strong identity as a labor town it merits conversation.

It's just interesting that both Owens and Radnich, (and most other prominent air talent), have pooh-poohed the union --until they got to their status where benefits, health coverage and the like was a given and which they take for granted. The underlings at KNBR, fed up with Cumulus' work demand, its demeaning and destructive abuse toward its employees had enough, apparently. The hard part comes now but their heart is in the right place.

Owens has decried the union many times on the air; he's said repeatedly, paraphrasing, "Hey, I have to be in a union to work." Yeah, Ronn, it's a tough life.

Radnich hasn't been as vocal but once the KNBR-union story got out he made an off-hand remark like be careful what you wish for. Yeah, until they tell you they're cutting your pension and asking you to make more contributions to your health care.

Poor babies.

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