Cumulus Media has laid off Tom Tolbert and John Lund at KNBR, the flagship Bay Area sports talk station, as part of a broader reduction of staff ahead of the holiday season.
The SF Chronicle reports Tolbert, a former Golden State Warriors player and 28-year veteran of KNBR, co-hosted the station’s afternoon drive show, “Tolbert & Copes,” alongside former station program director Adam Copeland. Lund hosted “Papa & Lund,” with Greg Papa from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. on weekdays.
KNBR also parted ways with producer Danny Dunn.
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| Tom Tolbert |
The layoffs are the latest in a series of personnel changes at KNBR, the broadcast home of the San Francisco 49ers and Giants. Last year the station let go of longtime on-air talent including Paul McCaffrey from “Murph and Mac” and former Major League Baseball player F.P. Santangelo.
The reorganization at KNBR, which broadcasts on 104.5 FM and 680 AM, also saw the dismissal of executive Lee Hammer, morning show producer Erik Engle and four digital team members: Jake Hutchinson, Danny Emerman, Austin Scott and Maureen Mahoney.
Tolbert, who played seven seasons in the NBA, including a stint with the Warriors from 1989 to 1992, will host his final show on Thursday, Nov. 14. He joined KNBR in 1996.
The station’s reorganization comes amid similar cost-cutting measures across the radio industry, including at iHeartMedia, which is seeking to save $200 million by eliminating redundancies.
iHeartMedia CEO Bob Pittman noted during the company’s Q3 earnings call that the company is focused on upgrading talent using technology that allows on-air personalities to work across multiple markets.
“There’s not a slot for everybody,” Pittman said.
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