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The battle to take over disgraced liberal-radio talker Bernie Ward's weeknight slot at KGO-AM, the Bay Area's most popular radio station, still has no clear front-runner after months of jockeying.

All of the candidates vying for the 10 p.m.-1 a.m. slot vacated by Ward after he was indicted for possession of child pornography in December have experience at KGO. Comedian and author Brian Copeland has a Sunday morning show; Christine Craft, a broadcaster with a long résumé, has done fill-in work for years; LA Times writer David Lazarus worked at KGO on weekends when he wrote his consumer-oriented business column for the San Francisco Chronicle; and Charles "Karel" Bouley, the station's only openly gay host, hosts two popular weekend shows he broadcasts from Long Beach. And then, with as much of a chance of getting the slot as Ron Paul has of getting the Republican nomination, there's Ward himself, who is awaiting a federal trial in June on charges that could result in a 15-year prison sentence.

If KGO's decision comes down to representation, the station has no regular women presenters. If it's about politics — Ward was billed as "the lion of the left" — all the candidates lean to the left in varying degrees, with Karel the most vociferous.

"They don't have a woman talk-show host," Karel said in a phone interview. "I'm as close as they get. All the candidates are talented. It will come down to politics. Do they need to diversify?"

KGO's ardent fans, who have made it the top station in the market for almost three decades, have been handicapping and speculating on the decision in calls to the station and in online discussion groups and online chat rooms. Rumors are circulating that operations manager Jack Swanson, who gave the world the colorful blight of Michael Savage, favors Karel's outlandishness. Executive programmer Trish Robbins allegedly favors Craft, while station manager Michael "Mickey" Luckoff supposedly likes Lazarus.

"I won't dignify those rumors with a response," Swanson says. "I've employed all of them and I like them all."

Speculation is fueled by the fact that Swanson has taken so much longer to make this decision than he did when afternoon host Pete Wilson died in July. Newsman Gil Gross was named to the slot five weeks later. "I wasn't expecting two major holes in a year," Swanson says. "Remember, Gil had been filling in for us for years."

And, he adds, maybe there is a benefit to not naming a host and letting all the candidates work the shift, which will bring added diversity and make them work harder to compete. "Eventually, will we put in a permanent person? I guess. Maybe," Swanson says. "Maybe it's better how it is."

Brad Kava is a longtime Bay Area music critic and journalist. Check out his blog at: http://kavasradiosoup.blogspot.com/

Write Your Comment show comments (7)
  1. I miss Bernie, who has been a great presence on KGO and done more for that station than anyone. I leave judgement on what he's accused of to the courts, but KGO is a lesser station without him.
    I like Karel and Craft, Lazerus not so much and I wish Copeland would mix it up a bit more. I think the lack of regularity has hurt each hosts ability to have a better idea about what the audience wants to talk about and instead focus the conversation on their own interests, rather than putting their spin on the audience's interests.
    And regarding Ronn Owens, he sounds like the guy who was anti-establishment until he became the establishment. It's sad listening to his show now, he just doesn't seem to put much effort into it anymore, like his sole purpose for showing up is to draw a check or meet some famous people.

  2. Karel always entertains & informs.

  3. Somehow the story here isn't finished! Let's say, hypothetically that Mr Ward was found innocent on all counts in his Internet pornography case this summer. The only way he would really be able to redeem himself with the public, is to complete his book on hypocrisy in children pornography over the Internet.

    This, especially at a time when sexual exploitation of children by members of the Roman Catholic Church is one of the themes of Pope Benedict's visit to the United States.

    Clearly this topic is not a "left' or 'right" topic, and I doubt very much that Mr Ward has renounced his Roman Catholic faith.......quite the contrary! It always has appeared to me, that Mr Ward was and is still searching for a place in his faith and faith in general.

    Let's not forget, when Albanians were being ethnically cleansed by the Yugoslav Army from their native homeland, Bernie Ward actually went to this area, risking his life to broadcast to us, from this region, the plight of these people. It should be noted that this event occurred, after a caller, explained to Mr Ward that Mother Theresa is Albanian. Many in our government were branding the Albanians as "Islamic terrorists". Mr. Ward seized the moment, and went to Kosovo to broadcast to us about the Albanian people, how they are a secular multifaithed nation and that our government must do something to save them!

    This is the second time that radio station KGO took the initiative to help people of the Balkans in that last decade. The first, was when Dr. Bill Wattenberg lobbied the White House to do food drops over Bosnia, an event that saved many Bosnians from starvation!

    Rather than us all, be judge, jury, and executioner before Mr Ward's court date, it would be proper of KGO to refrain from making any permanent choices until Mr Ward's personal issues are resolved.

  4. Somehow the story here isn't finished! Let's say, hypothetically that Mr Ward was found innocent on all counts in his Internet pornography case this summer. . . .
    Rather than us all, be judge, jury, and executioner before Mr Ward's court date, it would be proper of KGO to refrain from making any permanent choices until Mr Ward's personal issues are resolved.

    Comment by Omer — April 19, 2008 @ 11:47AM
    ====

    Omer, you're a scream! (Bernie, we believed in your innocence until we read your Internet dialog with the housewife.)

  5. Patrick, you're a riot! This ain't Ithica, but the Bay Area! In a time when Randi Rhodes gets punched in the teeth in front of a New York bar, or gets canned off of Air America after she says what she thinks of Hillary and Geraldine Feraro when she visited SF recently, I want to hear in a court of law what Mr. Ward actually is guilty of!

    As for Christine Craft, she is the West coast alter ego of Hillary Rodham Clinton (down to the last detail). David Lazarus is a homogenized version of Bernie(sounding like a complete idiot on the air), and as for Karel, I'm done with listening to his b!+@^*&% and moaning about how the world mistreated him!

  6. The battle to take over disgraced liberal-radio talker Bernie Ward's weeknight...

    *****************
    Bernie is accused, not disgraced. It is a smear campaign. I
    encourage KGO to root out the cause. When he is vindicated,
    I presume KGO will proclaim him innocent, reimburse his salary,
    give him back his slot, pay the back rent, and we can move on.

    KGO's behavior is troubling. When I expected that Bernie is vindicated, then I hope he extracts a ton of flesh from an institution that has lost its way.

    KGO. Ira Blue. A long tradition of mixed-range talk show
    hosts. Of course, it's not KGO, it's the force of attack
    from the Bush department of justice. That's as clear as
    the most-often blue Pacific sky. And Ira Blue imperatives.

    I remain against KGO's behavior. Are you now just puppets
    of the current administration? If it were anyone other than
    your own, wouldn't you discuss it? It's a huge spot on your
    soul. HUGE.

    If you look back a few years, then KGO has stood up to the
    rights of minorities; people of color and people of different
    sexular orientations. This is old news. In the 1960s, with Ira
    Blue, I cultivated a politic that has lasted my life. Do you
    really want to destroy that?

    In the new world, aren't you able to see that a libreal focus
    makes sense? DUH.



    David King
    Portland, Oregon

  7. Why did the DOJ wait so long to file charges? Does Rove's politicization of DOJ factor into this case?


    As disgusting as the chat log is, it's only words. A chat log and one photo doesn't makes a pedophile.

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