It is once more into the breach for Former Listeners of KGO, still furious over the Cumulus owned AM station dumping a slew of popular talk show hosts on December 1. The group has announced its second demonstration in front of the station’s studios: 900 Front Street in San Francisco.
KGO protest; San Francisco; 12/15/2011
The first was held two weeks ago (we were there; photo on right). Now the protesters say they will hold a candlelight vigil on Friday, December 30, at 5 pm, and collect food donations for the Bayview-Hunter’s Point YMCA Food Pantry. “The food donations are being made in honor of Ray Taliaferro, legendary bay area broadcaster who was fired on December 1 along with other well known radio personalities at KGO,” the Facebook press release says. “Mr. Taliaferro was born and raised in the Hunter’s Point neighborhood and had worked at KGO radio for decades.”
According to a Former Listener member, Taliaferro will be there himself. He was on KSCO AM in Santa Cruz earlier this month, and in high dudgeon. The show started with KSCO’s Kay Zwerling offering some praise for Donald Trump’s ideas, especially his opposition to the Obama administration’s health care reforms.
Taliaferro was asked to respond.
“I think anyone who pays attention to Donald Trump is ridiculous, stupid, unknowing, absolutely ridiculous,” he began. “What the hell has Donald Trump done for poor people? What has he done to try to make sure to help the people that I grew up with, I grew up poor in Hunter’s Point?”
“Why on earth are people so stupid in the United States of America that they’ve got to come with a commentary like that?” Taliaferro demanded. The exchange got quite heated. Perhaps Taliaferro will have more to say about these larger issues at the Friday demonstration.
Radio Survivor readers are reporting that various dismissed KGO folk have found jobs elsewhere. One comment says that Len Tillem and Gene Burns have landed new DJ work at Clear Channel’s KKSF (910 AM), beginning January 3rd. Len’s show will run from 3-4 PM. Gene Burns show will follow from 4-7 PM. We contacted Clear Channel to confirm this, but have received no reply.
Noah Shanock from Stitcher Radio also posted an invitation:
We at Stitcher Radio were saddened to hear of KGO’s recent decision to remove their talk programming content. KGO’s change in formatting is lamentable, both for our community and for the outlook of terrestrial talk radio. We believe that some of the most interesting and engaging content on the radio are talk shows, and are fully committed to providing the best platform for talk shows to reach and engage their listeners online. We’d love to have these great talk shows on Stitcher and have reached out to each of the hosts who were laid off – offering up our San Francisco recording studio for free, no strings attached – where they can record live Internet radio streams and podcasts.
The commentary notes that Stitcher provided air time to the morning show duo Fernando and Greg “back in 2009 under similar circumstances.” Their program on Energy 92.7 FM in San Francisco was cancelled following the station’s sale.
And KSCO has been trying to recruit former KGO staff, among them Dr. Bill Wattenburg, who hosted KSCO’s Good Morning Monterey Bay AM Drive for a week this month.
Thanks for the article! I too am still mad about how Cumulus treated ‘my’ talkshow hosts. I cannot make it to SF tomorrow so I will be standing in Santa Rosa’s Courthouse Square with my sign of support from 2-4! I hope I do not have to stand alone! I want more media diversity not less!
Dr. Bill was right when he said that KGO committed suicide…or words to that effect. KGO was my special place to hear intelligent radio talk. It started long ago when Michael Krasny left and Bernie Ward took over his time spot. And then there were many others, whose opinions I valued and overall KGO drew intelligent folks into its midst. Of late, Pat Thurston was the star and how I miss her on weekends.
Can we do a remake of the old KGO, a treasure standing by itself in the midst of dumbing-down right wing talk? No, of course not, it’s the money, stupid!
If there is any chance of bringing the old KGO back, I will be forever grateful.
Thank you
Helen V. Healey
The multinational corporations coudn’t care less; they have 7 billion potential customers. For them we don’t count!
Before the December 1 firing of KGO talk show hosts, it was one of the best radio shows in the nation. I will not listen to it now and am saddened by how they treated the hosts and their loyal listening audience with no warning.
I think KGO has committed suicide. Many of my friends do not listen to the new format either.
I for one, will not be listening to KGO anymore. If I do listen, it will be to tell others which products to boycott.
I disagree with ray most of the time,but I enjoy his comments and tenure
you have made a big mistaker by doing away with that format,
also enjoy Dr. Bill !!!!!!!!!!!!!! KGO YOU ARE REALLY STUPID ….
you have lost a very large audiance
What a shame that KGO has fired its core team of talk show hosts! I have spent many nights just staying up to listen to Ray Taliaferro’s commentaries,and am deeply saddened to know that he will not have this forum on the air. I hope that he can find another niche on a progressive website.
The American media is dominated by right wing zealots and propaganda with listeners like myself being left with very few choices. You can go from left to right on the radio dial,and find nothing that expresses a more progressive point of view,and it clearly demonstrates the power of corporations to control what we hear and watch.
John and I listened to KGO from BC Canada.
We both miss the diversity and familiar sounds of Gene Burns and John Rothman ,Ray Tailiaffaro and DR Bill Watenburg.we may not always have agreed with what they said but at least they had a healthy discourse.
As for Cumulas and their Corporate raiders Romneys waiting to Fire you.Just Kidding!The demise of your Radio station nation wide is just the continuation of a broken capitalist model.Americans wake up!
You no longer have freedom or Capitalism but instead its evil cousin Corptocracy. When you eventually have only 2 competing corporations who own everything you will resemble the former Soviet Union.Real capitalism requires diversity in the media, in the newspapers on the TV on the Net.It requires a system that maintains diversity at all costs.You have 535 members of Congress and the senate who pass laws for the Corporations that screw you all,Just Wake up!And bring back the KGO we all loved.
What a time to lose KGO, with an election coming, and the world, apparently, going to hell in a handbasket. It feels like a death in the family. I am in mourning for Pat Thurston, Ray Taliaferro, John Rothman, and all their callers who have enriched my life over the years. Life will not be the same without them! Is there a 12-Step program for this addiction?
Tomorrow annd tomorrow and tomorrow………………..A tale told by an idiot fulll of sound and fury signifying nothing. Out out damn Cumulas!!!
How can you blame the radio station, with hosts like Ray Taliaferro constantly attacking the right. If you don’t agree with his ideas he would be little you, of cut you off. There is no room in talk radio for people as nasty as he is. Now let’s see them get a job, after his continually slamming business for making a profit. There is no profit in his type of hate and discontent.
I’m still reeling from the wholesale campus purge of my alma mater KGO!
The long hours of assembly-line tedium in my early years in manufacturing were made endurable by the informative and entertaining parade of hosts. For 50 years we’ve listened for countless hours, , day &night