[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 161 (2015), Part 12]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page 16542]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                      IN RECOGNITION OF RONN OWENS

                                 ______
                                 

                           HON. JACKIE SPEIER

                             of california

                    in the house of representatives

                        Monday, October 26, 2015

  Ms. SPEIER. Mr. Speaker, I rise to honor a broadcast legend who is 
celebrating his 40th anniversary at KGO Newstalk 810 today and who will 
be inducted into the National Radio Hall of Fame in November. Ronn 
Owens is a household name in the Bay Area and beyond, a master in his 
field, and a remarkably talented, opinionated and intellectually 
curious man whom I am proud to call a good friend. I have spent many 
hours on the air with Ronn and he is always tough, thoughtful, informed 
and unpredictable.
  He has honed his skills in thousands of interviews with guests in the 
hot seat, including President Barack Obama, Democratic Leader Nancy 
Pelosi, actor Steve Martin, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, 
49er quarterback Joe Montana, singer Tony Bennett and a long list of 
Secretaries of State, CIA Directors, mayors and community leaders.
  His longevity and style on the air have earned him many prestigious 
awards: The Bay Area Radio Hall of Fame, the National Association of 
Broadcaster's Marconi Award twice, Talkers Magazine's Top 25 Greatest 
Radio Talk Show Host of All Time, and now the National Radio Hall of 
Fame where he will be joining the likes of Edward R. Murrow, Bob Hope 
and Terry Gross.
  Ronn was born Ronald Lowenstein on October 17, 1945 in New York City. 
He graduated from Temple University in Philadelphia in 1968 and 
launched his broadcast career hosting radio programs in Atlanta, Miami, 
Cleveland and Philadelphia. In 1975 he moved to San Francisco and began 
his four decade run at KGO radio. Today, he remains the only weekday 
talk radio host on the station and has a regular audience of half a 
million listeners.
  While Ronn is very vocal about his opinions--he also wrote a book 
titled Voice of Reason: Why the Left and Right Are Wrong--he is the 
first to admit when he is wrong. Facts matter and he is dedicated to 
seeking the truth. Last year, Ronn revealed a challenging personal 
truth to his listeners. He was diagnosed with Parkinson's disease over 
a decade ago. He decided to go public after the tragic death of Robin 
Williams who was diagnosed with Parkinson's. Ronn hasn't let his 
symptoms get in the way of doing his job.
  Recently he joked before surgery, ``If I come out and say, `you know, 
that Sarah Palin would make a heckuva president,' we'll know something 
went wrong.'' He meets the challenges of his disease with great courage 
and humor.
  Ronn started his radio career when analog reel-to-reel tape 
recorders, cartridges and turntables were modern, but he has stayed 
with the times, in fact he is an early adopter and loves technology. I 
remember when at a visit to his studio I pulled out my Blackberry to 
take a photo, and he burst out laughing making fun of my ``antique'' 
phone, I promptly bought an iPhone.
  The love for radio and story-telling has shaped Ronn's professional 
and personal life. He is married to former KGO and KCBS anchor Jan 
Black and they have two truly accomplished daughters, Sarah and Laura.
  Mr. Speaker, I ask the House of Representatives to rise with me to 
honor Ronn Owens, an icon in radio news and commentary, for his 
extraordinary career. He has kept me and countless public officials on 
our political toes and will continue to do so for a long time.

                          ____________________