Former longtime San Francisco radio host Ronn Owens shared recently that he faces significant health and financial challenges and has asked for community support.
Owens, 79, who hosted the popular “Ronn Owens Program” on KGO 810 AM for decades until retiring in 2021, discussed in a Dec. 31 Facebook post that in addition to living with Parkinson’s disease since 2001, he has endured four bouts of cancer — most recently colon cancer — and what he described as serious heart issues.
“For 48 years, I poured my heart into KGO, sharing stories, sparking conversations, and connecting with you all,” Owens wrote in his post. “It’s been a rough road, and honestly, it’s hard to admit that the financial strain has become overwhelming on top of everything else.”
Friends and family launched a GoFundMe campaign, according to a letter on the crowdfunding site. As of Friday afternoon 1,200 donors had given over $104,000.
“I never imagined I’d be in this position, but here I am, asking for a little help from the community that has meant so much to me,” he wrote on Facebook.
Owens joined KGO in 1975 and became one of the station’s most popular hosts, tackling a variety of topics from politics to personal issues. He hosted a range of guests, including athletes, musicians, comedians, Nobel Prize winners and world leaders, such as Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
In the mid-1990s he bested nationally syndicated radio host Rush Limbaugh, with more than 100,000 listeners in an hour.
Born Ronald Lowenstein, Owens was known for being proudly Jewish and for his outspoken support of Israel.
Friend and fellow longtime San Francisco broadcaster Michael Krasny told J. that despite challenges, Owens “remains in high spirits” and has kept his “wonderful” sense of humor.
“It just is remarkable to me how he’s kept his grace and his positivity about just about everything,” said Krasny. “He’s just extraordinarily, extraordinarily resilient.”
Owens, who now lives in Arizona, and Krasny speak on the phone weekly to catch up and check in.
Krasny hosted “Forum,” a program covering current events, politics and culture, on public radio station KQED from 1993 to 2021. He credits Owens with helping him find his place in radio back in the late 1970s, suggesting Krasny join KGO as a backup host. They became colleagues, then later competitors when Krasny moved to KQED. The two dominated San Francisco’s airwaves for decades and have maintained an enduring friendship.
“We used to joke about that word ‘legend’ because I once introduced Kirk Douglas as a legend, and he got very angry. He said, ‘You know, legends are dead. I don’t want to be a legend,’” Krasny recalled. “But Ron really is, in many ways, a legendary figure.… He had a very faithful following, and he had people who not only respected but revered his work and the ability he had to take on big issues.”
Owens’ journalistic contributions earned him a place in the Bay Area Radio Hall of Fame in 2007 and the National Radio Hall of Fame in 2015.
In response to his Facebook post, fans shared messages of encouragement and fond memories of listening to his program.
“The Ronn Owens Show was an institution to San Francisco, and I am grateful for all the years you dedicated to us,” wrote Michael Burke. “You are and will always be the example of what a healthy debate should be in my book, Ronn.”
“You helped form my political identity, listening to you every single day on my way to work for over 15 years during my commute and jumping back on at work,” wrote Karen Peterson Ervin of San Francisco. “You felt like a family member to me then and always will — you are well-loved, missed, and needed more than ever.”