Wednesday, March 7, 2012

AND, ANOTHER THING...

Do you remember KGO? You know, that station which was the last one in the nation with some balanced programming and no syndication? Purchased by Cumulus, the talk format was blown out for all news because Cumulus claimed the ratings were suffering and the station wasn't attracting enough women and needed to garner a younger demographic. In the ensuing months, what have they done to achieve this goal? They announced they are giving a national show to Geraldo Rivera. I don't know how old he is, but I'm guessing he is older than me and probably in his late sixties. He is a Fox contributor, because on most issues he is as regressive as they come. Have you ever listened to him on justice issues? He makes Nancy Grace look progressive. Now, Cumulus announces it is creating a national show for former Arkansas governor Mike Huckabee. They intend him to compete against Rush. (who by the way has lost over 30 advertisers and two radio stations so far over slut-gate). So let me get this straight...KGO needed to raise its ratings by attracting more women and younger listeners and Cumulus has just given national shows to two people 65 plus in age and both of who wouldn't know a progressive if he or she bit them. It is only a matter of time before both of them are plugged into KGO for your listening pleasure and certainly confirms what I told you about Cumulus' intentions and programming decisions. BTW, an insider told me the latest ratings have the station tied for 14th in the market. Now that is an example of good management decisions. I hate being right about this one.

28 comments:

  1. I used to love KGO - I was a very loyal listener for 30 years - now I can't listen, it totally frustrates me. Especially the Red Eye program which took Ray's place. It's a very sad situation!

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    1. red eye radio is a joke. it is some clown doing a show out of texas. i heard him trying to justify the trayvon martin killing by citing black on black crime statistics, and just switched over to listen to george noury talk about aliens.
      the new kgo is a joke.

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  2. It's all BS about getting better ratings. This aint the market for what they're peddling, and they know it. They were handed the opportunity to destroy the real KGO and they took it.

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  3. I agree, what a waste for a 50,000 watt, clear channel west coast station, to lose the identity to inform and connect everyone with a live, local voice in the day or nite. If there is an earthquake, I used to think KGO was there with all hands on deck giving insight or some other breaking news in which I got the essentials of what was happening.

    It now seems Cumulus is just buying time with the more news format to install syndication later on as they are #14 to save money and stay in the top 10 instead of paying local hosts to be in the top 5.
    The Grand Parade of Lifeless Packaging to quote a song.

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  4. KGO except for Karrel and Pat Thurston has completely lost me as a listener. It's why bother. I know you are suppose to listen to both sides of an issue but where the right or what passes for the right is garbage. The right doesn't debate they just shout you down. My biggest concern is anthropogenic global warming which the right thoroughly opposses the existence of. Anyway it will be one changed world when you get out.

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  5. I stared listening to KGO in 1970 while completing my post-graduate work. From then until Dec 3, 2011, that was the only station on every radio in the house and car. I tried the new format for a week but all-news is so boring with constant repeats. After 15-20 minutes, I turn it off. For 41 years my radios have been on KGO from 6:00 to 4:00 and from 10:00 throughout the night daily. It is sad that even with the internet, I cannot find a station like it anywhere. What a loss for the bay area.

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    1. ktpk on itunes is a good progressive station from seattle, that carries thom hartmann, ed schultz, etc.

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  6. Yes even Canadians listened to KGO in the early evenings and into the wee hours of the night. Being a former programmer and producer for a large corporation in a very very small market I understand the value of “community programming”. What is happening around the western world are a couple of things 1) The corporation is replacing independent and objective voices with corporate foot soldiers. 2) From my own personal experience I can say there’s a consorted effort to shut down the “community voice” I’m not going to get into the details or why. But if your reading this and found this blog then your already starting to fill in the pieces.. Lou Dobbs has warned us for years, until his inevitable and abrupt end at cnn. Lou kept saying “Something big is coming down the pipe and our grandchildren are going to pay the price” Fact of the matter is, most are paying the price for it today it’s called ” Globalization ” which I interpret as the eradication of individuality and “free thought” Today it might seem as freedom, but tomorrow when you really open your eyes, you may see something different. The question I have, once you wake up is "What! are you going to do about" Rick Roy wlctv.ca program coordinator

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  7. I so loved these comments. So this is not happening in Canada? It's only the fate of the Western world?

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  8. When I moved to Colorado, I continued to stream KGO, thanks to the MP3s the station made available. I really missed the Bay Area, and having Bernie and Ray was a real salve for the mind. After Bernie left, I still listened to Gene and Ray, but perhaps less so, since it was often inconvenient to hang around my computer. Since KGO became KGone, I do not listen at all. What an utter shame.

    But what I do listen to now are podcasts of Mike Malloy, Thom Hartman, and Norman Goldman, downloaded to my portable device. Playing these in my car, or on speakers around the house makes listening to my favorites easy. And now with Internet "radios", it is just so easy to listen to my favorites in real time. My point is, although KGO flopped and folded, there are choices beyond the '50K watts'.

    Yes, I pay for these subscriptions, just as I buy magazines and books. It is right and just to support Progressive and Liberal talk.

    And I await patiently the day I can subscribe to Bernie's podcast. We can all make it work for Bernie by purchasing a small yearly subscription. I so hope you make a go of it, Bernie!

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  9. Keep it coming Bernie! I turn to this site as often as I can. Really miss you on KGO...

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  10. Dear Bernie! I really learned from you when in KGO. As the previous 'Anonymous' says, keep it coming.

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  11. Bernie so glad I found you. Been too long We miss hearing you on the radio. Keep telling it like it is.

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  12. I was a big fan of KGO for many years but us old farts are not the target group that the new owners want. They want a younger listner demographic to sell commercials

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  13. there was a voice...across the west coast, and now its been silenced...
    seems criminal, probably just business...

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  14. I'VE LISTENED TO KGO FOR YEARS...AND WHAT HAPPENED IN DEC WAS CRIMINAL...
    I STILL LISTEN TO RON AND KAREL...BUT SWITCH OVER TO 910 TO LISTEN TO GENE'S FRIENDS FILL IN FOR HIM AND ON SAT FOR ...DINING AROUND.....I ALSO LISTEN TO KAREL EITHER ON PODCASTS OR LIVE ON MY COMPUTER WEEK DAYS....I'M HOPING GENE WILL GET WELL SOON ..I MISS HIM.....BUT IT'S WONDERFUL EVERYONE HAS RALLIED ROUND....AND FILLED IN ...910 SHOULD JUST HIRE ALL THE FIRED KGO HOSTS AND CREATE ANOTHER AWARD WINNING STATION IN THE SF BAY AREA !!!!!

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  15. KGO's demise, the old KGO that we knew and loved, is an ever present sadness for me. I feel so lonely without it. Hardly an evening goes by that I don't think, "damn, Gene would be on now" or "damn, John would be on now." I said that same thing about you Bernie some years ago. There was a time when I used to consider moving to Las Vegas but I couldn't do it because I would miss KGO! That was before streaming Internet. Last night Stacy Taylor was on from 10-1. That was a treat. But I never would have known he would be on if I weren't a friend of his on Facebook. I don't listen to KGO except for specific times. When Pat's on. When Brian's on. I'm always so happy when I get a message from Christine that she'll be on. But it also ticks me off that Pat's hours aren't even the same on Saturday and Sunday. 4-7 on Saturday and 6-9 on Sunday. Who can remember this? And the pinch hitters like Stacy, Christine and Peter B. Collins, they don't get any sort of regular fill in jobs. This past Saturday they put some ditz from NYC! in for Pat when she had the night off. It's like they don't want anyone to feel any sort of security - not the listeners, not the talk show hosts. You can be sure I will not be listening to Geraldo or that preacher man.

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  16. KGO is just difficult to listen to and I rarely do... Pat Thurston has a decent show occasionally... that's about it... Ronn Owen's show is pure fluff or whining and crying like a baby about President Obama.

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  17. Every now and then I forlornly type in Ray Taliaferro and somehow this is the first time the lionoftheleft popped up! Great to hear you again!

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  18. Progressives bite? Missing you, Bernie.

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  19. Anon 7:46 nailed it. When there was an earthquake, you tuned to KGO to get news, and more importantly, community, so that you could commiserate and share stories and not feel so frightened.

    Bernie, There were many times when we had a quake...at night, and I tuned to KGO and there you were, a comforting scratchy voice in the dark. Priceless.

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  20. Hey Bernie, I still miss your perspective and your courage!

    I haven't listened to KGO much since you left, but I've been streaming progressive talk radio, since that's the only political talk out there that isn't nuts.

    There's a guy in LA who's following the trail that you blazed; his name is Norman Goldman (www.normangoldman.com). Like you, he never backs down, and he delights in giving "conservatives" a taste of their own medicine! He's also willing to criticize President Obama when warranted, unlike Thom Hartmann and others who take $$ from the Democrats.

    Keep up the great writing!

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  21. Hi Bernie,

    Listened to you since my days at Berkeley High School (class of 92). As an activist, I sometimes saw you join us on our marches reporting on what we were doing, as high school students. So we actually met, before. Anyway, I was one of those who defended you strongly against critics after you were accused, and then found guilty. I still maintain that you were doing research on the subject, just did not go about it in the smartest way. :) Can you write a blog entry about this issue? Or if not, can you write something else that is personal about your life (at any stage), or how life is like there now while you are locked up. Also, any new insights, or how the experience has changed you, in any way? I'd be grateful for anything you can share to those of us who remain and will always remain your loyal fans.

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  22. I liked / loved KGO, but please, it wasn't balanced... not when its 90 percent Democrat / liberal / Leftist.

    I mainy miss the common sense liberals, not Ray or Bernie. Bernie was more balanced in the beginning.

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  23. I stumbled on Rays late night show in the early 90s when i was laid up after surgery. I couldn't believe my ears! Here was another human being fearlessly defending a point of view I shared, and backing it up with facts. My son had been sent over to Iraq in the first Gulf war, and came back disabled. It was through Ray's show I learned about special envoy April Glaspy giving Saddam Hussein the green light to go into Kuwait. <"We have no interest in Arab-Arab disputes"> War is a racket for sure. That was 20 some years ago and today mainstream media is still selling the masses snake oil news with fewer and fewer broadcast voices to call them out on their bullsh*t. You guys will be missed by this old farmer in the Northwest.

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  24. For years, north of Seattle, KGO was my local all-night radio. The whole night shift were there as I dozed off and on each night.

    Away for a while, when I returned it was almost all gone -- What happened? Surfing tonight, I'm finally getting the story. Damn shame; but life moves on. They were good times, I miss everyone on the KGO night-shift, who helped get me through those strange years.

    Now apparently the "Mighty-KGO" 50-kw blowtorch is but a flickering shadow of itself. Too bad.

    Fossilman in Seattle: Ah yes, April Gilaspy (I've verified and told the story many times). Add to Ray's credits: Breaking the PNAC "Project for a New American Century" story; which (written by the Cheney/Bush Gang in the late-90s), explains most all of what has happened since then.

    Best wishes to all, and good-night.

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  25. when you return Bernie, please start broadcasting on those podcasts.i really miss hearing you on the radio.there really are many many people who miss hearing you on the air.its sad that we cant just turn you guys on anymore. but please get back on the air when you get home. miss you a lot bernie.
    Mike in Gilroy

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