Jim eason speaks out about KGO

For a little old-time radio reminiscence with a soupçon of old-time radio vitriol for corporate media assholiness, this from longtime KGO jock Jim Eason to Rich Lieberman at 415 Media:

(photo: Jim Eason, 1978)

My first call-in talk show on KGO Radio was in Summer, 1967 (oddly enough, the main topic from the callers was the explosive situation between Israel and the Arabs...the more things change, the more they stay the same).

At that time, KGO was a mish-mash of programming - Don McNeil's Breakfast Club, Alex Drier "Man on the Go", Ira Blue from the hungry i, etc. Before very long, the trend to all-talk with occasional news heated up - Jim Dunbar, Owen Spann, Russ Couglin, me...and the ratings rocketed skyward. (KGO was in fourth place or so, with KSFO, KCBS, KYA, and KNBR ahead of us, but soon reached Number One).

Under intelligent ownership - ABC, then Capital Cities, then Disney, etc...etc... - the ratings stayed high, and the other stations literally looked "up" to us...WE WERE NUMBER ONE!!!

But, with ownership who knew NOTHING about radio broadcasting...it became obvious the end was coming...I quit in June, 2000 (the cover story was I had retired...not so...I quit in disgust).

I am not a disinterested observer, and I sure as hell am NOT a listener, and haven't been for years. I have followed some of the disaster stories, however, and I have one thing to say.

GOOD RIDDANCE TO BAD RUBBISH. And, good luck "competing" with KCBS. They are NOT a solid, first-class news station (never has been), but they must be dancing in the halls over the KGO suicide.

Finally, hahahahahahahahaha.....ha! Jim Eason

Comments

[Tommy008]

you have ot erad between the lines but basically what i read Eason saying is that the previous owner's (Citadel?) keeping on long since retirement qualified Gene Burns and Mr. T and promoting john rothmann to primetime/ fulltime was bad radio programmimg. I agree completely

[Puget Sound Blathers]

Jim Eason, Ted Wygant, Jim Dunbar, et al. Great names of the past.
Owen Spahn in the morning, Eason in the Afternoon. Ronn Owens late night and Al Jazzbeaux Collins (who had the best damn theme Count Basie's 'Blues in Horseflat' ).

That's the KGO I remember.

[AprilMayJune]

No matter how you spell it, it is just sad.

[Scott]

Al Collins and the "Blues in Hoss Flat" by the immortal Count - man that takes me back. He'd always play it at 3 AM - just in time to remind this (not so) hard working student that it was time to hit the sack. I don't got to show you no stinkin' badges...

[Helen Das]

very sad, my listening days or should I say nights are over. I could not wait until one am to listen to pat Thurston. Loved Gene Burns also. KGO will be a thing of the past, you people have have ruined this station.

Helen Das

[email protected]

[Delight Comphel]

I have listened to KGO for many, many years mainly because I loved the talk show programs. I have listened to "Dr. Bill" for over 20 years, loved Gil Gross, Len Tillem, and Gene Burns to name a few. These people made my day and kept me informed in a personal and very interesting way in a manner that the Internet cannot replace. I think it is a "slap in the face" to all of us KGO listeners to say nothing of a "slap in the face" to these great people who have been so rudely and shamefully "fired." Shame on KGO.

[Puget Sound Blathers]

Al Collins and the "Blues in Hoss Flat" by the immortal Count - man that takes me back. He'd always play it at 3 AM - just in time to remind this (not so) hard working student that it was time to hit the sack. I don't got to show you no stinkin' badges...

Posted by: Scott | December 03, 2011 at 11:01 PM

spot on, Scott! I knew I wasn't the only one who remembered that.

[Tim]

Ok, maybe this is a dumb question, but here it goes: What's stopping some of the ex-kgo radio hosts (including Eason?) from starting up their own independent radio station? If a junior college can do it, then why not super-experienced experts in the field? Most of those guys/women wouldn't even have to leave their homes to do their shifts. As Eason used to say: "...seems to me."

[sparky for the DrBill Fans]

DR BILL WATTENBERG back on the air tomorrow from 12-2 on 1080 KSCO.

[Tommy008]

Thanks Spsrky. I'll be tuning in on Bill. Gil Gross needs to get on a station somewhere and we're done. Rothman and Taliaferro should find other employment. Maybe Rothman, withhis oldtime cornball program, can do a show on a 500 watt fm signal that just reaches the residents of a large bay area nursing home, like those broadcasts realtors put on from homes they're selling, that can just reach to the car radios of the people sitting out front.

[Tommy008]

Owens from 9-12..... then switch to the stream to Dr. Bill's new station and just imagine it's all the old KGO..... all five hours.....

[KS]

Guess Dr.Bill will be a voice of the past - I don't see hearing him on streaming at the time of the day, in the same category as the likes of Al "Jazzbo" Collins, Jim Eason and Michael Krasne all former KGO "talkers".

[Tommy008]

Some of us, such as myself have been listenign to KGO since the mid-sixties, some even a few years earlier. Le's be the thsnkful for the near half centUry of taLk radio and cherish the memories. I remember Ira Blue , Jim Eason, Jim Moore, Bernie Ward and many many more, including a rookie Savage doing a weekend show. i guess i choose t olook at it from the "glass half fulL' position. I dont think the evening and late night talk shows at KGO in the past several yeasr were really up ot the standards OF the old KGO. I can't speak to Gross- never heard him more than twice or so.

[sparky]

KSCO 1080 Santa Cruz is having a great discussion right now..Im streaming it...about how the loss of the kgo lineup is going to benefit them. Dr.Bill has already joined the line up and they are discussing how online streaming is the future of radio and the terrestrial signals will be a thing of the past. They are also discussing how using the Internet for radio could allow them to bring back more of the KGO personalities to podcast or to offer a separate stream. Also, a lot of the advertisers are "re-thinking" their involvement with KGO now since the audience is leaving in droves, and KSCO is picking up a few of them...One caller suggested KSCO now apply for a much stronger signal and become a "Media Center" with an in-house advertising agency that handled all that part of the business themselves. It's really interesting talk radio!

[jon]

Dr bill never prepared for a show, could only talk about a few of his major greivances eg carb, and referred to his audience as the little people--why anyone would listen to this man is beyond my comprehension..... mr t didn't prepare either, but that wasn't really necessary since he filled the air time by bragging about himself.... mr rothmann was a phony, a rich neocon masquerading as a struggling sfo liberal...... i used to love the station back in the day of sunny jim eason, but not much of that qualty survived....good riddance

[Carolyn Pezzoni]

Jim Eason got me through some rough years. I miss his half astrodome program. Never got a chance to thank him and say goodby. The best is over. KGO is gone. But life goes on. I can still remember much of what Eason did and said and still giggle. He also could express opinions I disagreed about but in such a way that I could listen with an open mind. Love him, miss him.

[Dominik]

Good riddance to the political, National Enquirer of the air – the KGO radio! That radio station was the garbage of all radio stations. It was all, about the liberal misrepresentation of reality, facts and life, about censorship, and above all else – being a flagship Zionist voice – a propagandist for the jews and Israel. KGO hosted: A pure, black imbecile – Ray Taliaferro; a typical jewish, congenital liar, Zionist, the mediocre – John Rothman; the brutal agent of Israel – Bill Wattenburg; the mendacious, wanna-be-European aristocrat – Gene Burns. All other hosts were/are pure mediocrity. The actual reason of the declining listenership rates of the KGO, was that even the liberal Bay Area HAD ENOUGH OF THAT STATION’S DETACHMENT FROM REALITY.

The only good aspect of KGO was its powerful radio signal. That was the only reason I used to call-in its shows. I was that station’s, and for that matter, other Bay Area stations’ best Aryan caller. No other caller was a match to me in reflecting the racial realities and in attacking the Zionist agenda and lies. The “libertarian” Burns even banned me from his show – he just choked on my truths and on his own mendacity!

All major political radio stations in the US nowadays are just Zionist propagandists. People, who want the truth listen to such independents as the Worldwide Rense Radio Network , hosting among others the greatest, living American – David Duke.

KGO: It’s time to go down to the very bottom, now!

[Coiler]

um, you left out Ronn Owens.

[Tommy008]

SINCE RONN OWENS LEAVES AFTER 12 NOON, and KGO turns into garbage priogramming,. local listeners are now left to the mercies of Monson from 12-3. i suggest podcasting the Gary and Dino Show from the New Normal netwprk. their show is available almost always by 12 noon. That will fill 90 minutes or so of the 3 abominable Monson hours. after April 2, you will be able to fill in the other 90 minutes listening to a portion of the previous days Leykis show also from NN network. Then at three you can go 4 hours live with the new Tom Leykis Show. Gary and Dino , Toms former and soon to be again producer and call screener, actually do a more substantive show than the childish Dori's Dreck affair. Also, all three men talk and sound like grown adult men, not like a little adolescent baby , as Monson does.

[Jim Eason, former radio host]

I REALLY APPRECIATE THE KIND WORDS FROM FORMER LISTENERS.

I TRIED TO DO A GOOD RADIO SHOW...
INFORMATION, EDUCATION, ENTERTAINMENT WAS MY AIM.

IT SEEMS I SUCCEEDED AT SOME LEVEL.
THANKS AGAIN...I MISS YOU ALL.

JIM EASON

[Terri]

Hi Jim Eason, I understand in the early 80's, at least once, that the Zodiac Killer called your show. Is there a way to get a copy of that broadcast? I have maintained for a very long time that my uncle was the Zodiac. He had a very unique sounding voice. I would be very interested in hearing the voice of the person who called your show. Do you know a way that that can be done?