KGO-AM 810 NewsTalk

Long time listener… long time gone! KGO no more!

KGO stinks! Worthless dribble from giggling 20 something co-​hosts is change-​the-​channel time. Who listens to the shit after Ronnnn Owens signs off? The juvenile 16 – 25 year old crowd? And this morning, Ronnnn had his daughter on as a co-​host! Annoying as hell with her constant interruptions! Brian Copeland is OK but he even has the annoying 20 something female dingbat giggling co-​host! He’s capable of handling his show my himself. And, don’t get me started on the worthless paid commercials over the weekend! Same shitty thing over and over again! Hint, hint — -fire all the insipid females that giggle and carry on like 12 year old 6^th graders… NOW! What a terrible radio station it has become! I sure do miss the old days when I’d have KGO on 16 hours a day! I’ll be tuning in to Serious Radio from now on!

Commercials commmercials and traffic reports! IRRITATING!!! Feel sorry for Ronn Owens who I have always liked. Also can t stand Armstrong and Getty. Get rid of them!!! And ll those women singing

I sure hope someone at KGO reads this. Used to be my favorite station. Listened to the two nuts, Armstrong and Getty for the last time this morning. Have never heard two more adolescent men in my life. Dumb jokes and stupid comments that they seemed compelled to laugh at each other about. And who is Ethan Bearman? Who would listen to someone talk about themselves ad nausea with a woman giggling at his comments. This whole line up, with the exception of Ronn and Brian is an insult to Bay Area intelligence. Although Chip is obnoxious due to his overly high opinion of himself and rude comments, at least he can bring up topics that appeal to public interest.
Tuning out!

I have been a long time daily listener to KGO programs, 25 years plus.
No more.
Now I just listen between 10am– noon M-​F to the shortened Ronn Owens slot.
I wonder if the sponsors are aware that there are many others doing the same.
The two «personalities» who broadcast right before Ronn Owens are neither interesting nor funny. Frat house humor at best.
I now divide my listening time throughout the week between CBS News radio, MSNBC, and CNN.
I know that change is inevitable. But why make program changes that reduce listenership? Bad move Cumulus.
It is frustrating that there is no way for me to share my thoughts with Cumulus or KGO management. I may try to contact the sponsors.
Bye bye for now until you make better programming selections.
BDE

I am so dissapointed with the new morning programming. Bay Area listeners are not interested in conservative radio smears… Bring back the old, old format, or at least add more Ronn Owens and ditch the divisive complainers Armstrong and Getty. Booooo, KGO!!! I am no longer a fervent listener, you have lost my ears and my money for your sponsors!!!

The new generation KGO is a joke. Armstrong and Getty is plain annoying, and their sound quality is weird and very uncomfortable. Except Ronn Owens, everyone else is not worth listening to. The station is killing itself. Give one star, because there is no zero.
I am deleting it from my car!

Why am I not surprised that there are an onslaught of negative reviews recently? I am 25 years old and grew up listening to KGO 810 radio every morning while I ate Honey Bunches of Oats cereal. When I moved back to the Bay about a year ago I was like «weird there is a whole lot more of fluff» and then with this whole «next generation of radio» that was just released a week or two back it has just become a complete mockery of the level of quality 810 used to stand for. I don’t know who they are trying to appease by bringing these new hosts in (definitely not intelligent, conservative or liberal people), but they pale in comparison to the talks that I remember from back in the day. The new group of hosts sound and act like children. They have 40 year old women giggling like they are in middle school desperately trying to make it cool and banter about what’s sexist, «oh what did I say that hahaha omg that is so sexist». Cumulus– you have made a mockery of such a once-​respected institution by not respecting the intelligence of your listeners and further driving the once-​great art form of radio into the ground.
You know what you should do, KGO? Have me host an hour. My name is John Murphy and I have listened and analyzed talk radio nearly 3 hours a day for more than 15 years. My email is
. I am Bay Area bred with a degree from one of the most prestigious music schools in the world and now I am working as software engineer in the silicon valley while I run my own business and perform my own brand of psychedelic singer-​songwriter piano music on the side. I have experience hosting my own topical radio show as well. It’s time for someone young who does not take themselves too seriously and can talk about relevant topics in a way that connects both liberals and conservatives, independents and non political types. Give me a shot. I will appeal to both listeners’ intellects and emotions and the lines will be ringing up within the first ten minutes of me being on air from those of all ages.
P. S. I still cannot believe you let Ronn Owens go to KSFO. Hellllooooooooo?
P. S.S Sorry but I feel the need to type more. Also how could you think that putting these Armstrong and Getty people on at such a critical time in the morning was a good idea? They are a ridiculously unprofessional and boring. I refuse to waste my time listening to these couple of chums. …but also everybody else too– that lady Christine Craft at night — although I’m sure a very kind person– is sometimes condescending sounding like Hillary Clinton or my mom and really puts me to sleep when I’m driving around it’s almost unsafe.

I have to say after several weeks of the new KGO line up I am enjoying the all talk format. I like the people and hosts. It is odd having 2 host but it seems to work. I am not to fond of the morning guys, Armstrong & Getty a little to frat boyish. Maybe give hour to Ron Owens his hour back and cut the Armstrong & Getty guys an hour. Ron Owens is the best.

Just deleted 810 from my radio. This was my favorite radio station. I liked everyone who was on the show. But now they are all gone except for Ron Owens and Brian Copeland who I like but everyone else is horrible. What’s up with Armstrong & Getty? I’ve never heard of them and the little that I have is so annoying and sophomoric. I can’t stand listening to this station anymore.

They don’t even deserve a star. Could there be a worse fit for the bay area? They clearly have no idea who they are ‘talking’ to; that is if anyone is listening anymore.
KGO has been an institute; personally, I grew up with it. Cumulus has destroyed a local tradition. Way to go…

This used to be a good news and talk station, now it is garbage. The only reason I listen to this station at all anymore is because my ancient alarm clock is permanently fixed to 810. Every morning i wake up to some nasty, mean spirited rant from whoever that is on the morning show. At least it gets me out of bed quickly– just to make it stop. Just yesterday morning I woke up to a grown man fantasizing about «mother daughter action» like a fucking moron. Now you have convinced me that i need a new alarm clock.
And they laid off a bunch of dedicated, good people for this? What a strange decision.

KGO was a paramount source of news and education for me over the last 25 years, wouldn’t miss a day listening to it. Even after the un-​welcomed takeover in 20 111 by Cumulus four years ago, I kept listing religiously. But this last change is horrible. It’s cheesy stuff, no substance. I tried so hard to listen to The Armstrong & Getty show, I just couldn’t, it’s not for me it’s not for KGO. Whomever made these changes in not someone who understands KGO listeners or the Bay Area. It’s sad seeing something so valuable go away, it’s like losing a friend.

Only 1 star in order to post this review/​obituary, RIP KGO. I’ll miss you guys — especially the morning and afternoon crews. You all have been taking me up and down the peninsula for years. For whatever listeners remain — you’re lucky that Ronn Owens and Brian Copeland are staying. Unfortunately I won’t be listening. Refuse to listen to a station that has no regard for their newscasters, reporters or listeners. And a special shout-​out to Jennifer Jones Lee — I really enjoyed listening and laughing with you! it’s not always easy to work with a bunch of guys, but it sure can be fun — and you proved that =). Best to Pat Thurston and the whole former KGO team! Will really miss you all… and will always miss the gracious, thoughtful
Gene Burns.
Question for the management — why did you have to ruin a beautiful word like cumulus?
Demolition is more like it. Learn your audience before you make major changes.

About four years ago Cumulus purchased KGO and
did a wholesale cleaning of their on air talent.
The goal was to turn KGO into the première news
radio, a spot already occupied by KCBS for as long
as I can remember. That decision was made
by Cumulus from Atlanta and they knew nothing
about the Bay Area and cared less. The change
was a disaster from the outset with a partial change
back to talk and news. I assume that ratings tanked
so drastically they had to move back to all talk and
that is where they are now. I rarely listened since
they seem to have about as much advertising as
talk and that is so annoying. If its talk radio, then talk —
I do not listen for the ads. I will give them two stars
for the revamp which began on April 5^th until they
prove their change can succeed. And bring back
Gil Gross who added a touch of class and humor
which was sorely needed.
Update: 10 June 2016
Now one star (from 2) since this station is
a total fail. I tried, I really tried to listen, but could
not. And who the hell is Ethan Bearman or for
that matter Chip Franklin with his annoying voice
like fingernails on a chalk board. I have a lot of
sympathy for both Ronn Owens and Brian
Copeland because they are stuck with a loser
until their contracts are up. Hopefully they will
both move on and succeed once again somewhere
else. As for all the other hosts, do not like
and will not listen. Once again Cumulus has
turned a golden opportunity to restore KGO to
its former glory into a steaming pile of crap.

I stopped listening to KGO a few years ago, when it was bought by Cumulus Media and they fired all the old hosts and completely ruined what was a wonderful, intelligent, radio station. Cumulus Media, in my opinion, turned KGO into garbage. Lots of people must agree with me because hardly anyone listens anymore to what was, by far, the most popular radio station in the bay area prior to its purchase and destruction by Cumulus Media.
My husband has continued to occasionally listen to KGO, when he is having trouble sleeping, as it helps him sleep. This morning, he was having trouble sleeping and turned on KGO. He tells me they have been playing some recording saying that change is coming. After doing some reading, I have found that, once again, they have decided to fire people. I guess they are moving Ronn Owens to the other station. Honestly, I’m disgusted. I grew up listening to KGO, but I haven’t been able to stand it since the big change a few years ago and I still won’t be listening now. Cumulus took the best radio station on the air and ruined it completely. If I could give less than one star, I would. People now call it KGONE.
Uodate: Evidently, there was so much public outcry about them moving Ronn Owens, that he’s now staying at KGOne. While I’m happy for Ronn, I still won’t be listening to KGOne, not until it’s no longer owned by Cumulus Media and until another owner brings it back to its former format, with excellent hosts and a mixture of intelligent talk radio and some well-​reported news.
So far as Cumulus Media… Cumulus Media is an awful company that started buying radio stations after the industry was deregulated. They have bought up many, many radio stations across our entire country. Their pattern is to buy radio stations, fire everyone, and turn great radio stations into pure garbage. Hopefully, Cumulus Media will soon be bankrupt. They are certainly headed that way, rapidly. In my opinion, the best thing that could possibly happen to radio in this country would be for Cumulus Media to go away, permanently. Cumulus Media is certainly the worst thing that has EVER happened to radio!

KGO Radio 810 was the gold standard for news & talk radio in the bay area. Thanks to Cumulus Media it is now a pile of dog crap. I hope some wealthy benefactor would buy the radio station and bring back the format of intelligent talk radio. In the meantime let me say thanks to all of the wonderful hosts that I have listened to over the years: Ronn Owens, Gene Burns (R.I.P.), Dr Dean Edell, Jim Eason, Lee Rodgers, Pete Wilson (R.I.P.) Gil Gross, John Rothman, Christine Craft, Pat Thurston, Ray Taliaferro, Len Tillem (I’m a lawya!), Brian Copeland, Dr. Bill Wattenburg, Michael Finney, John Hamilton, Joanie Greggains. Please, thank you for all of your wonderful insight for the past 40 years. You made me proud to be a resident of the bay area and your presence will be sorely missed.

Wtf just happened?! I relied on these guys for traffic reports during my commutes and now all of a sudden it’s just a bunch of weird babbling with a backdrop of what I think is supposed to be background music but just sounds like brake pads that need to be changed. As of yesterday, there’s no more news or traffic or weather or any of that shit that I listened to because I’m apparently a 74-​year-​old white man. Did aliens take it over?

Where is the Chip Franklin show today? Tuned in only to find some awful junk playing. Long time listener. The new changes SUCK!!! No longer going to listen. I like the Ronn Owens show, but I cannot listen to KSFO because of the other talk show hosts that also are on that station.

The overwhelming commercials have destroyed the effect of this channel. Did Sleep Train buy KGO? KGO’s focus on income and loss of their best hosts (Ron Owens, Dr. Dean Edell, etc) is a train wreck. Income over intellect. A self destructive business plan.