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KGO to relaunch as talk station, KNBR moving to Levi’s Stadium full-time

A new weekday line-up is also coming to KNBR.

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mkeys@thedesk.net

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A sign for KGO Radio outside a studio in San Francisco.
A sign for KGO Radio outside a studio in San Francisco. (File photo by Matthew Keys)

After just two years, Cumulus Media is throwing in the towel on KGO-AM’s stint as a sports betting station.

Starting next week, KGO (810 AM) will swap formats with its sister station, KSFO (560 AM), and will once again start broadcasting news and talk programming to the San Francisco Bay Area, The Desk has learned.

As part of the change, Cumulus is also switching things up at its sports station KNBR (680 AM, 104.5 FM), which will move out of its broadcast facility at 750 Battery Street and operate full-time from its studios at Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara. KNBR has the local radio rights to San Francisco 49ers games; the team plays at Levi’s Stadium.

Furthermore, KNBR is introducing a new schedule that will see midday co-host Greg Silver and 49ers play-by-play announcer Greg Papa host a new afternoon show between 10 a.m. and 2 p.m. Adam Copeland, the station’s current afternoon host, will be partnered with a new co-host, Derek Papa, for a show that will air from 2 p.m. to 6 p.m., starting December 2.

“We make these moves as Cumulus San Francisco is experiencing an exceptionally successful year,” Larry Blumhagen, the Regional Vice President and Market Manager at Cumulus Media in San Francisco, said in an e-mailed statement on Friday. “We continue to evolve as an organization committed to excellence and to growing for the future. With these changes, we say goodbye to some of our most storied and influential talent and we extend our gratitude for their countless contributions.”

Cumulus bid farewell to all of its on-air talent at KGO two years ago, when the station abruptly ended its news-talk format during a live broadcast of “The Mark Thompson Show.”

KGO relaunched with a sports betting format a short time later, with programs lke “Bet MGM Tonight” and “Bet QL Daily.” The switch happened less than a few weeks before California voters were asked to approve a ballot measure that would have legalized sports gambling in the state. The measure failed.

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About the Author:

Matthew Keys

Matthew Keys is the award-winning founder and editor of TheDesk.net, an authoritative voice on broadcast and streaming TV, media and tech. With over ten years of experience, he's a recognized expert in broadcast, streaming, and digital media, with work featured in publications such as StreamTV Insider and Digital Content Next, and past roles at Thomson Reuters and Disney-ABC Television Group.
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