KGO 810 format change

[ZenithCKLW]

Heritage talker KGO 810 in the Bay Area began stunting a new format today. They’re announcing a unique new radio station for the Bay Area will begin on Monday.

Listening to the stream, they’re stunting with music that suggests betting, winning, money, gambling, etc. Songs like, For the love of money by the O’Jays, The winner takes it all by Abba, The Gambler by Kenny Rogers, Pokerface by Lady Gaga, Everyone’s a winner by Hot Chocolate.

Liners say things like “A new station is coming to the Bay Area Monday; you can bet on it” and “a radio station that covers all the action. Money money, money money” with casino sound effects.

My bet is on a sports gambling format for KGO. What a waste for a powerful heritage station that, in my opinion, still had plenty of dignity and impacted the community in some positive way. I frequently listened via streaming and will miss it.

[80sTalkRadioFan]

OMG! Thanks for posting this as I hadn't listened to KGO today, but was a H*** fan going back many years as well. I always thought they were the best in political talk, by not defining themselves as either "progressive" or "conservative" talk, though admittedly many of their hosts were left of center, but this was a station worth listening to. Very sad to see it turned into what appears to be a sports betting outlet for Cumulus.

[rugratsonline]

I "bet" that the new KGO will tank in the ratings. Many stations that carry niche formats tend not to do well in the ratings books.

[TC Talks]

SAN FRANCISCO, CA – Longtime Bay Area radio station KGO 810 shocked fans Thursday when it announced it is shutting down after 80 years.

“Today we say goodbye to the legendary KGO,” the station announced in a Tweet. “Over the last 80 years, KGO has been here for Bay Area listeners covering and discussing all the news that has impacted our world and local communities. We thank you for your loyalty and for trusting KGO to be your source of information. We also want to sincerely thank all the talented men and women that worked so hard over the years to produce award-winning on KGO.”

“On Monday, 810AM begins a new era. We hope you will tune in,” the statement concluded.

“This is shocking, to say the least,” KCBS political reporter Doug Sovern said in a Tweet. “A Bay Area Radio institution, which had already been gutted, quite frankly, for years, is dead. One of the great stations in the history of radio. Rest In Programming.”

According to the San Francisco Chronicle, KGO was the last old-time call-in news show in the area.

[Ben Zonia]

A whole new level of radio dystopia.

The economy is in shambles, and another get rich quick incentive will lead people down the path to further destruction.

[rugratsonline]

KGO is now "The Spread", a wager-based sports radio station with no local material -- just programming by BetQL and CBS Sports.

How it performs in the long run will also depend on whether not not Propositions 26 and 27 -- both related to legalizing wagering in California -- passes in the November vote. Very few people will listen now, though if neither proposition passes, it would be pointless to have such a format on California radio.

Quoting a Facebooker, "The biggest fall from grace of any AM 50000 watt station in history."

[Ben Zonia]

KGO is now "The Spread", a wager-based sports radio station with no local material -- just programming by BetQL and CBS Sports.

Quoting a Facebooker, "The biggest fall from grace of any AM 50000 watt station in history."

It may be the biggest fall from grace of any 50000 watt station THIS WEEK. It may be CLOSE to the biggest fall from grace. There are several other contenders. It started with WOWO. At least KGO is still intact as a facility. Formats can be changed. There are some on STA operating with as little as 200 watts FULLTIME. They are silly to assume than a 50000 watt AM can be replaced with a 250 watt or 99 watt TRANSLATOR. Unless there is an AM REPLACEMENT PLAN like Canada, Mexico, and many other countries worldwide, they should not be quick to decimate their facilities.

At least with its bridge ocean facility transmitter location, there's not much else they can do with their site.

[Colonel Flagg]

I wonder why they didn't simply switch KGO to WJR's "pay to play" stable of infomercials? Surely to goodness, Mike Wheeler and Richard Sloan could find hucksters to buy airtime in a big market like San Francisco... Something here doesn't add up.

It's even more interesting that Paul W Smith mentioned the demise of KGO on-air on WJR, saying he has "never heard of a station with a gambling/betting format" (as all of us rubes know, WXYT 1270, and WCWA Toledo both carry such a format, and have been for quite awhile)

[80sTalkRadioFan]

Those "pay to play" infomercials are probably on Cumulus's conservative talker in the bay area, AM 560 KSFO. Ric Edelman moved his "The Truth About Your Future" and Edelman Financial Engine's "Everyday Wealth" there as of last Saturday.

[Colonel Flagg]

Those "pay to play" infomercials are probably on Cumulus's conservative talker in the bay area, AM 560 KSFO. Ric Edelman moved his "The Truth About Your Future" and Edelman Financial Engine's "Everyday Wealth" there as of last Saturday.

You are probably correct. I forgot all about KSFO.

I am old enough to remember when ABC killed off rocker KSFX so that KGO could be on FM.

[80sTalkRadioFan]

KGO probably was the crappier financial performer of the two, since most of KGO's weekday lineup was live and local, where as I think KSFO has a local morning show, but the rest of their schedule is national talk from Westwood One and Premiere Networks. The two stations shared a few weekend "pay to play" shows which are now exclusively on KSFO. The only remnant of the old KGO still on 810-am seems to be California Golden Bears football/basketball.