Greg Papa, the 63-year-old radio play-by-play voice of the San Francisco 49ers, has lost his other job on the air — the longtime KNBR weekday talk show he shared with co-host Greg Silver — just days after announcing he was finally cancer-free. The layoff ends the long-running Papa & Silver program, though it does not affect Papa's separate contract to call 49ers games alongside analyst Tim Ryan.
Papa acknowledged in comments reported by the New York Post that returning to the 49ers' broadcast booth might be difficult given his recovery, and said the radio show would have been easier to resume from his home. He was diagnosed with leukemia in 2025, a fight that sidelined him from the broadcast booth for most of that season. He returned home from the hospital only in July 2026 and still relies on supplemental oxygen, the same report noted.
A Brutal Recovery From Leukemia and a Bone Marrow Transplant
The medical ordeal went well beyond a single hospital stay. Papa underwent a life-saving bone marrow transplant in March 2026 at UCSF Medical Center, according to TheDesk.net. The procedure triggered severe complications, including two collapsed lungs and a 78-day hospital stay. By early August, Papa told reporters he was cancer-free and said he hoped to resume hosting his KNBR show remotely from home while he continued recovering, the outlet reported.
John Lund Returns to Fill KNBR's Midday Slot
KNBR is filling the vacated 10 AM to 2 PM weekday slot with returning host John Lund, whose solo show, 'Fair and Biased,' debuts Monday, according to SFGATE. Lund previously co-hosted with Papa for eight years before he was let go himself.
That's a homecoming of sorts: Lund was previously laid off by KNBR in November 2024, alongside 28-year afternoon host Tom Tolbert and several behind-the-scenes producers, in an earlier round of budget cuts by parent company Cumulus Media, according to Talkers. KNBR morning host Brian Murphy characterized those 2024 cuts on-air as driven purely by corporate financial decisions, the trade outlet noted.
Cumulus Media's Bankruptcy Squeeze Behind the Cuts
The pattern reflects deeper financial strain at Cumulus Media, KNBR's parent company, which filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy in March 2026 to eliminate roughly $600 million in debt, according to Radio World. The company received court approval in July 2026 to extend its bankruptcy filing deadline while it awaits Federal Communications Commission authorization to transfer its broadcast licenses to its lenders. It is the second such reorganization Cumulus has undergone in less than a decade, per the trade publication.
Papa's 49ers Play-by-Play Job Remains Untouched
Despite the talk-show ouster, Papa's other job is safe for now. The 49ers and Cumulus Media announced a multi-year partnership extension in April 2026 that kept Papa under a separate contract as the team's radio play-by-play voice alongside analyst Tim Ryan, according to RAMP. When Papa first announced his cancer diagnosis in August 2025, the 49ers appointed a rotating group of fill-in broadcasters — Guy Haberman, Justin Allegri, Troy Clardy, Carlos Ramirez and Jack Smith — with Haberman serving as the primary voice alongside Ryan, Radio Ink reported at the time.
Greg Silver Lands a New Gig at Cal
Papa's now-former co-host has already landed on his feet. Greg Silver, who joined KNBR in 2023 and filled in on the midday show during Papa's medical leaves, was announced Tuesday as a postgame host for 'Cal Football Postgame Live' on NBC Sports Bay Area, teaming with former NFL running back Patrick Laird, according to California Golden Bears Athletics. Silver is the son of NFL journalist Mike Silver.
A Four-Decade Career Across Bay Area Sports
Papa's broadcasting résumé spans more than four decades in Northern California sports. Over his 42-year career, he has called games for the Golden State Warriors from 1986 to 1997, the Oakland Athletics from 1990 to 2003, and the San Francisco Giants from 2004 to 2008, according to TheDesk.net. He joined the 49ers' broadcast booth in 2019 and has been named California Sportscaster of the Year four times.
Before the 49ers, Papa spent 21 seasons as the radio voice of the Oakland Raiders, from 1997 to 2017, until he was dismissed in July 2018 after criticizing team owner Mark Davis on-air for interviewing former head coach Mike Shanahan. It marked one of two high-profile media exits for Papa in the Bay Area, the latest coming this week at KNBR.
Could KNBR and Papa Reunite Down the Road?
For now, neither Papa nor KNBR has issued an official public statement addressing the layoff, but industry trade outlet Barrett Media reported that station leadership remains interested in a potential reunion with Papa if his physical health improves enough for him to return to regular broadcasting duties. Whether that reunion happens may hinge less on programming decisions than on how well Papa continues recovering from the transplant that saved his life.
