Cumulus Media layoffs began while I was in Cleveland last week for MSBC 38. The timing wasn’t great given that MSBC unites and energizes radio professionals across the industry, but I do understand business. When profits shrink, companies reduce expenses, and lowering head count usually provides the largest savings.
According to Cumulus Media’s financial statements, the company generated 741.7 million in net revenue in 2025, down from 827.1 million in 2024, and 844.5 million in 2023. Q1 2026 results put the company on pace for another annual decline. When revenues shrink, head count gets lowered.
But if this were only about business, this piece would be easy to write. It’s not. There are people working for Cumulus Media and Westwood One who I like. Human decency, leadership, and competent management are vital to running a strong business, and Cumulus San Francisco continues to have big problems. I know Mary Berner prefers to keep a low profile, but sometimes more is expected. This is one of those times.
The Greg Papa Situation
I paired John Lund and Greg Papa in 2011. They were a fantastic team that produced ratings wins and revenue in San Francisco. KNBR ended their partnership in 2024, cutting Lund. Papa stayed on with Greg Silver, and in August 2025 revealed he was stricken with acute lymphoblastic leukemia. That battle forced him to step away from his radio show and 49ers play-by-play gig. While Papa’s focus shifted to his health, KNBR relied on Silver to carry the show. Questions grew about what happens to middays if Papa couldn’t return.
The station decided recently that it had to make a change ahead of football season. Lund was rehired to host middays. His local familiarity and experience hosting solo was stronger than Silver’s. That move made sense. Given Papa and Lund’s history, a future reunion would likely be viewed favorably by listeners and advertisers if Papa could recover.
But that’s not the whole story.
Cumulus hadn’t paid Papa since late February according to local sources. He made use of the Family and Medical Leave Act, which allows unpaid, job-protected leave, but FMLA only lasts a maximum of 12 weeks. It’s hard enough fighting for your life without also worrying about income — a terrible look for an employer.
Doctors cleared Papa to resume working from his home studio in late-July. He still has health challenges but has made improvements; whether he’d have energy for a 5-day, 4-hour daily show is unclear. Eric Branch captured what Papa has gone through in the San Francisco Chronicle.
Equally perplexing was Cumulus Media’s lackluster response. Barrett Media broke the news at 2pm last Wednesday. It wasn’t until Friday night, after countless outlets picked up the story and thousands expressed disgust, that the company finally issued a statement. What they shared was hollow corporate jargon. It also came after the company rushed out a statement on Thursday reinforcing its commitment to podcasting.
How does corporate leadership not have a statement ready that displays compassion when handling a high-profile employee who has battled leukemia for a year? Why is a response about the podcasting department deemed more important?
Pattern of Problems
Cumulus San Francisco has a history of managing situations like this poorly. The same cluster pushed out longtime afternoon host Ralph Barbieri in 2012, resulting in a wrongful termination suit. That settled for a few million dollars in 2014, before Mary Berner led the company.
Since naming Larry Blumhagen its Market Manager in 2021, KNBR has endured a mass exodus of key personalities, including Tom Tolbert, Paul McCaffrey, Larry Krueger, John Lund, Rod Brooks and F.P. Santangelo. Now Papa and Silver have joined the list. The Bone, anno popular local station inside the cluster, also cut ties with its morning man Lamont last week. Both KNBR and The Bone‘s websites on Sunday showed Lamont, Papa and Silver still with their respective stations.
KNBR also lost PD Kevin Graham in 2023 when he exited to focus on his battle with cancer, leading to programming mistakes before elevating Mike Hohler. The station also has a rocky relationship with the San Francisco Giants, one of its key partners; former Giants catcher turned President of Baseball Operations Buster Posey made that clear recently, taking a jab at the station during an on-air interview.
Hard Times
Just 10-15 years ago, KNBR billed over 30 million dollars annually and was one of Cumulus Media’s top 5 brands. An aging roster, health challenges, local teams not winning, losing the Warriors, 95.7 The Game, and a weaker advertising climate all factor into declining revenue. But poor personnel decisions and a lack of urgency also can’t be ignored.
Why would any advertiser or agency invest dollars with KNBR moving forward? The handling of Papa’s situation has done little to inspire business confidence. Listeners and advertisers have less reason to trust KNBR today than they did last Monday. You don’t treat a Bay Area icon fighting for his life the way KNBR treated one of their franchise faces. People and partners are going to think this is how the company values them until they hear otherwise.
Furthermore, after eliminating the majority of trusted voices, how can KNBR afford to damage the Giants partnership? The team isn’t winning titles like it once did, but they’re still valuable. If Larry Baer moved the rights to iHeartMedia, Audacy or Connoisseur Media, KNBR would be in bad shape.
John Lund is stepping in to help a brand that once tossed him aside. Greg Silver tried helping when the station needed him most and earned a pink slip for it. Greg Papa fought for his life, hoping to get back to his radio show. KNBR let him go anyway. All had good intentions, but poor support.
This is one of Cumulus Media’s largest and most important markets. The company is not going to thrive if San Francisco keeps shooting itself in the foot. Changes have taken place in other big markets such as Dallas over the years, and rarely does a Dan Bennett led operation make these kinds of mistakes.
Executives have to look closer and set things right when markets endure damage like this repeatedly. That job belongs now to Mary Berner. She may prefer staying under the radar, but Cumulus Media’s CEO can’t stay silent this time.
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Jason Barrett is the Founder and CEO of Barrett Media. The company launched in September 2015 and has provided consulting services to America’s top audio and video brands, while simultaneously covering the media industry at BarrettMedia.com, becoming a daily destination for media professionals. Prior to Barrett Media, Jason built and programmed 95.7 The Game in San Francisco, and 101 ESPN in St. Louis. He was also the first sports programmer for SportsTalk 950 in Philadelphia, which later became 97.5 The Fanatic. Barrett also led 590 The Fan KFNS in St. Louis, and ESPN 1340/1390 in Poughkeepsie, NY, and worked on-air and behind the scenes at 101.5 WPDH, WTBQ 1110AM, and WPYX 106.5. He also spent two years at ESPN Radio in Bristol, CT producing ‘The Dan Patrick Show’ and ‘GameNight’. JB can be reached on Twitter @SportsRadioPD or by email at Jason@BarrettMedia.com.