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| Fired From Cumulus KNBR, Papa Talks |
Bay Area broadcaster Greg Papa, in his first interview since being laid off while battling cancer, declared he is determined to keep fighting for his life. “I do not want to die,” the 63-year-old told NBC Bay Area from his Marin County home.
“I’m going to fight as hard as I can, fight to stay alive. I have a lot to live for.”Papa was let go earlier this month from KNBR after seven years, along with midday co-host Greg Silver, ending their “Papa & Silver” talk show. The longtime San Francisco 49ers play-by-play announcer said he had been medically cleared to return and was preparing to go back on air when he received the termination call.
“I was fully preparing to return to work. There was never discussion that that would not be the case,” Papa said. “And then one day you get a phone call and I thought it was a return-to-work plan… I was cleared, my hematologist cleared me [for the radio show] and they went the other way and they chose to terminate my contract.”
‘I have a lot to live for': Greg Papa opens up about cancer fight, famil... https://t.co/YTz0j2QlE9 via @YouTube
— Tom Benson (@Tombenson1) August 15, 2026
He added that he remains cleared to work and still hopes to return to radio.Papa was diagnosed with leukemia last summer after falling ill during a vacation in France. “There were many nights there that I felt, you know, I may die,” he said. “Cancer is unfair. Cancer is sudden. Cancer is cruel.”
His younger sister donated stem cells for a bone marrow transplant, but complications followed. About a month later he developed pneumonia; his lungs stopped responding. He spent 78 days in the ICU, was placed on a ventilator, intubated and kept in an induced coma for about five days, nearly dying in the process.
“It went from a life-threatening situation for certain to a life-altering one,” Papa said. “I’ve made a lot of progress since I’ve been home. I made a lot of progress since late July.”