KNBR has laid off longtime Bay Area voice Greg Papa, 63, who was diagnosed with leukemia just over a year ago and returned to his North Bay home last month after a life-threatening 78-day hospital stay which included lung failure.
The station also parted with Greg Silver, who had been Papa’s partner on their midday KNBR talk show. The pair will be replaced on their 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. show by John Lund, a longtime Bay Area radio voice who was fired by KNBR in November 2024. Silver confirmed the news, which was first reported by SFGate.com.
Papa, a 42-year broadcasting veteran and four-time California Sportscaster of the Year, has a separate contract with the San Francisco 49ers. He’s served as the team radio play-by-play man since 2019.
KNBR program director Mike Hohler did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Papa recently spoke with the Chronicle to detail his health journey since he underwent a successful bone marrow transplant on March 4. He is at home, using supplemental oxygen, but he’s cancer-free and his oxygen needs have significantly decreased since both lungs collapsed during his nearly three-month stay at UCSF Medical Center.
Papa was optimistic he could return to his KNBR show and work from his home studio as he did last year when he was undergoing two rounds of chemotherapy. Papa returned to the show, two months after he diagnosed with leukemia, and remained on the air up until he began preparing for his bone marrow transplant.