Greg Papa’s run at KNBR 680 AM has come to an abrupt end.
The longtime Bay Area broadcaster will not be calling games in 2026, and the station has also let him go from his daily midday hosting job alongside his longtime partner after a programming change by station management. The move comes as a major surprise in the NFL media world, especially with the season approaching.
Papa’s name has been a fixture across the San Francisco Bay Area for nearly four decades. He built his reputation through play-by-play work that stretched across multiple major franchises and sports, and he became one of the region’s most recognizable voices.
His most celebrated NFL role came with the Oakland Raiders, where he served as the radio voice for 21 years. He was known for his trademark “Touchdownnnnnnnnn Raiders!”
call. In 2019, he moved into the play-by-play radio role for the San Francisco 49ers.
Papa’s résumé goes well beyond football. In the NBA, he started with the Indiana Pacers, later moved to the Golden State Warriors, and also called games for the San Antonio Spurs. In baseball, he spent more than a decade as the television play-by-play announcer for the Oakland Athletics and later worked Giants games.
The timing makes the decision even more difficult. Papa has recently been recovering from a serious medical diagnosis that required extensive hospitalization, and his career has already been marked by significant disruptions tied to severe health issues and media shakeups.
For now, it remains unknown what the cancer survivor will do next.
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For Buffalo, that makes this offseason approach worth watching. General manager Jarmo Kekalainen stayed cautious, passing on splashier moves such as a trade for Connor Hellebuyck or a signing of Patrick Kane and instead leaning into internal development, a bet on the roster growing together as the window opens. The hope from here is less about a one-year leap than building the kind of consistent playoff presence that confirms the Sabres are finally settling into the tier fans have been waiting for. [Read more 🡒]
Sabres Development Pipeline Shifts Again With Another Familiar Face Moving On
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Nathan Paetsch is among the departures after three seasons with the Americans, and his exit underscores how much turnover can ripple through an organization that leans on its farm team for growth and stability. For the Sabres, the changes in Rochester are more than a personnel note, since the people working closest to prospects often shape the daily habits and details that carry over when players make the jump. [Read more 🡒]