Longtime Bay Area sports broadcaster Greg Papa has been fired from his radio show at KNBR, weeks after completing a lengthy hospital stay for cancer treatment. Papa, who also serves as the radio play-by-play announcer for the San Francisco 49ers, was dismissed on Wednesday along with his midday co-host Greg Silver, marking the end of their "Papa & Silver" talk show.
Papa, 63, had co-hosted the weekday 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. program since 2019, balancing the role with his duties for the 49ers. He is a four-time California Sportscaster of the Year and has been a prominent voice in Bay Area sports, having previously called games for the San Francisco Giants and the Golden State Warriors.
Health Battle and Return
The dismissal follows Papa's return home in July after a 78-day hospital stay for a bone marrow transplant and treatment for lung failure at UCSF Medical Center. He had been diagnosed with leukemia the previous year and missed a significant portion of the 49ers' games during his treatment. Following his hospital stay, Papa was using supplemental oxygen and reported an improvement in his health.
He had expressed optimism about returning to his radio show, suggesting he could work from a home studio as he had during chemotherapy. However, he acknowledged that returning to call football games would present a greater challenge. "The radio show would be something that’s obviously much easier to return to. I could do it from my house. Doing a football game is a different challenge," Papa told the San Francisco Chronicle last month.
Show Replacement
The "Papa & Silver" show will be replaced by longtime Bay Area radio host John Lund. Lund is returning to KNBR after his departure from the station in November 2024.