Off a cliff

Out of a job is Cliff Albert, the KOGO chieftain who ruled the airwaves and a sizable chunk of local San Diego political life in the glory days of fallen San Diego GOP mayor Roger Hedgecock. With the demise of the so-called fairness doctrine and equal time rules in the 1980s, Albert was widely noted for his role at the Clear Channel station’s political juggernaut, infamous in some quarters for its ideological take on the news. Talker Hedgecock, forced to resign as mayor in a money-laundering scandal, landed himself a lucrative KOGO spot, using it to bash his political critics, who were frequently denied the opportunity to answer back, they asserted. Those who didn’t toe Hedgecock’s line and couldn’t muster enough cash for advertising time were out of luck and off the air, detractors said.

Today, largely due to the rise of the internet, that era is over. Even broadcast fixture Albert took to the new medium to acknowledge the bad news. “Just wanted to say I have been overwhelmed by all the messages of encouragement about my departure from KOGO as program director,” says a message on his Facebook page. “Thanks to all my FB pals for your posts and to other friends who have called or emailed. And a very special public thank you to my wife and family who are amazing and through whom God reveals his love to me every day. I am confident and excited about the future.” Hedgecock now works for La Jolla real estate developer Douglas Manchester’s U-T San Diego cable channel. Albert still does a 200-word daily commentary for KOGO, last Friday bashing a proposed Christmas-tree tax.