Post-Mortem Ralph:
*Ameci's Pizza, a heavy-weight advertiser associated with Barbieri, as expected, dropped KNBR on its ad list. Several industry people told me that the local pizza chain had a "significant" monetary commitment to Cumulus.
In its contract, any severance of ties to Barbieri, meant an automatic pullout. Barbieri is good friends with the CEO of Ameci's, Peter Cooperstein, and did many "live reads" for the company.
*Lost in the Barbieri development: although KNBR and the Giants recently, (with a ton of local fanfare), extended their broadcast deal another seven years, Knibber's other sports clients--the 49ers and Warriors, are less than thrilled with playing second fiddle to the Giants. The Niners, in particular, are un-happy campers. They acknowledge the Giants' importance and clout in the area, and while inside are OK with their arrangement, down the road might be looking at other options. (Perhaps KGO, another Cumulus property, but like KNBR, 50,000 watts and a probable desire to take in the 49ers to build a Sunday franchise around.)
The Warriors are also looking at future broadcast operations in radio. The new ownership wants an exclusivity caveat and KNBR may not fit the plans. Of course, first and foremost with the Dubs, winning would help. Duh.
*Randy Hahn and Ken Korach are the best Bay Area broadcast PBP-men in the area. Hahn, as I have stated here numerous times, is a fine, astute, professional in every sense of the wold. He makes watching the SJ Sharks a whole lot of fun and exciting. His calls are great and he and Drew Remenda are just first-rate.
Korach, (currently recovering from knee-replacement surgery), is a masterpiece PBP-man. He's objective, he's knowledgeable, he has a signature call, ("ring him up!") and ALWAYS gives the score. Good stuff. If Korach broadcast a team other than the A's, he'd be all over the sports media map.
Oh, have to mention Ted Robinson and Greg Papa on the football end too.
NOTES: Is it just me or does the KTVU news set look a lot like KGO-TV's?...The venerable reporter on the street, Don Knapp, of KPIX, seems to be on the EverReady path: keeps going and going. Knapp has had tenures at KGO, KTVU, KRON and now at CBS5...As reported here, (first), a huzzah to KCBS' longtime street reporter ace, Bob Melrose, who retired on Thursday after 36 years at CBS...Sad how some of the most illustrious call letters in the radio industry--KSFO, KNBR and KGO, have been put out to pasture and forever dented by the Cumulus mobsters...For those of you thinking Barbieri will go over to the FM Sports station, fugeeet about it. Ain't gonna happen and it's too long to explain here, but just trust me. Ditto, him going to KGO, which is also owned by the Atlanta nitwits...Funny, Ray Ratto belittles the Giants Opening Day on his radio bits, (I agree), yet Ratto was front and center at the Giants game on Friday. Interesting logic, Ratts...In case you don't already know, Renel Brooks on KISS-FM, (98.1), is automated, but you had to know that...Dave Padilla's silly "Rise and Shine" on KCBS is just plain silly. Repeat: Just plain silly...Mystery dept, 101A: Where was the female giggler newser on KGOne Radio all last week?
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The clapping seals that are Giant fans will fall in their $9.75 beers upon hearing Korach is the best PBP guy in Bay Area.
ReplyDeleteI agree. It's just too bad the A's also employ the worst ... Vince Controneo. He just comes across as crass and arrogant and, for lack of a better word, not endearing at all.
The Sac River Cats' Johnny Doskow has filled in while Korach is on the mend. He's great. Far better than Controneo. It's too bad the A's won't pull the plug on Controneo and bring up Doskow, who's informative and friendly.
Is that who that is? And as far as Controneo..who's he? where did he come from ? He's plainer then vanilla. Works much cheaper then the outrageous One mill pay K&K get for the Giants..talk about having pics,them two- if the Giants had offered a tenth that-they would have taken it.
DeleteJust another example of the good old boys recycling the big money among themselves. Even if it doesn't make business sense. That's how they keep the power..
I don't understand the hatred of Controneo. I am a huge pbp fan of all baseball announcers and that is the main reason I am an A's fan over the Giants. When I first moved to the area I gave the giants a chance and quickly checked out because all of their announcers are blowhards except flemming (yes...even miller). Controneo came from the Astros I believe and he used to do pbp for the Texas Rangers as well. Doskow has been doing ok so far, not great, can struggle to fill the airwaves in between pitches and seems nervous. I heard him interviewed on 95.7 the other day and he was way better when he was relaxed. No one will ever compare to Lon & Bill King thats just not possible. If only Larry Baer would tell Krukow to "GRAB SOME PINE MEAT" guy is such a d-bag
DeleteI think a salute to Andy Dolitch and Lowell Cohn for a solid rebuttal to the A's way of doing business on Comcast a few days ago.
ReplyDeleteI still say- Slick Billy was on a path to create a horrid season and then..changed his mind. Maybe he couldn't look in the mirror with the team he had in winter. Thus, better trades,signing Cespedes..
Speaking of Cespedes...is Glenn Kuiper doing the stubborn white man act ala D.Bruce and insisting on butchering Cespedes and Latins in general, names? The team MVP and it hurts to hear Kuiper accent the wrong syllables over and over.. You don't have to speak fluent spanish to be close. Kuiper doesn't even care to learn.
Vince Controneo is simply "JAV" - just another voice. He's not great, he's not bad, he's just another voice. I haven't heard much of Johnny Doskow yet, but he does sound pretty good.
ReplyDeleteNo. Vince is terrible with a capital "SUCK". He misreads the play on the field and, consequently, jumbles the call. That's on top of his sub-mediocre pipes and unwarranted arrogance. They guy is a first-rate schlep and a monument to the concept of cronyism.
DeleteAs a Canadian, hockey runs deep in my blood. Grew up watching Hockey Night in Canada and Danny Gallivan is still my all time fav PBP man but Randy is top drawer and the Sharks are fortunate to have him!
ReplyDeleteso miller and flem are pikers?
ReplyDeletequick, call the hof...they put the wrong guy in
please note, unlike the knuckle draggers who follow that team from the armpit of america, giants fans dont need the score every 2 minutes...cuz we smart
re: minor league broadcasters...many are very good. may be one of the last places on radio where guys and gals are actually allowed to learn their trades and occasionally, work their way up
giants have the spawn of greenwald doing all the st games now, and he does a great job as the fresno pbp guy
the sj giants pbp guy does wonderful interviews with the rising stars
not sure what ratt's issue is with the giants opening day...see, unlike other teams who just roll out their former players for opening days or other reunions, most of the giants former players are still a part of the org...did the ratt have a problem with stow's son throwing out the first pitch? did you??
as for the niners....ya, going to kgo would be brilliant....like cumulus cares
who cares if the warriors have issues...worst run pro team in all of the world
Ameci's Pizza actually sucks, they took over at the Sharks tank for Roundtable and it was as bad as the frozen Pizza you buy in the store. That is another good thing about Ralph leaving, everytime he did a Ameci's pizza spot, I changed the dial.
ReplyDeleteJust one thought about the dimwits at 680, the firing of Ralph sends a HUGE message to the trolls in the trenches to tow the line because if the Razor was expendable then anyone is. So it is another way to strike the fear of G-d at both stations. A nice way to run a business. I surmise that these folks who run the show had lousy childhoods are are now taking it out on regular-hard working folks who just want a job and a good place to work. My condolences to those who thought that radio (KNBR) could be a nice place to work. Having that regime handing over your head is like getting root canal work without having laughing gas.
ReplyDeleteI'm sorry, but as a hockey fan (not a Sharks fan) Hahn and Remenda are nothing but homers! Remenda wasn't as bad before he left for that one season with HNIC, but I guess management must've told him not be critical of the Sharks if he wanted to come back.
ReplyDeleteAnd when you write about Cumulus bottom lining..it just makes bringing back Larry Krueger more of the Dickeys just trying to push the corp. even farther to the right. Its a statement hire...just as firing Barbieri was.
ReplyDeleteThere was plenty of talk talent other than Larry to hire..Krueger is the Dickey's hate of minoritys,left wing S.F.,and maybe Obama who doesn't support 20 million dollar CEO bonuses while you cost people jobs.
the masked
"S"
Since I don't listen to Kgone anymore I am not sure why Jennifer Lee Jones was absent all week. "Like, its Fridaaaaaaaay, duh, uh huh
ReplyDelete!"
Good riddance to Ameci's pizza. As another poster said.
ReplyDeleteTheir pizza is junk.
Easily the most overated product locally.
The food they serve is average at best. Just another food chain.
Jon Bristow and Jenna Lane said Jennifer Jones-Lee was "under the weather". And yes some of her things are annoying (it's Friiiiiday, calling Thursday Friday-Eve). But if you talk about giggle-fests, there isn't anything much more annoying than afternoons on KGO. Bret Burkhart is the worst offender and Chris Brecher comes in a close second (in my opinion). You mostly hear them in the background when Kevin the Rat is doing his schtick. Which is another thing...
ReplyDeleteLove him or hate him 28 years in broadcasting is quite an accomplishment however Ameci's pizza is no better than frozen stuff in the stores but they did a great job of marketing it. East Coast pizza???...only been to N.Y. twice and that is not east coast pizza by any stretch it's average at best.
ReplyDeleteI rented an Amici's pizza last night. It cost $24 after tax (not counting the tip), and the damn thing went through me in 11 hours. That's $2.18 per hour. Renting a car is cheaper. But it was the only place open in downtown Menlo Park after 10 pm.
DeleteAfter a week of eating matzoh, I can say that Amici's crust isn't much tastier.
Ameci's pizza is horrific, they took over for Round table at the Sharks games, and the pizza is horrendous, no cheese and crust is hard and cardboard like.My 14 year old son said the Pizza at the school lunches were better. Go get a frozen pizza at the market, much better. Worst pizza in the entire bay area. Also I lived in New York for 1/2 of my life, Ameci's is not close to being East Coast Pizza. What a sham.
DeleteThis place is certainly a good spot to relieve angst and take out frustration about 21st century corporate radio. As someone who still cherishes 'the good old days' of the 1970s and 80s and even part of the 90s in local radio, it's been a sad site to watch the sudden demise of some once prominent stations.
ReplyDeleteBut as they say, all good things must pass and youth must be served. It's just that in the 'good old days,' kids coming into radio (28 and under) learned their craft in the minor leagues in smaller towns so by the time they got here, they sounded polished, understood their responsibilities, and had respect for the craft. Unfortunately some of the newbies who are hired for peanuts don't have a clue these days!
Now major cities have become the 'minor leagues' as far as much of
the local radio scene is concerned. Listeners and the community deserve better, but the corporate suits who don't know or care about what on-air broadcasting is all about, and have ZERO interest in serving the local communities don't give a whit.
They're killing their own business, but when it starts to go bell-up, they'll all take a powder and walk away fat, dumb and happy with their golden parachutes and their smug attitudes.
Pathetic!
6:50 you're so right! I think the only station that hasn't succumbed to this nonsense is KQED. And that's Public broadcasting which means every other station has sold its soul to the devil. They'll all burn in hell, it's just a matter of time! Thank god for this blog so we all have a forum to voice our complaints :)
Delete"For those of you thinking Barbieri will go over to the FM Sports station, fugeeet about it. Ain't gonna happen and it's too long to explain here"
ReplyDeletereally? Allow me to help you out, Rich.
Ralph isn't going to FM because Ralph is:
A.) Too Expensive
B.) Too Old
Did I miss anything?
Yes he is going to be too expensive, he does not follow sports anymore and he has Parkinsons which is probably the biggest reasos, how much longer can he go.
DeleteToo expensive....no argument here. Too old....bahh....Marty Lurie is Ralphs age (within 2 or 3 years +/-) and I find him to be an entertaining presence on the radio. Of course he understands baseball better than most...but more than that he seems to really enjoy the discussion. It's about baseball not about Marty!
DeleteRalphies last 8-9 years have been awful! "fake tough interview guy" or mindless suck up to this seasons most popular player. Just blatantly rude to people...had I been Brian Sabean I would have punched him on numerous occasions.
Listening to sports with Barbieri is like discussing money with your ex-wife.
Good riddance!
Too old, I agree...The Game is young and energetic and trying. Ralph is an important figure in the history of SF Bay radio, but he just doesn't have the energy anymore
DeleteFish: Are you on crack? It's ALL about Marty. Did you ever listen to his postgame show when he did the A's? I'll give him this much though, no one talks for longer on the air than him, he'll go seven hours!
DeleteI love Dave Padilla's silly-ness on KCBS. He's not over the top with it at all. He and Janice have fun and its a pleasure to listen to them enjoy what they do. Yeah, they're not Stan and Susan, because its not weekday mornings. The weekends should be more relaxed. Loosen up Rich!
ReplyDeleteok seems like there is a lot of complaining about who is on the air can you guys give me some better names since you guys dislike the current ones so much
ReplyDeleteI'll stick up for Vince. Sure, he doesn't stand out like all the other great talent around the Bay but he does a good job. Not great but a solid job.
ReplyDeleteBut I do miss Korach's voice. This coming from this "clapping seal with the $9.75 beer". Get well soon, Ken. Now maybe the "empty seats" over at the other park can stop complaining about the other team and fans and start showing up to an A's game.
Niners on KGO? They had them for a lot of years and we had to suffer through Rich Walcoff's post game show. Sorry, Rich L., I know your are a fan of him but that was some bad stuff. Remember when Jerry Rice's wife called in to chew out Walcoff? And then, during the game, we'd get some mellow bumper music coming back from commercial that made KOIT's playlist seem like punk music. This is FOOTBALL, gentlemen, not the Masters for the 75 year old Viagra crowd!!!
The Warriors?? You called it! Winning gets you clout and pull. Losing gets you second fiddle. If they complain, KNBR needs to laugh in their face and say "Bitch, Please!!"
FINALLY, JUSTICE FOR DAVE NEWHOUSE!
ReplyDeleteThank you. I have been waiting for this day as well.
DeleteRalph if the shoe fits, wear it baby!
Sometimes you just can't win. I like KGO's afternoon news. Bret and Chris have it mostly dialed in now. A little levity but not too much...shows they are human. But then, detractors will say "too giggly". If they played it all straight they'd be "too serious". I love the Kevin the Rat schtick. Everyone complains (including you Rich) that sports isn't meant to be taken so seriously (ala Steve Bitker). Kevin can be insightful but know how to poke the stick and lighten it up. The soundbites are great. The athletes themselves are natural, yet unaware comics. Kevin may now be everyone's taste but I think he hits all the right notes more often than not.
ReplyDeleteCan't stand Jon Miller or Dave Fleming, they use that tired "baseball voice" by dropping down low. It bugs the crap out of me. Love the relaxed style of Ken and Vince, the other guys are too forced.
ReplyDeleteHave to agree with the poster on Kevin 'the Rat.' He's unique to this or any other market, and uses his 2 minutes of air time per half hour to not only tell you what's going on but give you a different slant with some humor. KGO is lucky to have him and Walcoff.
ReplyDeleteI especially appreciate the way Kevin uses soundbites as radio is about creating ' a theater of the imagination,' and Kevin believes in that.
He has always been one of the more unappreciated talents, and when he's in the building working his on-air shift, few people are more serious about putting together a solid product for the listeners. It's no wonder that he's always managed to stay employed.
Plus Kevin doesn't have the insufferable ego that afflicts so many of his brethren. He just goes about his job in a steady, professional manner and doesn't get involved in all of the backroom nonsense that goes on in which many announcers find it necessary to 'suck up' to management, laughing at their lame jokes and asking them about their golf games. Perhaps that's what he's always been a member of the supporting cast, but never a star.
Keep up the good work Kevin! There are lots of us listening out here who enjoy your wit and creativity!
And as far as those taking a shot at Walcoff...sure he's rattled a few cages and said a few things that upset the Niners over the years. But he's also one of the smarter, more creative guys in the business and is versatile enough to do more than just sports.
You don't last that long (nearly 30 years in the bay area) without having more than a modicum of talent.
love the guys who are saying good riddance to ameci's...they are either cumulus shills or straight out dumb
ReplyDeleteno advertising revenue, no radio
funny how you guys arent ticked at the never ending scam ads that run on radio...or are you heavily invested in gold and donate to kars for kids
As a listener of KNBR and being in advertising sales for over 25 years I say good riddance to Amechi's, we all lose big accounts and have to replace them with other accounts, the pizza sucked and every time Ralpharoo, did his adlb 5 minute infomercial spot I changed the dial.
DeleteMmm, I predict that Amici's will be back on KNBR (unless an individual there is intent on holding a grudge). For precedent look at Just Remnants making noise about Gene Burns' firing, and pulling their spots.... have you noticed that Ronn Owens is their new spokesvoice now? didn't take long to get that dreck back in heavy rotation!
DeleteIt would be fascinating to find out which local radio and TV personalities like to read and respond to Rich's blog. He always seems to touch a nerve or two around here!
ReplyDeleteI think that most of them would probably say that Rich goes off on tangents, but they would also say that he's the only one to call things accurately on many occasions.
The guys and gals who criticize Richie the most also seem to be
the ones he chooses to rip from time to time.
At least someone is interested enough in the goings-on with the local media to write a daily blog. Like it or not, it's almost always a provocative read.