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Farid Names New KGO/KSFO GM...

My Friend Richie says:

Think heavy-duty on these words in the coming days and weeks: "syndication", "re-runs", two-to-three heavy duty "retirements", "buyouts" and simple "dismissals." Oh, and a ton of conservative voices too.
 
Actually - the information from Kava is a little encouraging. Deidra started at KGO/KSFO before Citadel, and Swanson seems happy about the choice...unless he's just trying to put a positive spin on it, or just retain his own job, which is possible, of course.

I'm hoping whatever change occurs under her watch is evolutionary, and keeps the faith with KGO's listeners. Turning KGO into "another KSFO" with conservative syndicated hosts will alienate a lot of current listeners, without picking up any new listeners for the station. Hopefully, she gets that.
 
I have some hope, but if Mickey (with 35+ years of equity built up at the station) felt that the situation was untenable and bailed out, is it at all possible that Deidra Lieberman will be given any more latitude in making decisions?

Will she be able to make a sweetheart parting gifts deal for, say, Ronn Owens or Ray Taliaferro the way Mr. Luckoff was able to for, say, Rosie Allen?
 
BossRadioDJ said:
I have some hope, but if Mickey (with 35+ years of equity built up at the station) felt that the situation was untenable and bailed out, is it at all possible that Deidra Lieberman will be given any more latitude in making decisions?

Will she be able to make a sweetheart parting gifts deal for, say, Ronn Owens or Ray Taliaferro the way Mr. Luckoff was able to for, say, Rosie Allen?
Click to expand...

No, no, no, no, no sir, no, no! I'm trying to sound like Ray Taliaferro, who I haven't actually heard in years...I'm not up that late. But assuming Ronn and Ray are still delivering the goods, why would Deidra need to give them a "sweetheart parting offer" to leave? Especially Owens. I know he's expensive, but why would they cash him out until he's ready.

Really, what's the alternative to the status quo? Replacing the top rated morning talk host with some syndicated host? Moving Rush from KSFO to KGO? Finding some local no-name replacement?

I think the most logical move is keeping Ronn Owens in his same time slot until he's ready to retire, or his ratings tank.
 
Farid is a cancer to radio. Sad to hear KGO has to also deal with his incompetence. Down here in SoCal he's jet-set to not only bury once great KABC but to piss on it's grave and do a jig over it. KGO still has it's blowtorch but it seems Farid has the anti-Midas touch where instead of Gold it turns to $*^! my Dad Says.

KGO deserves better and by better I mean a chorus of hopscotching monkeys could make better decisions.
 
Robnoxious said:
Farid is a cancer to radio. Sad to hear KGO has to also deal with his incompetence. Down here in SoCal he's jet-set to not only bury once great KABC but to piss on it's grave and do a jig over it. KGO still has it's blowtorch but it seems Farid has the anti-Midas touch where instead of Gold it turns to $*^! my Dad Says.

KGO deserves better and by better I mean a chorus of hopscotching monkeys could make better decisions.
Click to expand...

I'm really impressed that Farid Suleman actually came to KGO/KSFO to make the announcement. I think it shows that he cares about the local legacy here. He could have just sent out a memo, as many in his position as CEO would have done. To me that says quite a bit.

It's interesting that he put a sales manager in that position, but this is not unheard of, either. Russ Coughlan, longtime manager of KGO-TV was a salesman for decades, and yet he brought innovation to that station.
 
BossRadioDJ said:
Rich Lieberman reports that Farid S. was at 900 Front today to announce that Deidra Lieberman (KGO/KSFO Director of sales) is the new queso grande at KGO/KSFO:

http://richliebermanreport.blogspot.com/2010/10/deidra-lieberman-new-gm-at-kgoksfo.html
Click to expand...

Looking over Rich Lieberman's blog reminds me why I don't read blogs. He's acting like an ass with no specific insights into what exactly is going to go wrong with KGO under the new management. We simply don't know yet; nobody does. How many businesses has Rich Lieberman run? What kind of broadcasting career has he had? Or is his forte taking potshots at people?

It's well-known here that I have little respect for New Citadel and its decision to keep Farid Suleman, the CEO that ran Old Citadel into the ground. But I'm willing to give him and Deidra Lieberman the benefit of the doubt and step back to see what they can do with KGO. We might be in store for some positive surprises.

As I mentioned elsewhere, KGO-TV's Russ Coughlan was also a salesman, and at the time he took over management of channel 7 people thought he'd be a hack. He wasn't. He went on to become one of the best managers KGO-TV ever had.
 
DavidKaye said:
Russ Coughlan, longtime manager of KGO-TV was a salesman for decades, and yet he brought innovation to that station.
Click to expand...

Russ Coughlan was a radio guy and a broadcaster first and foremost -- he was "Coglin" on the air at KROW in the 1940s and '50s and transitioned into management and sales later ... then back into an on-air role. In addition to KGO-TV, he also hosted a show KGO Radio later in his career; I don't think that Deidra Lieberman will be doing a regular shift on the station any time soon.

Back in that era, it was different, apparently: Bud Foster (mainly a sportscaster), Al Hart (better known later as a news anchor) and Clifton "Cactus Jack" Johnsen (mostly known as a Western music disc jockey) all were "radio men" who managed stations here at certain points in their careers.

Today, it's usually sales people who go into the management side.
 
I'll add to my list of local "radio guys" who transitioned into management and even ownership during that earlier era: Del Courtney, Les Malloy and Doug Pledger. I'm trying to think of even one "radio person" who has done it here in the last twenty or thirty years -- there are probably several examples, but it's early and I ain't awake yet -- but I can think of a dozen examples from the sales side who've become managers.
 
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