‘Another nail in coffin for rock n roll in Bay Area’: Radio icon laid off

Lamont Hollywood, the co-host of the iconic “Lamont and Tonelli” radio morning show in the Bay Area for decades, has been laid off as part of radio conglomerate Cumulus Media’s ongoing cutbacks and downsizing.

And Bay Area rock fans are not happy about it.

Longtime listeners have flocked to Hollywood’s Facebook post about losing his job at 107.7 Bone (aka, the San Mateo-based KSAN-FM) and vented their anger about the situation in the comments.

“Another nail in the coffin for rock n roll in the Bay Area,” wrote Brian Denning, who noted that the station has also lost both Steven Seaweed and Paul Tonelli (Hollywood’s former partner on the “Lamont and Tonelli Show”).

“These corporate suits are tearing down the fabric of live radio, have no idea what they are destroying,” decried Mike McHone, a longtime listener to Bay Area rock radio.

“Definitely a sad day in radio,” Lisa Ruggiero Cavallero lamented. “You will be missed.”

Hollywood’s career on rock radio spanned nearly four decades — 35 years of which was spent working on the “Lamont and Tonelli” show, which got its start on the legendary KSJO 92.3 FM station and then later relocated to KSAN. The show was axed in 2024, sending Tonelli packing, but the station brought Hollywood back to host “The Lamont Show.”

The DJ pulled no punches as he broke down all the reasons for why he believes Cumulus Media pulled the plug on the show on 107.7 The Bone and unceremoniously pointed him to the exit.

“Due to corporate restructuring and severe cutbacks at Cumulus, my chapter on these airwaves is coming to an end,” Hollywood wrote. “What we are all witnessing is the tragic consequence of debt-fueled media consolidation. For years, giant corporate conglomerates bought up hundreds of radio stations using massive leverage, only to spend the next decade slashing real human talent, gutting local newsrooms, and replacing live voices with syndicated feeds and automated voice-tracking just to pay down interest on executive balance sheets. Oh, and to preserve executive salaries and bonuses.”

He also called out the devaluation of radio personalities on the airwaves, which has been an ongoing trend as radio stations — like so much of the rest of the world — lean toward algorithms and technology over human interaction.

“The suits in corporate headquarters treat a radio station like a spreadsheet, completely blind to the fact that radio was built on authentic human connection, community trust, and undeniable personality,” Hollywood wrote. “They think they can algorithmically automate decades of trust, local flavor, and real intimacy with a community. When companies gut the very voices that give a station its identity, they destroy the soul of the medium and push loyal listeners away.”

Hollywood’s layoff is the second to hit a high-profile radio personality in just a few days. Greg Papa, a candidate for the Mt. Rushmore of all-time-great Bay Area sports radio personalities, was shown the door — also by Cumulus — after years of service on radio station KNBR-FM 104.5. The move to drop Papa from the radio home of both the San Francisco Giants and 49ers comes as the sports broadcasting icon faces a battle with cancer.

“The Bay Area radio scene is (expletive),” posts Gil Cromosini. “Anyone who makes a decent salary is being pushed out. Tom Tolbert, Greg Papa, Damon Bruce and now Lamont and Tonelli.”