As 810 KGO San Francisco prepares to relaunch with its “Next Generation” tomorrow, a major hiccup has already come into play.
The station announced its new on-air lineup this morning by announcing that Ronn Owens would remain on the station as opposed to moving to afternoons at sister Conservative Talk 560 KSFO as originally announced. The new lineup at KGO will consist of the regionally syndicated Armstrong & Getty from 6-10am, Owens from 10am-12pm, KGO weekend host Ethan Bearman moves to weekdays from 12-2pm and fellow weekender Brian Copeland will follow from 2-4pm. Chip Franklin shifts from 12-3pm to afternoons from 4-7pm, while DreX remains in place from 7pm-10pm.
What happened with Owens’ move to KSFO? While KGO is spinning it as listener outcry led to them reversing their decision, Rich Lieberman reported yesterday that Owens’ agent discovered language in his contract preventing Cumulus from moving him off of KGO.
Cumulus Media announces that the next generation of San Francisco’s KGO 810 will give Bay Area talk radio listeners more of what they love beginning Tuesday, April 5, 2016. KGO will kick off its new live and local talk radio line-up as it welcomes Bay Area favorites Armstrong and Getty to Mornings on KGO from 6AM-10AM.
National Radio Hall of Famer Ronn Owens will stay at KGO, his on-air home for 40 years, and will broadcast live from 10AM-12 Noon. Ethan Bearman takes middays from 12 Noon-2PM, followed by Brian Copeland from 2PM-4PM. Popular local talk host Chip Franklin moves to Afternoon Drive from 4PM-7PM. DreX remains on KGO evenings from 7PM-10PM.
Last week, it was announced that Bay Area radio legend Ronn Owens, KGO 810 talk host for 40 years, would move to sister station 560 KSFO to host Afternoon Drive starting Monday, April 4, but after KGO listener outcry, the decision was made to keep Owens at his home
KGO/KSFO Program Director Mike Anthony said: “We couldn’t be more excited about the new direction KGO 810 is taking, and we believe our listeners will love what they hear. Ronn’s audience made it very clear to us yesterday that he belongs at KGO—so we listened. We are beyond thrilled to welcome Armstrong and Getty to KGO mornings, followed by Ronn’s much-loved show, with Ethan Bearman and Brian Copeland broadcasting through the afternoon. Chip Franklin will take KGO listeners through Afternoon Drive into the evening, when DreX brings it home Nights. This is a new day for KGO 810, and we can’t wait to get started next Tuesday!”
The Armstrong & Getty Show, hosted by red-hot morning talk radio duo Jack Armstrong and Joe Getty, will take KGO 810 Mornings, debuting on Tuesday, April 5, from 6AM-10AM. The hugely popular weekday morning show is wildly entertaining, informative and laugh-out-loud funny, with a mixture of political commentary, observations on local, national, and international news and reflections on social issues. Armstrong and Getty’s comedic delivery, great guests, and super-charged on-air personas have made The Armstrong & Getty Show a morning addiction for Bay Area talk radio listeners
The Ronn Owens Show has been the top-rated program on KGO 810 for 40 years. In that time, he has had thousands of guests in the hot seat, including President Barack Obama, Nancy Pelosi, Steve Martin, Condoleezza Rice, Benjamin Netanyahu, John McCain, Eliot Spitzer, Joe Montana, Tony Bennett, former President Jimmy Carter, Willie Mays, U.S. Secretaries of State, CIA Directors and community leaders. As a versatile talk host and author, Owens covers topics from politics to pop culture, and his show has been called the “ultimate town hall meeting.” He has long been the voice of reason in the Bay Area, balancing issues so that listeners can make up their own minds. Owens has won numerous awards and was inducted into the Bay Area Radio Hall of Fame in December 2007. The National Association of Broadcasters presented him with the prestigious Marconi Award for Major Market Personality of the Year Award in 2003 and again in 2010. Talkers Magazine named Owens one of the Top 25 Greatest Radio Talk Show Hosts of All Time, ranking him 13th and the top local personality in the country. His first book, Voice of Reason: Why the Left and Right are Wrong, was published in 2004.
The Ethan Bearman Show will broadcast live on KGO weekdays from 12 Noon-2PM. Talk radio host, writer and Bay Area entrepreneur Ethan Bearman unearths truths and upends the status quo with his sharp insights and fascinating and funny take on politics, science, technology, and current events. Bearman previously hosted a weekend show on KGO 810, and prior to that, hosted a talk show on 560 KSFO.
The Brian Copeland Show will air live on KGO weekdays from 2PM-4PM. The show features award-winning actor, comedian, author, playwright, and radio and television talk show host, Brian Copeland, a Bay Area broadcasting fixture. Copeland holds court with lively, engaging talk, listener call-in and guest interviews. He previously hosted a Sunday afternoon talk show on KGO 810, which debuted in 1994 and spent years as the most listened to radio show in its time slot. Copeland also did a weekly commentary feature for KGO 810, called “Copeland’s Corner”. The segment received awards from the Radio Television News Directors Association and the Associated Press.
KGO 810’s The Chip Franklin Show moves from weekdays, Noon to 3PM, to Afternoon Drive, weekdays from 4PM-7PM. Listeners can enjoy the spirited, compelling and humorous talk they have come to expect from host Chip Franklin as they head home from their workdays and into the evening. In addition to over 20 years as a radio host, Franklin is also a comedian, musician, and filmmaker. He appears regularly on CNN, The O’Reilly Factor, CNN, Fox, The Situation Room and MSNBC. Chip’s talk radio odyssey began in Washington, D.C. in 1993. Since then, he has garnered the industry’s top awards, including the prestigious National 2007, 2004 Edward R. Murrow Awards for Writing and Overall Excellence, as well as over 35 AP awards for reporting, broadcasting, humor, and political convention coverage.
DreX has hosted popular KGO 810 nighttime talk show, The DreX Radio Show, since hisdebut on the station last January. DreX’s entertaining and engaging style and unique perspective have been hits with Bay Area talk radio listeners. The program will continue to air weeknights from 7PM-10PM. Previously, DreX was on-air at KSJO-FM in San Francisco. He also spent nearly a decade as Morning Host of the successful all talk “DreX Morning Show” on Chicago’s WKSC/KISS-FM.
Original Report 3/31: A major restructuring is taking place at Cumulus News/Talk 810 KGO San Francisco.
The station began stunting at 12pm today teasing “The Next Generation Of KGO” coming on Tuesday, April 5 at 6:00am. The stunt consists of people talking about San Francisco and songs about the city.
The entire weekday schedule is off the website, and rumors are running rampant that the staffers of the morning and afternoon news blocks have been let go. Longtime KGO host Ronn Owens announced today that he will move from his 9am-12pm slot on 810 to sister Conservative Talk 560 KSFO for 3-6pm starting on Monday, April 4. The move will end Owens’ 40 year association with KGO.
The San Jose Mercury News reports that over twenty KGO staffers were dismissed today including Sports Director Rich Walcoff after 32 years with the station.
The changes are affecting iHeartMedia’s crosstown “Talk 910” KKSF as well as the station drops Armstrong & Getty’s 650 KSTE Sacramento based morning show in favor of Stephanie Miller. All expectations are that the duo will be heard on KGO.
MAJOR A&G announcement, crack o'dawn, Tuesday morning. Speculate all ya want…we ain't sayin' nothing!
— Armstrong and Getty (@AandGShow) March 31, 2016
Market Manager Justin Wittmayer released the following memo regarding the changes at the cluster:
Team,
Today, we have set in motion new programming strategies for both KGO and KFOG that will help us better meet the needs and demands of our listeners, advertisers and community. Our goal is to reposition these two stations for future growth and strength through new and enhanced programming, and new additions to the KGO and KFOG teams, including programming veteran Bryan Schock, whom we announced this morning as the new OM/PD of KFOG and KSAN. We believe the new programming direction will put KGO and KFOG on the best paths to growth and success.
Unfortunately, to achieve that goal, we had the difficult but necessary task today of restructuring our KGO and KFOG station staffs to allow us to meet the new needs of these two stations as we invest in new programming that is redefined, refocused and of the highest quality. Today, we informed the affected employees about these changes, which included the elimination of a number of full-time and part-time positions across these two stations, primarily in the news department at KGO and in key dayparts at KFOG. I want to thank those professionals who are leaving us for their contributions and service to KGO and KFOG, and wish them only the best as they continue on in their careers.
I want to thank the remainder of our team for working with us through this transition and in the coming weeks and months, as the new KGO and KFOG take shape. Together, we will build these newly imagined stations into strong and vibrant brands that our listeners and advertisers will love.
I will be sharing with you more specific details on these programming shifts and additions in the next few days and weeks. In the meantime, please reach out to me directly with any questions.
Cumulus Media announces that Bay Area Radio Hall of Famer Ronn Owens, KGO 810 talk host for 40 years, will move to sister station 560 KSFO, where he will host Afternoon Drive from 3:00 p.m.-6:00 p.m., starting Monday, April 4, 2016. Owens moves from the 9:00 a.m.-12:00 Noon shift on KGO 810. He announced his new radio station home on KGO 810 this morning.
KSFO Program Director Mike Anthony said: “With Ronn Owens taking over afternoons from 3p-6p, KSFO is now live and local in both drive times. This is also a great opportunity for a whole new audience to hear the brilliance that has made Ronn a legend in San Francisco radio. We couldn’t be more excited to have Ronn driving afternoons on 560 KSFO.”
Owens said: “What a unique opportunity to keep doing what I’ve been doing for the past 40 years, in the place I love doing it , the Bay area… and I’m just a couple of clicks down the dial”.
Owens has had the top-rated program with KGO 810 for 40 years. In that time, he has had thousands of guests in the hot seat, including President Barack Obama, Nancy Pelosi, Steve Martin, Condoleezza Rice, Benjamin Netanyahu, John McCain, Eliot Spitzer, Joe Montana, Tony Bennett, former President Jimmy Carter, Willie Mays, U.S. Secretaries of State, CIA Directors and community leaders. As a versatile talk host and author, Owens covers topics from politics to pop culture, and his show has been called the “ultimate town hall meeting.” He has long been the voice of reason in the Bay Area, balancing issues so that listeners can make up their own minds.
Owens has won numerous awards and was inducted into the Bay Area Radio Hall of Fame in December 2007. The National Association of Broadcasters presented him with the prestigious Marconi Award for Major Market Personality of the Year Award in 2003 and again in 2010. Talkers Magazine named Owens one of the Top 25 Greatest Radio Talk Show Hosts of All Time, ranking him 13th and the top local personality in the country. His first book, Voice of Reason: Why the Left and Right are Wrong, was published in 2004.
