The search is on for a new programming department at KGO in San Francisco after 25 year veteran, Vice President of Programming, Jack Swanson and PD Ken Berry exit. Cumulus COO John Dickey told Radio Ink, "we are conducting a search for their replacement and we've received lots of quality interest."
Swanson a perennial Radio Ink "Best PD" handed in his resignation Friday, one of 8 employees who are no longer part of KGO. In addition to Swanson, Program Director Ken Berry and 6 other people are gone. Bill Bungeroth will oversee the stations and Diedra Lieberman has been demoted to V.P. of sales.
Bungeroth was moved into San Francisco back in March to oversee the 4 stations Cumulus already had in that market. You could tell Swanson was unsure of his future with Cumulus when the deal was announced and today it's official. He's gone. The station confirmed that Swanson has resigned and was out of the building and nobody knew how to reach him.
Swanson has been programming the station for 120 straight Arbitron #1 books. Here is some of what he told his former staff today: "For a good part of the last three decades you have been my daytime family, and this has been my professional home. We have shared the joys and sorrows of a family. The deaths, and the births. Earthquakes and wars. And in our spare time we helped some people survive Leukemia, eased the suffering of the homeless and most recently helped our neighbors feed their families.
Hi Ed ?
I?ve been in this business a few years, and I have been honored by your publication on more than one occasion. But I can tell you from the bottom of my heart, nothing in my career has touched me as much as receiving this e-mail from you. Probably a sign of the difficult times we find ourselves in. But thank you.
KGO has gone through three general managers in the past 12 months. And with the arrival of Cumulus Media, our team is learning the ways of what for many of us is our 5th owner. One PD, same station, thru 5 owners. What are the odds? The professionalism of this staff through this much change is truly amazing
(10/15/2011 5:41:52 PM)
I wouldn't be surprised to see SF bay area residents begin "OCCUPY FRONT STREET," any time soon.
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