KNBR announces layoffs to on-air and behind-the-scenes staff
Afternoon co-host Adam Copeland, who was promoted to programming director in recent weeks, addressed the layoffs at the top of the 6 p.m. hour
KNBR, the self-proclaimed Sports Leader in the Bay Area, laid off several well-known members of its on-air staff on Wednesday.
Paul McCaffrey, the co-host of the “Murph and Mac Show,” as well as F.P. Santangelo, the evening show host, were among those let go. “Murph and Mac” aired from 6 to 10 a.m., and Santangelo hosted from 6 to 10 p.m. Those timeslots are now referred to as “KNBR programming” on the station’s website.
Afternoon co-host Adam Copeland, who was recently promoted to programming director, addressed and bemoaned the layoffs with Tom Tolbert, who joins him on the “Tolbert & Copes” afternoon show.
“I really like the guys we let go today. “I’m excited about the future, but I really think we need to tip our hats and applaud the work that those guys have done,” Copeland said on what he called a “really difficult day,” according to SFGate.
“For the people that I’ve worked with, the people that I know, the people that were let go today, it’s not because of your performance,” he said. “It’s just the way this business is going.”
Much of Wednesday’s programming was routine: McCaffrey and co-host Brian Murphy hosted their morning show, which included appearances by Giants play-by-play announcer Duane Kuiper and others.
“I want to thank everyone @KNBR for the amazing opportunity to be a part of their station for a second time around!” In the afternoon, Santangelo, a former Giants and A’s utility player, tweeted. “I was informed today that due to budget cuts there will no longer be a 6-10 p.m. show.”
“I was also informed today that I won’t be continuing with @KNBR,” producer Erik Engle tweeted. “It was a hell of a ride and I’m grateful for all the growth, opportunity, good times, and better people.”
Lee Hammer, the former program director, and some digital staffers would also be leaving, according to Copeland.
KNBR-680 has long been the radio home of 49ers and Giants games, as well as the Bay Area’s unrivaled top sports talk station, but in recent years it has lost significant ground to 95.7 FM, which has Warriors game rights.
