KGO, Now With Less Owens
• After a successful 42-year run at Cumulus News-Talk KGO-AM/San Francisco, Bay Area radio icon Ronn Owens ended his daily talk show last Friday and will embark on a new short-form chapter today — hosting The Ronn Owens Report. This new, eight-minute feature, which premieres today, will air weekdays at 12:50pm and feature Owens’ take on the news of the day. “My goal is to be a 2018 version of Paul Harvey and Andy Rooney,” Owens told the San Francisco Chronicle last Friday in post-final show interview.
Owens describes his transition into short-form programming as a “win-win” for him and KGO, as he told the Chronicle, “They get the credibility of still having me, and it helps me because ‘Ronn Owens KGO Radio’ gets me a better table than just ‘Ronn Owens.'” On a more serious note, Owens said he’s pleased with the decision because this isn’t the “R-word” — retirement. “I cannot stand the word,” he said. “I don’t want to hear the word. What this is for me, it’s a perfect transition to retirement.”
• Effective this week, Ethan Bearman moves from noon-2pm into Owen’s former 10am-12:50pm slot. From 1-3pm, KGO is now running Dr. Drew Midday LIVE with Mike Catherwood, originating from sister KABC/Los Angeles, followed by The Chip Franklin Show, which adds an hour and now runs 3-7pm.
• According to Rich Lieberman’s 415 Media blog, KGO’s 2-4pm host Brian Copeland has been downsized to weekends/fill in, and Owens’ producer, Sandra Firpo has exited.
