KGO search for ‘fresh’ costs Owens, Copeland
Ronn Owens, KGO’s bestknown talk show host, defended the station’s management in late 2011 when it dumped all of his weekday colleagues to go all-news (excepting Owens and weekends). He hung in there when, in early 2015, KGO returned to mostly talk. And when, in the spring of 2016, the bosses canned all but a few remaining news staffers — and moved Owens to conservative sister station KSFO — he accepted the switch, assuring his audience, “I’m still gonna be me.” Listeners’ response to the announced move forced management to keep him on KGO, his home since 1975.
And, last month, Owens was told he was losing his program. The well-paid star, management told his agent, could take a big pay cut and do a 10-minute “Ronn Owens Report” on weekdays. (Management is Cumulus Media, which is going through bankruptcy proceedings.)
Once again, Owens did not argue. At the end of his last show, on Jan. 12, he told listeners that it was “time to try something new.” Is that euphemistic or what?
Owens, who is 72 and has been dealing with health issues, told me why he didn’t fight back.
“I’ve been doing this 42 years,” he said. “The thought of retirement does come up. But I want to do something (on air), so this is a terrific fit, a transition to retirement. And it keeps my name out there.”
The new show, airing from 12:50 to 1 p.m., is eight minutes — pre-recorded — of whatever’s on Owens’ mind.
“Ideally, it’s two-thirds Paul Harvey (I listened to him religiously) and one third Andy Rooney,” Owens said.
He may squeeze in occasional interviews, but it won’t be the same as a two- or three-hour show.
“I’ll miss the people I talk to,” he said. “The opportunity for an array of guests, and the opportunity to know all those people.”
On the same day Owens signed off his regular program, management canceled Brian Copeland’s weekday show. (At press time, he was in talks about staying on for weekend and fill-in work.) In their places are the syndicated Dr. Drew Pinsky, out of Los Angeles, and extra hours for Ethan Bearman and Chip Franklin.
Mike Anthony, program director of KGO and KSFO since late 2015, explained the changes after shrugging off any connections to Cumulus’ financial woes. AM radio in San Francisco, he said, has been losing audience. People still use media, but on different platforms. “How do we get in front of these people?” he asked.
After watching ratings decline for two years, he decided that KGO had to “pivot, and bring in some changes … fresh, contemporary voices who also have social media followings.”
“Dr. Drew” may not be the definition of “fresh.” He’s been around since his “Loveline” show in 1985. But, Anthony reasoned, “he’s the face and voice of medical issues, and addresses the biggest problems. And let’s face it, in San Francisco, Millennials’ biggest issues are stress and anxiety. His content, background and relevance play into what’s necessary in this marketplace.”
I asked Anthony whether KGO’s tagline, “The Next Generation,” holds true with Owens still on board and the 53year-old Copeland replaced by the 59-year-old Pinsky.
“It’s never about age,” he said. “It’s about content and relevance … to give us the demographics and the audience — either in real time or their own time — to generate revenue.” Running the numbers: It was a happy holiday for KOIT, which made its annual switch to all Christmas music and went from a 4.5 percentage of listeners in November to a 6.8 share of the overall audience in the December Nielsen ratings. KQED maintained its No. 1 spot despite falling from an awesome 8.6 to 7.7. KCBS (6.4), KISQ (“The Breeze,” 4.1), KIOI (“Star 101,” 3.8) and KLLC (“Alice,” 3.6) rounded out the top six, as they have for several months. They were followed by KMEL (3.2, up from 2.6), KMVQ (“Now,” 3.1), KBRG and KSFO (tied at 3.0). Then came KBLX (2.8), KYLD (“Wild 94.9,” 2.7), KDFC (2.6) and KNBR (down from 3.1 to 2.4, tying it with KSOL, itself dipping from 2.9 in November). KSAN had a 2.2, KGO a 2.1, tied with KOSF (“iHeart80s”), and the top 20 was completed by KRBQ (“Q 102.1”) and KRZZ, tied at 1.9. For the record, KFOG was at 1.7, KITS (now “Alt 105.3”) had 1.6 and KGMZ “The Game,” 1.4. Kudos: Cumulus Media may be bankrupt, but that hasn’t stopped it from raising dough for others. The local cluster of stations raised more than $500,000 for its Bay Fire Relief Fund to help victims of the Wine Country wildfires of October.
“It was a cluster-wide effort,” said Anthony, referring to KFOG, KSAN, KNBR, KTCT, KGO and KSFO.
He and KNBR program director Jeremiah Crow coordinated the two-week drive. The money, a mix of listener donations and contributions from advertisers and local businesses, will go to the local chapter of the American Red Cross, United Way Bay Area and the Redwood Empire Food Bank.
“I’ll miss the people I talk to. The opportunity for an array of guests, and the opportunity to know all those people.”
Ronn Owens