Following backlash over his being let go as he recovers from a harrowing health situation, radio man Greg Papa is being reinstated at KNBR in a part-time capacity.
A little over a month after fans were saddened and outraged to hear that 63-year-old Greg Papa had been abruptly laid off and dropped from the schedule at KNBR, all while he was on the road to recovery from a year-long cancer battle and ensuing health crisis, he is back. As Radio Ink reports, KNBR announced Thursday that Papa will be returning for a weekday, one-hour show called Lunch With Papa from noon to 1 pm, and during football season, he'll be doing segments twice weekly called "Niners Updates With Greg Papa" that will air during Morning Drive and Afternoon Drive shows.
"I’m thrilled to be back on The Sports Leader and even more thrilled to be working with my good friend John Lund again. Let’s do this!" Papa said in a statement.
And Larry Blumhagen, the regional vice president and market manager for Cumulus Media, added, "Greg Papa is a Bay Area icon in sports broadcasting. His name and voice are synonymous with sports in this market. That connection is even stronger when speaking about the San Francisco 49ers. We are excited to have Greg back on air sharing his insights about all things Niners, and more!"
Papa's layoff was announced on August 5, days after he narrated the harrowing account of his health problems and slow recovery to the Chronicle. Papa was diagnosed with leukemia last summer while vacationing in France, and after being treated there and back in the states, and getting a bone-marrow transplant, he was officially declared in remission as of January, only to end up with a serious infection associated with the catheter that had been installed in his chest to deliver chemotherapy drugs.
He later suffered a collapsed lung, and was only just recovering from that when Cumulus Media announced they were laying off both him and his longtime on-air partner, Greg Silver. Since that early August announcement, John Lund had taken over the mid-day slot formerly filled by the Papa & Silver show, starting at 10 am.
Two weeks ago, we learned that Papa would be back at NBC Sports Bay Area as the 49ers' play-by-play announcer, and now his fans are relieved that he'll have a weekday presence on local radio again as well.
Papa was set to be back in the studio today to serve as a studio analyst for "49ers Pregame Live," ahead of the Niners' season opener against the LA Rams tomorrow in Melbourne, Australia. And he will repeat that role on an NBC post-game show as well.
Because of restrictions on his travel that are advised by his doctors, Papa will be calling 49ers home games this season and then working from NBC's studios when the team is on the road. Fans can expect to see him back in the booth when the 49ers host the Dolphins on September 20.
"Lunch With Papa," in which Papa will be on air with Lund, will begin airing later this month, in the middle of Lund's four-hour midday show. Lund himself returned to an on-air role at KNBR after a year-long absence, following a previous layoff.
Previously: Longtime KNBR Host Greg Papa Laid Off as He Continues Recovery From Cancer Treatment
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