KGO RADIO:
Elimination of the "Afternoon News" and the reduction of news personnel. Sports will be eliminated other than what's contractually obligated, like CAL football.
Most weekend programming will be syndicated and re-run. News will consist of Metro updates and ABC Radio hourly four-minute casts. There will be virtually ZERO local news on the weekend, (some say that's already the case.)
Look for a lot of real-estate shows and out-of-town tonsil shows. And don't be surprised if you hear a lot of Don Imus, lots.
Two or three big name talk hosts will be taking buyouts or leave under mysterious conditions, one of which has a lingering health issue(s)...No, not Gene Burns, although there's talk that Burns will retire sooner rather than later.
KNBR:
Consolidation of the Sales dept, (which,. you, as listeners will not notice); an outright dismissal of 2-3 "big" names, some-on-air talent who do not have contracts. I've made fun of KNBR interns occasionally doing sports updates? That's exactly what's on the drawing boards.
Timeline: Now that Knibber's cash cow, the SF Giants are in hibernation, the baseball ratings that drive the "Leader" will soon disappear. (Wait until the October ratings are out); Knibber's lucky the 49ers seem to be on a winning mode. They'll need it.
BARBIERI:
This is going to be "ugly", as one of my sports sources in the biz tells me. Barbieri's deal expires come the end of the year. His disclosure of the Parkinson's affliction, it now seems evident, was timed. However harsh that may seem, it clearly was a sign from the Razor that he's put the Cumulus boys on notice that he's ready to play hardball if they, (Bill Bungeroth/Lew Dickey), choose to go that route, (and I'm betting they will).
RADNICH:
This is a 50/50 deal. His numbers continue to erode and his Q rating is fading faster than a Charlie Sheen lunch with Les Moonves. In other words, Gary is reeling. How that translates to the future is anyone's guess. He's under contract, but it's not locked in concrete.
Beyond that, if he left tomorrow, would anyone seriously even notice? He's Knibber's second highest-paid host, (after Barbieri and Tolbert), but clearly his days are numbered at 55 Hawthorne.
TOLBERT:
Safe and locked up.
FITZGERALD:
Rudy, aka: "Giggles" has the Warriors, but his Knibber situation is nearing an end, say industry sources. He's increasingly DETESTED by not only Dubs fans, but by the outside listeners. In spite of decent ratings, (although who's he and Broooks up against?), Shitsgerald has an extreme horrible Q rating. Have you listened to him? Yes, that's why.
MURPH and MAC:
Signed six-year deal in June. (For reasons only God and Lee Hammer can explain).
LEE HAMMER:
The power-LESS one. He really doesn't pull the strings, Bungeroth does, but most of you know that. You do now.
STAY TUNED for more.
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KGO ? Meh. For local news on the radio... it's been KCBS nearly all of my 37 years. The ONLY time I've ever listened to KGO was Pete Wilson's show (and the least few minutes of Dr. Dean Edell as a lead-in.
ReplyDeleteKGO should bring back some of those old radio shows like they had in past decade. I would love to be able to listen to Yukon Jack, The Shadow, Johnny Dollar, Superman, etc for a spell on radio as opposed to just online (or XM radio when I had it).
So a demise of KGO to me ? I rarely knew ye.
Hammer had no qualms,stood for nothing. He deserved what he got from some. Bunghole avoided the radar like a member of a dark tower does.
ReplyDeleteOverall it looks like KNBR is going from the SS party running things to robots. What a legacy. What a waste of 50,000 watts.
And after all that turmoil-never once did they try diversity.
What about Brooks? he is terrible. I'm sure the EEOC will keep him there.
ReplyDeleteThe young guns are staying, Bruce and Krueger? Hope so. I listened to some Byrnes last night and he is coming along nicely.
He's willing to play hardball....with what? He is expensive, abrasive....and truth be told the only thing that keeps him employed is Tolbert! I would expect either a dramatic salary capitulation or a new afternoon drive time pairing. As soon as he's gone I'll start listening again and ....more importantly...patronizing advertisers.
ReplyDeleteThis is like reading an astrology chart. Why don't you wait till you have actual NEWS to report? These changes will change live, careers etc...I guess since you never really had either you're not sensitive to that. It just seems cruel to continue to name names and make suppositions when you have no real information. But hell, why start aiming for credibility now?
ReplyDeletethanks Rich for the info - this is why I like reading this blog
ReplyDeleteas far as - In spite of decent ratings (Giggles), (although who's he and Brooks up against?)... didn't you tell us way back when that when D Bruce originally got the 12-3 gig at 1050 that he would really carve into if not surpass the 2 morons at 680?
Love the KGO lawyyyer, Len Tillem, but his show has been diluted to death with commercial and news breaks. As Len would say: "Young and Dumb! ... Reallly!"
ReplyDeleteKGO: Just like KABC in LA, KGO is going down the drain.
ReplyDeleteRalphie: Play hardball, Ralphie. Do youor thing!
Raddy: Tired, the comedy show has to end. But, it didn't have to be this way.
Fitz: Does anyone like this guy?
Murph and Mac: Murph, I can take.
Hammertiem: I always thought Hammer was interim when Agnew left.
Get rid of Ralph B, Tolbert is good alone. Sorry about your medical issue Ralph, but nobody cares, just like your sperm donation.
ReplyDeleteI'll believe it when I see it, Chicken Little.
ReplyDeleteAlready on KNBR,I haven't heard long time voice Terry Lee-she gone? instead they had a perky college girly girl voice do the break.
ReplyDeleteI heard Giggles say that he missed Rod who HAD "To do the vacation thing"...said it kind of cryptic,and sad. As in,before he's let go?
ReplyDeleteThose nutty KNBR hosts can really leave you guessing what the truth is.
Terry Lee, the hottest voice on the radio since Kate in the morning..Gone?
ReplyDeleteI like Ralph. I like Gary. I can't stand Fitz. And please, get rid of Byrnes, too.
ReplyDeleteMurph and Mac nice guys but they rarely talk about Sports, Mac is horrible, Radnich is a insecure guy with a old rountine and he and Ralphie lost their fastballs a long time ago. Both don't follow sports. Fitz is a arrogant turd, please give us Pappa back for basketball. Brooks is dull, Krueger is full of hate, Tolbert up on sports but can't ask a question under 5000 words.
ReplyDeleteBrooks is out because he is becoming or has become a dad and, to his credit, does'nt want his personal business all over town...also ironic KNBR has been running ad's for account executives.
ReplyDeleteOnly KNBR hosts hides being a dad. With Brooks it must be out of wedlock and for sure not with a black woman.
ReplyDelete95.7 the GAME is where it's at now, adios knibber
ReplyDeletePut Gary with Ralph, Ray with Brooks,Tom alone,Ray on sports phone and fitz and byrnes can go to phillie
ReplyDeleteWhy do you call him Rudy
ReplyDeleteI meant krueger on sports phone,till he says something stupid,which is inevitable without a babysitter!
ReplyDeleteBecause he's a Notre Dame, scum sucking, brown nosing, back-stabbing little turd, who basically used his dad's political influence, and his own smarmy, disengenous qualities to get where he is, sucking up to big-wigs
ReplyDeletein the right places. Tony Salvadore and Bob Agnew were both taken by this shabby little piece of .....much to their later regret. Remember the movie "Rudy" about the high school kid that has his heart set on playing football at Notre Dame, and finally earns a spot as a walk on but doesn't get to play until the last game of the season for one play, and then gets carried off the field by his teammates? That's what our little brown-noser Fitzie wanted to be!
I am very saddened by the loss of jobs by colleagues and fellow AFTRA members who have worked in the trenches for many years only to be fired by bottom line companies. When I was working with Frank and Mike at KNBR (NBC O/O) in the 80's, Susquehana bought KNBR in 1990 and immediately throughout the Union (AFTRA) and got rid of all the Unionized employees except for Mr. Barbieri. It will be tough seasoned News managers like Ken Berry and other on-air personal to find jobs here in the Bay Area because of the economy.
ReplyDelete"Put Gary with Ralph, Ray with Brooks,Tom alone,Ray on sports phone and fitz and byrnes can go to phillie"—4:53 PM
ReplyDeleteGenius! Too bad that dooms it...
Ok,lol,who is special ed!
ReplyDeleteGet rid of Fitz and everything else is icing on the Dickey.
ReplyDeleteSounds like business to me and business is business.
ReplyDeleteAs someone who actually works in the KGO newsroom I'm always amazed at Rich's early reports of our death. All of the consolidations you listed sound plausible and so you might be right. But as someone inside 900 Front I'm not hearing that is the way they'll go. If you lose the afternoon news presence then you should simply pull the plug and go all Metro all the time for the updates, because people will stop thinking of us as a news source at all when they get bored with the same news every 20 minutes on KCBS.
ReplyDeleteYeah...I guess 'business' means cut the workers, the people who made the stations what they are, but keep the CEOs and make sure those all important shareholders happy. I guess that's what makes America such a great country! God bless America and god bless big corporations such as Cumulus! They will continue to put plenty of people out of work until Bonzo the Chimp is running the radio stations!
ReplyDeleteI don't know how Murph & Mac got contract extensions. They're barely tolerable. I'd rather listen to Mike & Mike and their ESPN drivel.
ReplyDeleteBay Area has too many stations, chasing too few ad dollars. The end.
ReplyDeleteErr...October 14th, 3:52 PM, you're half right, cheers!
ReplyDeleteToo bad the Larry Krueger ass kisser post went away. Just a few minute of him today...Ass is Larry's World. Kisses,acts and thinks like an ass..his face is ass like. He must sign things Ass Krueger.
ReplyDeleteJust a total ass.
u can bet that if KNBR makes changes in on air talent that ratto and ted robinson will get looks... one thing i agree with is murph and mac are just awful knbr messed up big time letting john london go !!! maybe they can go get urban and give him a show (again) KNBR dropped the ball but not bringing bruno in.
ReplyDelete