From 1994 through 2011, Jack Swanson commanded as PD two of the nation’s most successful spoken-word radio stations: KGO-AM 810 and KSFO-AM 560.
Swanson had been associated with KGO since 1983, and on Oct. 14, 2011 notified station staff via an e-mail that he was exiting KGO and KSFO. His plan? Swanson said he was “heading for some small island very far away to rest, and think and reinvent.”
Siesta time is over, after a stint at a KGO crosstown rival. Swanson is back home, on the third floor of 750 Battery Street in San Francisco.
Interestingly, Swanson’s departure came roughly one month after Cumulus Media completed its acquisition of Citadel Broadcasting Corp. in a $1.418 billion deal that set KGO, KSFO and the entire company on a rollercoaster ride that resulted in a series of unfortunate events.
Almost instantly, KGO’s once-invincible status evaporated as quickly as a Golden State lake in a prolonged drought. Today, KGO has a 1.8 share, 6+. Meanwhile, conservative leaning Talk sibling KSFO-AM has fared better, although it fell to a 2.4 share, 6+, in September 2018.
The fall of KGO precipitated in some ways a decline at Cumulus that led to the March 2017 departure of company co-founder Lew Dickey Jr. from his role as Vice Chairman of the Cumulus Board of Directors — a move that formally removed Dickey from having any role at a company that is now led by CEO Mary Berner and is rapidly moving forward from its now-completed Chapter 11 restructuring.
It seems part of Cumulus’ plan to bring back some of the luster lost under Dickey’s leadership is to bring KGO back from the depths.
Following Swanson’s exit, Cumulus tinkered with KGO’s programming to the point where listeners protested. On Dec. 15, 2011, listeners demonstrated outside KGO’s studios in an “Occupy KGO Rally” spurred by a switch from News/Talk to all-News in attempt to defeat KCBS-AM & FM.
“I think they want local talkback where people can intelligently discuss the issues,” Gil Gross, a former KGO talker present at the rally, told former sibling KGO-7.
Cumulus management at KGO responded by saying, “KGO listeners are passionate about their station. We appreciate their input and feedback as we evolve from a news talk format to more news and information.”
This transition included the dismissal of eight staffers, including well-liked talkers Gene Burns and Ray Taliaferro. Ronn Owens kept his 9am-Noon show and Brian Copeland kept his weekend show. Still, the ratings decline at KGO was severe.
Meanwhile, Swanson emerged from his bucolic sojourn away from San Francisco Talk radio in April 2015 in a big way, accepting the role of Director of News and Programming at KCBS-AM & FM. He held the role until May 2017, and did not stay through CBS Radio’s sale of the stations to Entercom. Swanson went his own way instead, consulting from Novato, Calif.
Enter Mary Berner and the new Cumulus, which presented Swanson with an offer to come back to KGO and KSFO. The attorney, admitted to the bar of the U.S. Supreme Court, and pilot who flies rescue dogs said yes.
Swanson’s new boss? His old boss: Cumulus/San Francisco VP/Market Manager Doug Harvill, who ran CBS Radio’s old Bay Area cluster for 21 years and 2 months before exiting in November 2017 — again, in connection to CBS Radio’s Reverse Morris Trust-fueled tax free merger with Entercom.
Harvill said, “Jack is the best talk show programmer on the planet. He is visionary, a showman and a leader. I’m thrilled to work with Jack again.”
So, why is Swanson returning to KSFO and KGO? “Simple,” he says. “This is the most exciting time in the history of these iconic stations. I’m jazzed about their future. Returning to work with Doug, and the support of a re-energized Cumulus is going to be an amazing adventure. I’m excited to be a part of the new Cumulus.”
ANOTHER EX-CBS RADIO PRO JOINS SWANSON
Also coming aboard at Cumulus Media’s KSFO & KGO, and its other stations in the San Francisco-Oakland market, is Scotty Bastable.
Bastalble will serve as VP/Director of Sales for its San Francisco radio station group, effective November 15. Bastable was previously Agency and Corporate Development Manager for CBS 360 in San Francisco. Prior to that, he was GSM for KOIT-FM 96.5 in San Francisco. He’s also been Director of Sales for the group of stations owned by iHeartRadio in the Bay Area, when the company was known as Clear Channel Communications.
Harvill said, “Scotty is a solid sales management leader who is admired by his employees, advertisers and competitors. I’ve both competed and worked with Scotty and I’d much rather work with him and have him on the Cumulus team. He will be an incredible asset to our stations and client partners.”
Bastable added, “This is a once in a lifetime opportunity. I am thrilled to join Cumulus Media, where teamwork and collaboration thrive. I have always had a special relationship with radio, and I am thrilled at this amazing opportunity with Cumulus Radio Station Group-San Francisco. The future belongs to those who think big, and I am all in with Cumulus’ vision.”
Cumulus/San Francisco also includes Sports KNBR-AM, Classic Rock KSAN-FM “107.7 The Bone” and Alternative KFOG & KFFG.
