[Congressional Record Volume 164, Number 20 (Tuesday, January 30, 2018)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E115-E116]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




           RECOGNIZING RONN OWENS ON HIS DISTINGUISHED CAREER

                                 ______
                                 

                           HON. ERIC SWALWELL

                             of california

                    in the house of representatives

                       Tuesday, January 30, 2018

  Mr. SWALWELL of California. Mr. Speaker, Democratic Leader Nancy 
Pelosi as well as Representatives Mark DeSaulnier, Anna Eshoo, John 
Garamendi, Jared Huffman, Ro Khanna, Barbara Lee, Zoe Lofgren, Jerry 
McNerney, Jackie Speier, Mike Thompson, and I rise to recognize Ronn 
Owens for his lifetime of service to the San Francisco Bay Area as a 
radio journalist of the highest caliber.
  Ronn, a resident of San Francisco, launched his daily radio talk show 
on KGO 810 in 1975. He has covered everything from politics to pop 
culture, and his show has been called the ``ultimate town hall 
meeting.'' He became known as a voice of reason, balancing

[[Page E116]]

issues so that listeners can make up their own minds. In an era of 
divisiveness and shock radio, Ronn gave listeners a space in which both 
sides could be heard and have productive discussions.
  His thousands of guests have included Presidents Barack Obama and 
Jimmy Carter, Senators Dianne Feinstein and Barbara Boxer, Gov. Jerry 
Brown, Democratic Leader Nancy Pelosi, Steve Martin, John Oliver, Neil 
deGrasse Tyson, Martin Short, Sam Donaldson, Bill Maher, Condoleezza 
Rice, Madeleine Albright, Benjamin Netanyahu, John McCain, Joe Montana, 
Tony Bennett and Willie Mays.
  Ronn has won numerous awards over the years and was inducted into the 
Bay Area Radio Hall of Fame in December 2007 and the National Radio 
Hall of Fame in Chicago in 2015. The National Association of 
Broadcasters presented him with the prestigious Marconi Award for Major 
Market Personality of the Year Award in 2003 and again in 2010.
  Talkers Magazine named Ronn one of the Top 25 Greatest Radio Talk 
Show Hosts of All Time, ranking him 13th and the top local personality 
in the country. His book, ``Voice of Reason: Why the Left and Right are 
Wrong,'' was published in 2004.
  By bringing newsmakers into his studio in a friendly but probing way, 
Ronn Owens has vastly enriched the Bay Area's knowledge and culture for 
more than four decades. His incisive analysis has helped generations of 
Californians and online listeners around the globe better understand 
and enjoy the world around them.
  It was my great honor to be the guest during his last full show on 
Friday, January 12. He will continue on the air with a 10-minute ``Ronn 
Owens Report'' each weekday.
  We congratulate Ronn on his fine work and many accomplishments, and 
we wish him the very best with his newest endeavor.

                          ____________________