Two Beloved Radio Hosts Axed, Sister Station Shuttered: Latest on Cumulus Media Shakeups

The Bay Area sports radio community is reeling after KNBR, the flagship station of Cumulus Media in San Francisco, unceremoniously let go of two of its most cherished and long-standing personalities, Tom Tolbert and John Lund. The abrupt layoffs, which also claimed the jobs of creative director Tony Rhein and producer/board operator Danny Dunn, have sparked an outpouring of sympathy from colleagues and fans alike.

Tolbert, a former NBA player who spent three seasons with the Golden State Warriors, had been a pillar of KNBR’s programming since joining the station in 1996. For over 15 years, he co-hosted the immensely popular The Razor and Mr. T show with Ralph Barbieri, becoming a fixture in the afternoon drive time slot. Even after Barbieri’s departure in 2012, Tolbert remained a constant presence, partnering with various co-hosts over the years, including Ray Ratto, John Lund, Rod Brooks, Larry Krueger, and most recently, Adam Copeland, SFGate reports.

Lund, who joined KNBR in 2016 after leaving rival station 95.7 The Game, had been co-hosting the midday show with Greg Papa since moving from the afternoon slot he previously shared with Tolbert. The departure of Lund, known for his professionalism and wit, leaves a significant void at the station.

KNBR morning show host Brian Murphy has described the rationale behind the dismissals as “cruel, corporate money reasons and no other reason.” Murphy, who is now the longest-tenured host at the station, expressed his frustration and bewilderment at the decision during Thursday’s Murph and Markus show via SFGate. “We’re hurting as much as you guys or more, because these are our friends, these are our colleagues,” Murphy said. “We’re as frustrated as everybody else. We’re as dumbfounded as everybody else … All we can do is have our little show. Until our key card stops working — which, based on all the comments I read on Twitter, could be tomorrow for me.”

Murphy and co-host Markus Boucher also gave an extended ode to their departing colleagues to start Thursday’s show. Tolbert will have a farewell show on Thursday, something Murphy quipped was a sign that Cumulus was “learning from its mistakes” after they did not allow Murphy’s longtime morning show co-host Paul McCaffrey to have a farewell show when the company laid him off last year.

The layoffs have prompted an outpouring of support and tributes from colleagues and fans on social media. McCaffrey took to X (formerly Twitter) to express his sadness and solidarity. “Today is a sad day. Many of my good friends got terrible news today. Every single one of them are absolute pros and even better people. Not one of them deserved this,” he wrote.

Former KNBR host Damon Bruce also shared his thoughts on the matter in a YouTube video, visibly emotional as he reflected on Tolbert’s legacy. “I’m almost a little emotional about this,” he said. “Tom is such a good guy. He is a Bay Area radio legend…This just stinks. It stinks for Tom.”

The layoffs come less than a year after KNBR made significant changes to its lineup, parting ways with longtime morning show host Paul McCaffrey, host F.P. Santangelo, several behind-the-scenes employees, and nearly the entire digital content team on Nov. 29, 2022.

In the wake of the job cuts, KNBR has announced a series of programming changes set to take effect in the coming weeks. Greg Silver, the son of acclaimed sports writer and reporter Mike Silver, will join forces with Greg Papa for a new show airing from 10 AM to 2 PM starting on Monday, Nov. 18th. Silver has previously worked as a producer for the station, while Papa, who also serves as the radio play-by-play voice of the San Francisco 49ers, had been partnered with Lund for most of the past 13 years, per Barrett Media.

Adam Copeland, who had been co-hosting the afternoon drive slot with Tolbert, will remain in the timeslot, now joined by Derek Papa, son of Greg Papa. The new pairing is set to debut on Monday, Dec. 2. Derek Papa previously worked as a producer on the “Tolbert & Copes” show.

In addition to the personnel changes, KNBR has announced that it will be relocating its studios from Battery Street in San Francisco to the studios at Levi Stadium in Santa Clara, home of the San Francisco 49ers. The move, according to a statement from the company via Barrett Media, will bring “even more insight, access and ‘best-seat-in-the-house’ opinions to Bay Area sports fans.”

Meanwhile, in a separate development, Cumulus Media has revealed that 810 The Spread, a sports betting station launched in October 2022 that replaced the legendary news/talk station KGO, will cease operations. The company has stated that current news/talk outlet 560 KSFO will move to the 810 AM signal. The decision comes as California has yet to legalize sports betting.

Larry Blumhagen, Cumulus San Francisco Regional Vice President and Market Manager, addressed the changes in a statement, saying, “We make these moves as Cumulus San Francisco is experiencing an exceptionally successful year. 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.” Warriors spokesperson Raymond Ridder confirmed to SFGate that Tolbert will still call Warriors home games alongside play-by-play man Tim Roye.