It was a stunning moment for Bay Area listeners Thursday morning as legendary talk radio station KGO 810 went silent abruptly after 80 years.
“No one anticipated it and it happened literally at the last instant,” said former KGO host Mark Thompson.
Thompson was a KGO talk radio host until Thursday morning.
“We were maybe eight minutes into the show and the announcement came on that 'There's an exciting new format coming,'" he said. "I was just the guy who ended up having to be the last voice there and it was sad to be honest. It was difficult."
The station’s website and Twitter feed posted a brief statement saying, “Today, we say goodbye to the legendary KGO," thanking listeners and the people who worked there to produce award-winning programming. Then, promising “a new era" starting Monday.
"None of us expected it. Maybe we should have. I mean, these are tough times in the broadcast industry, television and radio, but particularly radio,” Thompson said.
Thompson said it was shocking and sudden. He added that he will miss it but is trying to maintain a positive outlook.
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“It’s difficult. I loved KGO. I love the Bay Area. I love interacting in the Bay Area, with so many Bay Area issues, with so many Bay Area newsmakers, all the things that make the Bay Area special," he said.
Nolan Higdon, a professor of communication and history at Cal State East Bay said the industry has changed over time and KGO may be the latest victim of change.
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“I don’t think it's surprising that we see such broad shift changes in programming to try and capture one demographic or another,” he said.
The station didn’t announce what the new format will be. But there are published reports that the station will change to a sports and sports betting talk format.
As of Thursday evening, the station was playing bits of songs with a gambling theme including "Money" by Pink Floyd and "The Gambler" by Kenny Rogers.
At one point, a promo called it "The biggest gamble in Bay Area history."
As for Thompson, he said he will now focus on his podcast as he figures out what comes next. He also wanted to thank the audience one last time.
“This was a legendary radio station. It was an honor and a pleasure to be a part of it,” he said.
