Madden on KCBS still must-listen; 49ers media apologists; Tuesday rundown

A couple of weeks ago, a radio program director e-mailed and said to listen to John Madden's spiel on KCBS.

"He sounded out of it," said the PD. I listened. I disagreed.

In fact, I think Madden is still at the top of his game. I miss him on Sunday Night Football with Al Michaels and I don't think I'm alone there.

Sure, the old coach has a few hiccups on radio now and then. He's human, but by and large, Madden in the morning with Stan Bunger and Susan Leigh Taylor is must-listen radio. First off, he still has a keen insight into what he's talking about and his football cred is uncanny. And he still knows how to reach people that don't necessarily give a hoot about the NFL.

Best of all, Madden sounds genuine. He could easily be sitting across the table from you eating scrambled eggs and talking sports. He doesn't need cheap sound effects nor incessant "dude" references; he's aware of the room and I enjoy his morning rap.

**Yeah, the 49ers looked decent last night, but I'm amazed at the spin of the local yokels that heaped praise on that "gutsy" performance Monday Night by the team and its celebrated QB, Alex Smith. All around the blogs, radio, TV, the consensus was the 49ers "looked great--they played with heart and 'Alex Smith turned in his best performance as a 49er." Uh, yeah, they looked OK compared to that epic egg they laid in Seattle, but last I checked, A. they lost, B. they're headed to hostile territory in a stadium that is regarded by most NFL players as the hardest place to play for opposing teams. Good luck. I smell 0-3.

**Projected next Singletary blow-up: Week 4 in Atlanta.

**No, its entirely normal for a major-market TV outlet to cower to its client football partner, (49ers) and remove an interview from its website, cover it up and get away with it, (apparently) But  a word to the Battery St. boys and girls, I'm not giving up, just yet.

**E-mails: "Rich, you have a beef with Dito and O'Donnell--what's up?" Quick answer: Not really, although I will say this: One is volunteering his time working gratis so he can maintain his press credentials and the other is his polar-opposite off the air. And by the way, yes Dennis, you got bamboozled by a boob, but the kiss-and-tell at the end was nothing short of supreme sucking. (Can't wait for the next "Coaches Corner")

**I finally watched Radnich and Bruno on Comcast Sunday Night. All I will say is what works on radio doesn't necessarily work on TV. The ad-lib, inside-baseball, all-over-the-map shtick with MTV-like camera shots and grainy interludes were distractions and don't add any effect. And to have the young woman prop by the side to act as Twitter/Facebook sidekick was thoroughly lame. The "Sunday Night Rap" has its high points every now and then, but the words, "contrived", "reaching", and "forced" come to mind--what makes Radnich/Bruno on radio work is its free-for-all pathos. So far, that's not the case on cable TV.

**Another newbie local TV Show: "7Live" on KGO-TV/ABC7, hosted by Brian Copeland. To be truthful, because of scheduling, have caught only glimpses. Early word: too-gimmicky and yes, again, "contrived", which can only support the early word that a "judge show" is six months away. Question to KGO brass: Why try to push a local program by placing it in the Death Valley time slot of 3- 4 PM?

**Raj Mathai on the NBC Bay Area post-game Sunday Night football show: The "kiss-method" in full display: a superb, straight, no-gimmicky program with a very thorough co-host, Nnamdi Asoumgwa.


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