How wonderful.
If you're a Bay Area sports fan not necessarily in love with the Giants and/or 49ers, but you appreciate coverage and talk about the A's, Sharks and Stanford, then you're in heaven.
Entercom's 95.7 "The Wolf" bold move to drop the country-music format and switch to an all-sports outlet is one of the more compelling radio stories of the early year.
It all began with the A's move and will be be further enhanced when the Sharks make the move when their current season comes to a close. Beyond that, station personnel will be talking to both Stanford and Cal too to see if they can hammer out a deal with both schools.
Along the line, expect a plethora of talk-shows, local commentaries, news and fresh programming that aims to compete, slightly at first, with KNBR and its virtual monopoly of Bay Area sports programming. As one veteran radio guy put it to me, "Thank God I can finally listen to something other than KNBR!"
Indeed, 95.7 FM will sell itself as the "only FM station" in the market that will program sports. That's cool. I'm certain they'll have an audience and not only those tied to the A's and Sharks. There's plenty of listeners who'd appreciate a station with a fairly strong signal, (its signal is very strong in most Bay Area cities and the suburbs--San Jose too) and unique programming and yes, talk shows too.
Most of all, it won't be KNBR and that alone is enough for me.
Huzzah!
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Well we know who the afternoon drive hosts will be
ReplyDeletehttp://www.robarnieandsports.com/index.php?q=node/268
The Raiders seem a perfect fit. Not like Live 105 or KFRC were sports stations.
ReplyDeleteWhat a dream come true to haul down Hammer and his henchmen. If I never heard a minute more of any KNBR hosts,while having a quality alternative at the Wolf..I'm howling at the moon happy.
KCBS has been incredibly successful with its FM 106.9 frequency. I wish the new 95.7 luck. Perhaps this is what KNBR needs to put some fire in its belly a-la provide us with a better lineup!
ReplyDeleteFunny how yesterday I got that listener survey and all of a sudden Tolbert and Byrnes talk A's. Methinks someone is scared. I don't care if they have a test pattern 5-9am ,It'll be better than the DoubleM Morons on the Casual SportsFan Leader...BBwwaaahhhaaahhhaahhhaaa!!!!!
ReplyDeleteFINALLY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
ReplyDeleteFuck You KNBR
They ought to hire Gary Plummer. Oh the stories he could tell.
ReplyDeleteIt's very subtle, but I get the feeling that Lieberman doesn't like KNBR.
ReplyDeleteWell with it be Rob and Arnie in the afternoon they've been around for a while. They have a morning show that started in Reno as the Rob, Arnie, and Dawn show. Which I think is sitll on the air (last I checked) on "Rock 104." They moved the show to Sac many years ago but also had it carried in Reno and Phx I am pretty sure. They had announced a few months ago they were starting a sports show later in the day. Reno's ESPN station flipped to FM about 6 months or so ago. Will be interesting how it all works out and who else they hire, if they bring in some local talent.
ReplyDeleteThanks, Comerica!
ReplyDelete"Funny how yesterday I got that listener survey and all of a sudden Tolbert and Byrnes talk A's. Methinks someone is scared."
ReplyDeleteByrnes was a star player for the A's, Tolbert lives in the east bay,---and Ralph wasn't there. It wasn't a pre or post game show. So yeah, they discussed the A's and their stadium problems.
Isn't it something that just days after he was fired-we find out what a horrible, degenerate, scoundrel, Gary Plummer is? All this time he was a family guy,announcer,loyal former 49er.
ReplyDeleteNow he's a sex fiend!..KNBR,no low is too low with character assasinations. A station that praises Fitz and Brooks and their secret handshake paychecks..then can't just let Plummer go..they have to drag him through the mud. With the 49ers org permission.
Big Business,moralizing-how's that?
Another BIG thank you to Comerica Bank for really making this happen. If it weren't for how Comerica mishandled KTRB, SportsRadio 95.7 FM wouldn't have launched.
ReplyDeleteSportsRadio has a pretty big pool of local talent they can hire without breaking the bank. Larry Kruger isn't really doing anything these days. KHTK 1140AM in Sacramento laid off some on-air talent in November, including Mike Lamb (who just happens to be an A's and Sharks fan.) Who knows what happens to KHTK with the Kings moving? Then there's Rick Tittle and Roxy Bernstein who are underemployed over at Sportsbyline. Bruce MacGowan isn't doing much either...he can give the station a Raiders slant.
ReplyDeleteGive Ted Robinson a sports talk show again but not likely due to employment with 49ers and or Knbr. He brings informative sports talk without all the nonsense of Knbr hosts or Greg Papa was a good host when he was on 1050.
ReplyDeleteThose guys 4-6 pm dont look to promising kind of a sports and humour type show but will see.
Hope they pick up one of the national football league if their is one radio packages.
But at least mabye Knbr will improve their listenablity.
The Sharks' current affiliate, Classic Rock Fox 98.5/102.1 is 95.7's sister station
ReplyDeletewell at least i can stream 95.7 on my internet radio app...if it was Clear Channel you have to use their stupid flash player....it really is a dumb move by the A's though because nobody in Sacramento area (or anywhre outside bay area) will be able to hear an FM station...
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