Report: Former Bay Area Radio Hosts File for Bankruptcy

RADIO ONLINE | Wednesday, August 20, 2025 | 3:40pm CT

Ronn Owens

Former Bay Area broadcasters Ronn Owens (pictured) and Jan Black have filed for Chapter 13 bankruptcy after months of raising money through a public fundraising campaign to address financial difficulties, reports Craig Hudson for the San Francisco Chronicle.

According to legal documents filed August 14 in federal court in Arizona, the longtime KGO radio host and his wife, a former KCBS personality, reported more than $2.3 million in liabilities. The couple owes $511,327 to over 40 creditors, including banks and credit card companies. Black is identified under her legal name, Elizabeth Ann Naylor, in the filing.

Owens, who retired from San Francisco's KGO during the pandemic, and Black relocated to Scottsdale, AZ, where they purchased a $1.5 million home.

Court filings show that more than $400,000 of the couple's debt was accumulated in 2025, even as friends and family launched a GoFundMe campaign on New Year's Eve to help offset what was described as Owens' "overwhelming" medical expenses stemming from Parkinson's disease and other health issues. As of August 18, the campaign had raised over $131,000 of its $140,000 goal.

The couple reported a combined monthly income of $21,083 from pensions and unemployment compensation, against $6,640 in monthly living expenses. That figure does not include a $14,188 monthly mortgage payment. Their filing also lists health-related costs, including $150 a month for medical and dental care, $225 for additional insurance, and $1,500 for life insurance.