John Hamilton, the longtime “On the Go” weekend host for San Francisco’s KGO radio, has gone on to his next adventure. We take this opportunity to celebrate our colleague’s long and hearty life as a world-wide traveler, and his valuable contributions to his listeners about the world of travel. Eloquent tributes to and pictures of John were posted/printed on his KGO radio website and in the Bay Area’s The Mercury News in late May of 2020. Both organizations generously gave us permission to re-post parts of their kind content here.

John has been a travel and outdoor enthusiast all of his life. When he became a regular part of the KGO family in 1971 Richard Nixon was the president and gas was only 32-cents per gallon. John started off by giving up-to-the-minute ski reports directly from the slopes as well as other tips on some amazing outdoor destinations and adventures. In 1987, he began hosting the beloved weekly show, On-the-Go with John Hamilton.

A graduate of New York University’s broadcast school, Hamilton’s first radio jobs were in Victoria and his native Vancouver. From there, he moved on to Phoenix, San Diego and finally the Bay Area, where he worked at KPAT/KRE from 1965 to 1971.

John has won numerous broadcasting awards during his illustrious career from professional associations including the California Outdoor Writers, Pacific Inter-Club Yachting, the Society of American Travel Writers, the US Ski Journalists, and the North American Snowsports Journalists Association, of which John is a past-president.

“John was an institution and synonymous with KGO, having hosted his very popular weekend show, ‘On The Go’ for 33 of his 65 years in radio,” said Cumulus Media Vice President and Market Manager, Doug Harvill. “He loved coming to work every Sunday and talking with our listeners about travel. We’re going to miss him. He was a true gentleman both on and off the air.”

John’s zest for life and dedication to providing the best content to his listeners did not go unnoticed and surely will not be forgotten.

Text and photos, thanks to KGO radio, San Francisco, CA, https://www.kgoradio.com.
Text, thanks to The Mercury News, San Jose, CA, https://www.mercurynews.com.