Ronn Owens San Francisco Talk Show Personality

regulars

Return to Guest Lineup


Chris Matthews	Political Analyst -- Host of "Hardball" on MSNBC - Chris has worked for several Democratic politicians. He was a presidential speechwriter for four years during the administration of Jimmy Carter. He served as a top aide to long-time Speaker of the House of Representatives Tip O'Neill for six years. He worked in the U.S. Senate for five years on the staffs of Senators Frank Moss and Edmund Muskie before running for U. S. House of Representatives from Pennsylvania. Matthews worked as a print journalist for 15 years, spending 13 years as Washington Bureau Chief for The San Francisco Examiner (1987 – 2000), and two years as a nationally syndicated columnist for The San Francisco Chronicle.
Joe Scarborough	Political Analyst -- Former Florida Congressman Joe Scarborough hosts “Scarborough Country,” a nightly newscast on MSNBC. He also provides on air political commentary for the network, as well as CNBC and NBC’s “Today Show.” During his tenure, Scarborough served on the Armed Services Committee, the Judiciary Committee, Government Reform and Oversight and the Education Committee. In 1998, he was named Chairman of the Civil Service Committee and while on that committee, Scarborough drafted a bill on Long Term Care, which President Clinton called “landmark legislation." After leaving office, he was named by President Bush as a member of the President’s Council on the 21st Century Workforce, where he served with Labor Secretary Chao, national labor officials, and business leaders.
Gavin Newsom	Mayor of San Francisco - Gavin Newsom was elected the 42nd Mayor of the City and County of San Francisco on December 9, 2003. He was sworn into office on January 8, 2004 by his father, the Honorable William Newsom. Mayor Gavin Newsom has made bold ideas the driving force of his administration. As Mayor, Gavin Newsom uses ideas, innovation and practical solutions to improve the quality of life for all San Franciscans. His administration draws upon San Francisco’s greatest asset-the diversity and the talents of its people-to meet any challenges that face the City.
Dr Tara Fields	Marriage and Family Therapist- Tara Fields, PhD, is a licensed marriage and family therapist with 19 years of experience in the "family systems" approach to dealing with addiction. She is widely recognized for her knowledge, compassion, and ability to provide workable solutions to real-life problems. Dr. Tara earned her master's degree in Psychology from Antioch University. She did her internship at the Maple Center Clinic in Beverly Hills where she focused on adolescent, family, and child psychotherapy; her clinical training included counseling students at Beverly Hills High School. Fields received her MFCC license and started a practice in West Los Angeles. Two years later, she went back to graduate school to complete her doctorate degree in Psychology and thesis on adolescents and alcohol abuse. To learn more about Tara Fields, visit http://www.drtara.com.
Harry Edwards	Sports Sociologist - Harry Edwards is widely recognized as the leading authority on issues of race and sports. He formed San Jose State University's first black student organization and is author of The Struggle That Must Be, Sociology of Sports, Black Students and The Revolt of the Black Athlete, and continues to raise challenging questions about issues of racial discrimination on and off the athletic playing field. A consultant for the San Francisco 49ers for the past 20 years, a sociology professor at the University of California for 31 years, and the most noted sports sociologist of our era, Dr. Harry Edwards knows sport as well as society.
Maureen Dowd	Columnist/Journalist - Mixing politics and pop culture in columns that are both irreverent and cutting, New York Times Columnist Maureen Dowd is one of the nation's most influential editorial writers. Dowd won a Pulitzer for her columns about the scandals around President Clinton and she has taken on President Bush with equal zeal. She has emerged as one of the sharpest critics of the administration and the war. With the election less than a week away, she gives us an inside the beltway tour of what she calls "Bushworld."
Wolf Blitzer	CNN Anchor - Wolf Blitzer is the anchor of CNN's The Situation Room, a three hour newscast that debuted in August 2005. The program focuses on the day's top news, live interviews with top newsmakers and live debriefs with CNN correspondents around the United States and the world. Blitzer also hosts Late Edition with Wolf Blitzer, the only Sunday talk show seen in more than 200 countries and territories. Before he became anchor of Wolf Blitzer Reports, Blitzer co-anchored The World Today.
Leo Laporte	Computer Expert - Leo Laporte majored in Chinese history as an undergraduate at Yale University. Since then he has worked as an author, speaker, and broadcaster in New Haven, Monterey, San Jose, San Francisco, and Los Angeles, most recently focusing on technology coverage for radio and television. Currently Leo hosts a technology talk show on KFI AM 640, Los Angeles every Saturday and Sunday from noon to 3p and Call for Help on G4tech TV Canada, He also appears regularly on many television and radio programs including G4's The Screen Savers, ABC's World News Now and Live with Regis and Kelly. His website is www.leoville.com
Phil Bronstein	Executive vice president and editor San Francisco Chronicle - Phil Bronstein was named executive vice president and editor of the San Francisco Chronicle in March 2003. He was formerly executive editor, managing editor for news, and reporter for the San Francisco Examiner. As a reporter, Bronstein specialized in investigative projects and was a foreign correspondent for eight years. He has won awards for his coverage of the Philippines from the Overseas Press Club, Associated Press, the World Affairs Council and Media Alliance. He was a 1986 Pulitzer Prize finalist for his work in the Philippines.
Ann Compton	White House correspondent - Ann Compton is more than just a national correspondent: she was in fact the first woman assigned to cover the White House by a television network. From her post at ABC News, Compton has covered seven presidential campaigns as well as innumerable life-changing and world-changing events – from the end of the Cold War to the stories that made headlines only yesterday. Ann Compton was inducted into the Radio Hall of Fame in 2005.

Gadget expert - Brian Cooley is in charge of telling it like it is. He has no patience for technology that doesn't work. In his wake, you'll find a trail of humiliated customer support techs, embarrassed product designers, and flustered CEOs. But that's OK, because you - the consumer - wins in the end. Follow his adventures each week in CNET's Living It.

Peter Contini
M.D.

Pediatrician - Dr. Pete, a prominent San Jose-based pediatrician, grew up in the San Francisco Bay Area. His interest in medicine began when he was an undergraduate student at St. Mary’s College where he received his Bachelor of Science degree. While in his third year at Georgetown Medical School, he chose to specialize in pediatrics. After completing his internship and residency at Children’s Memorial Hospital in Chicago, IL, Dr. Pete decided to return "home" to the Bay Area to start his own family and begin his practice.

Evan Goldstein

Wine Expert - A master sommelier, one of only 60 in the world and only 29 in the United States. Simply put, there is nothing about wine he doesn't know. But his true ability is his total lack of snobbishness. He is as comfortable telling you about an obscure burgundy from a remote part of France as he is in explaining the best way to unscrew a bottle of jug wine. His main work is with Sterling Vineyards, where he travels the world teaching restaurant chefs, owners and servers everything they should do to make a wine experience perfect for diners. His email: Evan_Goldstein@adsw.com

Sonia Mansfield

TV Critic, San Francisco Examiner - Using the motto "I watch the crap so you don't have to," Sonia watches more TV than anyone should be allowed. A member of the Television Critics Association, Sonia has turned her lifelong obsession with all things TV into a career. Over the years, her TV musings have run on entertainment Web sites such as Eon Magazine, IF Magazine and Cinescape. Sonia's column, Remote Patrol, appears weekly in the San Francisco Examiner. Her column can also be found on her Web site www.thesoniashow.com. Email her at sonia_Mansfield@hotmail.com .

Jesse Weller

IRS Media Relations Spokseman - Jesse Weller is the spokesman for the Internal Revenue Service in the San Francisco Bay Area and California's Central Coast. He joined the IRS shortly after graduating from UCLA in 1977 by responding to a job advertisement luring him into "the exciting field of taxation." He has spent much of his tax specialist career training and reviewing other IRS employees, and he was the editor of an e-mail newsletter for Northern California tax professionals. He finds mixing-it-up over taxes with Ronn frequently challenging, and almost always exciting.

GraceAnn Walden

Restaurant Reviewer - GraceAnn Walden has had her fingers on the pulse of the restaurant scene for the past 15 years. She covers news about our local chefs, new restaurants and issues within the food industry. Her story, "Chocolate with Julia," is included in the 2001 Travelers' Tales publication, "Her Fork in the Road." On every Saturday, she leads tours of North Beach exploring the food, culture and history of this vibrant neighborhood. Her e-mail address is gaw@sbcglobal.net.

Uncle Matty

Matthew Margolis, Dog Expert - Author, Host of "WOOF! It's a Dog's Life", PBS - "Uncle Matty's proud!" is a phrase known to thousands of dogs from New York to London who have been educated and entertained through television by this dog-loving, straight-talking, celebrity trainer. Among his 18 or more books about dogs are the best-sellers, When Good Dogs Do Bad Things; I Just Got a Puppy, What Do I Do; GRRR! The Complete Guide To Understanding and Preventing Aggressive Behavior in Dogs; and his most recent Simon & Schuster entry, The Good Life, Your Dog's First Year. Be sure to visit his website at www.unclematty.com.

Marty Nemko

Career and Education Consultant - Dr. Marty Nemko is among the nation's most sought-after experts on both career and education issues. Marty has been interviewed in hundreds of major media - from the New York Times to the Los Angeles Times. In addition to his private career counseling practice in Oakland, he's authored 300 articles and four books. Marty Nemko can be reached at 510-655-2777 or by e-mail at mnemko@earthlink.net.

Mike Riera

Ph.D., Child Psychologist and Author - Michael has worked in schools since 1981 and during that time has worked with and spoken to over 25,000 adolescents and parents as a counselor and workshop leader. He has a Ph.D. in Counseling Psychology and is the author of "Uncommon Sense For Parents With Teenagers" and "Surviving High School". Mike is also the host of the daily Life in Progress segment of the two-hour Trackers Show on Oxygen cable television and internet services-www.oxygen.com. In addition, he is an award winning columnist on parent/teen issues, is a consultant for CBS, as well as a regular contributor on the Saturday Morning News Show and 48 Hours, has appeared frequently as a featured guest on The Oprah Winfrey Show, is on the Advisory Board for Teen People Magazine and he is the consulting counselor at Marin Academy in San Rafael. Michael can be reached through the Internet at www.mikeriera.com.

Ed Robertson

"Doctor Rerun" - Classic TV Expert - Ed knows more about your favorite TV reruns than anyone you've ever met. Every day, there are thousands of classic TV series available on cable, tape, and DVD. While some are easier to locate than others, you can find just about any show if you know where to look . . . and Ed knows where to look. That's why we call him Doctor Rerun. When he isn't searching for reruns, Ed writes and speaks about TV, pop culture, and other topics. He has written books and articles on The Rockford Files, The Fugitive, Star Trek, M*A*S*H, and many other classic shows. He also writes a column about television for Media Life Magazine, and has been a contributing writer to Columbia House Video Library since 1998. As an expert in TV history, Ed has appeared on such shows as Biography and Entertainment Tonight, as well as locally on KCBS and KRON. For more information about Ed, click here .

Dave "Your Duke" Sholin

Top 40 Music Expert - Dave was the Top 40 Music editor of the Gavin Report. Gavin is the radio bible of music, THE magazine which is a must-read for media programmers throughout the world, and thus the instrumental publication when it comes to determining musical hits and misses. Dave formerly was one of the country's hottest DJs, playing the top records on the old KFRC. He knows almost every major artist in the business.

Jeffrey M. Aron M.D.

Gastroenterologist and Clinical Nutritionist - Dr. Aron is the current acting director of the Center of Inflammatory Bowel Diseases at California Pacific Medical Center in San Francisco. He is actively practicing and conducting research on Irritable Bowel Syndrome, Celiac disease, ulcerative colitis and Crohn's disease. He is the past president of the Board of the Northern California Chapter of the Crohn's Colitis Foundation of America, and was the recipient of its 2002 Premier Physician Award. He also serves on the board of the American Celiac Society, and, together with his wife, Harriette, has written "Gut-Check: Your Prime Source for Bowel Health and Colon Cancer Prevention". For more about Dr. Aron, visit his website at www.gut-check.com.

Seth Shostak

Senior Astronomer (SETI Institution) - Seth is a Senior Astronomer at the SETI Institute, in Mountain View, California. He has an undergraduate degree in physics from Princeton University, and a doctorate in astronomy from the California Institute of Technology. For much of his career, Seth conducted radio astronomy research on galaxies, and has published approximately fifty papers in professional journals. He also founded and ran a company producing computer animation for TV. Seth has edited and contributed to a half dozen books. His first popular tome, “Sharing the Universe: Perspectives on Extraterrestrial Life” appeared in March, 1998. His most recent books are “Life in the Universe” (2002, textbook with Jeff Bennett and Bruce Jakosky) and “Cosmic Company” (2003, with Alex Barnett).